SACRAMENTO, Calif — The California Department of Public Health [CDPH] updated its tier system database on Tuesday, Sept. 22, to show where counties stand as the state continues to battle COVID-19, with several in Northern California moving away from restrictive tiers, a positive outlook in those communities.
A county must be on a tier for at least three weeks and meet a lesser tier's metric requirements for two of those weeks before the county can move to the less stringent tier, according to CDPH.
This week, CDPH moved El Dorado and Nevada counties from the red to the orange tier. Solano County was also moved from the purple to the red tier.
The state looks at the county's seven-day average case rate and the county's positivity rate. Counties that move to less restrictive tiers need to keep their metrics low to remain on the lower tier or move to an even less stringent tier. El Dorado Public Health Officer Dr. Nancy Williams urges residents to keep minimizing the spread of the coronavirus.
"Moving to the orange tier should not be seen as a green light to stop wearing a face covering, keeping at least six feet from others, minimizing mixing with non-household members, and washing your hands regularly," Williams said. "It's critical, with this positive move forward, to continue to exercise our personal responsibility to ensure we keep our case level and test positivity rate low."
Several other counties in the region are closer to moving to less restrictive tiers. Amador County could move from the red to the orange tier soon since it has met a lesser tier's requirements for two consecutive weeks, according to the CDPH's data table. The county needs to keep its number low for one more week of measurement.
Six counties in Northern California now have one week of meeting a less stringent tier's metrics. Calaveras and Placer counties could soon move from the red to the orange tier. Meanwhile, Colusa, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Yolo counties are one week closer to moving from the purple to the red tier.
No counties in the Sacramento region or Central Valley are at risk of moving back a tier.
