State, County Announce Reopenings
The Governor has announced a new blueprint for reducing COVID-19 in the state with revised criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on activities.
A four-tier, color-coded system will allow counties to show consistent success in coronavirus transmission before allowing more businesses and activities to reopen or resume. Closures will be based on data showing the spread of the virus among residents.
San Diego County’s risk level is red and in the second tier, labeled “substantial,” with the first tier “widespread” being the most restrictive. The other tiers are “moderate” and “minimal.” The new system is based on averages of new cases each day per 100,000 residents. It also is based on the percentage of positive cases compared to the overall number of tests conducted.
San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten said the County’s case rate was 5.8 and its positive rate was 3.8% on Friday, Aug. 28. The substantial, red tier covers counties with a case rate of four to seven daily new cases per 100,000 people and 5% to 8% positive tests. Dr. Wooten affirmed the state reopening guidelines and did not announce restrictions beyond the state guidelines.
At a minimum, counties must remain in a tier for at least three weeks before moving forward. Data is reviewed weekly and tiers are updated on Tuesdays. To move forward, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks. If a county’s metrics worsen for two consecutive weeks, it will be assigned a more restrictive tier.
For San Diego, the substantial red tier provides that some non-essential indoor business operations are closed. According to the new reopening guidelines, however, effective Monday, Aug. 31, the following partial list of businesses and activities may resume with modifications:
- Hair salons and barbershops can open indoors with modifications
- Indoor dining may resume at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
- Libraries with a maximum of 50% capacity
- Gyms and fitness centers can reopen with modifications at a maximum 10% capacity
- Retail stores may open at a maximum of 25% capacity
- Places of Worship may open at a maximum of 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
- Nail salons and massage therapy studios can open indoors with modification
- Movie theaters can open indoors at a maximum of 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer
- Museums can open indoors with a maximum capacity of 25%
Stay tuned for Coronado specific openings in the days to come. Interested community members can visit the State’s Safer Economy website for more information as well as to access industry specific guidelines.
For the City’s complete update, click HERE.
