Social bubbles and outdoor dining may resume in Berkeley, effective immediately

Berkeley can immediately resume social bubbles, alfresco dining, and hairstyles as it reverts to a purple level assessment. The move follows Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement today that the entire state is being freed from restrictive shelter-in-place rules enforced in December to stem a COVID-19 outbreak.

The news comes nearly two months after Bay Area counties decided to preemptively enforce Newsom’s shelter-in-place order based on ICU capacity reaching 15 percent. The Bay Area and much of the state are now back in the purple level, which means the virus is “spread” in these communities.

Counties will now revert to tiered assessments based on data from individual cases, rather than following a region-based intensive care model, although much of the Bay Area has acted in tandem during the pandemic. On Monday morning, Alameda County announced that the Bay Area region had met the criteria for leave the regional order of stay at home “Due to the encouraging long term projections for the availability of ICU beds.”

Alameda County currently has 30% intensive care capacity and the Bay Area is at 24.3%. The state’s guidance is based on projections for the next month and the local ICU capacities are expected to improve further during this period. If they worsen regionally, the Bay Area could revert to shelter-in-place orders.

City spokesman Matthai Chakko said Berkeley would not place any additional restrictions on activities or businesses permitted under the purple level. Here’s what that means:

• Social bubbles between three households
• Outdoor meals may reopen
• Grocery stores can increase capacity by 35% to 50%
• Haircuts and personal services may resume indoors
• Retail will remain at 20% capacity
• There will be no change in school openings until Alameda County reaches the red level, but schools that have already opened may remain open.

As of Monday afternoon, Alameda County has yet to update its COVID-19 trade reopening page, but its latest health order aligns with the state and poses no additional restrictions. Berkeley has its own health department, but stricter guidelines in Alameda County would still have an impact on the city if imposed.

The change could cause some setback as the Bay Area and surrounding areas are still recovering from a wave of bloat cases and deaths. Between December and the end of January, deaths in Berkeley rose from 9 to 26. During the same period, Berkeley recorded more cases than it had recorded in the previous 10 months since the start of the pandemic in March.

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine began during the winter wave and continues in Berkeley. The city received 2,500 additional doses last week and is currently prioritizing healthcare workers and residents over 75.

“We are still in an absolutely critical phase,” said Chakko, explaining that the city and region are no longer “rushing” towards 0% intensive care capacity and overflowing hospitals, as seen in Los Angeles. Angeles, but the cases and deaths are higher. than ever before. Residents should weigh the risks of choosing their activities, continue to move away socially, mask themselves and stay at home as much as possible, he added.