Sutter County Says Three Departments Allowed To Reopen With Flattening Of The Curve
SUTTER COUNTY (CBS13) – Some Sutter County employees are headed back to the office as some county departments reopened.
County officials told CBS13 the flattening of the curve there allowed them to make this decision.
"So, the only departments that have opened up so far are county administrator, human resources and county counsel. Again, it's because they're among the smallest departments in the county and they have the room to do so safely," Chuck Smith, Sutter County Public Information Officer, said.
The doors aren't open to the public just yet and employees will be screened for the coronavirus and wear face masks.
CBS13 asked Sutter County why it decided to open these departments when it seems like their work could still be done from home.
READ: Gov. Newsom: California Weeks, Not Months, Away From Loosening Stay-At-Home Order
"It sounds like assertion here is that this isn't a smart idea? Well, the county is going to be providing opportunities for people to get back to work, doing essential functions, again within following the governor's order," Smith said.
Sutter County one of six counties and several cities that sent a letter to Governor Newsom asking to let them reopen.
Ricky Samaoya, the mayor of Marysville in neighboring Yuba County, signed the letter.
"For us, using the day and using the evidence that we're actually doing really well and we took the orders from the state and our local folks to heart. And I think we are doing a good job of maintaining some of the incidents," Samaoya said.
Sutter County said the county administrator will approve which offices reopen with proper health and safety measures. And Smith said the latest reopenings have nothing to do with the letter to Governor Newsom.
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"By somehow asking employees who maybe don't have the ability to work from home or to come back to work is somehow flying in the face of the governor's order, I don't know where that comes from," Smith said.
Sutter County also tells CBS13 it isn't sure of the rollout of which departments will open next and there's no timeline on when they'll be accessible to the public.
