The entire San Francisco Bay area will be on the red layer of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan starting on Sunday.
The California Department of Public Health announced on Friday that as 2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were successfully launched in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, the state has reached a new milestone in reducing the spread of the virus and is advancing 13 counties. from the most restrictive level to the mildest level on March 14, allowing the reopening of new businesses and activities, including indoor meals. These counties include Contra Costa and Sonoma county in the bay area, and outside the region, Amador, Colusa, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Mono, Orange, Placer, San Benito, San Bernardino, Siskiyou and Tuolumne. The other seven counties in the Bay Area have already made the leap to the red level.
This news may come as a surprise to some, as the state usually updates the level assignments on Tuesdays.
The state plans to do a second-tier update on Tuesday of next week and based on data projections, 13 additional counties may change from purple to red, including Kings, Lake, Monterey, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Joaquin , Santa Barbara, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura and Yuba.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced on March 4 that the state would dedicate 40% of the state’s vaccine supply to the most affected communities and established an equity metric to increase vaccinations in those communities. The state said on Friday that the metric had been met and, as a result, updated the county level levels before Tuesday’s typical announcement.
“California is doubling its mission to keep equity a top priority, while we continue to place doses of COVID-19 in the arms of all Californians in the safest and fastest way possible,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the Health Agency and California Human Services, said in a statement. “Focusing on the individuals who were most affected by this pandemic is the right thing to do and it also ensures that we are having the greatest impact on reducing transmission, protecting our health care system and saving lives.”
It has been more than a month since Governor Gavin Newsom lifted the regional home order on January 25 and counties have stepped back in the color-coded reopening structure.
The state system classifies counties into four levels – “purple” (generalized), “red” (substantial), “orange” (moderate) or “yellow” (minimum) – that measure the spread of COVID-19 and determine which types of businesses and activities can be opened.
Here is a summary of what the state allows to reopen in the red layer:
-Internal restaurants (maximum capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is less)
– All retail in-house (max. 50% of capacity)
– Shopping centers, exchange points inside the house (max. 50% of capacity, closed common areas, food courts with reduced capacity)
– Personal care services – hairdressing and nail salons, barber shops (open with modifications)
-Museums, zoos and aquariums (maximum capacity 25%)
– Places of worship (max. 25% of capacity)
– Internal cinemas (maximum 25% of capacity or 100 people, whichever is less)
– Gyms and fitness centers closed (max. 10% of capacity)
– Family entertainment centers (go-kart racing, mini-golf, batting cages) outdoors with modifications only