One area in the Bay Area remains in the state’s red-tier, Solano County, as the rest of the regions in San Francisco have moved to at least the orange tier amid California State Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement of moving away from the color-coded system soon.
Public health officials expected Solano to remain restrictive and anticipate it to go back to the purple tier sometime in the future. The county recorded an alarming number of new cases just before the Easter holiday weekend. The majority of patients were younger residents who not yet eligible to get vaccinated.
Moving to better conditions
“Too early to call it a surge now but that doesn’t mean it’s not the beginning of a surge. Only time will tell. We are now starting to get uncomfortably close to the level of the disease reported each day that would put us back in purple,” Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas said.
Tomorrow, Contra Costa, Napa, and Sonoma counties will be moving to the orange tier. This allows restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, and religious establishments to increase indoor event capacity. It also eases restrictions for bars, winery tasting rooms, and non-essential offices with limited capacities.
“We are moving beyond the blueprint. On June 15, we will be moving beyond the blueprint and getting rid of the colored tiers. We’ll be getting rid of the dimmer switch,” Newsom announced, the San Francisco Gate reported.
While the state governor did not provide details of the removal of the system, a press release was given saying “everyday activities” will be allowed to resume. It also said business owners can once again operate with proper safety protocols. They also encourage residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible while wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing in public.
