The chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors said Thursday the county will seek permission to reopen faster than currently allowed by California guidelines.
“We want to work with the state on an accelerated reopening,” said Supervisor Greg Cox at the county’s daily media briefing.
Cox said supervisors met in closed session on Wednesday to consider legal options.
“No urban county can meet the current acceleration criteria,” he said. “But the state has allowed for a process to have regions move faster to reopen.”
Under the current state guideline, counties seeking to reopen faster than the state allows must show no COVID-19 deaths over a 14-day period.
Cox said San Diego can’t meet that, but could demonstrate other successes in fighting the pandemic.
He said supervisors will consider the options in public at the upcoming regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday.
“Even if we succeed with this effort, it won’t be like flipping a switch,” he said. “It’s going to take time for businesses an others to wisely and safely repairs.”
Cox also announced that some county offices will begin opening to the public for limited services over the next several weeks, starting Friday with administration buildings and the department of environmental health. The county’s offices in Kearny Mesa will open Monday and offices in Escondido and National City will follow shortly thereafter.