City of West Sacramento

 Yolo County News Release 

Effective November 17, Yolo County will be officially moved back to the more restrictive purple, or widespread, tier after the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced changes to its Blueprint framework on November 16. Due to rising cases statewide, CDPH is ‘pulling the emergency brake’ and requiring counties to move backward after only one week of meeting a more restrictive tier’s metric, instead of the usual two weeks. Yolo County’s adjusted case rate for the November 16 update is 17.4, which is well above the purple tier threshold of seven.

This move by CDPH is one of many they are implementing to help slow the recent rise in cases statewide. In addition, CDPH is moving counties back more than one tier at a time, giving counties less time to implement their new tier restrictions (24 hours versus the usual 72 hours), and will be less likely to approve adjudications. Other nearby counties are also being moved back to the purple tier this week, including Solano, Placer and Napa.

Yolo County has experienced a surge of positive cases recently and Public Health staff are urging residents to exercise personal responsibility by following preventive health measures and avoiding social gatherings. To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Yolo County has enacted a variety of tactics including: limiting gatherings in its local health order attachment on October 21; releasing a gathering guidance which states that any gathering must be limited to three households, 16 people or less, for no more than two hours and outdoors only; providing a holiday guidance on how residents can celebrate the winter season more safely; following up on business complaints from the public; and continuing to offer free COVID-19 testing in communities. CDPH also recently released a new travel advisory that recommends people to quarantine for 14 days after arrival or return to California. 

“The rapid rise in cases over the last couple of weeks is very concerning,” said Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson. “We need to act now to slow the spread of coronavirus or we may soon find our hospitals, like those in other parts of the country, overwhelmed. I understand that people are tired of COVID restrictions and want this pandemic to be over. But we can’t simply wish it away. We must continue to work hard at the basics of staying home, wearing masks, keeping our distance, not gathering, and washing our hands. I am grateful for all the sacrifices Yolo residents have made to date and am asking them to sacrifice a bit longer in order to save lives.”

A return to the purple tier drastically impacts many local businesses that will now have to close indoor business operations or reduce capacity. Effective November 17, the following businesses will have these restrictions:

• Family entertainment centers: Outdoors only with modifications
• Gyms and fitness centers: Outdoors only with modifications
• Movie theaters: Outdoors only with modifications
• Museums, zoos and aquariums: Outdoors only with modifications
• Places of worship: Outdoors only with modifications
• Retail: Open indoors with a maximum of 25% occupancy
• Restaurants: Outdoors only with modifications
• Shopping centers: Open indoors with a maximum of 25% occupancy

“Nobody wants to see business rollbacks, but they are needed right now to keep coronavirus in check,” said Yolo County Public Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson. “Shifting high-risk businesses and activities from indoor to outdoor operations will help keep these businesses from contributing to spread of the virus.”

The County has created handouts in English, Spanish and Russian to better inform businesses of their restrictions under the purple tier. To see a complete list of which activities and businesses are open in the four tiers, visit the CDPH ‘Activity and Business Tier’ document. To see specific industry guidance, visit the State’s guidance page.

Personal care services, nail salons, hair salons and barber shops can still remain open indoors with modifications in the purple tier and must follow the State’s industry guidance. Any schools that have reopened for in-person or hybrid learning while Yolo County was in the red tier or with an approved waiver are not required to close and can remain open. Schools that have not yet opened will need to receive a waiver to reopen under the purple tier or wait until Yolo County has moved back into the red tier.

To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, residents are advised to follow these health practices:

• Do not gather. If you gather, organize small, short, outdoor gatherings with no more than three households and 16 people.
• Stay home if you have symptoms of illness or are high-risk.
• Wear a face covering.
• Maintain at least six feet of physical distance from those not in your household.
• Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer regularly.

For additional information about the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, visit: http://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy. For more information about Yolo County’s Roadmap to Recovery and see which businesses are currently open, visit: www.yolocounty.org/coronavirus-roadmap. Residents can call Yolo 2-1-1 for resource information.