What to Know
- The updated criteria announced Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom applies to counties that want to reopen faster than the state.
- The eliminate requirements that a county have zero deaths and no more than one case per 10,000 residents over 14 days..
- Newsom estimated 53 of 58 counties could meet the new criteria.
California is relaxing some of its reopening criteria, and that could mean most of the state may soon be offering services such as dining at restaurants.
The criteria announced Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom applies to counties that want to reopen faster than the state. While retail may open for curbside pickup statewide, restrictions on dining in at restaurants and other services are still in place statewide.
"Bottom line is: People can go at their own pace, and we are empowering our local health directors and county officials that understand their local communities and conditions," Newsom said.
Newsom estimated 53 of 58 counties could meet the new criteria.
"Roughly, 53 counties would be eligible, but as we move forward that might not be the case, depending on trend lines," Newsom said.
U.S. & World
LA County, for example, will likely be more cautious, Newsom said. Los Angeles County Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers mask at her daily briefing, said the county will look at the new requirements.
“It has a lot of conditions that you need to attest to to get a variance,” she said. “It just allows you more flexibility, so we appreciate the governor and his staff for issuing new guidance.”
The Ebb and Flow of New Coronavirus Cases and Deaths
The graphs below illustrate the distribution of new coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. While New York accounted for the lion’s share of new cases and deaths in March and April, its numbers have declined in May as some states have increased. Hover or tap to see new daily cases and deaths across the country. States with the most are ordered top to bottom.
Source: The COVID Tracking Project
Credit: Amy O’Kruk/NBC
Newsom also said counties will soon be able to allow shopping in stores and hair salons to reopen. He also suggested professional sports could begin in June without spectators. He said the reopening of churches could begin within weeks.
The changes to the reopening criteria eliminate requirements that a county have zero deaths and no more than one case per 10,000 residents over 14 days. Counties no longer will have to meet a threshold for deaths. They can have up to 25 cases per 100,000 residents or no higher than an 8% positive rate among people tested for the virus.
White House Reopening Guidelines Leave Room for Interpretation
For states considering lifting quarantine measures, the official guidelines propose either a downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases within two weeks or a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests.
As shown below, when you compare yesterday’s new case count with that of two weeks ago, the number is often lower, simply because the counts fluctuate. The criteria has been criticized by some for being vague, creating the opportunity for any governor to argue the numbers are favorable enough to start reopening.
Source: The COVID Tracking Project
Credit: Amy O’Kruk/NBC
They also must have no higher than a 5% increase in hospitalizations over a 7-day period or fewer than 20 hospitalizations over 14 days. The latter will ensure small counties don't get penalized for just one or two extra hospitalizations.
Twenty-four counties in mostly rural Northern California had already been cleared to move faster under the old standards.
