Monterey County finally breaks into less restrictive Red Tier, beginning March 17.

Monterey County is finally breaking out of the Purple Tier and headed into Red Tier territory as of March 17, exactly one year after the county declared its first shelter-in-place order at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The new status was announced on the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy around noon on March 16, when the state website was updated with new case numbers and tier assignments.

It means indoor dining in restaurants can open to 25-percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is less. It also means gyms and fitness centers, movie theaters, museums and the Monterey Bay Aquarium may open to limited capacity. (Aquarium officials expect to reopen to general admission visitors starting in May.)

The county’s designation moves from the virus being “widespread” to its presence being “substantial.” The numbers reported today show the county with a case rate of 4.7 new positive Covid-19 cases per day per 100,000 residents, with a 2-percent positivity rate and 28.7-percent ICU bed availability.

The threshold to enter the Red Zone is 4-10 new cases per 100,000 people and less than 8.1-percent positive tests under health equity standards. That’s new since last week, when the state said it would change the threshold from less than 7 cases per 100,000 to enter the Red Tier if it could administer 2 million doses of Covid vaccine in a quarter of the California zip codes with the most challenging health issues. It did that by March 12, and Monterey County, which was at 7.2 new cases per 100,000 on March 9, got one week of credit for Red Tier numbers, and then qualified for the new designation this week.

Monterey County Health Officer Edward Moreno presented the new numbers to the County Board of Supervisors on March 16, just a couple of hours after the state's announcement, but cautioned that residents still need to follow protocols he and other public health officials have been repeating for a year now: wash hands; maintain distancing; wear a mask. Also important is to move activities outdoors, avoid crowds and get vaccinated when it’s your turn.

Supervisor Luis Alejo thanked residents for their “hard work” this past year in following protocols but remained cautious.

“We’re not out of this yet, we have to keep our guard up,” Alejo said. “We’re almost there but let’s be smart about it as we go into this Red Tier and more businesses are able to gradually reopen that we continue to protect ourselves, protect our families and protect our community.”

Here are some of the details for businesses and schools in the Red Tier, according to the Monterey County Health Department:

• Restaurant indoor dining capacity is limited to 25 percent or 100 people, whichever is less
• Retail store indoor capacity is limited to 50 percent and grocery stores can operate at full capacity
• Shopping center indoor capacity is limited to 50 percent, with reduced-capacity food courts
• Gym and fitness center indoor capacity is limited to 10 percent
• Movie theater indoor capacity is limited to 25 percent or 100 people, whichever is less
• Zoo, museum, and aquarium indoor capacity is limited to 25 percent
• Higher education indoor lectures and student gatherings are limited to 25-percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is less
• Schools may reopen grades transitional kindergarten through 12 for in-person instruction after they have publicly posted their Covid-19 Safety Plans for at least five days

During the board meeting, Chair Wendy Root Askew asked Moreno about parents being able to watch youth school sports as they resume. Moreno said only the adults who are on the field as a support to the student athletes are allowed for now. Epidemiologist Kristy Michie said that collegiate sports are allowed with spectators of up to 25 percent outdoors.