As San Mateo County’s COVID-19 positivity rate and other metrics improve, the state of California announced Tuesday, February 23, the wider reopening of businesses and certain activities in our county.
The county as of 12:01 am, Wednesday, February 24, moves from the most-restrictive Purple Tier 1 to Red Tier 2 in the state’s four-tier, color-coded reopening plan. 

The move allows positive changes for numerous businesses:

  • Restaurants can resume indoor dining with modifications
  • Gyms can open indoors with modifications
  • Retail and shopping centers can increase capacity

The county progressed to the Red Tier 2 due to two metrics calculated by the state:

  1. Case rate has fallen to 5.6 percent
  2. Health equity quartile positivity rate has fallen to 3.7 percent (The health equity quartile measures rates of infection with the virus in the county’s most disadvantaged communities based on the California Health Places Index)