Riverside County will move to orange tier on Wednesday

News release from the Riverside County Health Department:

RIVERSIDE -- The State of California announced today that Riverside County will move into the orange tier of the state’s reopening framework on Wednesday.

The move is based on meeting a statewide goal to administer 4 million vaccines in disadvantaged communities, and the subsequent loosening of the case rate threshold to move into the orange tier. Beginning Wednesday, more residents and patrons may be indoors at businesses and places of worship. Bars will also reopen outdoors for the first time since June 2020.

“We continue to make real progress with combating COVID-19 and the impacts on our businesses and communities,” said Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chair Karen Spiegel, Second District Supervisor. “Cases have been steadily declining, vaccine supply is improved, and today the state announced ending the tier system June 15. These are extremely positive signs that Riverside County continues to move forward and recover.”

Retail businesses may increase capacity to 100 percent indoors. Places of worship, movie theaters, restaurants, as well as museums, zoos and aquariums may increase indoor capacity to 50 percent with modifications. Gyms, as well as wineries, breweries and distilleries may increase indoor capacity to 25 percent indoors with modifications.

Starting April 15, meetings, receptions and conferences are allowed indoors up to 150, if all guests are tested or fully vaccinated. Riverside County’s cases have been steadily declining for several weeks. The county’s current case rate is 3.5 per 100,000 people, percentage of positive tests is 2 percent and the health equity metric is 2.3 percent.

Riverside County will need to remain in the orange tier for a minimum of three weeks and meet the yellow tier metrics for two of those weeks before advancing further. Visit the state’s blueprint website for more information and modifications at https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/.

To continue the decline in cases and advance into future reopening tiers, all residents are urged to get vaccinated, test regularly and wear a mask. Visit www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine-with-Registration to make a vaccination appointment. Appointments are now open to all Riverside County adults and the Pfizer vaccine is available for residents 16 years and up.