San Francisco, Santa Clara and Marin counties moved into the state’s orange tier of Covid-19 restrictions Tuesday, allowing them to expand indoor capacities for some businesses and reopen bars outdoors.
The three counties join San Mateo County as the only Bay Area counties to proceed into the orange tier since the state’s stay-at-home order was lifted in January.
The tier change from red to orange will allow each county to increase indoor capacity from 25% to 50% for sectors like places of worship, movie theaters and restaurants while gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to raise capacity from 10% to 25%.
Orange is the most restrictive tier in which bars can operate under any circumstance. A move to the yellow tier allows a county to resume indoor operations at bars at 25 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer, according to the California Department of Public Health.
In addition, business sectors like family entertainment centers, cardrooms, offices and wineries will be allowed to resume indoor operations after being limited to opening outdoors or being closed altogether in the red and purple tiers.
On April 1, counties in the orange tier can allow 33% capacity crowds at outdoor professional sporting events and 25% capacity or 500 people, whichever is fewer, at amusement parks.
Guests at outdoor arenas must be state residents while amusement park guests must live in the same county as the venue.
Details on which businesses can operate in the orange tier and at what capacity can be found at covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy.
