Theresa Harrington / EdSource
Gov. Gavin Newsom unveils a new four-tiered, color-coded system to replace the state's previous "county monitoring list" on Aug. 28, 2020.
Theresa Harrington / EdSource
Gov. Gavin Newsom unveils a new four-tiered, color-coded system to replace the state's previous "county monitoring list" on Aug. 28, 2020.
Q: What is the new color-coded county tracking system and how does it affect schools?
A: A new system to track Covid-19 cases by county went into effect on Monday. Gov. Newsom released the “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” on Aug. 28 that changed the way the state monitors counties to determine when schools can open for in-person instruction, although its principal impact will be on when businesses can reopen. The blueprint includes a four-tiered, color-coded system that tracks counties by the number of Covid-19 cases recorded each day and the percentage of positive cases out of the total number of tests administered, both averaged over seven days. It went into effect Monday, Aug. 31, and replaced the previous “county monitoring list.”
What do the colors stand for?
Purple, or Tier 1, indicates that the virus is widespread in the county — with more than seven cases per 100,000 residents or more than 8% of tests results reported positive over seven days. Red (Tier 2) indicates “substantial” spread of the virus, while orange (Tier 3) indicates “moderate” spread and yellow (Tier 4) indicates “minimal” spread of the virus in the county.
If one of the two metrics is higher than the other, the state will assign the county to the color associated with the highest rating. For example, if a county reports six cases per 100,000, but a 9% positivity rate, it will be rated purple.
No public or private schools in counties rated purple can reopen for in-person instruction unless they receive an elementary waiver for students in grades K-6 permitted under Gov. Newsom’s July 17 executive order, or are following guidance for small groups of children, known as “cohorts.”
Counties that move from purple to red can open for in-person instruction after they have remained in the red tier for 14 days. However, some counties may have stricter rules in place prohibiting schools from opening.
Q. Which counties were rated purple and red when the new system became effective?
A. On Monday, the following 38 of the state’s 58 counties were rated purple, meaning that the virus was widespread and schools could not open except for some elementary schools in counties with daily infection rates between 7 and 14 per 100,000 residents, which can apply for a waiver. The state plans to update the list every Tuesday starting Sept. 8.
Counties rated purple: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba.
These counties include 771 school districts and 1,077 charter schools that educate a total of more than 4.8 million public school students, not including private schools, according to an EdSource analysis. The list will be updated every Tuesday, starting Sept. 8.
Nine counties were rated red, meaning they were found to have substantial spread of the virus: Calaveras, El Dorado, Lake, Lassen, Napa, Nevada, San Diego, San Francisco and Sierra. Schools in these counties must wait to be sure the counties remain in the red tier for 14 days, until Sept. 14, before they can reopen for in-person instruction. Schools in counties rated orange or yellow are free to reopen for in-person instruction based on modifications outlined in the state’s July 17 guidance and subsequent Aug. 3 guidance.
Q. If a school opens while its county is rated red, then the county moves back up to purple, does it have to close?
A. No. Schools that open while their county is rated red, but then move back up to purple may remain open, but must increase Covid-19 testing for staff. According to reopening guidance released July 17, “schools should begin testing staff, or increase frequency of staff testing but are not required to close” if cases or positivity rates increase countywide.
The state recommends that all schools that are open for in-person instruction test staff once every two months, or 25% of staff every two weeks. A school in a county that moves back into the purple tier should exceed this.
All schools are required to close when at least 5% of staff and students test positive for Covid-19 within 14 days. School districts must close if one-quarter of schools in the districts are closed due to Covid-19 cases. Schools can usually reopen within 14 days after campuses have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, public health contact tracing is completed and the county public health department has given its approval.
Every county in CA is assigned to a tier based on its rate of new #COVID19 cases and positivity rates.
📍 Visit https://t.co/snYe5v55Rw to find out where your county falls and what activities are allowable in each county. pic.twitter.com/WHaraZAxmU
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) August 29, 2020
Q. Can elementary schools in counties rated purple apply for waivers to open in person?
A. Yes. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary of Health and Human Service, said on Aug. 28 that schools in counties with daily case rates of 7 to 14 per 100,000 residents can apply for elementary school waivers for students in grades K-6. Schools and districts must consult with employee unions, parents and the community before applying for the waiver, which must be approved by the county public health department in consultation with the state Department of Public Health.
Q. Why did the state change its county monitoring system?
A. The state decided to simplify its previous complex county monitoring system by reducing the number of metrics it was calculating (from six to two metrics) and, instead, creating a four-tiered system. Also, it will change the status of counties every seven days instead of daily. All of this is intended to create a more predictable, easily understandable way to determine when businesses and schools can reopen, Gov. Newsom said, when he introduced the new system Aug. 28.
The previous county monitoring list also included data related to the total number of tests administered daily, the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19, the number of patients admitted to intensive care units due to Covid-19 and the number of respirators available. But Ghaly said those are “lagging indicators” and the state wanted to focus on the earliest indicators that show what is happening currently in communities, so they chose case rates.
Focusing on test positivity rates also allows the state to remind the public about the ways to avoid becoming infected, he said, such as by washing hands frequently, wearing masks, maintaining physical distances of 6 feet and avoiding mixing with people outside of households, when possible.
However, both Ghaly and Newsom said the state can take an “emergency break” from reopenings if hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions begin to overwhelm county healthcare systems.
EdSource data journalist Daniel J. Willis contributed to this report.
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