[SacBee]
Placerville City Council voted Tuesday to draft a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, arguing that the stay-at-home order should be lifted for the foothills town.
The action, first reported by the Mountain Democrat, was precipitated by low infection numbers and a struggling local economy.
Placerville Vice Mayor Dennis Thomas, who himself was infected with COVID-19 and said he was still recovering from mild symptoms, said that Newsom’s statewide stay-at-home orders have pinched small-business owners who are unable to plan ahead for the benefit of their families or employees.
“Right now, it’s just a big open question mark,” Thomas said during the council meeting, which was held virtually. “And I’m getting really frustrated at how these businesses are being disadvantaged.”
Thomas pointed to El Dorado County’s strikingly low infection rate compared with the rest of California as supporting evidence for reopening the city.
Only 11 of the county’s 36 cases were still active as of Friday afternoon. Health officials have reported only five coronavirus cases in the greater Placerville area.
“This community can open with a measured approach,” Thomas said. “I don’t think we should sit idle and our businesses should sit idle when it’s not necessary.”
MORE: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article242102526.html
