Update - October 28, 2020
State Allows Contra Costa County to Reopen Further
More businesses and activities can reopen, with caution
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Thanks to a decrease in both the number of new daily COVID-19 cases and in the test positivity rate, California has upgraded Contra Costa to the less-restrictive orange tier of its Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
The State's Blueprint links reopening to data improvement. This means that more businesses and activities can reopen, including larger local gatherings for indoor worship services and dining, and the reopening of indoor pools, bars and bowling alleys. Health officials caution, however, that much of the country (and world) are experiencing second waves of COVID-19 and our county is vulnerable, even as our overall rates have been declining.
The orange tier allows further reopening with restrictions, including:
- Worship services and other cultural activities indoors at 50% occupancy or 200 people, whichever is fewer.
- Indoor dining at 50% occupancy or 200 people, whichever is fewer
- Indoor swimming pools.
- Bars and other businesses that sell alcohol without meals to open for outdoor operation.
- Family entertainment centers to open indoors for "naturally distanced" activities, such as bowling alleys, escape rooms and climbing-wall gyms, at 25% occupancy.
- Cardrooms to open indoors at 25% occupancy.
- Small amusement parks to open at 25% of occupancy or 500 people, whichever is fewer.
- Professional sports venues to open at 20% occupancy.
- Live entertainment to open with no more than 50 people, if approved by the Health Officer.
Face-coverings and social distancing are still required in most of these settings.
The county will remain in the orange tier for at least two weeks. The state could move Contra Costa into the less-restrictive yellow tier, or the more restrictive red tier, if its metrics qualify for one of those tiers for two consecutive weeks. The state updates the official numbers every Tuesday.
Contra Costa'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 October 27, just qualifying the county to move into the orange tier.
The average daily percentage of COVID-19 tests that return positive in the county is 1.9%, with 4.9% or lower qualifying for the orange tier. That number for census tracts identified by the state's health equity metric was 3.9% today, with 5.2% required for the orange tier.
Our continued success depends on maintaining preventative steps such as face coverings and social distance.
In addition, essential workers and people with lots of close contacts outside of their own household are urged to get tested for COVID-19 at least monthly.
This is welcome news. We've all been working hard in challenging times. Let's not let our guard down, especially as we enter the holiday season.
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John Gioia
Supervisor, District One
Contra Costa County
11780 San Pablo Avenue, Suite D
El Cerrito, CA 94530
510-231-8686 Phone
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