Latest Fresno County tier for COVID-19. See how Valley counties fared in California data
Fresno County will spend another week in red Tier 2 of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, in which restaurants, churches, fitness clubs and other businesses will continue to be allowed to offer limited indoor service as a hedge against spreading the novel coronavirus.
In the state’s latest reassessment Wednesday of counties for the four-tier, color-coded safety program that was introduced in late August, the California Department of Public Health maintained Fresno County’s status in the red tier, representing “substantial” risk for transmission of COVID-19 in the community. Fresno County has been in the red tier since Sept. 29, after emerging from purple Tier 1, the most restrictive level denoting “widespread” risk of viral spread.
To get into or remain in Tier 2, a county must have a seven-day average rate of seven or fewer daily new cases per 100,000 residents, and have no more than 8% of residents tested over a seven-day span testing positive for the virus. On Wednesday, Fresno County’s new-case rate was reported by the state at 6.3 per 100,000 people, with a testing positivity rate of 5.1%, based on data for the week ending Oct. 24.
Failing for two straight weeks to miss one or both of those marks can result in a county being reassigned back into the more stringent purple Tier 1.
Among the notable limitations under Tier 1 – denoting “widespread” risk of viral spread – are that restaurants are only allowed to offer to-go, delivery or outdoor dining; churches and other houses of worship are limited to outdoor services; and fitness clubs are barred from using their indoor facilities.
Neighboring Kings and Merced counties also were assigned to red Tier 2 for another week by the state, while Madera and Tulare counties remain in purple Tier 1. Mariposa County is the only Valley county in yellow Tier 4, the least restrictive level of the state’s blueprint representing “minimal” risk of transmitting the virus in the community. When the blueprint was introduced in late August, Mariposa County started in orange Tier 3, denoting “moderate” risk of transmission.
Path to orange tier
The state’s next update of county tier assignments will come next Tuesday, Nov. 10, and will be based upon case and testing data for the seven-day period ending Oct. 31.
To advance into the next stage of the blueprint, orange Tier 3, Fresno, Kings and other red counties are required to bring both their rates of new cases and percentages of positive tests even lower than they are now: a daily new-case rate of fewer than four per 100,000 residents, and fewer than 5% of residents’ COVID-19 tests showing a positive result for infection by the virus.
A county must meet the orange tier requirements for two weeks before formally being promoted into that stage. In addition, counties must also fulfill a “health equity” metric to ensure that testing and health resources are being made equitably to all residents within the county. The state’s assessment of that equity is based on the testing positivity rates in the 25% of census tracts within a county that are most socially and economically disadvantaged.
If the percentage of residents testing positive in those neighborhoods is significantly higher than the county as a whole, it is deemed representative of a disparity in the availability of health resources.
In Fresno County, for example, the positive-test rate in those lower-income census tracts averaged 7.4% – about 2.3 percentage points higher than the county as a whole.
What can open, what’s still closed
In addition to restaurants being able to serve diners indoors at up to 25% of the building’s capacity, counties like Fresno in red Tier 2 can also have churches hold services indoors at up to the lesser of 25% capacity or 100 people; health clubs and gyms have people work out indoors at up to 10% capacity; and movie theaters open at up to 25% capacity.
Also able to open indoors at 25% capacity are shopping malls, zoos and museums.
Elementary schools that had not already received waivers to reopen for in-person instruction under the purple tier can bring students back into classrooms under the red tier, as can middle and high schools. Colleges and universities can also resume laboratory and studio arts classes, as well as indoor lectures at up to 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. But the state encourages colleges to continue holding classes online if possible.
Still closed under the red tier are amusement parks, professional or college sports without live audiences, and bars, breweries and distilleries that don’t serve meals with their drinks.
Businesses that remain limited to outdoor-only operations under the red tier are family entertainment centers, wineries, and cardrooms or satellite wagering facilities.
Operational modifications for businesses at every level of the tier also include requiring masks for customers and staff, extra cleaning, and the ability to maintain six feet of social distancing.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Latest Fresno County tier for COVID-19. See how Valley counties fared in California data."
