The owners of a Napa art gallery plan to reopen next week even though Gov. Gavin Newsom has not yet lifted statewide stay-at-home orders.
In an open letter published in the Napa Valley Register, Quent and Linda Cordair announced that their art gallery in downtown Napa would open its doors at about 11 a.m. on Monday, May 4.
“Appropriate and adequate social-distancing protocol will be in place and observed. City, county, and state officials are being notified, with encouragement to adjust any policies and plans accordingly,” the couple wrote in a letter published on April 29.
Quent Cordair Fine Art is located at 1301 1st St.
“We’re prepared to risk fines, arrest, or jail,” stated the couple. “We’re pursuing resources for any necessary legal challenge, up to the Supreme Court if necessary. Our constitution and system of government was created and established to secure the right of each and every individual in these United States to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
California’s executive Stay-at-Home Order N-33-20 was signed by Gov. Newsom on March 19, but does not contain an end date.
“The virus is still acute,” Gov. Newsom told journalists at a virtual press conference on April 29.
“I had a call with state law enforcement about protocol and procedures," Newsom said. "I cannot impress upon people that the only thing that will set us back from modifying stay at home orders sooner is people not practicing social distancing and not staying home.”
The Cordairs, however, remain unconvinced.
“They are going to handcuff one of us before they forcibly close our doors,” said Quent Cordair, one of the 30 artists whose work is featured at the gallery. “We don’t have the financial luxury to wait any longer. We have not received one dime from the government.”
Gov. Newsom said in his daily press briefing yesterday that local governments need community surveillance in place if they planned to re-open more aggressively than the rest of the state. Surveillance includes testing, tracking and tracing.
“The reality of having a virus-free world is unlikely in the next few months,” Gov. Newsom said. “Until there’s a vaccine, we have to manage risk and our behaviors. We will avail ourselves of more aggressive enforcement of stay-at-home orders and social distancing.”
The number of positive cases statewide is 45,031 and 1,809 deaths, according to the state's Department of Health
However, in Napa, only 67 people have tested positive for the coronavirus with two reported deaths, according to the Napa Department of Health website.
“To treat us like we live in a hotspot like New York City is unfair,” said Linda Cordair, who manages sales at the art gallery. “I’m fine with a candy shop being open but why is a candy shop an essential business and an art gallery isn’t?”
The mayor of the city of Napa, Jill Techel, told the Southern California Record that she doesn’t support individual businesses making their own rules.
“We have an active compliance team and will deal with individuals who aren’t complying with the current orders,” Techel said. “We are under the state orders and also under the county of Napa health officer orders. The city has no option to loosen up either of those orders.”
Although positive coronavirus cases are low in Napa, Mayor Techel said only 1,300 tests have been completed.
“That number will increase by around 600 a week with new testing programs that have just started in Napa,” she said. “In a few weeks we will have more robust data and the health officer will then be able to assess how much we can loosen the current ordinance.”
The Cordairs, meanwhile, are fully willing to face the consequences of their planned re-opening.
“We are only allowing six people at a time into our 3,000 square foot gallery wearing masks and practicing social distancing,” the Cordairs told the Southern California Record. “We expect citations and we’ll see how long we can go accepting citations every day but we can’t afford to remain closed. We’re in between a rock and a hard place and cannot go on being closed for an indefinite period of time.”