2 Bay Area counties move into yellow tier
Updated data show Santa Clara, Santa Cruz at ‘minimal’ virus spread
With the end in sight for the color-coded reopening system that California has used for much of the pandemic to set restrictions, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties are advancing to the state’s coveted yellow tier.
Updated state data released late Tuesday morning shows those counties have reached the stage that indicates “minimal” coronavirus spread and comes with the loosest restrictions in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy tiered framework. They join San Francisco and San Mateo counties, which reached the yellow tier in prior weeks.
The move clears the way for higher capacity limits at many indoor businesses in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, and would give the green light for indoor bars that don’t serve food to reopen.
Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody called the county’s advancement “fantastic” in a news conference Tuesday.
“For the first time in a longtime, I feel optimistic,” Cody said. “Team vaccine is in the lead, holding the lead, and will win. But we need everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated to go on and get vaccinated — and we need everyone to do this just as soon as they can.”
Three other counties statewide — Orange, the third-largest in California by population, along with Amador and Inyo in the eastern part of the state — also found out Tuesday that they will enter the yellow tier. Tehama County advanced into the orange tier from the red stage, which indicates “substantial” coronavirus spread.
The reopening blueprint, which Gov. Gavin Newsom first rolled out in August, is set to be retired on June 15, when state leaders say they will eliminate most pandemic-related restrictions on business capacity and public gatherings, as well as end the indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people. The tiered system is based on local coronavirus case rates and the percentage of tests for the deadly virus that come back positive in each county.
In advance of those changes, Santa Clara County officials have replaced the county’s current coronavirus rules with a simpler order that requires employers to determine the vaccination status of their employees starting today. Workplaces and schools must continue reporting COVID-19 cases to the county, but they are no longer required to maximize remote work.
On Thursday, the California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health or Cal/OSHA Standards Board will consider
changes to Emergency Temporary Standards at workplaces. The proposed revisions would allow fully vaccinated workers to stop socially distancing from one another, for example, partially prompting the county’s new mandate.
“We’ll see what the final rule is that’s adopted, but we foresee that there will be more along those lines,” said County Counsel James Williams. “There’s nothing in the health order that mandates vaccination. … The requirement is to determine people’s vaccination status, and safety protocols will be in place accordingly.”
Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties were eligible to advance because they met the criteria last week, and secured their spot in the yellow tier by keeping their case rates in that range for a second consecutive week. Each had spent more than a month in the orange, or “moderate,” tier.
Thirteen counties statewide have now reached the yellow tier.
Alameda and Contra Costa counties are staying put in their current orange tier for at least the next two weeks, as Tuesday’s data update showed their case rates remain too high for the yellow stage.