Orange County Off the COVID-19 Watchlist
On Sunday Aug. 23, Orange County citizens became optimistic as the county was removed from the coronavirus watch list. However, this excitement quickly faded as Governor Gavin Newsom’s new system was implemented. These guidelines illustrate how severe the Coronavirus cases are in counties across the state as well as what precautions should be taken to avoid another massive breakout.
The system includes a model of what stages a certain county is in, based on new COVID-19 cases and the percent of positive tests. These stages are characterized by color. The first tier, represented by the color purple, indicates that the virus is widespread in a particular county. In this area, nonessential and indoor businesses are closed. This tier is considered the most severe, with the highest number of new Coronavirus cases and percentages of positive tests in the state. Orange County currently lies within the sea of purple counties that make up California, with only 13% of California residents living in non-purple areas. These new guidelines were set to begin on Monday Aug. 31.
Nonetheless, the several days in which the county was off the previous watchlist now count as “credit” days. The county is on track to enter the Red Tier, the second most severe tier of Newsom’s new COVID-19 guidelines, as of Sep. 8. An email sent out by Dr. Baker stated that “high schools are projected to start schooling on October 13th.” Along with schools reopening, some nonessential and indoor business may reopen, but for the most