OAKLAND — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday overhauled California's economic reopening approach by slowing down the pace of resumption and allowing for different levels of operation as California's coronavirus situation steadily improves following a summer surge.
The new framework creates four tiers that condition in-person learning and business activity only on daily case numbers and test positivity rates — a system that Newsom touted as creating a uniform standard rather than a county-by-county patchwork.
Most counties currently fall into the most stringent tier, which would prohibit in-classroom instruction and indoor dining.The guidelines come as two of California's most populous counties — San Diego and Orange — have left the state's old watch list and have clamored for the ability to reopen more businesses again. California is at a pivotal moment heading into the fall, torn between a demand to allow normal activities and a desire to avoid another surge right before flu season.
Newsom's announcement said state officials are "using the lessons we learned" from the last reopening process in May and June. The governor has faced criticism for allowing too many industries, including gyms, bars, malls and indoor dining, to reopen too quickly as California was caught off guard by a wave of new infections.
Under the new rules, counties must spend at least 21 days in their current tier and can only move to a broader reopening phase if they meet stricter criteria for at least two weeks. That forces counties to spend more time under stable conditions than had been expected under the previous watch list approach.
Indoor business operations would be prohibited in counties that fall into the bottom tier, where the coronavirus remains the most widespread.
Counties that advance into the next tier could allow limited indoor retail, like restaurants allowing diners inside at 25 percent of their capacity.The new system does away with the “attestation” process, which required counties to submit declarations showing they met certain criteria the state had laid out.
The six metrics used to measure a county and determine whether it can get off the watchlist has been reduced to just two: the number of cases per 100,000 residents, and percentage of Covid-19 tests that come back positive. That removes such criteria as the average number of tests (per 100,000 population), the percentage increase in hospitalizations, available ICU and ventilator capacity.
Counties will also be required to show how they are targeting their resources and to prevent and fight Covid-19 among those at the highest risk.
Of paramount importance are the preconditions for in-person learning as the school year resumes. Schools can allow students back in the classrooms in counties that have seen between four and seven daily cases per 100,000 and a positivity rate between 5 percent and 8 percent for two weeks. Those data points are almost identical to the school reopening guidelines Newsom previously laid out, given that seven cases per 100,000 daily is nearly the same as the previous threshold of 100 per 100,000 over two weeks.
However, Newsom's changes appear to make it easier for elementary schools to get waivers in any California county. The rules say that even schools in counties in the worst tier can obtain waivers to reopen if allowed by their county health officer. Previously, a county could only grant waivers if they had less than 200 cases per 100,000 over two weeks.
The state will release data dictating tier moves every Tuesday, Newsom's office said.