SLO County says it’s ready for Stage 2, hopes to reopen certain parts of economy

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- San Luis Obispo County says they will re-attest to the State on their readiness to reopen certain segments of the community on Monday.

The County says they have met certain State criteria in containing COVID-19 and that they want to increase the pace at which they advance through State 2 of the State's Resilience Roadmap for reopening.

On Monday morning, the State provided County officials with specific criteria that focuses on ensuring low or stable hospitalization rates of COVID-19 cases along with the rate of positive cases per 100,000 population.

The County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein responded to the new criteria saying, "It’s clear that the State heard us. The State issued two new criteria that are better indicators of current transmission trends, and both of those criteria work in our favor.”

During this morning's State press conference, it was said that 23 counties meet the State's criteria to move faster through Stage 2.

Dr. Borenstein says San Luis Obispo County meets the new criteria and plans to fill out a new State form attesting to the County's readiness to reopen.

Dr. Borenstein said, "“This week, we will again attest to the State that we are ready to adapt and reopen under this new criteria. This means that we should soon get approval to move forward with in-store retail shopping and dine-in restaurants. Retailers and restaurants should prepare now by reviewing State-required public health precautions for their industry.”

The County Board of Supervisors will review the new attestation on Tuesday.

If the Board approved, Dr. Borenstein will submit it to the State for review.

So far it is unclear when the State will make a decision but County officials say they believe it will be this week.

Local businesses can find the State criteria for reopening based on their specific industry by clicking here.