CALIFORNIA—San Mateo County has received approval from the state of California to resume indoor dining, county officials announced on June 16. No official reopening date has been announced, and officials said that although the county has been given the OK to reopen, they must draft a revised health order for restaurants that will be released later this week.
San Mateo applied for approval from the state to resume indoor dining, as well as other activities such as drinking inside bars, visiting hair salons, and reopening hotels to guests and tourists.
Other counties that have applied are Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, and Sonoma. San Francisco officials announced that they will apply too. These counties are still waiting on approval. In order to be granted approval, Californian counties must prove that their infection levels are at significantly low levels, and that hospitals and front-line workers are prepared and stocked enough to manage a potential spike in new coronavirus cases.
But the reopening comes with a warning; San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow gave a warning to the public in a statement, saying “the existence of such a wave and its severity is entirely up to you. I believe we can completely avoid a second wave if everyone does their part.” Dr. Morrow explained that the risk is for the public to take, but that properly following the key behaviors “will bode well for all of us.”
