City of Gilroy petitions to relax restrictions as county expresses concern about moving too quickly
GILROY, Calif. (KION and CBSSF) The City of Gilroy said all of its City Council members have signed a letter requesting that Santa Clara County relaxes its current Shelter in Place restrictions in the city, but it comes as Santa Clara County expresses concern about reopening too quickly.
The city submitted the formal request Tuesday to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, saying the decision needs to be based on a data-driven approach, but also that the city stands out from the rest of the county.
City officials said Gilroy is not close to more densely populated parts of the county and has a comparatively lower density compared to other cities.
In the request, the City Council included a report from the Gilroy Fire Department saying that there have been only two new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 37 days.
“The City Council is acutely aware of the financial stress the shelter in place order is having on both residents and businesses," said Mayor Roland Velasco. “The reason for our request is obvious, our business community is at a critical point with many merchants considering whether it’s wise to continue holding out hope or better to simply close their doors and walk away. For every merchant that throws in the towel, the ripple effect will be felt throughout the community including lost jobs, lost income for landlords and vendors, and customers losing out. Business owners stand to lose everything they have and they and their employees deserve a fighting chance.”
This comes as Santa Clara County's health officer expresses concerns about how quickly Gov. Gavin Newsom is relaxing state restrictions.
“The state modifications are being made without a real understanding of the consequences of what the last move has been,” she told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. “Making changes too frequently leaves us blind.”
Within the past 10 days, Newsom has announced that 47 California counties can reopen restaurants, malls, religious services and hair salons with modifications.
Health officials tell the CBS affiliate in the Bay Area that it can take two or three weeks for a new outbreak to show up in the data.
Read the full letter to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors below.
