Three more counties move from purple to red on state’s four-tiered list

Inyo, Marin and Tehama counties have moved from the purple tier to the red tier on the state’s four-tiered, color-coded county monitoring system, Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of California’s Department of Health and Human Services, said Tuesday. This brings the total number of counties rated purple down to 30, and those rated red to 17, while the numbers in orange and yellow remained unchanged at nine and two, respectively. The 30 counties on the purple list include more than 3.9 million public school students in 640 districts and 933 charter schools, not including private schools.

Schools in counties that remain in the red tier for two consecutive weeks can reopen for in-person instruction, while those in the purple tier must continue distance learning unless they receive elementary waivers for K-6 students or follow guidance for small groups of students. Ghaly acknowledged that San Diego County, which has been rated red for the past two weeks, is reporting an increase in cases that could lead it to move into purple if the surge continues. A high number of cases reported at San Diego State University may have contributed to this surge, Ghaly said, during a noon news briefing.

Ghaly also clarified that schools open for in-person instruction are required to ensure that staff is tested for Covid-19 regularly. Although state guidance issued July 17 recommended that staff be tested at least once every two months, Ghaly said each county public health department can determine the level of testing they believe is appropriate. A recent state contract with the diagnostics company PerkinElmer is expected to help schools meet the demand for testing, he said.