As local governments plan how to reopen their economies, retail shops may be among the first businesses to open up in California.
Stay-at-home orders in some cities and counties in California are scheduled to end on May 15. That is when several local government officials say the gradual process of reopening can begin as long as the number of coronavirus cases drops and testing increases.
As restrictions ease, the Los Angeles Times reports it is likely retailers will begin to be among the first businesses to reopen. But there will have to be mitigation efforts in place like requiring people to wear face masks and limiting how many people can be in a store at once.
During a news briefing, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said it is likely businesses will be able to open in late May with social distancing measures in place, the newspaper reports.
Retail stores will have "limits on how many people can be in a store at any given time so that people who are there can maintain a lot of distance between themselves,” she said at the news briefing.
Ventura County officials also indicated they would move toward reopening once the stay-at-home order is lifted. The county’s public health officer Dr. Robert Levin said he doesn’t see any reason to extend the order and hinted at easing restrictions in the coming days.
“We will only do that if we believe that we can do that without endangering our social distancing,” Levin said.
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.