Understanding the state’s tiered system to reopening economy

California has a framework – called the Blueprint for a Safer Economy – that established criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on activities based on each county’s respective COVID-19 counts.

There are four tiers, with purple being the most restrictive (indicating a widespread issue), then red (substantial), then orange (moderate), followed by the least restrictive yellow (minimal). Every county is assigned to a tier based on its testing positivity and adjusted case rate.

The Yuba-sutter area is currently in the state’s most restrictive tier, but as the local metrics have continued

to improve in recent weeks, Bi-county Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu is hopeful that will change when the state releases its latest designations on Tuesday.

“Yuba County will likely move into the red tier (Oct. 6), and we’re hoping Sutter County will be allowed to move as well, despite not having the metrics quite yet,” Luu said last week. “Sutter County has more healthcare facilities than Yuba County including more skilled nursing facilities, mental health facilities, group homes, etc. Recently, Sutter County has had several clusters of cases in these facilities contributing to the case count.”

To get from the purple tier to the red tier, each county must have between 4-7 new cases per 100,000 people each day for a seven-day period, and a test positivity rate between 5-8 percent. To move from red to orange, a county must have between 1-3.9 new cases per 100,000 people each day for a seven-day period, and a test positivity between 2-4.9 percent. To move into the least restrictive tier, a county must have less than 1 new case per 100,000 people each day over the same period, and a test positivity of less than 2 percent.

The testing metric is calculated by dividing positive cases by the total number of tests (all positives and negatives) over a seven-day period.

“Remember, a county has to hold these metrics consistently to stay within that tier,” Luu said. “We’ve already seen several counties have to move backwards, which we do not want.”

As counties are moved into the less restrictive tiers, more businesses are allowed to reopen or resume certain operations, and maximum occupancies or capacities are increased – a chart outlining sectors that can reopen in each tier can be found at www.yuba.org/coronavirus/.

“It’s been a bit of a dance, with Sutter County’s test positivity being red-tier qualifying but not its case count, and the opposite for Yuba County,” Luu said. “But, we didn’t see the spike in cases after Labor Day weekend that we had seen after previous holidays, so it’s really encouraging to see the community doing their parts to keep each other healthy.”

Advice

Luu encouraged residents to continue working toward lowering the area’s daily case rate and test positivity. However, she said, social gatherings continue to impact the area’s ability to do so, as people are more likely to be in closer physical contact for an extended period of time and without facial coverings while attending.

She said those that choose to participate in social gatherings should limit the number of households they interact with; social distance from people they don’t live with; wear a facial covering; refrain from sharing food or utensils; gather outside for better ventilation; and stay home if sick.

“Our test positivity has greatly improved,” Luu said. “To keep lowering that number, we must get tested whenever we have symptoms (even if mild), if we have been in close contact with a confirmed case, or if we have been to a social gathering where the tenets were not practiced.”