Orange County Rediscovers 'Normal' After Loosening Restrictions

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Seeing people out and about at shopping centers, movie theaters and indoors at area restaurants may be a shock to the system, but it is all part of the new normal in a pandemic world. Orange County is now in the red tier of the state's coronavirus regulatory system, a less restrictive metric allowing for larger crowds in retail stores, a reopening of museums, movie theaters, zoos and indoor dining at restaurants.

"We expected it — it's almost anti-climactic at this point, but it's a step forward. It gives people the relief they've been waiting for," Supervisor Doug Chaffee said late last week.

"The governor is finally changing his rules in favor of getting us back to some form of normal," Supervisor Don Wagner said. "Good for him. And good for the people of Orange County who have been following safety protocols and getting the vaccine to protect themselves, their friends, and family."

The county had been preparing to move from the most-restrictive purple tier to the red tier by next Wednesday, but the timetable was moved up to one minute after midnight Sunday when the state met its goal of inoculating 2 million Californians in underprivileged communities where coronavirus has spread more widely.

To date, the current case count of coronavirus across Orange County cities is as follows:

• Aliso Viejo - 2213 Total Cases
• Anaheim - 41236 Total Cases
• Brea - 2699 Total Cases
• Buena Park - 7650 Total Cases
• Costa Mesa - 8761 Total Cases
• Coto de Caza - 189 Total Cases
• Cypress - 2875 Total Cases
• Dana Point - 1468 Total Cases
• Fountain Valley - 3427 Total Cases
• Fullerton - 11144 Total Cases
• Garden Grove - 16311 Total Cases
• Huntington Beach - 10401 Total Cases
• Irvine - 10271 Total Cases
• La Habra - 6313 Total Cases
• La Palma - 849 Total Cases
• Ladera Ranch - 888 Total Cases
• Laguna Beach - 808 Total Cases
• Laguna Hills - 1684 Total Cases
• Laguna Niguel - 2469 Total Cases
• Laguna Woods - 401 Total Cases
• Lake Forest - 4062 Total Cases
• Los Alamitos - 1061 Total Cases
• Midway City - 790 Total Cases
• Mission Viejo - 4370 Total Cases
• Newport Beach - 3672 Total Cases
• Orange - 11657 Total Cases
• Placentia - 4180 Total Cases
• Rancho Mission Viejo - 324 Total Cases
• Rancho Santa Margarita - 1888 Total Cases
• Rossmoor - 126 Total Cases
• San Clemente - 2904 Total Cases
• San Juan Capistrano - 2706 Total Cases
• Santa Ana - 44341 Total Cases
• Seal Beach - 1115 Total Cases
• Silverado - 85 Total Cases
• Stanton - 3141 Total Cases
• Trabuco Canyon - 918 Total Cases
• Tustin - 6065 Total Cases
• Villa Park - 294 Total Cases
• Westminster - 7027 Total Cases
• Yorba Linda - 4068 Total Cases

That moment was recognized and cheered across the county by area businesses who have suffered from closures in California while watching surrounding states experience fewer coronavirus numbers and more able to live life in a normal way.

The red tier allows for many more businesses and organizations to reopen. For instance, retail stores can allow for half capacity instead of 25%, and museums, zoos and aquariums can reopen for indoor activities at 25% capacity, as can movie theaters, gyms and restaurants.

Wineries, breweries and distilleries can reopen for outdoor business only, just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

READ: St. Patrick's Day Returns To Seal Beach, Restaurants To Open

Meanwhile, the Orange County Health Care Agency reported 169 new COVID-19 cases and 21 additional fatalities on Monday. Hospitalization rates appeared to have stabilized over the past several days raising the cumulative totals to 248,712 cases and 4,486 fatalities.

Of Orange County's total deaths due to coronavirus, over 1,000 were residents of area skilled nursing facilities and nearly 500 lived in assisted living facilities.

The OCHCA reported 233 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals. As of Monday, there are 72 in intensive care. The county has 34.5% of its ICU bed space available and 70% of its ventilators.

Last Tuesday, when the state updated its weekly numbers in the tiers network, the county's test positivity rate improved to 3.2% from 3.9%, and the adjusted case rate per 100,000 people on a seven-day average with a seven-day lag improved from 7.6 to 6.

The county's Health Equity Quartile rate, which measures positivity in hotspots in disadvantaged communities, improved from 4.9% last week to 4.1%.

Under the previous standards, the county was in the red tier with case rates per 100,000 and in the orange tier for the positivity rates.

Orange County CEO Frank Kim said the county's case rate was at 4.8 per 100,000 on Friday and the positivity rate was at 2.6%. The Health Equity Quartile's positivity rate was at 3.7%, Kim said, adding that he was "excited" about moving up to the red tier.

But Kim cautioned residents to keep their guard up.

"People should be careful and I think most people in Orange County are smart enough to assess their level of comfort and safety," he said. "For me, I intend to go visit my mom and have a meal with her, which will be great."

Kim said he was encouraged that Congress has approved the $1.9 trillion stimulus because it will provide much-needed funding to help pay for a $200 million budget hole created by COVID-19-related expenses. Some of those expenses will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the stimulus can cover the rest and also help defray expenses from future booster-shot campaigns and other expenses over the next few years, he said.

Kim said officials estimate the county could receive nearly $616 million and cities in the county that receive Community Development Block Grant funding could receive about $715 million.

"Now I don't have to worry whether I'll have FEMA support for booster shots for next year or the year after," Kim said. "We'll sit down and figure out how to appropriately budget this money over a multi-year period of time. The intent is to make sure it's available to ride out COVID for the next couple of years."

The federal funding will come with specific directions on what it can be used for, Kim says, but since the county has been dipping into its general and rainy day funds to pay for testing and vaccine distribution, the stimulus will at least indirectly help the county avoid significant service cuts and layoffs.

READ:

Orange County Stimulus Package Grant Totals Announced: By City