Officials announced Friday that Riverside County was given state permission to move more quickly to reopen its economy.
The county joins 43 others in moving into accelerated Stage 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s reopening plan, which allows malls, swap meets and dine-in restaurants to resume operations.
So far, the only other Southern California counties given approval to reopen faster are Ventura and San Diego.
Riverside County has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in California, after Los Angeles County.
As of Friday, Riverside County had confirmed 6,343 cases of COVID-19, resulting in 284 deaths. But public health officials say the majority of those sickened — more than 4,000 people — have recovered.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
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