CA's Newest Framework & Guidelines to Reopening Businesses

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a new system to monitor the coronavirus in California, revamping the state’s watchlist for its 58 counties into color-coded levels that should simplify the process of reopening. This new system, also known as "CA's Blueprint for a Safer Economy" is the next evolution of the state's COVID-19 response.

Every county is now assigned to a color tier based on its rate of new cases & positivity to determine which sectors can operate. Here on this new site you can type in your county and look up which activities are allowed.

After 650+ signatures from our SVO community advocating on behalf of reopening our local economy, we are excited to share the latest news!

Starting August 31 hair salons, barbershops and indoor malls are allowed to operate indoors under the state's new system, but only at 25% capacity. The safety guidelines are put in place by the county and state, and Santa Clara County is one of the counties giving the green light to do so. Please continue reading below for more information.

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How do they determine which tier each county belongs in? 

Every county is now assigned to a color tier based on its rate of new cases & positivity to determine which sectors can operate. You can click here to learn more about the tiers. ‍

There are four tiers: yellow, orange, red and purple. Yellow indicates minimal COVID-19 spread and allows for nearly all businesses to reopen indoor operations (as long as physical distancing and face covering requirements are in place). Purple means there is widespread COVID-19 transmission in the county and nearly all businesses have to keep indoor operations closed or severely limited.

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Which tier is Santa Clara County in as of August 31?

PURPLE.

Santa Clara County is currently in Tier One (Purple) and will remain there until the State declares that Santa Clara County may move into Tier Two. The State’s most restrictive rules apply to Tier One.

As long as Santa Clara County remains in Tier One, all Tier One restrictions will apply. As always, Santa Clara County residents and businesses must follow both the State and County Health Officer Orders, and where there is a conflict between the two, the stricter Order must be followed.

• Hair salons: open indoors with modifications
• Retail: open indoors at 25% capacity
• Malls: open indoors at 25% capacity and food courts closed
• Personal care services (nail salons, body waxing, etc.): outdoor only
• Museums, zoos and aquariums: outdoor only
• Places of worship: outdoor only
• Movie theaters: outdoor only
• Hotels: open with modifications
• Gyms: outdoor only
• Restaurants: outdoor only
• Wineries: outdoor only
• Bars and breweries: closed
• Family entertainment centers: outdoor only, like mini golf, batting cages and go-kart racing
• Cardrooms: outdoor only
• Non-essential offices: remote work only
• Professional sports: no live audiences
• Schools: must stay closed

Click here to see the red, yellow and orange tiers explained.

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How can I see which activities are allowed in my county? 

Here on this new site the state built a search tool where you can type in your county and look up what activity is allowed. Click here to check it out.

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How can our county move through the tiers? 

Rules of the framework:

1. CDPH will assess indicators weekly. The first weekly assessment will be released on September 8, 2020.
2. A county will remain in a tier for a minimum of three weeks before being able to advance to a later tier.
3. A county can only move forward one tier at a time, even if metrics qualify for a more advanced tier.
4. If a county's case rate and test positivity measure fall into two different tiers, the county will be assigned to the more restrictive tier.
5. City local health jurisdiction (LHJ) data will be included in overall metrics, and city LHJs will be assigned the same tier as the surrounding county.
   

Initial step applied on August 28, 2020:

1. Each county is assigned to a tier based on an adjusted case rate and test positivity from the prior two reporting periods. If a county's case rate and test positivity measure fall into two different tiers, the county will be assigned the more restrictive tier.
2. This tier status will be effective on Monday, August 31, 2020.
3. If a county is initially assigned to Purple Tier 1 and has met the criteria for a less restrictive tier the prior week, the county only needs to meet the criteria for a less restrictive tier for one more week to move to the Red Tier 2. (For the September 8, 2020 assignment, a county does not need to remain in the Purple Tier 1 for three weeks. For all subsequent assessments, a county must remain in a tier for three weeks and meet the criteria to advance as described below.)
   

To advance:

1. A county must have been in the current tier for a minimum of three weeks, except as described in the "Initial step applied on August 28, 2020" section above.
2. A county must meet criteria for the next tier for both measures for the prior two consecutive weeks in order to progress to the next tier.  
3. In addition, the state will establish health equity measures on activities such as data collection, testing access, contact tracing, supportive isolation, and outreach that demonstrate a county's ability to address the most impacted communities within a county. Additional measures addressing health outcomes such as case rates, hospitalizations and deaths, will also be developed and tracked for improvement.
   

To move back:

1. During the weekly assessment, if a county's adjusted case rate and/or test positivity has been within a more restrictive tier for two consecutive weekly periods, the county must revert to the more restrictive tier.
2. At any time, state and county public health officials may work together to determine targeted interventions or county wide modifications necessary to address impacted hospital capacity and drivers of disease transmission, as needed.
3. Counties will have three days to implement any sector changes or closures unless extreme circumstances merit immediate action.

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Starting August 31st which businesses are now allowed to resume indoor operations at 25% capacity in Santa Clara County? 

Starting today, August 31 hair salons, barbershops and indoor malls are allowed to operate indoors under the state's new system, but only at 25% capacity. The safety guidelines are put in place by the county and state, and Santa Clara County is one of the counties giving the green light to do so.

The County Health Officer’s local Risk Reduction Order and related directives remain in effect and include directives that all hair salons and barbershops and shopping malls in Santa Clara County must follow as they resume indoor operations.  

Click here to view an interactive map of which activities are open in different counties

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Is this a new order issued by Santa Clara County? 

No, this is a revision to the July 13th order issued by Santa Clara County (click here to see the July 13th order)

Tier One restrictions are similar to the restrictions announced by the State on July 13, 2020 for counties on the State’s former “Monitoring List.”

The only changes are the following:

• Hair salons and barbershops may now operate indoors. (All other personal care services businesses may operate outdoors only.)
• Indoor shopping malls may now operate indoors, but only if they close all common areas and food courts and limit capacity to 25% (or to the capacity required by the County’s Risk Reduction Order, whichever is stricter).
• Retail businesses must limit capacity to 25%(or to the capacity required by the County’s Risk Reduction Order, whichever is stricter).
• Grocery stores must limit capacity to 50% (or to the capacity required by the County’s Risk Reduction Order, whichever is stricter).

Friendly reminder: All businesses must fill out and submit the newest version of the Social Distancing Protocol to the County using the online form, available here. The Protocol is submitted under penalty of perjury, meaning that everything written on the form must be truthful and accurate to the best of the signer’s knowledge, and submitting false information is a crime.  The Protocol must be distributed to all workers, and it must be accessible to all officials who are enforcing the Order.  Businesses are responsible for ensuring that workers understand and are trained on Protocol requirements in a language that they understand.

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Where can I find Santa Clara County information on the local Risk Reduction Order and all related directives?

Mandatory Directive for Personal Care Services Businesses

On August 28, 2020, the State released its Blueprint for a Safer Economy (“Blueprint”), which allows hair salons and barbershops to conduct indoor operations statewide (effective August 31, 2020).  See the State’s Blueprint here (https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/).

Accordingly, in addition to outdoor operations, hair salons and barbershops may conduct indoor operations beginning August 31, 2020. ​

Mandatory Directive for Malls

On August 28, 2020, the State released its Blueprint for a Safer Economy (“Blueprint”), which allows shopping malls and destination shopping centers in Santa Clara County to conduct limited indoor operations as of August 31, 2020.  Under the Blueprint, the County is in Tier One (purple).  Accordingly, shopping malls and destination shopping centers may open for indoor operations, but only if:

1. ​​​Indoor capacity is restricted to 25%; and

2. All indoor common areas and food court areas are closed.
See the State’s Blueprint here​ (https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/).
All operations of these businesses (both outdoor and limited indoor) are subject to the Santa Clara County Health Officer Order issued July 2, 2020 and any applicable State guidance.

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Where can I find CA industry guidance? 

Click here to find guidance for your industry.

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