El Cerrito Businesses Allowed To Reopen Friday: Coronavirus

EL CERRITO, CA — El Cerrito residents exhausted by 5 months of business closures because of coronavirus will see life return to normal a bit more on Friday. The county health department will allow —

• Personal care services that do not involve close contact with the face, such as nail salons and massage, may begin operating outdoors
• Gyms and fitness centers may begin operating outdoors
• Hotels and short-term rentals may open for personal or recreational travel, not just for essential business purposes

The health department said in a release, "Hair salons and barbers have already been permitted to perform limited work outdoors in the county, with no reported outbreaks."

The loosening of restrictions on Friday is a result of test data. Daily hospitalizations and the percentage of coronavirus tests returning positive remained steady or fell slightly in Contra Costa County during early August, after increasing in June and July.

"Based on what we are able to see, we can be cautiously optimistic that there is a gradual downward trend in county cases, testing positivity rates and hospitalizations," said Dr. Chris Farnitano, county health officer. "We need everyone to understand this is a reason to keep up what we are doing and not let down our guards."

County health officials ask you to continue wearing face masks, maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet, stay home from work when you do not feel well, and wash your hands thoroughly and often.

On Thursday, the county reports 13,398 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, and 173 total deaths.