County Supervisors to consider lifting local health orders

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal on Tuesday to rescind the County Public Health Officer’s orders, which could lead to a much earlier re-opening of local businesses than appeared possible just one day ago.

The agenda item, authored by Supervisors Karen Spiegel and V. Manuel Perez, was a sharp response to Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser’s announcement on Wednesday that he was extending until June 19 orders regarding face coverings and social distancing as continued precautions against COVID-19.

Public reaction was swift and heated following Kaiser’s Wednesday announcement. At that point, it appeared Riverside County could potentially remain under quarantine longer than the state orders of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Counties can be more strict than the state, but they can’t be more lenient.

Apparently local business owners and residents weren’t the only ones upset by the prospect of an economy shutdown and personal restrictions remaining in place for another seven weeks. In addition to rescinding County orders about face coverings and social distancing, the proposal to be voted on Tuesday would lift orders mandating the closure of schools through June 19 and restricting short-term rentals.

If the proposal is approved, Riverside County would be in line with the state orders, with quarantines ending when Newsom lifts them.

“The local public health officer orders significantly slowed the spread of the disease within our county,” said Perez, Board Chair. “This is shown by our current hospital capacity and the lengthening of our case doubling rate. I want to thank our residents and our County team, whose actions to this unprecedented pandemic have helped us get to this point. Now, we must continue to prepare for our economic recovery and get people back to work.”

Perez and Spiegel need only one other Supervisor to vote with them in order for the proposal to pass. They appear to have that already in Jeff Hewitt, whose district includes Menifee.

Hewitt made his position perfectly clear in a letter posted on his Facebook page on Thursday.

“The press release from [Kaiser] was as much of a surprise to me as it was to all of you,” Hewitt wrote. “I cannot express how shocked and disappointed I was to see the Public Health Office continue a campaign of fear in such a way.

“Over the course of he shutdown, thousands of businesses have closed their doors, many of which will never re-open. Families have been separated from their loved ones, and hundreds of thousands of hard-working people have been forced to stay home and not a earn a living for their families.

“I for one have had enough.”