With a safe reopening underway, California must avoid another shutdown

Photo by Russ Allison Loar. (Creative Commons License)

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, California quickly became one of the nation’s outbreak epicenters. This forced countless businesses to suddenly close down, as Californians remained at home and awaited further public health guidance. 

Unfortunately, as the virus spread through local communities, it took its toll in more ways than one. Unemployment soared across the state due to the economic pressures of the statewide shutdown, in turn risking a worse homelessness crisis than the one that was already facing our state. Now, questions still linger as to how California will manage to get back on stable ground, with some estimates pointing to a years-long recovery process.

Thankfully a promising sign arrived at the end of September, as Los Angeles County permitted nail salons, indoor shopping malls, and several other indoor businesses to begin the reopening process. Now, as we continue to use everything we have learned about the virus this year to continue fighting the pandemic, it is vital that California’s leaders at both the state and local level create policies that make use of proven methods for limiting the spread of the virus without putting the economy in further danger.

One of the key insights health officials have shared is that a large percent of recent surges in new COVID-19 cases are due to small household gatherings, and that Americans are being more careful about taking precautionary measures in public spaces. This knowledge helps to reaffirm that California’s recent moves towards reopening safely are the right steps to take. To date, no evidence suggests that indoor businesses and retail locations are the reason for the new growth in COVID-19 cases and, in fact, they are some of the places where health officials’ guidance is most strictly observed. 

From the start of the pandemic, indoor businesses showed remarkable adaptability, quickly implementing social distancing protocols to ensure shoppers and employees could go about their business safely. Working in lockstep with recommendations from public health experts, businesses implemented protocols like requiring customers and employees to wear masks and shoppers remained socially distanced in stores. With these efforts, indoor retail and other businesses across the country laid out the blueprint for a safe reopening of our economy. 

These efforts are being recognized by policymakers here in California, with local officials such as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and even statewide lawmakers like Governor Gavin Newsom giving more and more businesses permission to reopen safely. These are smart moves that will allow us to continue getting the virus under control while alleviating the economic damage that has been felt by families across the state this year.

Now, lawmakers’ primary aim should be to continue this reopening without imposing broad new restrictions on indoor businesses or forcing them to close their doors once again. They have shown us that a safe reopening is possible, and we already know what another shutdown would bring. The retail industry saw record store closures this year, and shutting them down again ahead of the holiday season would only cement their fate, causing the economy to spiral even further out of control.

In shaping the path to recovery, lawmakers must follow the lead of public health experts. Targeted action that addresses the true sources of outbreaks will put us in the strongest position to bring COVID-19 to heel in California, while broad shutdowns that impose restrictions on the businesses that are working hard to keep people safe will only bring more difficulties. California’s policymakers are on the right path now, and I trust that it is one they will continue to follow.

Dr. David Gonzalez Jr. is a professor of Public Administration and Leadership.