Tuolumne County Lifts Some COVID-19 Recreational Restrictions
Sonora, CA – Tuolumne County will follow Calaveras on lifting some COVID-19 recreational restrictions.
Thursday evening, Tuolumne County’s Health Officer Dr. Liza Ortiz issued a new order regarding those activities. In the written release, Dr. Ortiz says that “based on written clarification received from the state,” the new local order allows for personnel boating and the opening of golf courses. However, social distancing of six feet will still be required. She also adds that some roads and recreation areas remain closed on the Stanislaus National Forest, as earlier reported here.
Calaveras’ Health Officer on Tuesday announced changes to the rules regarding boating, golfing, and other activities, as reported here. Initially, Tuolumne health officials relayed they were reviewing the situation, then on Wednesday stated they were clarifying with the state. As reported here, officials made a point of noting that they did not “want to be more restrictive” than the state and were advocating for a “regional approach in flexibility” by the state.
This latest release also notes that the statewide stay-at-home order remains in effect until further notice and includes restricting non-essential travel.
Dr. Ortiz’s entire order is below:
Tuolumne County Interim Health Officer, Dr. Liza Ortiz is issuing an updated Health Officer Order today. Based on written clarification received from the state, the new local order allows for personal recreational boating (non-commercial) of household members, provided they maintain physical distance from others outside of their household, including at boat ramps, parking lots, and other facility use areas. The new local order allows for golf courses to open to allow singles golf – walking, no carts, provided people can maintain physical distancing on the course and other areas such as parking lots and clubhouses. No shared equipment should be used by people not in the same household. The local order aligns with the state order and is no more restrictive than the state order. Please refer to the following link for further information on what is allowed and not allowed in the state order: https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-exceptfor-essential-needs/
The statewide stay-at-home order is still in effect until further notice, and that order restricts non-essential travel. Non-essential travel and lack of physical distancing are highly likely to lead to an increase in disease transmission.
Some roads and recreation areas remain closed on the Stanislaus National Forest. For a list of area and road closures visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus/
The public should note that if they recreate at a boating facility, they may be responsible for bringing their own supplies and equipment, including what is needed for sanitation, as staff may not be able to provide that. Boating facilities may not be open due to staffing limitations. It is recommended to call the destination before arriving to ensure that access will be available.
If people are not able to maintain physical distancing, they will be asked to disperse, and facilities may need to close.
As part of our continued local and regional roadmap planning, in alignment with the State Roadmap for Modifying the Stay-at-Home Order, Public Health continues to coordinate with County Innovation & Business Assistance and our business, recreation, visitation, and community agencies to plan for safe operating protocols for other community sectors as we await further direction from the State.
Tuolumne County Public Health Department 20111 Cedar Rd. North Sonora, CA 95370 Office: 209-533-7401 Fax: 209-533-7406 24-hour Phone: 209-533-8055 Rebecca Espino, Director Health and Human Services Agency Tuolumne County has been fortunate to remain in containment with very few cases and no evidence of COVID-19 community transmission, and we thank the public for their part in that. We understand the challenges that the stay-at-home order presents. We are planning for and look forward to, moving safely into the next stage of modifying the statewide order, as more information comes to us from the State. The Governor’s most recent update on the State plan can be viewed at: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/04/28/governor-newsom-provides-update-on-californias-pandemicresilience-roadmap/
We encourage the public to stay tuned to the Public Health Department’s Facebook page and County website, where we will continue to provide updates as the situation evolves. www.Facebook.com/TuolumneCountyPublicHealth www.TuolumneCounty.ca.gov/PublicHealth For updates from the City of Sonora: https://www.sonoraca.com/coronavirus-covid-19
