On Tuesday, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted to open the county ‘effective immediately.’ This comes in spite of the county having some of the highest COVID-19 numbers in the state.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday thatTulare County is one of five counties in the state that cannot relax its metrics for re-opening due to its high case numbers. As of Wednesday afternoon, the county had 1,552 positive cases and 73 deaths.
Still, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said he’s on board with the supervisors’ decision and won’t be arresting people for not abiding stay-at-home orders. He said he trusts the community to stay safe.
“But I think for people and small businesses that want to open and have a good distancing plan, they have markings on the floor, they’re wearing masks, they have gloves. That to me is smart,” Boudreaux said.
But, he said, people who show a blatant disregard for public safety will get a warning.
Terry Woods, the public information officer for the Tulare County Health And Human Services Department, said the agency will continue its efforts to provide COVID-19 services.
However, she said, “we understand there’s risks associated with opening back up.”
Risks that Sheriff Boudreaux said he’s willing to take to get the county up and running again.
