This post was last updated Friday, May 22, at 12:45 p.m. Click here to see the list of counties in the early and advanced stages of Phase 2.
A region that had been in lockstep splintered last week in its approach to reopening parts of its economy, while other parts of the state are charging forward even further.
By the end of last week, many Bay Area counties had indicated they planned to fall in line with “Phase 2” of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-phase plan to reopen California, which would permit curbside retail, manufacturing, business offices and some other services to resume operation.
The region’s three most-populous counties held out, but by Monday, all 8 million of the Bay Area’s residents were under revised orders matching the statewide guidance. By the end of the week, even some Bay Area counties had begun to resume in-person shopping and dining.
Regional approaches to reopening may be the wise public-health approach, but it can create a scattered and confusing news ecosystem. So here’s your guide Phase 2.
What does Phase 2 mean?
When Newsom unveiled his four-tiered plan to reopen the state on April 28, one stipulation for the second phase was that businesses would reopen gradually. He officially moved the state into the second phase of his plan in the first week of May, but more restrictive local orders issued by county health officers remained in effect, leaving the Bay Area and hard-hit Los Angeles region under lockdown. At first, the governor said, any county not under a local order would be permitted to open lower-risk businesses — such as clothing, bookstores, sporting good stores and florists — for curbside pickup and delivery, though not in-store shopping (except in essential businesses) or dine-in eating. Parks and beaches are mostly open, but many parking lots at those places remain closed, and gatherings with those outside your household are still forbidden.
This week, Newsom outlined what would happen next in Phase 2: the return of in-person dining and shopping (with masks and at reduced capacities) in counties that met certain coronavirus containment guidelines. Butte and El Dorado counties were the first to have their “local variance attestation” approved, and that list has since grown to 40 and counting.
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What was allowed in Phase 1 — essential businesses and services, such as grocery stores, emergency services and municipal work.
What’s allowed in the early stage of Phase 2 — curbside retail, manufacturing, logistics, childcare for those outside of the essential workforce, office-based businesses (although telework remains strongly encouraged), car washes, landscaping, outdoor museums, open gallery spaces and other public spaces with modifications.
What’s allowed in the advanced stage of Phase 2: retail stores, shopping malls, swap meets, dine-in restaurants and schools with modifications.
What’s still not allowed: movie theaters, gambling venues, arcades, indoor museums, kids museums, gallery spaces, zoos, libraries, community centers, public pools, playgrounds, picnic areas, religious services, cultural ceremonies, bars, nightclubs, concert venues, live audience sports, festivals, theme parks, hotels/lodging for leisure and tourism, nonessential travel and higher education.
So, there are essentially two stages of Phase 2?
Yes, the state’s most-populous counties remain in the early stage of Phase 2, while most of its rural counties — and some other population centers — have been approved to accelerate their reopening into the advanced stage of Phase 2, when in-person dining and shopping can return.
As of Wednesday, May 20, only Los Angeles County remained in Phase 1, under a stricter local lockdown than the state.
As of Thursday, more counties had entered the the advanced stage than had not.
Newsom said Friday that 43 counties had filed local variance attestations to move into the advanced stage, and that he expected at least two more by the end of the day.
Here’s where all 58 counties stood, as of Friday afternoon, May 22:
Phase 2 (early): Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, Monterey and Tulare.
Phase 2 (advanced): Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba.
Which stage is the Bay Area in?
The majority of the region’s 8 million residents remain firmly in the early stage of Phase 2.
When the week began, the three most-populous counties in the Bay Area — Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa – had held off on modifying their more restrictive local orders, which had been in place through May 31. But they issued a joint statement Monday morning announcing businesses would be able to begin storefront pickup, and that manufacturing, warehousing, and logistical operations that support retail would also be able to restart.
San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Santa Cruz also had local orders in place through the end of month, but they had also all either repealed or modified them to fall in line with the state’s guidance. Businesses on the peninsula began curbside service Monday.
Napa became the first county in the Bay Area to receive approval to move into the advanced stage of Phase 2. Dine-in restaurants and retail shops began to reopen there on Wednesday. The following day, Sonoma became the second local county to be approved.
What is required to enter the second stage of Phase 2?
Any county that wants to accelerate its reopening must submit a 12-page application, called a “local variance attestation,” plus supporting documents. This week, the state lowered its requirements to show “epidemiological stability,” citing increased capacity to test for and trace new cases (changes noted below).
The form sets forth a number of criteria counties are required to meet to prove their “readiness.”
1 or fewer cases per 10,000 residents the past 14 daysNo deaths for the past 14 days- No more than 20 confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized on any of the past 14 days OR 7-day average of hospitalizations increasing by less than 5%
- Fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents for the past 14 days (cumulative) OR positive-test rates below 8% for the past seven days
- Minimum daily testing of 1.5 per 1,000 residents, with recommendation of 2 per 1,000
- Testing sites within 30 minutes of 75% of urban residents and 60 minutes of 75% of rural residents
- 15 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents
- Temporary housing available for 15% of population experiencing homelessness
- Hospital capacity for 35% surge in COVID-19 patients
- A “robust” plan to protect hospital workers and provide personal protective equipment
- A 14-day supply and a documented supply chain of PPE for skilled nursing facilities
What comes after Phase 2?
With many California counties beginning to reopen dine-in restaurants and destination retail in the advanced stage of Phase 2, some are eyeing to go even further. And, for some, Phase 3 might be not be far off.
Pro sports could return by June, Newsom said, and other Phase 3 business, like barbershops and nail salons, are on a similar timeline. As for Phase 4? That’s the end of the stay-at-home order, when crowded gatherings will be permitted again, but it’s a long ways off, possibly more than a year.
