Here's what Gov. Newsom's new 4-tier reopening plan means for the Bay Area

Gov. Gavin Newsom's reopening plan for California organizes counties into four categories: purple, red, orange and yellow.
Friday, August 28, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom made a bombshell announcement in his Friday press conference, ditching the old county watch list framework and revealing a new, four-tier, color-coded reopening framework.

MAP: CA counties that can, can't reopen under new rules

So how does the change of plans affect Bay Area counties' reopening plans during the coronavirus pandemic? There could be a lot of changes in store starting Monday (when the new system takes effect) if counties decide to go along with the state's new guidelines.

Here's how it breaks down county-by-county:

Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma are all classified as "purple" or "widespread" COVID-19 transmission.
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Here's what is and isn't allowed to reopen in purple counties:

  • Hair salons: open indoors with modifications
  • Retail: open indoors at 25% capacity
  • Malls: open indoors at 25% capacity and food courts closed
  • Personal care services (nail salons, body waxing, etc.): outdoor only
  • Museums, zoos and aquariums: outdoor only
  • Places of worship: outdoor only
  • Movie theaters: outdoor only
  • Hotels: open with modifications
  • Gyms: outdoor only
  • Restaurants: outdoor only
  • Wineries: outdoor only
  • Bars and breweries: closed
  • Family entertainment centers: outdoor only, like mini golf, batting cages and go-kart racing
  • Cardrooms: outdoor only
  • Non-essential offices: remote work only
  • Professional sports: no live audiences
  • Schools: must stay closed


RELATED: Gov. Newsom ditches county watch list, announces new 4-tier reopening framework

Napa and San Francisco counties are both classified as "red" or "substantial" COVID-19 transmission.



In red counties, here's what is and isn't allowed to reopen:

  • Hair salons: open indoors with modifications
  • Retail: open indoors at 50% capacity
  • Malls: open indoors at 50% capacity and limited food courts
  • Personal care services (nail salons, body waxing, etc.): open indoors with modifications
  • Museums, zoos and aquariums: open indoors at 25% capacity
  • Places of worship: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
  • Movie theaters: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
  • Hotels: open with modifications, plus fitness centers can open at 10% capacity
  • Gyms: open indoors at 10% capacity
  • Restaurants: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
  • Wineries: outdoor only
  • Bars and breweries: closed
  • Family entertainment centers: outdoor only, like mini golf, batting cages and go-kart racing
  • Cardrooms: outdoor only
  • Non-essential offices: remote work only
  • Professional sports: no live audiences
  • Schools: can reopen after two weeks in the red category


Remember that local guidelines can always be stricter than those set out by the state.

If you live outside the Bay Area, or want to look up more specifics, the state has set up a tool on its website.
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Which category a county lands in is based on these COVID-19 trends:

  • Widespread (purple): Counties with more than 7 daily new cases per 100,000 residents or higher than 8% positivity rate
  • Substantial (red): 4 to 7 daily new cases per 100,000 residents or 5-8% positivity
  • Moderate (orange): 1 to 3.9 daily new cases per 100,000 or 2-4.9% positivity
  • Minimal (yellow): Less than 1 daily new case per 100,000 or less than 2% positivity

Here's how the color codes will affect counties' reopening plans:

  • Widespread (purple): Most non-essential indoor business operations are closed
  • Substantial (red): Some non-essential indoor businesses closed
  • Moderate (orange): Some indoor business operations open with modifications
  • Minimal (yellow): Most indoor business operations open with modifications

As of Friday, 38 California counties are classified as purple, nine are red, eight are orange and three counties -- just 0.1% of the state's population -- are yellow.



A big difference between the new color-coded system and the old watch list is how quickly counties will be allowed to move on and off. There will be a 21-day mandatory waiting period before counties get downgraded, which will hopefully result in less back and forth for businesses that are allowed to reopen, then forced to close back up.

MORE: All the California businesses that can and can't reopen in purple counties

"We're going to be more stubborn this time and have a mandatory wait time between moves," said Newsom. "We didn't do that last time and that is a significant distinction from what we learned in the past."
The counties will be assessed weekly and changes will be announced on Tuesday, starting Sept. 8.

Newsom called the change a "more stringent, more steady approach."

App users: For a better experience, click here to view the full map in a new window

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