San Diego County Enters Less-Restrictive 'Red' Tier Of COVID Infection

San Diego CA

16 March, 2021

4:13 PM

Description

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego March 16, 2021 The latest ranking by the California Department of Public Health will put San Diego County in the less-restrictive "red" tier of coronavirus infection effective at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday. Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning that she expected the reclassification after the county's case rate came in at 6.8 per 100,000 population, well under the threshold of 10 per 100,000. "Tomorrow, Wednesday, the county can officially move to the red tier," Wooten told the board. Supervisor Jim Desmond confirmed the move, which will be officially announced by the state around midday, when it does its weekly update of county rankings under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Being in the red tier means restaurants, movie theaters, museums and places of worship can open indoors at 25% capacity. Bars remain closed indoors, but gyms can reopen at 10% capacity. The change also opens the way for schools to reopen for in-person instruction, and for live outdoor events at 20% capacity — meaning fans could be in the stands for Padres opening day on April 1. "This is another strong step forward in our responsible recovery from COVID-19," said Supervisor Nathan Fletcher. "While it has been a long year particularly for our gyms and restaurants, the vaccine has given us hope that we can not only save lives, but get our way of life back." Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.