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Ventura, CA – The County of Ventura will move to the State’s Orange Tier effective Wednesday, April 7 at 12:01 am. The California Department of Public Health announced today that the County has met the State’s metrics to move forward.
“On behalf of the Board of Supervisors we share in the good news and appreciate that we as a community have been able to bring the numbers down in our County and State. The good work of our citizens, our businesses and the protocols put forth have helped us control COVID. What a good feeling for grandparents to hug their grandkids, for kids to be able to go back to school and for the struggling businesses. This has really been one of those things where we have all had to come together to help one another. Our thanks goes out to all of those helpers who have worked hard and helped us get here today,” said Chair of the Board Supervisor Linda Parks.
The County’s 7-day average case rate per 100,000 is 3.9 (orange), the 7-day testing positivity rate is 1.6% (yellow) and the health equity 7-day testing positivity rate is 2.8% (orange).
“This progress, thanks to the hard work of our community members, means that our restaurants, retailers, gyms and other businesses can open to more customers which will help keep doors open, grow jobs in industries that were hit hard during the height of the pandemic and get us moving forward on the recovery path,” said County Executive Officer Michael Powers. “This is the time to keep it local in supporting our businesses.”
Businesses in need of support are encouraged to apply for the County’s 2nd Business Assistance Grant. The application period for the $5,000 grants has been extended to April 13 at 6 pm. More information can be found at www.vcbusinessgrants.com.
All activities authorized under the State’s Orange Tier can resume in accordance with State guidance:
- Amusement parks: smaller parks can open outdoors with 25% max occupancy or 500 people, whichever is fewer; there must be reservations or advanced ticket sales and only local attendees are allowed (from the same county as the park’s location)
- Bars (where no meal is served): open outdoors with modifications
- Cardrooms and satellite wagering: open indoors with 25% max occupancy
- Family entertainment centers: open indoors 25% max occupancy
- Fitness centers and gyms: open indoors with 25% max occupancy; indoor pools open at 25% occupancy
- Hotels and lodging: fitness centers can now open indoors with 25% max occupancy; indoor pools open at 25% occupancy
- Movie theaters: open indoors with 50% max occupancy or 200 people, whichever is fewer
- Museums, zoos, and aquariums: open indoors with 50% max occupancy
- Offices: open indoors with modifications though telework is still encouraged
- Outdoor live events: open at 33% capacity
- Places of worship: open indoors with 50% max occupancy
- Retail(including standalone grocers): open indoors at full capacity with modifications
- Restaurants: open indoors with 50% max occupancy or 200 people, whichever is fewer; only members of same household may share a table
- Shopping centers(including swap meets and indoor malls): open indoors at full capacity with modifications; common areas must remain closed and food courts are at reduced capacity
- Wineries, breweries and distilleries: open indoors with 25% max occupancy or 100 people, whichever is fewer; only members of same household may share a table
- Youth sports: competitions between two teams are allowed in certain sports according to the State’s Youth Sports Guidance
“Continued adherence to public health mitigation measures such as wearing a mask that covers your nose and mouth, washing hands frequently with soap and water, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and practicing physical distancing from those outside your household will help limit the impact of variants circulating in Southern California, particularly as more indoor activities open and expand operations,” said Public Health Officer Doctor Robert Levin. “I am happy for our local businesses, but we can’t let our guard down.”
Today, public health reported 10 new COVID-19 cases, 2,059 additional tests completed and 1 additional death of an 89-year-old woman. There are currently 23 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 5 in the ICU. The current R-effective is .75 which means that the spread of COVID-19 is likely decreasing; R-effective for California is .78. COVID-19 testing continues to be offered throughout the County to help contain further spread of COVID-19. Testing information can be found at www.venturacountyrecovers.org.
For further information by industry sector, visit the State’s Industry Guidance website.
View today’s press conference at https://vimeo.com/531456507.
