By Sarah Downey | Sep 8, 2020
The new state guidance for reopening while living amid the COVID-19 pandemic presents a framework for short-term recovery, but it also raises questions about more job losses and business closures.
Color coding by county now shows what operations and facilities can be open and at what capacity.
Under previous guidance, some businesses were allowed to operate at higher capacity levels, but for many it’s been lowered to 25%, Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association, told the Northern California Record.
“We need more partnerships when it comes to industry-specific restrictions,” Michelin said. “At this point the state has the data that shows what is driving these decisions, and I think that it’s what we are waiting to see.
“Show data from industries to show their justification for the guidelines they are putting on industries.”
The 25% threshold includes employees, which means stores won’t be able to do as much hiring, Michelin said.
“When you talk about job creation and recovery, you need to have consistency in industries,” Michelin said. “We are asking for clarity and consistency that’s fundamentally based on the data.”
