San Francisco and Santa Clara counties will soon be the next California counties to move to the orange reopening level, further easing restrictions for more companies.
The changes to the orange level are expected to take effect on Wednesday.
“San Francisco’s health indicators continue to improve, with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations steadily declining,” the San Francisco COVID Command Center said in a statement.
COVID Command Center officials have warned residents that while the decline in coronavirus cases is encouraging, variants remain a concern.
“San Francisco continues to take health measures as it reopens. We align with the state guidelines as much as possible, but we will add specific protection measures to minimize the risk of the virus spreading. “Our approach continues to focus on expanding outdoor activities as a safer environment than indoors,” officials said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a Santa Clara County spokesman told NBC Bay Area on Sunday that their county posted orange-level numbers last week and if the numbers remain in that range until Tuesday, the county will move to the orange level on Wednesday.
At the orange level, offices can reopen for personal work schedule of up to 25% capacity and maintaining 25% capacity in conference and meeting rooms.
Other new rules include museums, zoos and aquariums that have a capacity of up to 50% indoors, movie theaters can be reopened with a capacity of less than 50% or 200 people, and shopping malls can be expanded to a capacity of 50%.
When the move happens, San Francisco and Santa Clara will join San Mateo as the second and third counties in the Bay Area to move to the orange level.
All other counties in the Bay Area are currently in the red.