COVID-19 restrictions have further eased in Contra Costa County starting today, as the county has moved into the less restrictive “Orange” tier of the state’s four-tier color-coded reopening plan.
In the Orange tier, dine-in restaurants, places of worship and movie theaters can open at 50 percent capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer. Indoor retail centers no longer have capacity limits, although masks and social distancing remain in place.
Under the Orange tier, indoor museums can open at 50 percent capacity, while cardrooms can open indoors at 25 percent occupancy. Bars and breweries where no meals are provided can open outdoors with modifications. Gyms and fitness centers can open indoors at 25 percent capacity. Indoor pools can open, and family entertainment centers, like bowling alleys and rock-climbing gyms, can open indoors at 25 percent capacity.
Small private gatherings of no more than three separate households meeting for two hours or less are allowed under the Orange tier.
Moving to the Orange Tier means Contra Costa County has gone from a “substantial” risk level for COVID-19 to a “moderate” risk level. The County’s adjusted per-capita case rate – the average daily number of new COVID-19 cases identified in the county per 100,000 population – stood at 3.7 on Tuesday, just qualifying the county to move into the Orange tier, County officials said.
“The average daily percentage of COVID-19 tests that return positive in the county is 1.9 percent, with 4.9 percent or lower qualifying for the orange tier,” officials said. “That number for census tracts identified by the state’s health equity metric was 3.9 precent today, with 5.2 percent required for the orange tier.”
The County will remain in the Orange tier for two weeks and could, at that time, advance to the less-restrictive yellow tier, or, if case rates spike, move into the more restrictive red tier. The state updates the official numbers every Tuesday.
The County said its high-testing rates, about 3,500 people daily, for COVID-19 contributed to its graduation to the Orange tier, and urges the public to get tested regularly, even those without symptoms.
For more information, visit state’s Industry Guidance website.
