San Mateo County To Reopen Retail, Enter Stage 2 Of State Plan

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — San Mateo County will issue a new shelter-in-place order next week that will bring it into Stage 2 of the state's reopening plan, Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow announced Wednesday, aligning the county with the recently eased statewide restrictions on retail and manufacturing.

The move signals a break from the five other Bay Area counties that announced last week they would not follow the state's reopening plan, and instead keep their own, stricter orders in place. San Mateo County will become the first of these counties to move into Stage 2 of the state's four-part reopening plan.

Under the new order, which will take effect May 18, San Mateo County retailers will be allowed to reopen for curbside pickup. Associated logistics and manufacturing, as well as some other businesses, can also reopen with modifications, as they have across the state.

Morrow said the county's data shows enough stability in COVID-19 cases and sufficient hospital capacity to allow for some eased restrictions. Still, he urged caution in a statement released Wednesday.

"I want to remind everyone these modifications are not being made because it is safe to be out and about," Morrow said. "The virus continues to circulate in our community, and this increase in interactions among people is likely to spread the virus at a higher rate."

Entering Wednesday, San Mateo County's outbreak ranked near the middle of the six Bay Area counties, by number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The county's total of 1,533 confirmed cases is fewer than in Santa Clara, Alameda and San Francisco counties, but more than in Contra Costa and Marin counties.

It remains possible that the eased restrictions could cause the virus to spread out of control again, as it did in February and March, prompting the region's initial shelter-in-place order issued March 16, Morrow said.

"The social distancing and face covering directives, along with the prohibition on gathering, will remain in place since the risk of exposure to COVID-19 looms large for all of us," he said.

The full local health order will be released later this week, the county said.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know