Monday, March 18, 2024

County Remains in Purple Tier but Some Restrictions Eased for Businesses

Outdoor dining is back, following state guidance.

After seven weeks of closures resulting from California’s Regional Stay Home Order, health officials announced today that restaurants, museums, theaters and other businesses can resume outdoor operations immediately under state guidance.

Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons and tattoo parlors can open indoors with modifications. Hotels and other lodging can open with modifications. Bars, breweries, and distilleries where no meal provided remain closed. Household gatherings are now allowed, but limited to three households maximum, outdoor only, and people must also keep their distance and wear a mask.

Governor Newsom said we are not out of the woods; case rates remain high throughout California. Most of the state remains in Purple, our most restrictive tier. We must continue to take health precautions: Wear a mask. Don’t gather. Stop the spread.

The lifting of the Regional Stay Home Order means that San Diego County is now back in Tier 1, or the Purple Tier, and can return to the rules and framework of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity percentage.

Data are preliminary and subject to change; case rate from California Department of Public Health and calculated using California Department of Finance 2020 Projection Population
Estimate for San Diego County to be 3,370,418
*Calculated with County data
Prepared by County of San Diego, Emergency Operations Center, 1/25/2021

A City of Coronado update this evening stated, “Californians are urged to continue to wear masks when they leave their homes, maintain 6 feet of distance from others, wash their hands frequently, avoid gatherings and mixing with other households, follow all state and local health department guidance, and get the vaccine.”

The state’s four-week intensive care unit bed availability projection for the Southern California region, which includes San Diego County, is expected to be above 15%, the threshold that allows regions to exit the order.

San Diego County remains in the Purple, most restrictive, tier

The County’s adjusted case rate is currently at 49.6 per every 100,000 residents, which is expected to be reflected on the state’s website tomorrow. The rate is well above the 7.0 case rate that is required to move into the less restrictive Tier 2, or Red Tier. Fifty-four of the 58 California counties are in the strictest level, or Purple Tier.

The region’s 7-day case positivity rate is 14.8%, also well above the 7% needed to move to the Red Tier.

Counties must remain in their current tier for three weeks and post case rates and testing positivity percentage in the higher tier for two weeks before moving into the less restrictive level.

Tier updates are provided weekly on Tuesdays; however, counties can choose to impose stricter rules.

“The pandemic is not over, people should continue taking the recommended precautions,” Wooten said.

County health officials continue to urge San Diegans to do the following:

  • When it’s your turn, get vaccinated
  • Wash your hands
  • Watch your distance around others
  • Wear a mask
  • When sick, stay home and get tested



Managing Editor
Managing Editor
Originally from upstate New York, Dani Schwartz has lived in Coronado since 1996. She is happy to call Coronado home and to have raised her children here. In her free time she enjoys reading, exercising, trying new restaurants, and just walking her dog around the "island." Have news to share? Send tips or story ideas to: [email protected]

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