Coachella Valley ( RIVCO) Falls Short Stuck in Tier 1 For At Least One More Week

The county is currently stuck in the strictest level — the purple tier ( tier 1) — of the state’s four-tiered, color-coded reopening plan.

The key metrics continued to trend downward this week, but just missed the threshold of the next tier, the red tier ( tier 2).

Riverside County is reporting an adjusted case rate of 8.2 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents and a positivity rate of 4.1%, according to county Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari. 

That’s down from 11.3 and 5.8% last week but our adjusted case rate just reported missed the mark this week to enable Riverside County and the Coachella Valley to move into the red tier ( tier 2).

To move to the red tier, the county needs to document fewer than 7 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents on a rolling seven-day average, and its positivity testing rate must be less than 8% in the same period, for a total of two weeks.

Declining testing rates, however, are not helping the county get any closer to the red tier.

The state adjusts case rates based on whether a county is conducting more or fewer than California’s median number of tests.

Riverside County is currently conducting fewer than the statewide median.

Riverside County is at 296.3 tests per 100,000 residents, the statewide median is 341.7 tests per 100,000 residents, according to Saruwatari.

What Happens in the Red Tier (Tier 2)

California allows counties in the red tier to reopen the following sectors with safety modifications in place.

• Shopping centers (50 percent capacity, closed common areas and reduced capacity food courts).
• Indoor dining (25 percent capacity).
• Fitness centers (10 percent capacity).
• Places of worship (25 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is lower).
• 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 lower).
• Movie theaters
• Places of worship
• Indoor museums, zoos and aquariums
• Gyms and fitness centers
• Indoor dining

Capacity at retailers and shopping malls could increase to 50%, and food courts could open with reduced capacity. 

The following counties were able to advance into the red tier on Tuesday: Alameda, Butte, Calaveras, Imperial, Santa Cruz and Solano.

Two counties, Mariposa and Plumas moved from the red tier to the orange, moderate tier. Alpine County also moved into the yellow, minimal tier.

The six counties that moved out of the state’s “widespread” purple tier and into the “substantial” red tier Tuesday were able to show a reduced positivity rate of between 5 percent and 8 percent for two weeks in a row.

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