San Mateo County Could Fall To Purple Tier: Report

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — San Mateo County was spared the most severe coronavirus restrictions Monday when Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he was “pulling the emergency brake” in an effort to contain a pandemic that is spinning out of control.

Public officials warn that may not last long.

San Mateo County Chief of Health Louise Rogers told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that the county could soon fall to the most restrictive purple tier in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, The San Mateo Daily Journal reports.

San Mateo County moved from the orange tier for moderate transmission to the red tier for substantial transmission Monday as the state implemented tighter regulations on indoor activities.

As of Thursday morning, 41 of the state’s 58 counties representing 94 percent of the state’s population were in the most restrictive purple tier for widespread transmission of the virus, The New York Times reports.

Falling back to the purple tier would mean more onerous restrictions on businesses and indoor gathering and would delay school reopening plans.

Rogers said keeping out of the purple tier will hinge on the county not exceeding an adjusted rate of seven new cases per 100,000 residents according to the report. The county’s current adjusted rate was 5.7 percent as of Monday.

The move to the purple tier could occur later this week or early next week according to the report, and all indications are that the county is moving in that direction.

Rogers said the case rate had doubled since her previous report to the supervisors a week earlier.

“This is a very difficult time and as holidays approach everyone is longing to be with loved ones. But everyone should show their love by keeping each other safe and our eyes on the horizon,” Rogers said according to the report.

Read more at The San Mateo Daily Journal