“Moving into the red tier is an indication that COVID-19 cases are declining"

WOODLAND, CA (MPG) - On February 23, the State of California announced that Yolo County would move into the Substantial, or red, tier in the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy (Blueprint) after meeting the red tier’s metrics for two consecutive weeks. As a result, many local businesses and activities will either be allowed to expand capacity or resume operations. Effective Wednesday, February 24, the following restrictions will apply while Yolo County is in the red tier:

• Fitness centers and gyms: open indoors with 10% max occupancy
• Gatherings: Indoor gatherings strongly discouraged but allowed with modifications; no more than 16 people from no more than 3 households
• Hotels and lodging: fitness centers can now open indoors with 10% max occupancy
• Movie theatres and family entertainment centers: open indoors with 25% max occupancy or 100 people, whichever is fewer
• Museums, zoos, and aquariums: open indoors with 25% max occupancy
• Personal care services (including tattoo parlors, piercing shops, electrolysis and body waxing): open indoors with modifications
• Places of worship: open indoors with 25% max occupancy or 100 people, whichever is fewer
• Retail (including standalone grocers): open indoors with 50% max occupancy
• Restaurants open indoors with 25% max occupancy or 100 people, whichever is fewer; only members of same household may share a table
• K-12 Schools: May reopen after the County has been in the red tier for 5 consecutive days and must follow the State’s Reopening Framework
• Shopping centers (including swap meets and indoor malls): open indoors with 50% max occupancy
• Youth sports: competitions between two teams are allowed for outdoor low- and moderate-contact sports according to the State’s Youth Sports Guidance

The max occupancy percentage is based on the California Building and Fire Code that is displayed in every business and determines the maximum number of people, including staff and the public, permitted in a room at a time and able to escape safely in case of a fire.

The following industries were allowed to open indoors in the purple tier and may continue to stay open in the red tier: critical infrastructure, limited services, hair salons, barbershops and personal care services.

The following industries are only allowed to open outdoors with modifications, not indoors, while in the red tier: family entertainment centers, wineries, cardrooms, satellite wagering and professional sports with no live audiences.

The following industries must continue to stay closed in the red tier: bars and breweries where no meal is provided, live audience sports and amusement parks.

“Moving into the red tier is an indication that COVID-19 cases are declining, but it does not mean that coronavirus has gone away,” said Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson. “We cannot let down our guard. Reopening must be done cautiously to avoid a surge in cases. I urge residents to continue taking precautions to keep themselves, their loved ones, and the rest of the Yolo County community safe. Wearing masks, distancing, not gathering indoors, and getting vaccinated when it is your turn remain as important as ever.”

Yolo County was placed in the most restrictive Widespread, or purple tier on November 17 and stayed in the purple tier through the State’s Stay Home order for the Greater Sacramento Region. The State’s Blueprint tracks three metrics: the seven-day adjusted case rate, the seven-day testing positivity rate and the health equity metric. For the week ending February 22, Yolo County’s rate for adjusted cases was 5.6, for testing positivity was 1.6% and for health equity was 5.2%. To move into the red or substantial tier, counties must meet a daily case rate of between 4-7, a positivity rate of between 5-8% and a health equity rate of between 5.3-8% for two consecutive weeks while being in the purple tier for at least three weeks.

Yolo County must be in the red tier for at least three weeks and meet the Moderate, or orange, tier’s metrics for two consecutive weeks, before officially moving into the orange tier. Counties can also move backward into more restrictive tiers if their metrics worsen for two consecutive weeks. Additionally, if a county’s case rate and positivity rate fall into two different tiers, the county remains in the stricter tier.

“I am glad that we are finally able to re-enter the red tier,” said Chair of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors Jim Provenza. “This will benefit gyms, restaurants, youth sports and many others. I would like to caution Yolo County residents to continue observing safe practices; such as distancing, wearing face covering and staying away from large gatherings; so that we can avoid another surge in cases and a possible return to the purple tier.”

Everyone has a role to play in keeping our communities safe and healthy, including wearing a face covering, physical distancing and not gathering with others outside their household. Older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions should continue to stay at home as much as possible. Lower spread of COVID-19 means that more businesses and industries can reopen and revitalize our local economy.

For additional information about the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, visit: https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy. For more on the County’s dashboards and metrics, visit: https://www.yolocounty.org/coronavirus-dashboard. To learn more about Yolo County’s Roadmap to Recovery and see which businesses are currently open, visit: https://www.yolocounty.org/coronavirus-roadmap. Residents can call Yolo 2-1-1 for resource information. Follow Yolo County on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/YoloCounty or Twitter at: https://twitter.com/YoloCountyCA