County now in less restrictive Tier 2 category

OROVILLE >> Butte County health officials anticipated the county was likely moving to a less restrictive tier under the state’s COVID-19 Blueprint for a Safer Economy monitoring system, and sure enough, the move was made official when the state updated its tiers just before noon Tuesday.

Butte County’s case rate per 100,000 and positivity rate allowed the county to move from the purple Tier 1 to the less-restrictive red Tier 2. It will give more businesses and sectors the option to reopen at reduced capacity and allows certain youth and adult recreational sports to resume with modifications.

To qualify for the red tier, counties must have a case rate between four and seven cases per 100,000, and a test positivity rate between five and eight percent. As of the state’s latest update, Butte County has a case rate of 7.3 cases per 100,000 residents (8.0 adjusted case rate) with a 3.6 percent test positivity rate.

In a press release, Butte County Public Health acknowledged that the news is “encouraging,” though in light of Monday’s news that one case was detected of the B117 variant of the coronavirus, which originated in the United Kingdom and has since spread to more than 200 countries, it also urged county residents to remain vigilant in curbing the spread of the virus.

“There is evidence that this variant may be more severe,” the county health department said. “It is vital that we all continue to follow guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and all its variants, including: wearing a mask, washing your hands, keeping distance from others, staying home if you are sick, and getting vaccinated when it is your turn.”