Indoor catering will reopen soon if Berkeley, Alameda County enters red level

Alameda County is expected to switch from purple to the least restrictive red level, or level 2, as early as Tuesday next week if COVID-19 cases and positivity rates remain low. As a result, Berkeley will be able to lift certain state restrictions on domestic business activities.

The last time Berkeley joined the red level with Alameda County was in September 2020, three months before ISU capabilities dwindled statewide and the city underwent a regional order. strict shelter-in-place.

Positivity rates in the city are lower than they were in September 2020 and a vaccination campaign is underway with thousands of essential workers, the elderly, food industry workers and teachers vaccinated against the virus. As of last week, more than 13,000 people received the COVID-19 vaccine in Berkeley, according to the city.

Level red, or level 2, means that there is a “substantial” risk of COVID-19 in a given county, with four to seven new cases per day per 100,000 population and between 5 and 8% of tests coming back positive. Berkeley can only go red when Alameda County as a whole meets those requirements, but the Berkeley Department of Public Health makes its own decisions on imposing additional restrictions on state rules.

Matthai Chakko, the city’s spokesman, said on Wednesday that the city will align with the state on reopening businesses when Alameda County levels red. Berkeley currently has a test positivity rate of 0.47% compared to Alameda County’s 2.40% positivity rate, and the county’s seven-day adjusted case rate per 100,000 population is currently 6 , 30 cases. These numbers make the county eligible to level red if they can be sustained for an additional week.

The following activities would then be allowed inside with a capacity of 25% or 100 people (whichever is less):

• To eat
• Museums and aquariums
• Cinemas
• Cultural ceremonies
• Gyms and dance studios (at 10% capacity)
• Retail (at 50% of capacity)

Businesses with no mandatory capacity limit in the red tier, such as grocery stores (which currently operate at 50% capacity in the purple tier), should always follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to allow a social distancing between customers.

Schools at all levels will be allowed to open, but are still subject to health and safety guidelines from the Alameda County Office of Education, limiting capacity on campus and negotiations between the Berkeley Unified School District and the Berkeley Teachers’ Federation.

Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, and Napa counties are currently in the red level and have opened additional domestic operations in accordance with state rules. The level assignments for each county in the state are available on the state’s website in an interactive map.