Deputy County Health Officer Dr. Thomas Warne will provide a COVID-19 update at today's meeting.
Following Dr. Warne's remarks, we will allow for Public Comment and additional questions specific to the current Health Order, attached, other guidance documents, also attached, and Timeline.
Under the State's new Blueprint for a Safer Economy, every county is assigned to a tier by the State based on its test positivity and adjusted case rate (see Tier chart at the end of this section). The State reviews data weekly and tiers are updated on Tuesdays. To move forward, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks. On September 29, Contra Costa County progressed from the Purple (most restrictive) Tier to the Red Tier, and on October 27, progressed again to the Orange Tier. For Contra Costa County to have moved down to the least restrictive (yellow/gold) tier, daily new cases (per 100k) must decrease to less than one and positive tests must decrease to less than 2%. If a county’s case rate and positivity rate fall into different tiers, the county remains in the stricter tier. Click to learn more about tier assignments and metric details.
In response to evidence that COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Contra Costa, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), on November 10, moved the county back into the red tier of its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, restoring more safety requirements to slow the virus and save lives.
On Thursday, California reached the unfortunate milestone of 1 million COVID cases statewide. With transmission and hospitalizations on the rise, health officers representing counties across the Bay Area are tightening local rules for high-risk indoor activities where the virus can spread more easily.
Contra Costa Health Services issued an order to close, effective Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 8 a.m.:
- Indoor dining
- Indoor fitness centers
- Concession stands at movie theaters
Dine-in restaurant and gyms reopened at reduced capacities when the county entered the state's red tier in late September. But recent increases in COVID cases and hospitalizations make the closures necessary to help contain spread of the virus. Indoor interactions at restaurants, movie theaters, and indoor gyms and fitness centers are high-risk activities. Diners at restaurants remove their masks to eat or drink, as do movie patrons when snacking on food from concession stands. People also breathe heavily while they exercise at indoor gyms, increasing the risk of droplet and aerosol transmission of COVID-19, which can be only partially reduced by wearing a face covering.
Health officials are especially worried about people gathering indoors with the holidays coming up and may consider other closures in the days and weeks ahead. Contra Costa County, which is now in the red tier, could move into the state's most restrictive tier, the purple tier, within the coming weeks. If the county moves into the purple tier, schools that haven't reopened will have to remain closed until the county moves back into the red tier or until they receive a waiver from the state.
Holiday Advice: Celebrate without gathering
The safest way to celebrate this holiday season is virtually or with members of your household. Gathering with people outside your household – even extended family – increases the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19.
There are many ways to enjoy the holidays with loved ones without gathering:
- Enjoy holiday traditions at home with your household
- Decorate your home and/or yard
- Share a virtual meal with family and friends
- Host online parties and/or contests
- Prepare meals using traditional recipes and deliver to family and neighbors
- Attend holiday movie nights at drive-in venues
- Visit holiday-themed outdoor art installations
- Participate in drive-by events where everyone stays in their vehicles
The average daily number of new, confirmed COVID-19 cases is on the rise in Contra Costa, and across the Bay Area and the U.S. Health officials urge county residents to consider how they are protecting themselves and their families from the virus, and what they can do to make the holiday season safer.
The County Health Officer advises that the most critical way to protect against COVID-19 is to wear a face covering whenever you are near people who do not live with you, and whenever you go in a building that is not your home. Face coverings help prevent people who do not know they are infected from spreading the virus to others.
Most new COVID-19 cases in Contra Costa are spread within the home, with an infected member of a household passing the virus to people with whom they live. Face coverings in public reduce the risk of bringing COVID-19 into the home, where people usually do not mask or practice physical distancing.
Data from Contra Costa show that the average daily number of newly identified COVID-19 infections has risen steadily since the county entered the orange tier of the state's plan on October 27.
On Tuesday, the 7-day average, per-capita number of new cases (the "adjusted case rate") was 5.3 in Contra Costa, higher than permitted for counties in the orange tier for a second consecutive week. That triggered the county's shift back into the more restrictive red tier, effective November 10
Other data show an alarming rise in local cases. On November 11, 50 people with COVID were hospitalized in Contra Costa – the highest one-day total since September.
In response to the data, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) issued a local health order last week that restored red-tier safety restrictions for a number of businesses and activities, though the county remained in the orange tier at the time.
Those changes remain in place today, including requirements for reduced occupancy during indoor worship services and for indoor dining and movie theaters, and the closure of bars that do not serve meals with alcohol. Cardrooms are required to operate outdoors only.
The state's action today adds these additional requirements, effective starting Friday, Nov. 13 in Contra Costa:
- Retail stores that operate indoors must scale back their maximum occupancy to 50% or 100 people, whichever is lower.
- Indoor shopping malls must reduce their occupancy and reduce the occupancy of food courts to 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
- Office workspaces must operate remotely.
- Higher education institutions must keep indoor lectures and student gatherings to 25% occupancy or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
- Gyms and fitness centers must scale back their indoor occupancies to 10%.
- Communal indoor pools must close.
- Indoor family entertainment centers, such as bowling alleys, must close their indoor operations. Amusement parks cannot operate.
- Most live outdoor theatrical, musical or artistic performances are prohibited.
The tier change does not affect the ability of schools to reopen for in-person instruction, following state and local health guidelines. Outdoor playgrounds may also remain open.
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