State public health officials on Tuesday announced that San Benito County has entered the Orange Tier of Covid-19 restrictions, as the daily local case rate continues to decline.
The announcement came on the same day that Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state could be “fully reopened” by June 15.
Under the Orange Tier, business sectors that have been permitted to open under the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy may expand operations, according to San Benito County staff.
Retail establishments may now operate at full capacity. Restaurants, places of worship and museums can increase indoor operations to 50 percent of their capacity, with masking and social distancing still required. Bars, breweries and distilleries can resume outdoor operations. Wineries, gyms and fitness centers may expand indoor operations at 25 percent capacity or a maximum of 100 people—whichever is fewer.
The county and public health officials as of April 6 logged its daily new Covid-19 case rate at 4.7 per 100,000 residents.
Businesses and other activities permitted under the state’s Orange Tier must continue to follow the industry guidance guidelines, according to public health officials.
The county’s April 6 Covid-19 update tallied the total number of Covid-19 cases in San Benito County at 5,894. Sixty-two people have died of the illness locally.
California currently has the lowest case rates of any state in the U.S. On Tuesday, state data showed that California’s positivity rate over the last seven days was down to 1.6%—a drastic fall from New Year’s Day when it hit a record high of 17.1%.
There were 1,376 new Covid-19 cases reported by the state Tuesday. There were also seven new deaths in which the disease was a contributing factor.
