On Friday, Aug. 28, Governor Gavin Newsom presented the “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” which is a tiered strategy to address the COVID-19 pandemic in California. Monday, Aug. 31, the San Joaquin County Public Health Officer updated the local order to adopt and implement the State Blueprint.

In alignment with Tier 1, the following sectors are permitted for “OUTDOOR operations only” until further notice:

Personal care services (nail salons, body waxing, massage, estheticians);

Museums, zoos, aquariums;

Places of worship;

Movie theaters;

Gyms and fitness centers;

Restaurants;

Wineries;

Family Entertainment Centers (e.g., bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages, and arcades);

Cardrooms, satellite wagering;

Bars, pubs, brewpubs, and breweries may operate outdoors, only if they offer sit-down, outdoor meals.

In alignment with Tier 1, the following sectors are permitted to open for INDOOR operations with modifications:

Critical infrastructure;

Hair salons and barbershops;

All retail (25 percent maximum capacity);

Grocery Stores (50 percent maximum capacity);

Shopping centers (Malls, destination centers, swap meets, excluding food courts and common areas at a maximum 25 percent capacity);

Professional sports (without live audiences).

Schools in the county must remain closed for in-person instruction until the new case level is at or below seven cases per 100K per day for fourteen days. Grades K-6 may apply for a waiver when the county’s new case level decreases to 14 cases per 100K per day. To learn more about the State’s Tier system and specific allowable activities for San Joaquin County, visit the State of California’s COVID-19 Blueprint for a Safer Economy website.

The revised criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on activities to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases have placed San Joaquin County in Purple/Tier 1 (widespread) to have a daily case count of more than seven per 100,000 people and a positivity rate of more than eight percent. Presently the county’s new case rate is 16.9 per 100K per day. The earliest the county could move into the Red Tier would be Sept. 22. Data is reviewed weekly.

Residents can help the county move into a lower tier by wearing a mask when in public, washing your hands regularly, practicing physical distancing, and limiting mixing with people outside of your household. Free testing is still available through Project Baseline in Stockton or OptumServe in Lodi. Testing appointments can be made by utilizing the links at  www.SJReady.org.