SLO County moves into COVID yellow tier — a week before state fully reopens
San Luis Obispo County moved into the yellow tier of coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, a week before the state is expected to lift most coronavirus-related limits.
San Luis Obispo County is now in the least restrictive tier under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. That means that COVID-19 spread is considered “minimal” and most indoor business operations can be open with modifications.
Santa Barbara County also moved into the yellow tier on Tuesday, while Monterey County earned yellow tier status on June 2.
On June 15, California is expected to fully reopen its economy, dropping mask mandates and lifting capacity and social distancing restrictions for most businesses and activities. Large-scale indoor events will require attendees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or test negative for the virus through at least Oct. 1, according to the state.
The state’s color tier system will no longer be in effect at that point.
What tier is SLO County in?
Before moving into the yellow tier, San Luis Obispo County spent nearly six weeks in the tougher orange tier of coronavirus restrictions.
The county’s adjusted average on Tuesday was 1.6 new cases per day per 100,000 people, as of Tuesday, the most recent data released.
The unadjusted case rate was 2.3 cases per day per 100,000 people, according to the state.
As of Tuesday, the county had a 1.0% positive rate, down from the 1.4% previously reported.
The latest health equity metric released Tuesday calculated that the positivity rate for people who live in the 12 census tracts in San Luis Obispo County ranked in the lowest quarter of California’s Healthy Places Index at 1.0%.
In total, 21,383 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 261 people have died due to the virus since March 2020.
The county had 43 active coronavirus cases on Tuesday.
What does move to yellow tier mean for SLO County?
The move to the state’s least restrictive tier allows businesses including gyms, movie theaters, wineries, breweries and distilleries to expand indoor operations to 50% capacity.
Bars that do not serve food can reopen indoors with a maximum capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer, the county says.
Restaurants are allowed to operate at 50% indoor capacity. And there are no indoor capacity restrictions for museums, zoos or aquariums.
“We have come so far as a community, from facing widespread transmission of COVID-19 that kept us in the most restrictive purple tier to slowing the spread of disease to reach the least restrictive yellow tier,” Penny Borenstein, San Luis Obispo County’s public health officer, said in a news release Tuesday. “I commend everyone who has worked hard to help us reach this milestone, and I encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated so we can put this pandemic fully in the past.”
Where to get a COVID-19 test and schedule a vaccine appointment
Free coronavirus testing is available at clinics throughout San Luis Obispo County. To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing; you can register by phone at 888-634-1123.
As of Tuesday, the county Public Health Department is administering coronavirus vaccines to everyone age 12 and up.
Those eligible to receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can register online or by phone for California’s My Turn appointment system. You can also walk in to any of the county’s clinics without an appointment to receive a vaccine.
To find appointments, visit MyTurn.ca.gov and complete the registration process. Those who need assistance registering for a vaccine can call 805-781-5500 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday.
To sign up for email alerts, visit EmergencySLO.org/en/newsletter.aspx.
In addition to the state’s My Turn system, residents can find appointments for coronavirus vaccines through private health partners and some chain pharmacies, including CVS and Vons.
This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 1:17 PM.
