Coronavirus Update: Napa County Eases Shelter-In-Place Restrictions To Allow Golf, Construction, Landscaping
NAPA (CBS SF) -- Napa County health officials announced Wednesday they were amending their current shelter-in-place order to allow golfing, building construction and landscape work.
They also issued a strong recommendation that all members of the community, including essential services workers, wear face coverings when in public or in shared spaces.
"The Napa County community has followed past guidance and complied with orders provided by public health," said County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio. "While public health orders are legally enforceable, and local law enforcement is charged with their enforcement, we are mindful that enforcement resources across the county are limited."
The amended shelter-at-home order included the following revisions in addition to the strong recommendation of face covering:
- Permits all construction with proper physical distancing protocols
- Permits drive-in religious services with proper physical distancing protocols
- Permits In-Person real estate agent-client residential viewings with proper protocols
- Permits landscaping and gardening maintenance that is not purely for cosmetic purposes
- Allows the use of golf courses and driving ranges with documented protocols
- Restricts bocce ball and cornhole sports
- Empowers the police chiefs and city attorneys to ensure compliance of all aspects of this order within their jurisdiction.
"The amendments to this order were crafted after thoughtful discussions with State and Northern California public health officials and based on modeling data and local epidemiological factors that have demonstrated the impact the shelter-at-home order has had on flattening the curve and preventing the mass spread of illness in Napa County," Relucio said.
The amended shelter in place order goes into effect immediately and will continue in effect until it is rescinded, superseded, or amended by the public health officer.
Relucio is reluctant to call the updated guidelines an "easing" but said, "We have decided to, slightly open the, slightly loosen the shelter at home order to increase some outdoor activity."
The biggest change is construction may be resumed with proper physical distancing protocols enforced on the job sites. They must have someone in authority to ensure these rules are followed, called the Covid 19 Supervisor.
"The business can designate that person so, for example, if you have a contractor that does some commercial work, they can designate the supervisor," said Relucio.
Napa County has several world-class golf courses. The golf courses and driving ranges are allowed to reopen with documented social distancing protocols. However, only one person per cart is allowed and there is no sharing of clubs or equipment.
Golfer Steve Jeffery has no problem with those rules. "It's the kind of sport where nobody is touching your ball, you don't have to, you know, nobody touches your stuff," he said.
Modified church services will also be allowed. "There are some churches that might have a larger congregation, where people want to be at a church in person but if they are in their car, then they can maintain physical distancing, then it's okay," said Relucio.
The arrangement would be something like a drive-in theater set up. Hillside Christian Church Pastor Jordan Abina says that idea is not ideal but, "You know, we're online and that's cool but we're not together so, a drive in? We would heavily consider it and it would probably work out as well."
Don Ford contributed to this report.
