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California announced Friday that it has given more than 2 million doses of the vaccine to people living in vulnerable, low-income zip codes, which could allow counties like San Diego to reopen more quickly.
Once the fairness measure is met, the criteria for a county to move through the state’s color-coded reopening plan levels become easier to meet. California expects San Diego to meet the new reopening criteria by Tuesday, which means the county will move from the most restrictive purple level to the red level as early as Wednesday.
San Diego County is expected to level red on March 16, with the changes taking effect the next day.
What is California’s vaccine equity measure?
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that he would set aside 40% of the vaccine for residents of some 400 postcodes the state deems most vulnerable based on parameters such as household income, access to health care and education levels.
This is to tie reopening standards to ensuring that those most affected by the pandemic are protected against the virus. Although race and ethnicity are not explicit factors in naming vaccines, the zip codes overlap strongly with neighborhoods with a higher population of Black, Latino, and Asian and Pacific Islander residents, officials said. .
California adopted a four-tier, color-coded system in August that dictates the amount of activity allowed in each county. New level assignments are announced on Tuesdays.
Previously, counties could move from the most restrictive purple level to the lower red level based on parameters such as the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per day over a period of several weeks. The threshold for entering the red level will drop from 7 cases per 100,000 residents to 10 cases.
What can reopen in San Diego?
Once San Diego County hits red in California’s tiered reopening plan, restrictions on restaurants, gyms and other businesses and activities will begin to lift.
Many industries have been operating outdoors only since last summer, but starting next Wednesday indoor operations could resume for San Diego restaurants, gym museums, and more.
A red crossing means that restaurants will be able to offer indoor dining again at a capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is less. The same goes for cinemas. Museums, zoos, aquariums will be able to reopen interior operations with modifications, including 25% capacity. And gyms will be able to reopen indoors at 10% of their capacity.
NBC 7’s Priya Sridhar has the latest on the county’s coronavirus response.
A red crossing means that restaurants will be able to offer indoor dining again at a capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is less. The same goes for cinemas. Museums, zoos, aquariums will be able to reopen interior operations with modifications, including 25% capacity. And gyms will be able to reopen indoors at 10% of their capacity.
Additionally, schools that previously needed exemptions to reopen in-person teaching will no longer need to apply, but changes will need to be made.
Domestic trade can increase its capacity from 25% to 50%.
While San Diego may be eligible to move to a less restrictive level, that doesn’t automatically mean the move will take place, but a San Diego County spokesperson said, “We’re happy with the direction we’re taking and hope to take a step. from next week. “
There are also some reopening changes that will begin on April 1. Since San Diego will be in the red level by then, live outdoor events like sports games and live music will be able to have guests up to 20% capacity as opposed to less than 100 people in the level. purple.
Also from April 1, amusement parks in Red Level counties will be able to accommodate up to 15% of capacity, even at their indoor facilities, although indoor dining must remain closed.
This week, the state also announced new rules for bars and breweries, which have been largely closed if they don’t serve food. Starting Saturday, breweries and distilleries that do not serve food can open outdoors in the purple and red bleachers. State guidelines say that guests of both, as well as wineries, must have reservations and limit their stay to 90 minutes, and service must end at 8 p.m. Bars that do not serve food do not cannot open before the orange level.
What happens after?
Once the state administers 4 million shots in those neighborhoods, officials say they will update the criteria to move up to the next orange and yellow levels.
“Although we have reached an important milestone today, we still have a lot of work to do to help us end this pandemic,” said Tomás Aragón, director of the CDPH and state public health official. . “We all need to do our part by getting vaccinated as soon as it is our turn and continue to wear masks and practice physical distancing to keep our communities safe.
About half of the state’s 58 counties have now left the tightest restrictions, allowing limited indoor dining and the reopening of theaters and gyms.
Officials across California are considering what things will look like in the country’s most populous state once millions of people are vaccinated and they move to phase out restrictions on gatherings and businesses that have. changed life for a year.
When officials designed the four-tier, yellow-to-purple system that California now uses to decide whether people can dine indoors, go to the movies, or get together with friends last summer, they didn’t. green level included – a recognition that a return to normalcy after the pandemic was far away. Now Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is preparing to add one.
“The likelihood of hitting that green level is probably sooner than some of us thought when we looked at summer and fall,” California health secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Thursday.
State officials are using a complicated formula, including the spread of the virus, to determine what activities are restricted in each county.
But a green designation doesn’t mean “go” for everything. Ghaly said such a label would always mean wearing masks and staying physically away. He declined in an interview to offer more details on the restrictions that would be maintained or to provide a threshold for vaccinations the state hopes to meet to allow such a green light.
Earlier Thursday, the state’s public health director Dr Tomas Aragón predicted that California could achieve herd immunity when around 75% of the population was vaccinated, although that could change as the virus mutates.
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