COVID-19: San Mateo goes "Red" and wide reopening of closed spaces. The rate of COVID-19 positive cases has decreased in the area.
Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Effective the first minute of this Tuesday, February 23, San Mateo County will move from "Purple" to "Red" in California's four-tiered color-coded reopening plan after the rate of COVID-19 positive cases has declined in the area.
In a press release, the county said the action will allow for expanded business openings and certain activities.
Thus, restaurants will be able to resume indoor dining with modifications; while gyms will be able to open indoors with modifications, and shopping centers and retailers will be able to increase capacity.
"This movement is a direct result of all of us taking personal responsibility for our actions. If we wear our damn masks, keep our distance, and follow common sense health and safety protocols, we can get back to doing what we all love to do," said Board Chairman David J. Canepa.
The county detailed that the area advanced to the "Red" level due to two metrics, calculated by the state: the case rate has dropped to 5.6 percent and the health equity quartile positivity rate to 3.7 percent.
The health equity quartile measures rates of infection with the virus in the most disadvantaged communities in the county according to the California Health Place Index.
"It's something to applaud," said Louise Rogers, head of San Mateo County Health. "Reducing that disparity is going in the right direction. Our goal is to reduce that disparity, which affects our most impacted communities, to zero."
Rogers said COVID's local testing rate - 821 per 100,000 residents each day - puts the county second only to Yolo County in the most tests per day among the state's 58 counties.
Local COVID-19 cases increased in December 2020. Positive cases set a record high of 546 on January 4, 2021, and then declined over the last month. Still, cases have doubled since December 9, 2020, from 19,107 to 38,353 as of Sunday, February 21, 2021.
To move to the next level, the "Orange" level that opens up more sectors of the economy, positivity rates and additional metrics must continue to fall.
Meanwhile, decisions about public school operations are made by local school boards in consultation with the San Mateo County Office of Education.
Also, the California Department of Public Health has issued new guidance on outdoor and indoor sports that will go into effect on Friday, February 26, 2021.
It is worth noting that going to level 2 "Red" allows:
- - Indoor restaurants ?maximum capacity of 25 percent or 100 persons, whichever is less?
- - All indoor retail stores ?50 percent maximum capacity?
- - Shopping malls, indoor swap meets - maximum 50 percent capacity, enclosed common areas, small-capacity food courts....
- - Personal care services: beauty and nail salons, hairdressing salons ?open with modifications?
- - Museums, zoos and aquariums - maximum 25 percent of capacity.
- - Places of worship - maximum 25 percent capacity.
- - Indoor cinemas ?maximum capacity of 25 percent or 100 people, whichever is less?
- - Indoor gyms and fitness centers - maximum 10 percent capacity.
- - Family entertainment centers - go-kart racing, miniature golf, batting cages - outdoors with modifications only.
- - Amusement parks, non-food service bars, bowling alleys, indoor play areas, live theater, saunas and steam baths, nightclubs and festivals are not permitted.
- - Companies can find guidelines that apply to their industry on the state's COVID-19 website.
- - Small private outdoor and indoor meetings are permitted with modifications: Use of masks and physical distancing, no more than three separate households ?including that of the host, meetings should last 2 hours or less, those with symptoms should not attend, and people at high risk for serious illness are strongly discouraged from attending.
Also, singing, yelling, chanting, cheering, or exercising outdoors is encouraged and is not allowed indoors.
Regarding travel, Californians should remain local - travel no more than 120 miles from their home or other place of residence - and avoid non-essential travel. Travelers from other states or countries are strongly discouraged from entering California for tourism and recreation.
