Thursday, November 12, 2020 - 6:00pm By The Leader Staff

Kings health officials say increasing cases place Kings County in most restrictive COVID-19 tier

After nearly a month in California’s Red Tier, part of the state’s COVID-19 tiered system referred to as the Blueprint for a Safe Economy, it appears that Kings County’s cases have begun to climb again, a fact that this week caused Kings County to return to the more restrictive Purple Tier, a move that will certainly affect local businesses and industries.

Under the tier model, which ranges from the most restrictive (purple) to the next tier (Red Substantial), where Kings County had been since October 13, local businesses and industries opened based on their county’s current risk tier status.

The state's framework lays out the measures that each county must meet, based on indicators that capture disease burden, testing, and health equity. The remaining tiers include Moderate and Minimal.

Kings move to the Purple Tier after the less restrictive Red Tier occurred because COVID-19 cases in Kings County began to climb again.

The adjusted case rate for the current reporting period in Kings County is 8.4 per 100,000 people. Testing positivity in the general population is 3.2%, and testing positivity in the Health Equity census tracts is 4.0%.

Thanks to high community testing rates in Kings County, testing positivity continues to remain low, which met the Moderate Orange Tier requirements. Accelerated movement into lower tiers is possible if testing positivity remains low, and the case rate remains stable or rises less than 5% between reporting periods. Regular testing also helps to lower the adjusted case rate used for tier assignment.

However, because the Kings County adjusted case rate has risen more than 5% since the prior reporting period and meets the more restrictive Purple Tier criteria, the county risks reassignment. The county will remain in the Purple Tier for at least three weeks and meet the Red Tier criteria for at least two consecutive weeks to return to the less restrictive tier.

The following sectors are impacted by Kings County's return to the more restrictive Purple Tier:

Gyms and Fitness Centers – Outdoors only
Hotels and Lodging – Open with modifications, fitness centers closed
Movie Theaters – Outdoors only
Museums, Zoos, and Aquariums – Outdoors only.
Places of Worship – Outdoors only.
Restaurants – Outdoors only
Retail – Open indoors, 25% capacity
Shopping Centers – Open indoors, 25% capacity, closed common areas & food-courts.
Bars, Breweries, Distilleries (where no meal provided) – Closed. For bars providing food, follow restaurant status limitations.
Cardrooms, Satellite Wagering – Outdoors only
Family Entertainment Centers – Outdoors only

The reopening status of the following sectors will not change with Tier reassignment.

Schools in Kings County will not be required to close for in-person learning with Purple Tier reassignment. All Kings County schools have begun phased reopening under State guidance and will continue reopening regardless of Tier status.
Hair Salons, Barber Shops, and Nail Salons & Personal Care Services – Open indoors with modifications

Kings County health officials continue to advocate that residents avoid gatherings with people outside your household, a move that officials say is vital to decreasing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping case rates low. It is also critical that the community continue testing, isolate when sick, and quarantine when identified as a close contact. Additional ongoing prevention measures include:

Wearing a mask or face-covering in public and with people outside your household
Staying home if you are sick
Practicing frequent and thorough hand hygiene
Covering your coughs and sneezes
Getting a flu shot

Assistance for certain populations in isolation or quarantine is available, including free delivery of healthy food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and more. For more information, Contact Kings Cares at (559) 799-8107.

For a detailed description of the required modifications in each sector, county health officials urge residents to visit the following sites:

https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance/. For detailed information about Kings County’s current status and what businesses can open, visit https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/ type “Kings” in the County field and click “Get Latest Status.” To determine the current reopening phase for your school district, please contact your school or district directly.

Free testing services are available throughout Kings County 7 days a week. For the current schedule and locations, visit www.kingscovidinfo.com And click on Kings County: Free Mobile Testing Site Schedule.