Although the Board of Supervisors has authority over County issues, under State law, when an emergency of this nature is declared and there is a pandemic of this magnitude, the Health Officer of each county has the legal authority to impose whatever orders she or he deems necessary to protect the public.
Ad Hoc Committee
On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, the Board of Supervisors formed this ad hoc committee to advise the Health Department on COVID19 impacts. The goal of the committee is to work toward having a sustainable COVID-19 mitigation and recovery plan. The committee engages with the community and industry on issues of concern, advising the Board of Supervisors and the County Health Officer on possible ways to interpret and apply Health Orders so they will continue to keep the community safe but allow, to the greatest extent safely possible, more businesses to re-open; and to provide common-sense applications to outdoor activities.
The Committee has so far conducted 24 public meetings, having met almost weekly from May through July 2020 and then monthly from August 2020 forward. Meeting topics have covered recreation and lifestyle services; in-home and other personal services; small businesses; family, social and religious gatherings; schools and dining; and vaccines; a plan to move to fully to Stage 2 and, regrettably, the second surge that required postponement of many planned Phase 2 re-openings; the State's move to the Tier system of recovery, and the county's movement between tiers from Orange back to Purple (most restrictive) and, five months later, back to Orange, the current County tier. See the next paragraph for a review of the County's tier journey. Written and video records of all prior Committee meetings are posted on the County's website at this link (use the Previous button at the site to scroll back to prior Committee meetings).
State's Blueprint for a Safer Economy
In August 2020, the State subsequently established a four-tier reopening plan under its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which became the Committee's primary reference point. Under the Blueprint, every county was assigned by the State to a tier based on a county's test positivity and adjusted case rate (see Tier chart at the end of this section). The State reviews and updates tier assignments weekly. To move forward, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks.
On September 29, 2020, Contra Costa County progressed from the Purple (most restrictive Widespread) Tier to the Red (Substantial) Tier, and on October 27, 2020 progressed again to the Orange (Moderate) Tier. Following a resurgence of new cases and increase in hospitalizations, the County, on November 16, 2020 was moved back to the Purple Tier where it remained until March 14, 2021 when the County progressed to the Red Tier. The County, on April 7, progressed once again to the Orange Tier where it remains. Additionally, Governor Newsom implemented a Regional Stay-at-Home Order between December 3, 2020 and January 25, 2021 in response to concerns about shrinking ICU capacity. Click to learn more about tier assignments and metric details.
State's Plan to Move Beyond the Current Blueprint
On April 6, Governor Newsom announced that he is looking to move beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy to fully reopening California's economy. He predicted that on June 15, if vigilant, all industries across the state can return to usual operations with common-sense risk reduction measures such as masking and vaccinations. The state will monitor hospitalization rates, vaccine access, and vaccine efficacy against variants with the option to revisit the June 15 date if needed.
Vaccines
Late December 2020 brought the availability of two vaccines, one from Pfizer and one from Moderna. Both available vaccines require two injections a few weeks apart. The first injection starts building protection. A second injection a few weeks later is needed to get the most protection the vaccine has to offer. In response to guidelines from the State, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) is now offering the vaccine at no cost to people aged 16 and older who live, work or go to school in Contra Costa County. Click here to request an appointment from CCHS .
In late March 2021, the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine became available.
People who have been fully vaccinated are advised to:
- Take steps to protect oneself and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Take these precautions whenever you are:
- Still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
- If one travels, one should still take steps to protect oneself and others. You will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. Fully vaccinated international travelers arriving in the United States are still required to get tested within 3 days of their flight (or show documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months) and should still get tested 3-5 days after their trip.
- Still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
- You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.
Testing
All Bay Area residents are also encouraged to get tested for COVID-19, and to do so immediately if they have symptoms. Check with your local health department for more information about testing and about efforts in your community to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please visit cchealth.org/coronavirus to read the latest health order and its appendices, and for local information about Contra Costa's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is a link to the updated FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions): FAQs
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Deputy County Health Officer Dr. Thomas Warne will provide a COVID-19 update at today's meeting. A discussion will then follow regarding Governor Newsom's new guidelines for moving beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy to fully reopening California's economy. Following that discussion, there will be an opportunity for general public comment and public comment on any agendized matter. The Committee and Dr. Warne will be available to respond to questions raised during the meeting.
The most significant developments since our last meeting on May 20, 2021 are:
- New CDC data show the risk of COVID-19 infection among fully vaccinated individuals is 0.01%. The news comes on the heels of the announcement the United States has fully vaccinated more than half of its adult population. Breakthrough infections can still occur in fully vaccinated individuals, as vaccines are not 100% effective.
- Updated guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission permits employers to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine among their workforce. Employers can also provide incentives, like cash, to workers to get vaccinated. However, employers must still provide accommodations to workers exempt from mandatory immunization under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- The Bay Area Health Officers announced support for reopening of all California schools for full-time in-person instruction for all grades in fall 2021.
- CCHS opened school-based vaccination clinics offered school-required tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine along with the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Starting June 15, the state will move Beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and eliminate the color-coded tier system for counties. This means there will be far fewer restrictions on business and social activity, although things still won’t be exactly like they were before the pandemic. While there won’t be capacity limits on businesses, masking will still be required for everyone in several settings, including the workplace. Some businesses may choose to maintain masking or distancing requirements for their patrons in their facilities, which is their right. See below for further explanation.
Here's a quick breakdown from the CCHS website of the new, relaxed rules for outdoor and indoor settings:
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Capacity limitations: No restrictions
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Physical distancing: No restrictions for attendees, customers and guests. Workers on the job must maintain physical distancing and schools should keep student desks at least 3 feet apart.
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Masking: Fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most settings. Unvaccinated people must still wear masks in indoor public settings and businesses. Everyone must still wear masks in the workplace, on public transit, medical facilities, K-12 schools and correctional facilities and shelters.
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Employers/workplaces: Most are subject to the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). Cal/OSHA will be reviewing its workplace guidance on masking and distancing on June 17.
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Travelers: follow CDC recommendations and CDPH Travel Advisory.
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Vaccine verification/negative COVID-19 test: required for indoor mega events (5,000+ attendees) and recommended for outdoor mega events (10,000+ attendees).
Masking Requirements and Guidance
Fully Vaccinated People
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Masks are not required in most settings, except where required for All People (exceptions listed below)
Unvaccinated or Partially Vaccinated People
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Masks are required for unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses (examples: retail, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers, meetings, state and local government offices serving the public)
All People
Both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people must wear masks in these settings:
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Public transit (examples: airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares)
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Transportation hubs (examples: airport, bus terminal, marina, train station, seaport or other port, subway station, or any other area that provides transportation)
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Workplace: Masks must continue to be worn on the job. Cal/OSHA will be reviewing its masking guidance for employers and workers on June 17.
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K-12 schools, childcare facilities and other youth settings (indoors)
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Businesses that choose to require masks for all customers
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Healthcare settings (including long-term care facilities)
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Homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers
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Correctional facilities and detention centers
Vaccination Verification Guidance for Businesses, Venues or Hosts
In settings where masks are required only for unvaccinated individuals, businesses, venue operators or hosts may choose to:
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Provide information to all patrons, guests and attendees regarding vaccination requirements and allow vaccinated individuals to self-attest that they are in compliance prior to entry (i.e. honor system).
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Implement vaccine verification to determine whether individuals are required to wear a mask.
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Require all patrons to wear masks
General Restrictions Applying to Indoor & Outdoor Settings
Capacity Limitations:
Physical Distancing:
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No restrictions for attendees, customers and guests
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Physical distance in the workplace should be maintained
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Schools should keep student desks at least 3 feet apart
Mega Events:
Mega events are large public events where attendance may exceed 5,000 persons for indoor or 10,000 persons for outdoor events.
Examples of indoor mega events include conventions, conferences, expos, sporting events and concerts. Examples of outdoor mega events include music or food festivals, car shows, large endurance events and marathons, parades, sporting events and concerts.
For all attendees, verification of fully vaccinated status or recent negative testing for COVID-19 is:
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Required for indoor mega events
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Strongly recommended for outdoor mega events
The transition from Blueprint
The Governor's strategy is to use various levers and incentives to increase protection of Californians and incentivize vaccination to move us towards community immunity. Since March, the State has adjusted the Blueprint to recognize the role of vaccines in reducing transmission. These strategies include:
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Reopening and expanding the capacity of outdoor sectors
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Adding the Vaccine Equity Benchmarks to adjust the case rate thresholds for Blueprint tiers
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Allowing increased capacity or numbers of persons allowed, including indoors, with proof of testing or vaccination
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Developing guidance or minimum standards to ensure equity, privacy, and ethical practices are integral in the deployment of vaccination and testing verification methods
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Focusing on equity allocations and implementation plans to improve vaccination coverage in our least advantaged and hardest-hit communities
The efforts Californians have taken to date have allowed California to reopen safely to move beyond the Blueprint. |