Yolo County gets OK to reopen indoor service at restaurants, places of worship, gyms

State health officials on Tuesday gave Yolo County the green light to open more businesses for restricted indoor gatherings – including restaurants, religious groups, and schools – but county officials say they will wait until Wednesday morning to allow those reopenings.

The county plans to amend its health order, but also intends to publish detailed guidance, including info-graphics, on how businesses and institutions can reopen safely amid an ongoing coronavirus epidemic.

“We do need to wait to update our health order, but we have been in contact with many businesses, so they are aware this change is coming,” county spokeswoman Jenny Tan said.

The state formally moved Yolo from the most restrictive status, known as the purple tier, to the red tier on Tuesday after the county showed notable reductions in new cases in recent weeks.

In particular, the rate of positive coronavirus tests has dropped below the state’s red tier threshold of 5% for two weeks, and the number of new cases per 100,000 residents has dropped below the state red-tier standard of seven.

Yolo’s numbers as of this week are 2.5% positive rate for those who submit to COVID-19 tests. The county now is registering 3.1 new infections per day per 100,000 population.

The new status affects numerous businesses:

▪ Schools will be able to open for in-person or hybrid learning on Oct. 13.

▪ Restaurants will be able to open for indoor dining up to 25% occupancy capacity, as set by fire code. That number includes counting staff.

▪ Places of worship also can reopen indoors up to 25%, as can movie theaters. Gyms can open at 10%.

This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 12:07 PM.