AP Photo / Ted S. Warren, File
San Mateo County moved from the ‘Red’ Tier into the less restrictive ‘Orange’ Tier Tuesday, becoming the first San Francisco Bay Area county since the holiday surge to return to the ‘Orange’ Tier.
The county’s shift officially goes into effect at 12:01 am Wednesday, March 17. All other Bay Area counties remain in the red tier. San Francisco is expected to join San Mateo County in the ‘Orange’ Tier next week.
BREAKING: State moves #SanMateoCounty into Orange Tier, effective 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, March 17, 2021.
In the Orange Tier, movie theaters, gyms, museums and bowling alleys can all open indoors with modifications.
More here: https://t.co/BSscUXbCyQ pic.twitter.com/LSqlgrP0LR
— County of San Mateo (@sanmateoco) March 16, 2021
The Orange Tier allows:
- Places of worship: open indoors at 50% capacity
- Movie theaters: open indoors at 50% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
- Hotels: open with modifications, plus their indoor pools can open and fitness centers can open at 25% capacity
- Gyms: open indoors at 25% capacity and can open indoor pools
- Restaurants: open indoors at 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer
- Wineries, breweries and distilleries: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
- Bars: outdoor only
- Family entertainment centers: open indoors at 25% capacity for naturally distanced activities like bowling and rock climbing walls
- Professional sports: outdoor stadiums can have audiences up to 33% capacity starting April 1
- Live performances: outdoor only at 33% capacity starting April 1
Find out more information here.
“I feel like the sun is shining again on San Mateo County as moving to the Orange Tier marks that we are making a true comeback,” San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David Canepa said in a statement. “Now we must minimize the risk if we want to move to Yellow and then Green to complete this historic comeback. That means respecting the health orders of social distancing, frequent hand washing, avoiding large crowds and most importantly wearing your damn masks, especially if you are going to enjoy a pint during St. Patrick’s Day.”
Counties aiming to move tiers they must do the following:
Requirements to Advance Tiers:
- 21 day mandatory wait time between moves
- Meet metrics for next tier for 2 straight weeks
- Counties only move 1 tier at a time
- Assessed weekly
Requirements to Move Back Tiers:
- Fail to meet the current tier’s metrics for 2 straight weeks
- Emergency brake for concerning factors like hospitalizations
