Solano County moves back to restrictive COVID-19 tier
The county joins more than 40 others across the state to move into the "Purple" restriction tier.
(Graphic by Solano News Update)
After weeks of reporting a sharp increase in coronavirus transmission, California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday said state officials were “pulling an emergency break” with the hope of reducing infections.
The move means Solano County and 40 others in the state will be relegated once again to the most-restrictive “purple” tier, placing severe restrictions on nearly 95 percent of California’s population.
“We are sounding the alarm,” Newsom said in a statement released to reporters on Monday. “California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet — faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic or even this summer.”
Starting Tuesday, Solano County will be forced to require restaurants, gyms, fitness centers, movie theaters, churches and other places of worship, museums and family entertainment centers to move their operations outdoors.
Retail and shopping centers are allowed to continue offering indoor service, but must reduce the number of customers to 25 percent capacity at any given time.
Personal care services are allowed to continue offering services indoors.
The move comes after Solano County health officials reported seeing a spike in COVID-19 infections almost immediately after the county was allowed to ease restrictions in late September. Those officials said they were worried the state would eventually force Solano County to impose severe restrictions in order to curb infections.
Solano County is not alone: Other areas of California have also reported a sharp increase in infections since the start of influenza season. Neighboring counties, including Napa, Yolo and Sacramento, will also return to the restrictive “purple” tier on Tuesday.
Last week, California became the second state in the country to surpass 1 million COVID-19 cases. State health officials say that record is more than worrying.
“We are in the midst of a surge, and time is of the essence,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s top health official, said on Monday. “Personal decisions are critical.”
Ghaly said Californians can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands and staying home when possible.
State and county health officials have also urged people to get a flu shot this yea — even if they don’t typically get one or believe they’re too healthy to get the flu — because of the possibility of a co-infection of influenza and COVID-19. The first such co-infection in the country was reported in Solano County earlier this month.
Newsom said Monday’s executive action would remain in place until Ghaly determined it was appropriate to make modifications to the order. Ghaly will use a combination of public health conditions and data to determine if and when counties can move to a less-restrictive tier in the future, the governor’s office said.
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