UPDATE: Frazier Park, CA (May 4, 2020 at 10 a.m.)— Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that on Friday, essential retail businesses will be able to start opening on a limited basis in a manner that allows social distancing. The Mountain Enterprise is researching what that may mean for our local retail infrastructure and will provide a report in this week’s newspaper, out Thursday.

May 1, 2020: Today the Governor announced that the state is “days, not weeks” away from changes to stay-at-home orders.

“We continue to ask the community to adhere to the Governor’s order to stay at home and practice social distancing. These actions have been determined to have a significant impact on flattening our curve and helping slow the spread of COVID-19,” wrote Michelle Corson, for the Kern County Public Health Services Department. Then she added: There will be no further comment until press conference on Monday at 10 a.m.

Corson also said that on April 21, the Kern County Board of Supervisors voted to establish an ad hoc committee to review and interpret the Governor’s orders and lists of essential businesses and to provide best practices, guidance and recommendations for implementing necessary changes locally for safely reopening businesses when the Governor’s orders are lifted.

We want businesses to open safely and responsibly and as quickly as possible when the Governor lifts or modifies his orders. Kern County Public Health looks forward to working with the Kern County Board of Supervisor’s newly established ad hoc committee as we implement our plan to safely re-open local businesses.

In anticipation of the Governor’s transition of re-opening of the economy, we want the county to be positioned so we can quickly maximize our local response and clear the way for the changes ahead.

This is part of the May 1, 2020 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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