More Santa Cruz Co. Businesses May Reopen; Latest COVID-19 Count

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Gyms, restaurants, nail salons, worship houses and more have been cleared for indoor operations as of Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

Despite the good news, county and state officials warn that an uptick in cases may lie ahead.

The CZU Lightning Complex Fires forced many to evacuate and mingle with others outside of their household, the county said in a statement, adding it expects another local surge of COVID-19 cases.

Santa Cruz County could once again join the purple tier — which indicates widespread risk — within two weeks if the case rate increases, the county said.

"There's ... a lot of progress that's been made in the state of California, getting that [COVID-19] positivity rate down to 3.8 percent," Newsom said during a Tuesday press conference. "But a point of caution ... three-day holiday weekends have not been advantageous in terms of the mitigation of the spread of this virus."

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Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Amador, Orange and Placer counties all moved into the second tier Tuesday of the state's four-tiered COVID-19 risk system. Previously, Santa Cruz County was in tier one, or the purple tier, indicating widespread risk. Tier two, or the red tier, represents substantial risk.

Fourteen counties are now in the red tier. The state is monitoring another seven counties that may be downgraded in the next week, Newsom said.

Counties in the red tier may reopen the following businesses and services indoors, with modifications:

• shopping centers (50 percent capacity; closed common areas and reduced-capacity food courts)
• restaurants (25 percent capacity)
• fitness centers (10 percent capacity)
• places of worship (25 percent capacity or 100 people — whichever is fewer)
• nail salons
• massage facilities
• museums (25 percent capacity)
• zoos (25 percent capacity)
• aquariums (25 percent capacity)
• movie theaters (25 percent capacity or 100 people — whichever is fewer)

Should Santa Cruz County stay in the red tier for two weeks, schools may consider reopening for in-person instruction.

There have been 1,931 cases of the coronavirus reported in Santa Cruz County as of Tuesday, including 198 active cases.

Here's the breakdown by location:

• Aptos: 85
• Ben Lomond: 16
• Boulder Creek: 15
• Capitola: 48
• Felton: 19
• Freedom: 102
• Santa Cruz: 329
• Scotts Valley: 49
• Soquel: 55
• Watsonville: 1,078
• Unincorporated: 19
• Under investigation: 116

View the full list of what's open and closed here.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know