Orange County moved into the Orange Tier of the state of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy on April 1. The Orange or “Moderate” Tier is the second to the least stringent of the four, allowing some kinds of businesses to reopen and those already open to serve a greater number of patrons at once. The County was able to move to the Orange Tier after having maintained the requisite metrics measuring Adjusted Daily Case Rates, Test Positivity Rates, and Health Equity Quartile Positivity Rates for two weeks. If any of these figures increases beyond the Orange Tier range, the County risks slipping back to the Red, or “Substantial” Tier. The last remaining tier of the blueprint’s framework beyond Orange is Yellow, or “Minimal.” The County’s 1.7% Test Positivity Rate is already in the yellow range.

Source: https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/

Alice Loya, City of Fullerton Acting Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation, said, “The move to Orange Tier mostly affects our outdoor programs and sports facilities and allows us to offer outdoor programming and bring back youth sports.” The Fullerton Public Library has already opened for “Grab and Go” checkout, with time limits for visiting patrons.  The Friends of the Library’s book donation bins have reopened during library business hours.

For further information about the Blueprint tiers visit the State’s website at https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy. The site allows users to select a county and activity or business to understand what is allowed under that county’s current tier listing. Generally, the movement to the Orange Tier allows the following classes of business, non-profits, and houses of worship to expand their operations as follows:

Personal care services may continue to operate indoors with modifications.

Places of worship, museums, zoos, and aquariums may increase indoor capacity from 25% to 50%, with indoor modifications. Movies theaters may do the same, up to a capacity of 200.

Hotels and lodging may continue to operate with modifications.

Gyms and fitness centers may operate indoors up to 25% capacity, up from 10%.

Restaurants may operate indoors at 50% capacity, up from 25%, with modifications, up to 200 patrons.

Wineries, breweries, and distilleries may operate indoors with modifications up to 25% capacity up to 100 patrons. Previously they were restricted to operating outdoors only with time limits, limited hours, and by reservation only.

Bars that do not serve meals may open outdoors with modifications. Previously, they were closed entirely. (Bars that serve food follow restaurant rules.)

Bowling alleys may now open indoors with modifications, up to 25% capacity, kart-racing, miniature golf, and batting cages may continue to operate outdoors with modifications.

Offices, previously closed, may not operate indoors with modifications, but telework is still encouraged.

Cardrooms and satellite wagering centers, previously only allowed by remote, may now open indoors with modifications, but telework is encouraged.

Sports and live performances, currently open without audiences, as of April 1 may now open with a maximum of 33% (As of April 1); 25% for suites, for in-state patrons only, weekly worker testing.

Amusement parks can progress from 15% to 25% capacity in small parks, outdoor attractions only, with reservations and advanced ticket sales, and local attendees must be from same county.

Overnight sleep-away camps may open on June 1 with modifications for in-state visitors only.

The Orange County Healthcare Agency recommends “Continued adherence to non-medical public health mitigation measures such as wearing a mask that covers the nose and mouth, washing hands frequently with soap and water, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and practicing physical distancing from those outside your household will help limit the impact of variants circulating in Southern California, particularly as more indoor activities open and expand operations.”

Residents who have not yet been administered a vaccine against COVID-19 may register at http://www.Othena.com, also available as a mobile device app. Once registered, which is a simple operation, resident is placed on a list and notified when their turn to schedule an appointment arrives. By April 15, all California residents will be eligible for a vaccination, so registering as soon as possible is recommended. COVID-19 vaccinations should be offered free of charge.

For the latest eligibility guidelines, please visit https://coronavirus.egovoc.com/covid-19-vaccination-distribution. Those needing assistance with Othena may call the county of Orange’s COVID-19 Hotline 7 days a week from 8am to 5pm at (714) 834-2000.

For the latest COVID-19 information, visit http://www.ochealthinfo.com/novelcoronavirus, or follow the HCA on Facebook (@ochealthinfo) and Twitter (@ochealth).