The latest developments around the region related to the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, as of Tuesday afternoon include:
- Marin County has moved out of the state’s most restrictive coronavirus pandemic reopening tier, allowing various business sectors to resume operating indoors with reduced capacity, a state public health official said Tuesday. Marin County was one of three counties to move Tuesday from Tier 1, the most restrictive, purple tier in the state’s color-coded reopening system, to Tier 2, or the red tier. Inyo and Tehama counties also moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2. With the move, which was predicated on the county reducing its rate of positive coronavirus tests, the state is allowing retail stores, indoor malls, personal care businesses such as skin care and nail services, museums, places of worship, movie theaters, gyms and restaurants to resume indoor operations in Marin County with modified capacities.
- Contra Costa County health officials are warning anyone with flu symptoms to also be tested for the novel coronavirus, saying Tuesday that it is possible for someone to suffer from both. Dr. Chris Farnitano, the county’s health officer, told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that health officials are working to equip the county’s COVID-19 test locations with vaccines — and flu testing – as flu season approaches. Both Farnitano and Anna Roth, Contra Costa County’s health director, said COVID-19 testing in the county has been going up — more than 309,000 tests in the past 30 days, Roth said — and that the rate of testing must increase further still.
- San Mateo County extended funding for its Great Plates Delivered program, which delivers free meals to older adults, through Oct. 9. There are currently 2,553 participants enrolled in the program, which provides three free meals daily to older adults in the county who may be at heightened risk for COVID-19 and unable to obtain or prepare their own meals. Since the program began in May, 68 participating restaurants have prepared more than 500,000 meals.
- As of Tuesday, at 4 p.m., officials have confirmed the following number of cases around the greater Bay Area region (“+” number indicates increase over previous day):
- Alameda County: 20,097 cases (+75), 332 deaths (Totals include Berkeley Health Department data)
- Contra Costa County: 15,489 cases (+65), 194 deaths (+5)
- Marin County: 6,470 cases (+41), 106 deaths (+7) (Totals include San Quentin State Prison)
- Monterey County: 9,089 cases (+78), 65 deaths (+1)
- Napa County: 1,575 cases (+5), 13 deaths
- San Francisco County: 10,430 cases (+52), 91 deaths
- San Mateo County: 9,242 cases (+76), 142 deaths (+3)
- Santa Clara County: 19,683 cases (+25), 287 deaths (+4)
- Santa Cruz County: 2,096 cases (+53), 7 deaths
- Solano County: 5,987 cases (+50), 52 deaths (+2)
- Sonoma County: 6,738 cases (+37), 110 deaths (+2)
- Statewide: 760,013 cases (+2,235), 14,451 deaths (+66)