Kern stays in red tier; orange tier possible next week
While the state announced on Tuesday that Kern County would remain in the red tier for the second week in a row, the good news is that the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel appears to be closing in.
The state numbers were welcome news not just for the health of the local community but also because it starts to put the prospect of an even less restrictive tier in reach: the orange tier.
Since the state announced its tiered system for the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, Kern County has spent most of its time in the most restrictive purple tier. But this month it dipped into the red tier for the second time since fall. That has allowed local businesses to open with some restrictions in place, such as movie theaters and gyms.
The positivity rate on Tuesday was 2.6 percent, which qualifies for the orange tier. So does the positivity rate for the health equity quartile, which is at 3.8 percent. The county’s daily adjusted case rate dropped from 5.5 last Tuesday to 5. Right now that’s in the red tier.
But when California hits the goal of 4 million doses of vaccine administered to state residents in the lowest Healthy Places Index quartile, the case rate threshold to move from the red to the orange tier changes from 3.9 to 5.9. Currently, the state has administered about 3.46 million doses in that
quartile, according to recent data.
Michelle Corson, spokeswoman for Kern County Public Health Services, said that if the statewide case rate threshold changes, Kern County could advance to the orange tier as early as April 7.
The orange tier means that there will be fewer restrictions and increased capacity on some businesses that have already begun to reopen, such as fitness centers and restaurants.
Counties that reach the orange tier could also see the opening of bowling allies and other indoor entertainment centers. Bars that are not serving food can begin to open outside. Indoor pools will begin to open with limited capacity. Office workers are encouraged to continue teleworking but opening indoor with restrictions is allowed.
On Monday, the state announced that it was drastically expanding vaccine eligibility to those who live in the bottom two quartiles of the Health Equity Index. That means that most residents over 16 in Kern County are currently eligible for the vaccine.
Until Tuesday, the counties exiting the red tier were located in the Bay Area, Northern California and the Sierra Nevada. But the state announced that both Orange and Los Angeles counties met the metrics for the orange tier this week. That puts 49.7 percent of the state’s population in the orange tier.
The current case rate across the state is 4.8 daily cases per 100,000 residents. The positivity rate is 1.8 percent.
So far 17.4 million doses have been administered across the state. There are about 6.4 million people fully vaccinated or 19.7 percent of the population, and 5.4 million people partially vaccinated or 16.7 percent of the population.
In addition to practicing the protocols public health has advocated for during the pandemic — social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands — the department is encouraging the public to get vaccinated to help slow the spread.
Kaiser spokeswoman Eva Ramirez encouraged those who are currently eligible to get the vaccine at the Cal State Bakersfield Vaccination Hub soon.
“We do encourage that everyone who meets the current criteria to get vaccinated now while vaccines are plentiful before other tiers open,” Ramirez said in a statement.
Every Californian 16 and older will be able to be vaccinated on April 15.