Counties moving up into red tier
San Mateo, Marin advance; S.F. likely to rise next week
San Mateo and Marin counties on Tuesday advanced to the secondmostrestrictive category of California’s reopening blueprint, according to the California Department of Public Health. Both exited the purple tier, the category that imposes the strictest coronavirus rules.
Currently, all but 11 counties in the state are in the purple tier. But Gov. Gavin
Newsom said Tuesday that as coronavirus case rates continue to plummet, five counties are transitioning to red and he anticipates that another eight will be allowed to loosen restrictions next week. Even more may transition in two weeks, he added.
San Francisco remains in the purple tier for now despite having lower case numbers and positive test rates than both San Mateo and
Marin counties. However, San Francisco may be among those that advance soon.
Mayor London Breed, speaking at a Washington Post Live forum Tuesday, said she “hopes to make some announcements next week about some additional things that we can reopen.”
She also said “restaurants will be able to expand,” but did not elaborate.
Counties that fall under the red tier can allow retail stores and malls to operate with 50% indoor capacity; indoor museums, zoos, movie theaters and dining at 25% capacity; and indoor gyms and fitness studios at 10%. Cultural ceremonies, such as weddings and funerals, are also allowed indoors at 25% capacity or with 100 people, whichever is fewer.
“This is great news for our small businesses and our entire community,” said David Canepa, Board of Supervisors chairman for San Mateo County.
A day after the United States topped the milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 deaths, Newsom said the numbers across the state continue to move in the right direction with cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
“When we talk about light, I’m talking about bright light at the end of this tunnel,” Newsom said.
The state’s colorcoded tier system has four levels: purple (widespread risk), red (substantial), orange (moderate) and yellow (minimal). Tier assignment is based on three factors: new cases per 100,000 people, positive test rate and a health equity metric keyed to the positive test rate in disadvantaged communities.
Humboldt, Shasta and Yolo counties also moved from purple to red on Tuesday; while Trinity County dropped back to red from the orange tier.
The state’s metrics can be confusing.
Four Bay Area counties — San Francisco, Napa, Santa Clara and San Mateo — reported data on coronavirus case rates and the percentage of tests that are positive on par with what is needed to reach the red tier, but only San Mateo County moved out of the purple tier. Marin County moved to the red tier despite reporting adjusted case rates that are still in the purple tier.
The reason for the movement is a health equity score, which is the positive test rate for specific lowincome and disadvantaged neighborhoods. The score is meant to measure how well counties are managing case rates and testing in communities hardest hit by the pandemic.
Counties can progress from purple to red if they report a health equity score of 5% or lower for two weeks in a row. San Mateo and Marin counties were the only ones in the Bay Area to meet that criterion; San Francisco met the criteria this week, but not last week — which is why the city will have to wait one more week to move out of the purple tier.
“We’ve focused on our hardesthit communities, and it seems to be paying off,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County public health officer, in a statement. “It’s especially encouraging to see this progress as we move toward vaccinating essential workers. Adding the protection of the vaccine will help seal this progress for the whole community.”
The transition to the red tier also means any Marin school that has not yet reopened to some form of inperson instruction will be eligible to do so beginning March 1, county officials said.
San Mateo County officials noted that reopening decisions for public schools are made by school boards and the county education department.
Marin and San Mateo counties both reported health equity scores under 5% — the threshold for the orange tier — for two weeks in a row as of Tuesday. They were the only Bay Area counties to do that. Marin County is reporting purple tier case rates — 7.4 cases per 100,000 residents — but was still allowed to move to the red tier.
Officials in San Francisco said that even though the city remains in the purple reopening tier, they are lifting a mandatory 10day quarantine requirement that was imposed in December on returning residents who took nonessential trips outside the Bay Area region.
“However, the city continues to strongly recommend that people follow the existing state travel advisory, which advises against nonessential travel anywhere outside of the state or 120 miles away from home,” officials said in a statement.
Newsom also signed pandemic aid legislation on Tuesday, providing direct $600 payments to millions of lowincome Californians and making small businesses eligible for billions of dollars’ worth of grants and tax deductions.
The Legislature on Monday overwhelmingly approved the package, which is distinct from the relief package pending in Washington.
“We have to recognize our responsibility to do more and do better to help these small businesses in this very trying time,” Newsom said.
The $7.6 billion package will waive some business fees to help ease their financial picture. The package will grow to $10 billion within a few years, Newsom said.