Wednesday: The answer to that, and other questions you may have about California’s reopening. Also: A deadly crash near the border.
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Good morning.
Coronavirus cases have continued to recede. President Biden said that there will be enough vaccine available for all American adults by the end of May, sooner than previously expected, because of a deal with Johnson & Johnson to boost supply. More than nine million shots have already been administered in the Golden State.
This time, it seems, the reopening of California will be different. Gradual, yes — California, as Gov. Gavin Newsom pointedly noted, isn’t Texas — but lasting. Really.
At least, that’s how officials across the state are framing the progress in the last couple of days.
On Tuesday, state public health officials said that seven counties were moving from the state’s most stringent purple tier to the second most restrictive red tier. It was the most significant easing of restrictions since state leaders abruptly announced that they were lifting stay-at-home orders meant as a kind of “emergency brake” to halt what spiraled into the state’s deadliest surge.
[Read about how Texas dropped all of its coronavirus restrictions as states across the country continued to reopen.]
“The fact that we’re moving into new tiers, the fact that we’ve provided billions of dollars in relief checks, speaks for itself,” said Mr. Newsom, speaking in Palo Alto on Tuesday, at another news conference aimed at drumming up excitement for a long-negotiated deal to bring students back to classrooms after a year of distance learning. (He said later that he planned to sign the bill on Friday.)
“Come August, September, we’ll be in a position to safely reopen not only our schools but the vast majority of business sectors as well.”
San Francisco’s mayor, London Breed, told residents in a news conference on Tuesday to get in the habit of putting their masks back on as they move about indoor restaurants.
“Because, ultimately, we’re in the red right now,” she said, “but in just a few weeks, we’ll probably, most likely be in the orange.”
Even Barbara Ferrer, director of public health for Los Angeles County — known for her dire warnings as Los Angeles became the epicenter of the winter crisis — struck a somewhat optimistic tone on Tuesday in her office’s update.
“L.A. County is very close to meeting the metric thresholds for the less restrictive red tier,” she said in a statement.
But perhaps you’ve gotten a little fuzzy about what this all means. Here are the answers to your questions:
Which counties are in the red tier now? And how can I find out which tier my county falls under?
There are 16 counties now in the red tier: Del Norte, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, Marin, Napa, Yolo, El Dorado, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Mariposa and San Luis Obispo Counties.
Two counties are in the even less restrictive orange tier — Sierra and Alpine Counties — and the rest, including most of the state’s most populous counties, are still in the purple tier, as of Tuesday.
You can see where your county falls here.
What is allowed in the red tier?
The most significant difference between the purple and red tiers is that in the red tier, restaurants, museums and movie theaters can reopen indoors, at 25 percent capacity or 100 people — whichever is fewer. Gyms can reopen indoors at 10 percent capacity. (In the purple tier, all of those are allowed to operate outdoors only.)
Bars and breweries — businesses that serve alcohol but not food — must remain closed. In both the purple and red tiers, though, wineries can operate outdoors only.
In the purple tier, stores and shopping malls could be open indoors at 25 percent capacity; in the red tier, that can increase to 50 percent.
In the red tier, indoor gatherings are strongly discouraged, but allowed, with a maximum of three households.
And masks are still required when you’re not eating or drinking.
What about in the orange and yellow tiers?
Many of the aforementioned places can open indoors at higher capacity, including restaurants, which can be open at half capacity. In the orange tier, bars can reopen outdoors and smaller amusement parks can also open at 25 percent capacity.
[See more from the state about which activities are allowed under each tier.]
How quickly could even more restrictions be lifted?
Counties fall into different tiers based on their average numbers of new cases per 100,000 residents and their test positivity rates, with some adjustments, so new cases must continue to fall. Officials in each county can opt to keep in place stricter rules than the state allows, as Los Angeles County has done in the past, but given the continuing vaccine rollout — confusing though it may be — that seems less likely now.
While just about 13 percent of the state’s population lives in a county that’s been able to move out of the purple tier, Mr. Newsom on Monday hinted that the balance could shift significantly “in the next few weeks.” He said the state was monitoring roughly 17 counties that could have restrictions lifted as early as next week.
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At least 13 people were killed on Tuesday in what appeared to be one of the deadliest border-related crashes in decades. The crash took place just after sunrise in the Imperial Valley. A big rig slammed into an S.U.V. carrying more than two dozen people. [The New York Times]
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“This is our grandmother. We love her very much and are sad to see her go.” A home built for Japanese-American seniors became the state’s deadliest nursing facility during the pandemic. [The Los Angeles Times]
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Here’s a deep look at how inequality is built into American’s vaccination system.[ProPublica]
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A landmark California initiative was developed to combat that inequality by bringing vaccines to farmworkers in the Coachella Valley. [The New York Times]
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On one side is the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and its allies in the worlds of politics, sports and Hollywood. On the other is one of the world’s dominant companies. A drive to unionize by Amazon employees in Alabama has implications reaching far beyond the state. [The New York Times]
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February is over. And this year, in California, it was disappointingly dry, raising concerns about a severe drought. Already, some water users are being asked to cut back. [The San Francisco Chronicle]
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How green are electric vehicles, really? Very, but it matters how the electricity is made. [The New York Times]
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Lady Gaga’s dog walker recounted his thoughts after he was shot by two men who stole two of the singer’s French bulldogs. [The New York Times]
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A group of female Olympians including Alex Morgan, Simone Manuel, Chloe Kim — all of whom have California ties — as well as Sue Bird are starting TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company aimed at elevating the voices of women athletes. [The New York Times]
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From the creation of Lake Anza and Treasure Island, to countless murals and schools, it’s almost impossible to summarize the magnitude of the New Deal’s impact on the Bay Area. [East Bay Yesterday]
California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here.
Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter.
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.
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What Can Reopen in the Red Tier? - The New York Times
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