Let’s reopen Stanislaus County when experts say it’s safe. We’re not there yet.

Leaders of Stanislaus County and its cities should take a foot off the gas in their drive to reopen local businesses and group activities while the coronavirus crisis continues ramping up.

Facebook posts by county Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Kristin Olsen and Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold both indicate eagerness to reopen the economy. The social media posts earlier this week coincided with mounting protests, near and far, against stay-home orders.

Such rules have crippled our economy, no question. But they’ve also saved lives, based on the best available science. And there is no scientific basis, at this point, for abandoning distancing protocols.

More testing for the virus is needed — much more — to warrant a broad reopening. We’re on the right path for this, with a new mobile testing site (by appointment only) that just started operating in the parking lot of the Salida library.

In other words, we just don’t know yet whether reopening can be done without unleashing a so-called second wave of infections. That could prove far more catastrophic than what we’ve seen so far.

A letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom signed by seven of the county’s nine mayors asks for “an immediate, aggressive, and balanced reopening of businesses in our county.” It’s a flawed request.

For starters, the letter cites “decisions that lowered the spread of this COVID-19 pandemic” in this area. Have the mayors read Modesto Bee reports noting that the rate of increase in Stanislaus coronavirus cases is among the highest in the state? We’re doubling our caseload every 11 days, among the fastest doubling times of California’s 58 counties.

Also, Stanislaus mayors are not all on the same page. Our West Side mayors — Patterson’s Deborah Novelli and Newman’s Bob Martina — did not sign the letter.

In a Tuesday telephone call, Novelli shared her reasons, starting with the fact that Patterson’s COVID-19 numbers are on the upswing. That city’s 22 positive cases represents the highest per-capita infection rate in the county, the mayor said.

“I share the economic concerns my fellow mayors expressed,” Novelli said. “But at this time, I want to take a more measured approach.”

That means giving Newsom a chance to roll out his recovery plan, she said, instead of pressuring him with a letter that lacks unanimity and has no chance of succeeding.

Additionally, the terms of office for five of the mayors who signed the letter — Modesto’s Ted Brandvold, Ceres’ Chris Vierra, Hughson’s Jeramy Young, Riverbank’s Richard O’Brien and Waterford’s Mike Van Winkle — expire this year, meaning all will face re-election in November if they opt to run again. Although Newsom will ignore their request for special treatment, the mayors can always tell voters that they tried their darnedest to fight against oppressive, progressive rule.

The mayors’ preferential treatment pitch smacks of “we’ll take your relief money, sure, but we won’t follow your rules.”

It will be interesting to see if the county’s reopening plan is better thought-out. Olsen’s post said details would be provided at Wednesday’s weekly forum, an hour-long question-answer session.

The hue and cry to reopen is understandable. Few enjoy the financial distress caused by a reeling economy. Bored, anxious, angry people are a real force. Their desire to work and be self-sufficient is genuine. They must be helped and not ignored.

But first, they must stay alive.

In decisions affecting both our lives and livelihoods, our leaders must rely on qualified experts backed by real data.

This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 5:40 PM.