San Diego County moves into California's least restrictive "Yellow tier" this morning, following two consecutive weeks of an adjusted new daily COVID-19 case rate of fewer than two cases per 100,000 residents, county officials announced.
The county will move into the Yellow tier just six days before the state scraps the tiered reopening blueprint on June 15, joining other urban counties such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orange.
As of Tuesday, the county's new adjusted case rate is 1.2 cases per 100,000 people after declining to a case rate of 1.7 cases last week. The Yellow tier means there is minimal spread of COVID-19 in the region.
"You did it, San Diegans," Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county public health officer, said Tuesday.
"You have followed the public health guidance and got vaccinated when the vaccine became available to you.
"These actions have resulted in a significant drop in COVID-19 cases in the region. Now we need San Diegans to continue getting vaccinated so that we can get closer to herd immunity, and that includes second doses for those who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine."
In the Yellow tier, outdoor music venues can increase to 67% capacity, restaurants and gyms can be at 50% capacity — indoor and outdoor — indoor bars can be at 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer, and outdoor gatherings can expand to 200 people.
A full list of what limits will be lifted after the descent into the Yellow tier for that one week can be found online.
When California fully reopens the economy on June 15, the state will move beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy — the system of tiers the state has employed since last year. There will be no capacity restrictions or social distancing enforced, and only "mega events" — with crowds larger than 5,000 people indoors or 10,000 outdoors — will require or recommend vaccine verification.
On Tuesday, the county reported 71 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the cumulative case total to 280,878, while the death toll remained unchanged at 3,764.
A total of 6,671 tests were reported to the county on Monday, with 1.1% returning positive. The 14-day rolling average percentage of positive cases is 0.8%.
As of Tuesday, more than 1.68 million San Diego County residents — 60.1% of residents 12 and older — were fully vaccinated and more than 2.07 million residents have received one of two doses.
More than 4.21 million doses have been received by the county, with more than 3.8 million administered.
A full list of available vaccination sites can be found online.
