Social bubbles and dining can resume in Berkeley, which is effective immediately

Berkeley can immediately resume social bubbles, outdoor dining and haircuts as it re-evaluates press level. The move follows Gavin Newsom’s announcement today that the entire state will be exempt from restrictive shelter-in-place rules enforced in December to stem a COVID-19 boom.

The news comes almost two months after Bay Area provinces decided to propose Newsom’s place-to-place shelter based on the ICU capacity of 15%. The Bay and the majority of the state are now purple again, meaning the virus is “widespread” in these communities.

Provinces will now return to level assessments based on individual case data, as opposed to following a region-based ICU model, although much of the Bay Area acted during the pandemic. On Monday morning, Alameda County announced that the Bay Area region met the criteria leave the local home order “Due to encouraging long-term projections for the availability of ICU beds.”

Alameda County currently has 30% ICU capacity and the Bay Area region is at 24.3%. The state guidelines are based on projections for next month, and local ICU capabilities are expected to improve further during that time. If their region worsens, the Bay could return to the shelter-in-place orders again.

City spokesman Matthai Chakko said Berkeley would not impose any additional restrictions on activities or businesses allowed below the press level. This is what it means:

• Social bubbles between three households, just outside
• Outdoors can be reopened
• Grocery stores can increase their capacity from 35% to 50%
• Haircuts and personal services can be resumed indoors
• Retail will remain at 20%
• There will be no changes to the school openings until Alameda County reaches the red level, but schools that have already opened may remain open.

Alameda County has not yet updated its COVID-19 reopening page on Monday afternoon, but the latest health order joins the state and does not contain additional restrictions. Berkeley has its own department of health, but stricter guidelines in Alameda County will still affect the city if imposed.

The change could cause some backlash as the Bay and surrounding regions continue to recover after a spate of balloon falls and deaths. Between December and the end of January, deaths in Berkeley jumped from 9 to 26. During the same period, Berkeley saw more cases than he had recorded in the previous ten months since the beginning of the pandemic in March.

The COVID-19 vaccine vaccination began during the winter push and continues in Berkeley. The city received 2,500 additional doses in the past week and is currently prioritizing health workers and residents over the age of 75.

“We are still in a critical phase,” Chakko said, explaining that the city and region are no longer ‘shrinking’ to 0% ICU capacity and overcrowded hospitals, as seen in Los Angeles, but the cases and deaths are higher. than ever before. Residents should weigh the risks of choosing their activities, keep social distance, cover themselves and stay home where possible, he added.