By Riverside County

Some retail businesses in Riverside County will be allowed by the State of California to have curb-side pickup starting Friday, May 8.

Florist and toy shops, department stores and other small business retailers will be able to provide services, but they will be limited to curb-side delivery and pick up only. This includes bookstores, jewelry stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, home and furnishing stores, sporting goods stores, antique stores and music stores.

Supply chains supporting these businesses, in manufacturing and logistical sectors may also operate. The county is not placing additional restrictions determining which businesses may operate in the governor’s reopening phase that starts tomorrow. Seating in restaurants will not be allowed, nor other in-house services such as beauty salons and barber shops, accordance with the state.

"Governor Newsom announced a limited move into stage two of the four-stage economic reopening plan, allowing gradually for more modes of commerce to resume, with modifications,” said Riverside County Board Chair and Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “As a county, we stay focused on the mission of achieving progress across multiple benchmarks of public health and meet the capacity to eventually get more sectors of the economy reopened. With that said, I look forward to working with Public Health and the Economic Recovery Taskforce to ensure a cautious reopening through this phase and into the next phases.”

For a list of the types of businesses available for curb-side delivery and pick up starting tomorrow, visit https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap/.

“Governor Newsom’s press conference today at noon was very informative as to what the state’s requirements will be as we enter Phase 2 for safely reopening Riverside County,” said Vice Chair Karen Spiegel, Second District Supervisor. “I was disappointed to learn that we can’t reopen quicker and further disappointed by the limited list of business types that may reopen tomorrow. Rest assured that we will continue working with our state partners and public health officials to create a safe and responsive framework.”

County health officials have also expanded the county’s coronavirus testing capability – more than 2,200 daily tests at four sites – to help determine the extent of the illness spread. Additional testing from a state vendor at eight locations will increase the county’s total testing capacity to more than 3,200 per day. Expanded testing is one of the criteria that state will use to decide to how to ease restrictions on business.