COVID Reopening: Alameda, Napa Counties Move To Yellow Tier In Final Week Before State Fully Opens
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) – Alameda and Napa counties moved into the least restrictive Yellow Tier under the state's reopening plan Tuesday, in the final set of tier assignments before the state fully reopens.
Under Yellow Tier rules, movie theaters, indoor dining at restaurants and gyms are among the sectors that can open at 50% capacity. Bars that do not provide meals can resume indoor operations at 25% capacity.
Napa County officials said in a statement that Yellow Tier rules would allow for wineries to open indoor operations at 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer.
The new rules go into effect Wednesday.
"We finally arrived at the yellow brick road, but at the end of the yellow brick road will be the removal of the blueprint," Napa County Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio told the county's Board of Supervisors at at a meeting Tuesday.
Alameda County health officer Dr. Nicholas Moss attributed the county reaching the least-restrictive tier due to rising vaccination rates, but noted that there are still many county residents who have yet to be vaccinated.
"While we are moving away from the tier system, only 53 percent of Alameda County residents are fully vaccinated and COVID-19 is still a very real threat to unvaccinated individuals. We urge all residents to continue using COVID-19 safety precautions to protect vulnerable residents including young children who are not yet eligible for vaccine," Moss said in a statement.
Alameda and Napa join several Bay Area counties, including Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara in the least restrictive tier. Contra Costa, Solano and Sonoma remain in the Orange Tier in the final week before tiers are removed altogether.
Statewide, zero counties are in the most restrictive Purple Tier, three are in the Red Tier, 31 are in the Orange Tier and 24 are in the Yellow Tier, including Los Angeles, the state's most populous.
California is set to scrap the color-coded tier system and lift most COVID-19 restrictions on June 15, amid rising vaccination rates and as cases and hospitalizations have plummeted since peaking earlier this year.
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