Merced County now the only California county remaining in purple COVID reopening tier
Merced County on Tuesday became the only California county remaining in the most restricted level of the state’s coronavirus reopening program.
The county on Tuesday was assigned once again by the state Department of Public Health to purple Tier 1, denoting “widespread” transmission of COVID-19 in the community.
Inyo County, which up until recently was in purple tier, was promoted to red on Tuesday.
The latest “Tier Tuesday” assignment by the state under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy is based on a rate of new cases per day that just barely exceeds the threshold of 10 per 100,000 residents for the week ending April 3. The state recorded 206 new confirmed COVID-19 for Merced County over the course of that week, equating to 10.2 daily new cases per 100,000 people.
A slight bonus for exceeding the state average for the number of coronavirus tests conducted reduced the calculation to 10.1 cases per 100,000 – still higher than the state allows for advancement into red Tier 2 representing “significant” viral spread in the community.
Earlier this month, Rebecca Nanyonjo-Kemp, director of Merced County public health, said a backlog on tests caused an inaccurate swelling of the COVID numbers, causing Merced County to remain in purple tier.
She said the county submitted a letter to state health officials to make a correction.
Among nearby Valley counties, Fresno, Madera and Kings all remained in red Tier 2 on Tuesday. Mariposa and Tulare counties both remained in orange Tier 3, representing “moderate” risk of transmitting COVID-19 in the county.
Under purple Tier 1, restaurants are limited to offering only outdoor dining or take-out/delivery service, and such businesses as gyms, movie theaters, museums and zoos are not allowed to operate indoors, among other restrictions.
However, up and down the Valley, some restaurants and other businesses had reopened while their counties were still in the purple tier in defiance of the rules.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 11:20 AM.
