Coronavirus California: Map shows which counties can, can't reopen under reopening tiers

ByAlix Martichoux KGO logo

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Coronavirus California: Explaining CA's reopening tiers, stay-at-home orderHere's how the four-tier, color-coded classification system works in California.

UPDATE, June 15, 12 p.m.: California has retired its color-coded county reopening tiers and entered a statewide reopening. There are no more state-mandated social distancing requirements nor capacity limits. The story and map below show counties' reopening statuses and restrictions as they last stood on June 14, 2021.

California is loosening its tier guidelines, which is allowing more counties to start opening up.

These changes come as the state considers how equitably vaccine distribution is going when deciding how much counties should be allowed to reopen. To put it simply, as California administers more vaccines to zip codes hardest hit by the pandemic, it will become a bit easier to for counties to move into less restrictive tiers.

VACCINE TRACKER: How California is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine

The four tiers are yellow, orange, red and purple. Yellow indicates minimal COVID-19 spread and allows for nearly all businesses to reopen indoor operations (as long as physical distancing and face-covering requirements are in place). Purple means there is widespread COVID-19 transmission in the county. In the early stages of the four-tier system, pretty much all non-essential business had to close in the purple tier. These days, much more is allowed at limited capacity. (See below for details.)

See the map below to find out where your county stands and keep reading to learn what can and can't open in each color-coded category.

App users: For a better experience, click here to view the full map in a new window

Now that 4 million vaccine doses have been administered to those living in the "Vaccine Equity Quartile", a set of less strict metrics is being used to determine a county's tier status:

Widespread (purple): Counties with more than 10 daily new cases per 100,000 residents
Substantial (red): 6 to 10 daily new cases per 100,000 residents
Moderate (orange): 2 to 5.9 daily new cases per 100,000
Minimal (yellow): Less than 2 daily new cases per 100,000

Each color code has a different set of rules regarding what businesses are and aren't allowed to reopen, whether they can open indoors or outdoors, and at what capacity they can operate. Here's how it breaks down by category:

PURPLE

Hair salons: open indoors with modifications
Retail: open indoors at 25% capacity
Malls: open indoors at 25% capacity and food courts closed
Nail salons: open indoors with modifications
Electrolysis: open indoors with modifications
Personal care services (body waxing, etc.): open indoor with modifications
Tattooing and piercing: open indoors with modifications
Museums, zoos and aquariums: outdoor only
Places of worship: open indoors at 25% capacity
Movie theaters: outdoor only
Hotels: open with modifications
Gyms: outdoor only
Restaurants: outdoor only
Wineries, breweries and distilleries: outdoor only until 8 p.m.
Bars: closed
Family entertainment centers: outdoor only, like mini golf, batting cages and go-kart racing
Cardrooms: outdoor only
Non-essential offices: remote work only
Professional sports: outdoor only with 100 or fewer spectators
Schools: must stay closed
Theme parks: Must stay closed
Live performances: outdoor only with 100 or fewer spectators

RED

Hair salons: open indoors with modifications
Retail: open indoors at 50% capacity
Malls: open indoors at 50% capacity and limited food courts
Nail salons: open indoors with modifications
Electrolysis: open indoors with modifications
Personal care services (body waxing, etc.): open indoor with modifications
Tattooing and piercing: open indoors with modifications
Museums, zoos and aquariums: open indoors at 25% capacity
Places of worship: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
Movie theaters: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
Hotels: open with modifications, plus fitness centers can open at 10% capacity
Gyms: open indoors at 10% capacity
Restaurants: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
Wineries, breweries and distilleries: outdoor only until 8 p.m.
Bars: closed
Family entertainment centers: outdoor only, like mini golf, batting cages and go-kart racing
Cardrooms: outdoor only
Non-essential offices: remote work only
Professional sports: outdoor only at 20% capacity
Schools: can reopen for in-person instruction after five days out of the purple tier
Theme parks: can reopen at 15% capacity
Live performances: outdoor only at 20% capacity (allowed indoors at limited capacity starting April 15)

ORANGE

Hair salons: open indoors with modifications
Retail: open indoors with modifications
Malls: open indoors with limited food court capacity
Nail salons: open indoors with modifications
Electrolysis: open indoors with modifications
Personal care services (body waxing, etc.): open indoor with modifications
Tattooing and piercing: open indoors with modifications
Museums, zoos and aquariums: open indoors at 50% capacity
Places of worship: open indoors at 50% capacity
Movie theaters: open indoors at 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer
Hotels: open with modifications, plus their indoor pools can open and fitness centers can open at 25% capacity
Gyms: open indoors at 25% capacity and can open indoor pools
Restaurants: open indoors at 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer
Wineries, breweries and distilleries: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
Bars: outdoor only
Family entertainment centers: open indoors at 25% capacity for naturally distanced activities like bowling and rock climbing walls
Cardrooms: open indoors at 25% capacity
Non-essential offices: encourage telework but can reopen in-person work spaces
Professional sports: outdoor stadiums can have audiences up to 33% capacity
Schools: can reopen for in-person instruction after five days out of the purple tier
Theme parks: can reopen at 25% capacity
Live performances: outdoor only at 33% capacity (allowed indoors at limited capacity starting April 15)

YELLOW

Hair salons: open indoors with modifications
Retail: open indoors with modifications
Malls: open indoors with limited food court capacity
Nail salons: open indoors with modifications
Electrolysis: open indoors with modifications
Personal care services (body waxing, etc.): open indoor with modifications
Tattooing and piercing: open indoors with modifications
Museums, zoos and aquariums: open indoors with modifications
Places of worship: open indoors at 50% capacity
Movie theaters: open indoors at 50% capacity
Hotels: open with modifications, plus their indoor pools can open, spas can open, and fitness centers can open at 50% capacity
Gyms: open indoors at 50% capacity, plus saunas, spas, steam rooms and indoor pools can open
Restaurants: open indoors at 50% capacity
Wineries, breweries and distilleries: open indoors at 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer
Bars: open indoors at 25% capacity
Family entertainment centers: open indoors at 50% capacity including arcades, ice skating, roller skating, and indoor playgrounds
Cardrooms: open indoors at 50% capacity
Non-essential offices: encourage telework but can reopen in-person work spaces
Professional sports: outdoor stadiums can have audiences up to 67% capacity
Schools: can reopen for in-person instruction after five days out of the purple tier
Theme parks: can reopen at 35% capacity
Live performances: outdoor only at 67% capacity (allowed indoors at limited capacity starting April 15)