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.

ByAlix Martichoux KGO logo

Saturday, August 29, 2020

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

California is moving away from the "watch list" system of tracking COVID-19 trends and instead moving to a four-tier, color coded classification system.

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.

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

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.

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."

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