This week the Gilroy City Council submitted a formal request to the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, requesting the County to collaborate with the City in both re-assessing and relaxing the current shelter in place restrictions in Gilroy.
While the Council recognizes that the decision to relax the shelter in place order must be based on a data-driven approach taking into account the variety of health, safety and economic needs of the community, members of the City Council also recognize that Gilroy stands out from the rest of the County in two important areas; (1) geographic distance from the more densely populated areas of the County and (2) comparative lower density to the other cities in the County. Additionally, reports from the Gilroy Fire Department indicate that Gilroy has only had two known new cases of COVID-19 in Gilroy in the last 37 days indicating that the community efforts to shelter in place have been successful in drastically slowing the spread of the disease in our community.
When asked about the letter, Mayor Roland Velasco stated, “The City Council is acutely aware of the financial stress the shelter in place order is having on both residents and businesses.” He continued, “The reason for our request is obvious, our business community is at a critical point with many merchants considering whether it’s wise to continue holding out hope or better to simply close their doors and walk away. For every merchant that throws in the towel, the ripple effect will be felt throughout the community including lost jobs, lost income for landlords and vendors, and customers losing out. Business owners stand to lose everything they have and they and their employees deserve a fighting chance.”
The letter, signed by all seven Council Members including Mayor Velasco, was delivered to the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 26, 2020.