Orange County Moves Into Yellow Tier, Supervisors Criticize State

ORANGE COUNTY, CA —Orange County has qualified for a move up from the orange to the yellow tier in the state's reopening plan. The county can officially enter the yellow tier Wednesday.

The case rate as of Tuesday is 1.4 per 100,000 and the positivity rates are 0.9%, according to Orange County Health Care Agency reports.

"They look good," Orange County CEO Frank Kim told City News Service of Monday's COVID-19 metrics.

Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlet is still concerned about not reaching 70 percent herd immunity within the county.

"We still have about 700,000 people (to vaccinate) to get up to that herd immunity," Bartlet said.

The state's newly announced decision to wait until June 15 to align with federal guidance that no longer requires people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear face coverings, except on a bus or airplane or other crowded places. The June date is when state officials are expected to lift most virus-related restrictions if current positive trends continue.

"I think every state has to decide whatever's appropriate for them," Bartlett said. "In certain parts of the country, they're having issues getting their people vaccinated whereas in other parts of the country like California, we're doing much better statewide. But out of an abundance of caution, especially with all of the variants swirling around, that's probably why we want to wait another month."

Bartlett said as more social distancing restrictions are relaxed, it makes sense to see the impact on the rate of infections.

"The state is watching what is happening as counties are opening up more of their economy," she said. "That may give an indication what could happen on June 15 when we open things up statewide and we're out of the tier methodology."

Bartlett noted that California is a tourist attraction, so there's some concern about more visitors arriving with more contagious variants.

"We have to be very vigilant and watch this very carefully with a relaxation of mask mandates," she said. "Hopefully things will continue on the current path they're on."

Bartlett said she knows many constituents who have said they want to continue wearing a mask for the time being, and she said it's important to respect everyone's preferences.

"Now some residents are concerned that if they are seen wearing a face covering that others will assume they have COVID-19 even though they're vaccinated," she said.

(Wearing a mask) is about individual choice and personal freedom, according to Bartlett. "People should do what makes them feel more comfortable, and if they feel more comfortable wearing a mask, then they should do so."

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said it makes sense to keep the mask rules in place for now.

"I think we should continue following the California Department of Health," Foley told City News Service. "We don't have herd immunity yet. We still have work to do even though we've done a great job. We still have about 700,000 more people we need to vaccinate.

Foley advises to wear masks "when you're out in crowds, you should still wear a mask. And if you're in a crowded shopping center or a concert venue or sporting event or indoors or in the office setting around people you don't know because you don't know if the other person is vaccinated."

Foley noted the CDC guidance provided many exemptions such as public transportation and plane travel.

Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Andrew Do and Supervisor Don Wagner issued a statement calling on the state to immediately lift the mask rules for fully vaccinated residents.

"Orange County has been ahead of the curve throughout the pandemic," Do said in a news release. "Early in the crisis, Orange County responded promptly and effectively. We were among the first to declare a local health emergency in the early days of COVID-19 on Feb. 26, 2020.

"In late March of 2020, I began to advise our residents to wear face coverings, exercise social distancing, and wash their hands often. Today, our vaccination rates are better than surrounding counties."

Do lauded the people of Orange County for "acting responsibly since the pandemic hit to protect themselves, their families, and the wider community. The board has similarly acted responsibly, directing health resources to some of our hardest-hit neighborhoods, especially in my district. That hard work has paid off. Now, the state must follow the science and recognize Orange County's success by lifting the mask mandate for residents who have followed the government's advice and got vaccinated."

Wagner shared Do's sentiment.

"The state has failed almost since the start of COVID to respond appropriately to the disease," Wagner said in the news release. "It shut down schools to our children's detriment, and almost all areas of life, rather than focus its efforts on our most at-risk citizens.

"Meanwhile, the Board of Supervisors worked hard to ensure hundreds of millions of dollars went towards securing PPEs for hospitals and to help struggling small businesses survive. It is past time for the state to look to science and relieve unnecessary restrictions. Relief from the state-wide mask mandate gives people one more reason to get vaccinated."

Foley said, "The CDC guidance has a lot of caveats that my colleagues have ignored -- the caveats that if we're in crowd places or on public transportation or airplanes and the like you still need to wear a mask."

Foley agrees that the fully vaccinated should have the liberty of not wearing a mask when around other vaccinated people.

"I've done that," she said. "I've had a fun evening with family members and friends and we didn't have to wear a mask because we're all vaccinated. It felt great. But I'm going to continue to wear masks until we get herd immunity around people I don't know."

Foley said it was especially important because California "is an international community. We have to worry about the variants. The Orange County supervisors were the last to support wearing a mask and now they're the first to say take it off."

Foley disagreed with Wagner and Do in their criticism of the state.

"I don't know why they did that at a time when we're trying to build a relationship with the state," Foley said. "We have numerous funding requests in to help us with our critical infrastructure. We're doing a great job vaccinating people. We're almost there. Just have some patience. What's the motivation to always having to poke the bear?"

Graduating to the yellow tier allows for greater attendance for many businesses such as movie theaters and gyms, while museums, zoos and aquariums can open up at 100% of capacity and for the first time bars and distilleries can open indoors.

What are you most looking forward to in the Yellow Tier? Let us know in the comments.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.