Flouting Stay-Home Orders, Some California Businesses Reopen

CALIFORNIA — More than six weeks into California’s stay-home order, state officials have said the state is tantalizingly close to being able to lift more restrictions. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state has contained the coronavirus enough to allow some retailers to open their doors again — although dine-in restaurants, hair salons and many other stores remain ordered closed.

Some business owners, unwilling to wait through more uncertainty and emboldened by recent protests against the state’s lockdown, have begun defying the orders, reopening for customers in violation of both state and local public health guidance.

In the Southland, a festive Orange County cantina, a beachside surf shop and a gym in San Bernardino County are among the businesses whose owners decided to open their doors in recent days. Further north, a Placer County hair salon and Sacramento-area gym have also disregarded the state’s orders.

Some of the owners said they just needed to pay bills, while others insisted they were reopening safely, with spaced-out tables and sparse crowds. Some have even claimed the public health threat is exaggerated, including Jacob D. Lewis, the San Bernardino County gym owner, who told the Los Angeles Times that “the virus is political.”

But reopening prematurely is likely to cause the crisis to grow even more severe, federal health officials believe. According to the New York Times, Trump administrations officials predict the nation’s current daily death count of about 1,750 will nearly double to 3,000 by June 1, with more than 200,000 cases each day — due in part to the decisions by some states to reopen their economies.

In California, dine-in restaurants have been forced to close since March 19, when Newsom issued the stay-home order in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The order, which was the strictest containment measure taken anywhere in the U.S. at the time, has since been replicated in nearly every state, and experts have said the order likely helped California avoid the disastrous outbreaks seen in states like New York and New Jersey.

California officials in have taken steps to bring the rebellious businesses into line. Officials in Vacaville served a cease-and-desist order last week to a barbershop that reopened for business in violation of Solano County’s stay-home order. The owner, Juan Desmarais, could be arrested, face a fine of up to $1,000 or be imprisoned for up to six months, the city told him.

Officials in San Bernardino County are prepared to take action against the gym, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has issued a warning to at least one restaurant.

Meanwhile, three Northern California counties have defied the statewide order by allowing segments of their economies to reopen. Starting with Modoc County on Thursday, Sutter and Yuba counties have also decided to allow businesses including restaurants, gyms, shopping malls and hair salons to reopen starting this week.

It is unclear whether the state plans to shut those efforts down.

Newsom took time Monday to scold some of these businesses, saying he was prepared to punish the owners if necessary. The state's department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has investigated 81 of those businesses, of which 80 closed back down after the agency threatened to revoke their liquor licenses, Newsom said at a news conference announcing eased restrictions in the state's stay-home order.

The state plans to reopen its economy in four stages, according to a plan unveiled by Newsom last week. By the end of this week, the state will enter Stage 2, in which lower-risk businesses like manufacturing and curbside retail can reopen. Dine-in restaurants, which had been included in the state's initial plans, will not yet be allowed to reopen, Newsom said.

The third phase will include higher-risk venues like gyms, churches, theaters and hair salons.

A fourth and final stage — in which the state lifts its stay-home order and allows high-risk places such as concert venues, live sports and convention centers to reopen — will not come until the state has access to therapeutic drugs to treat COVID-19, officials said. Experts have warned that that development may take months, if not years.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know