As of this writing, 38 counties (including Sonoma County) are in the widespread/purple tier. Nine are in the substantial/red category, 8 are in moderate/orange, and three are in minimal/yellow.
Sonoma County will remain in the new widespread/purple tier for a minimum of three weeks.
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. Public health officials are constantly monitoring data and can step in if necessary.
Beginning August 31, 2020, counties in the widespread/purple tier may open some businesses and activities with modifications, including all retail, shopping centers at maximum 25% capacity, and hair salons and barbershops indoors.
Activities and businesses that have a lower risk of spreading COVID-19 are allowed to open sooner. Higher-risk activities or businesses aren’t allowed until later tiers.
An activity or business’s tier depends on whether it can:
- Accommodate mask wearing at all times (for example, eating and drinking requires removing masks)
- Allow physical distance between individuals from different households
- Limit the number of people per square foot
- Limit time that an individual is at the business or activity
- Limit time of exposure
- Limit mixing of people from different households
- Limit amount of physical interactions of visitors/patrons
- Increase airflow (such as operating outdoors or opening windows and doors)
- Limit activities that are known to increase virus spread (like singing, shouting and heavy breathing)
You can read the full California Department of Public Health announcement here.
To learn more about our county’s status, and to find the status of your industry (starting Aug. 31) visit the “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” on the state COVID-19 website here.
