Mono County News: May 21
Mono County can now officially reopen restaurants and retail stores; Restaurant workforce survey; Short-term lodging order extended in…
Mono County can now officially reopen restaurants and retail stores; Restaurant workforce survey; Short-term lodging order extended in Mammoth Lakes; County requests the state allow campgrounds and fishing
by Monica Prelle
Mono County received the variance to move forward with reopening retail stores and restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic with stricter guidelines for sanitization and reduced capacity in restaurants.
With the new qualifications, 43 of California’s 58 counties have filed the attestation to reopen stage two businesses including neighboring counties Alpine and Inyo.
There is a “mix of optimism and a sober outlook in terms of the world we’re now entering into with these modifications,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week in a press conference. The governor, who has worked in the restaurant industry as a busser, server, and restaurant owner, understands the challenges to reduced capacity in an industry that already has extremely low profit margins.
Gov. Newsom also recognized that each restaurant operates differently, which is why there is not exact standard for capacity reduction as other states have issued more straightforward percentages. In California, tables mist be six feet apart. Some businesses may have the opportunity to expand seating in outdoor spaces including parking areas to minimize table reduction.
Ultimately, the governor stressed that public health remains the most important element to reopening sectors of the economy.
“None of this means anything if customers don’t feel safe,” Gov. Newsom said. “And none of this matters if employees don’t feel safe and don’t want to come back to work.”
If restaurant workers are concerned about going back to work, there is good reason for it. Most of the original COVID-19 cases were restaurant industry workers in Mammoth, according to Mono County Public Health Officer Dr. Boo. While he thought retail businesses are relatively safe if everyone wears a masks, restaurant customers cannot cover their faces while eating, which adversely exposes the workers.
In an informal online survey, Mono County restaurant workers said their biggest concern in going back to work is getting sick and potentially infecting their family members or people they live with. Some respondents said they would not be able to go back to work without child care services. Other concerns were for their personal health and reduced wages.
“Reduced tourism, reduced capacity,” one respondent said. “We won’t survive.”
More than 70 percent of local restaurant workers said they felt their employer was concerned about their health and well-being. Even still, only 25 percent said they felt safe going back to work.
“I enjoy my work and want to return, but I am also concerned about my family’s health and the social responsibility we all have to each other,” a restaurant worker said. “I see a lot of impracticality to mandating social distancing within a restaurant.”
The Mono County Economic Development Department published county-specific guidelines and an online self-certification checklist for reopening.
Short-term lodging and camping for leisure purposes is still restricted per the state stay-at-home order
Even with retail and restaurants allowed to reopen, non-essential travel for recreational or leisure purposes is still not allowed under the governor’s stay-at-home order
Yesterday Mono County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Boo reissued the county’s short-term recreational lodging order, extending it until June 30 in Mammoth Lakes. For unincorporated Mono County, the order does not have an end date, however under state law, lodging for non-essential purposes is still prohibited.
At this time, the amended order does not change anything legally. The governor’s order supersedes anything. What is different about this new order is dividing Mammoth Lakes and the unincorporated parts of the county.
According to Town Manager Dan Holler, the date was extended in Mammoth in order to give the town more authority to enforce illegal rentals. When the state moves in to stage 3 and allows recreational travel, the town could choose to be more restrictive, while still allowing the rest of the county to move forward with the state ordinance.
“We want to be sure everyone understands that Mono county is not exceeding the requirements of the state,” County Administrative Officer Bob Lawton said. “While the town may desire to keep the order in place through the end of June, the county recognizes the difference between the incorporated and unincorporated areas.”
In a Board of Supervisors public meeting this morning, many lodging operators pressed the county to allow rentals. North County residents and business owners, who rely on summer tourism, have been particularly vocal. One commenter asked what the legal ramifications were if lodging operators choose to defy the orders.
County Counsel Stacy Simon explained that the short-term lodging restrictions are a state order and though the county has the ability to enforce state orders it does not have an obligation.
“It is a misdemeanor to violate a state health officer order, punishable by civil and criminal penalties,” Counsel Simon said. “But the biggest consequence is if we backslide public health goals and put our community at risk.”
Though enforcement so far has been minimal, if a county were to have an increase in positive cases, Counsel Simon expects that the state would then be more likely to take action.
In addition to short term lodging, camping is also considered non-essential and falls under stage three with recreational travel. However federal land is not subject to state law, the local land agencies have not yet opened campgrounds and are not expected to until late June.
Earlier this week, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to sign-on to a multi-county Yosemite gateway communities letter, asking the governor to move camping into stage 2 to help mitigate the overuse of dispersed camping on public lands.
“Regardless of the state’s orders regarding camping not being permitted we continue to experience thousands of visitors to our forests each weekend,” the letter stated.
“We have received reports and photographs that individuals are not only engaged in camping but are vandalizing gates to access areas that are closed, and leaving garbage, and all forms of human waste… This poses a public health threat as garbage and other matter that is not properly disposed of will find its way into our waterways.”
There is no clear indication when the governor will respond to the request, but seems unlikely to happen before the holiday weekend.
A few quick Public Health updates
Mono County Public Health now has a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic on Mondays and Wednesdays at various sites around the county. Testing criteria remains the same. Complimentary masks and sanitizer are also available. Check the schedule for dates, times and locations online here.
Mono County is currently reporting one death from the coronavirus, 34 positive cases, 456 negative; a total of 523 tests have been administered. There have been no new hospitalizations or severe cases since late-March.
Inyo County, which includes Toiyabe Indian Healthcare Project, is currently reporting one death, 19 confirmed positive cases of the coronavirus, 499 negative, 12 tests pending, and 530 total tests administered.
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Monica Prelle is a Mammoth Lakes-based independent journalist.