Just nine counties remain in state’s purple tier, paving way for more schools to reopen statewide

Only nine of California’s 58 counties remain in the most restrictive purple category of the state’s four-tiered, color-coded county Covid-19 tracking system, meaning that more school districts may soon be able to reopen for in-person instruction. The nine counties still in purple are: Imperial, Los Angeles, Madera, Monterey, Riverside, San Bernardino, Sonoma, Tehama and Tulare.

These nine counties include 290 school districts and 559 charter schools that educate more than 2.5 million public school students, not including private schools. Schools in these counties cannot reopen for in-person instruction unless they receive elementary waivers for students in grades TK-6 or adhere to strict guidance for small groups of students.

Since last week, Glenn, Mendocino and Shasta counties have moved to the red tier, meaning schools can reopen for in-person instruction if the county remains in red for 14 consecutive days. In addition, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties saw their status improving and moved from the red to orange tier. Calaveras County moved from orange to the least restrictive yellow tier, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s Health and Human Services secretary, during a Tuesday news briefing.

Gov. Newsom said movement into lower tiers does not mandate that schools or businesses reopen, but gives them the ability to do so in collaboration with local health officials and elected leaders. They must also comply with state requirements for Covid-19 testing, the use of personal protective equipment and other guidance, he said.

Newsom also announced a new partnership with western states that are providing experts, including many from universities in California, who will review data the CDC releases with vaccines to help ensure their safety and prioritize who will get them.