Watsonville Businesses To Reopen As County Moves Into Yellow Tier

WATSONVILLE, CA — Watsonville businesses will further reopen Wednesday after Santa Cruz County advances into the least-restrictive tier of the state's coronavirus reopening system.

The county announced Tuesday that it moved into the yellow tier thanks to low case counts and test positivity rates. Santa Cruz County narrowly missed yellow tier status in recent weeks, partly because of COVID-19 outbreaks among youth athletes.

Santa Cruz County's yellow tier status comes a month before the state plans to do away with the four-tiered, color-coded COVID-19 risk assessment system known as the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The county can now loosen restrictions on more businesses and services.

Businesses can now operate at the following levels.

• Bars at 25 percent capacity or 50 percent capacity if customers show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
• Indoor music venues at 50 percent capacity.
• Outdoor performance venues at two-thirds capacity.
• Saunas and steam rooms at 50 percent capacity.
• Bowling alleys, arcades and other family entertainment centers at 50 percent capacity or 75 percent capacity with proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
• Gyms at 50 percent capacity.

Half of all Santa Cruz County residents 16 and older are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to state data. Just one COVID-19 patient was hospitalized here as of Monday, the most recent day for which data was available Tuesday.

The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency reported 84 active cases as of this writing.

See the full list of permitted yellow tier activities here.