More Sonoma County Businesses Given Green Light for Reopening

Additional businesses can reopen in Sonoma County, including car washes, pet groomers and outdoor museums, under an amended shelter-in-place order that went into effect Friday.

The local changes follow Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide announcement Tuesday that more businesses could operate with health safety modifications as the fight against COVID-19 continues.

Under the amended order, the following businesses are allowed to operate and people are permitted to leave home and travel to work in or patronize them:

• car washes
• pet groomers
• dog walking services
• residential and janitorial cleaning services
• outdoor museums
• open air galleries
• botanical gardens
• and other outdoor exhibition spaces

The amended order also allows people to go back to work if telecommuting is not possible, and allows childcare facilities to open to those outside the essential workforce, following strict health protocols.

The order specifically lists businesses that must remain closed, which are: outdoor restaurants, cafes, or bars, zoos, amusement parks, indoor gallery and museum spaces, and personal care services that have close customer contact, including hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, massage parlors, aestheticians and cosmetology, ear piercing salons and tattoo parlors.

All storefront and indoor mall access remains closed to the public, though curbside pick-up, delivery and shipping are allowed.

The Sonoma County Economic Development Board has a new website offering resources for businesses on how to safely and successfully reopen. Industry-specific guidance from the governor’s office on reopening can be found here.