Riverside County Eyes Coronavirus Red Tier Movement Next Week

RIVERSIDE, CA — Indoor dining should soon return to Riverside County, with health officials confirming they will permit restaurants to again welcome customers into their dining rooms at limited capacity if the county moves into the less-restrictive tier of the state's reopening plan by mid-next week as expected.

If current trends continue, the county is headed toward the red tier of the state's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy" next Tuesday, with loosened restrictions slated to go into effect beginning Wednesday, according to the Riverside University Health System.

"We welcome these loosening restrictions on our businesses and urge everyone to practice the necessary safety precautions," said county Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Karen Spiegel. "We're getting closer to the red tier when even more businesses can reopen or increase operations. We can safely do so when we're wearing masks, avoiding gatherings and practicing good hygiene."

Under the new designation, indoor operations will also be allowed to resume at gyms, zoos, museums, movie theaters, places of worship and more, also with capacity restrictions.

Under Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest guidelines, counties will be able to move out of the most restrictive, purple tier of the blueprint when their average rate of daily new COVID-19 infections reaches 10 per 100,000 residents - - a looser standard than the current 7 per 100,000 residents.

Riverside County's state-adjusted infection rate hit 8.3 per 100,000 residents this week, compared to 11.3 per 100,000 last week. This downward shift in infection data previously prompted loosened restrictions on youth and adult sports, and allowed for in-person learning to resume in some school districts.

With 191 additional infections reported Friday, the aggregate number of coronavirus cases recorded since the public health documentation period began in March 2020 was 291,866, compared to 291,675 on Wednesday. Friday's data includes figures from the previous day as well due to the California Department of Public Health's Reportable Disease Information Exchange portal experiencing an issue on Thursday.

RUHS does not provide updated coronavirus statistics on weekends.

Officials said there were 3,971 deaths from virus-related complications in the past 12 months, 30 more than two days ago. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates.

The number of known active virus cases countywide was 5,009 Friday, down 557 from Wednesday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total -- 291,866 -- according to the county Executive Office. Verified patient recoveries countywide are now at 282,886.

RUHS data showed COVID-positive hospitalizations numbered 234 on Friday, down 20 from Wednesday, and that included 56 intensive care unit patients -- two more than Wednesday.

The coronavirus positivity rate in Riverside County hit 4.1% this week, the lowest it has been since early October. The rate was 5.8% last week.

Countywide ICU bed availability was roughly 20%, back to where it was at the end of November and before the governor's stay-at-home order impacting the entire Southern California region. The threshold established for triggering the order was 15% or less overall ICU availability.

Vaccination of seniors continues to be a priority, but others who qualify under the CDPH Phase 1 guidelines include hospital workers, first responders, food service workers, teachers and some agricultural workers.

RUHS' Dr. Geoffrey Leung told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that, beginning March 15, residents 18 to 64 years old with underlying medical conditions, as well as most people with disabilities, will be eligible for vaccinations. Leung said conditions might include "type-2 diabetes and lung disease."

"The CDPH is continuing to work on the guidelines," he said.

The portal to make an appointment for vaccination can be accessed via www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine. Anyone who needs assistance may also call the county's 211 help line.

—City News Service