OROVILLE — With Tuesday’s announcement from Butte County Public Health that the county could be moving to a more restrictive tier under the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a chance remains that the county could stay in its current placement, but it appears to be a long shot, the county health department said.
Butte County Public Health director Danette York said at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting the county’s daily case rate has risen above the “orange” Tier 3 threshold it is currently in, meaning the county is at risk of reverting back to the “red” Tier 2 with more restrictions placed on businesses. Restaurants, for example, would be reduced to 25 percent capacity indoors, while gyms and fitness centers would be reduced to 10 percent of its capacity.
The California Department of Public Health’s latest update on Tuesday confirmed that Butte County now has 5.2 cases per 100,000, which is within the Tier 2 threshold. York pointed out that the metric is calculated as a seven-day average and is reported on a seven-day lag, so Tuesday’s update reflected data from Oct. 25-31.
Next Tuesday’s Nov. 17 update will determine whether or not Butte County moves from its current tier placement. If the county does have to move to Tier 2, it would have three days to implement the changes, York said. There is some flexibility given for counties showing signs of improvement, but based on the county’s rising numbers, Butte County Public Health does not believe they will remain in the current orange Tier 3.
“(The state) will look at the past 10 days of data right before we have to revert back to the red tier to review signs for improvement,” York said to the board Tuesday. “If we have shown signs of improvement for those 10 previous days, then we could remain in the orange tier.
“Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in cases and that does not seem likely at this point unless the public makes a major change right now and starts implementing all the non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as wearing masks, physical distancing,” York said. “There’s always a possibility, but it does not seem likely at this point.”
Butte County Public Health did not provide a case update on Wednesday as many county offices were closed for Veterans Day. However, in the four days leading up to Wednesday, there were a combined 89 new cases. That trend followed an Oct. 27 report of 32 new cases, the highest single-day mark since mid-September.
Across the state, 11 counties were moved into more restrictive tiers on Tuesday for increasing case numbers.
“Many counties are reporting significant increases and we are no exception,” York said. “We are seeing daily increases within Butte County as well.”
Based on contact tracing and case investigation, Butte County Public Health has determined many recent cases have come from small- and medium-sized gatherings, including weddings, funerals and Halloween festivities. This has also resulted in clusters of cases among families.
There have also been a number of cases linked to schools since they returned to in-person instruction in mid-October. The Chico Unified School District has reported three students and one staff member thus far who have tested positive for the virus as of Wednesday. Elsewhere in the county, cases have also been publicly reported at Gridley High School and Paradise Ridge Elementary School.
“None are considered outbreaks yet, but we have had cases in several of our schools, which we are following up on and watching closely,” York said.
Fifty-six people have died in Butte County as a result of complications from the virus. Two were reported on Monday, including a young adult between 25 and 29 who did not appear to have any underlying health conditions.
“This is very difficult to take in, and while these types of deaths are thankfully rare, it’s still devastating and of course our condolences go out to the family and loved ones,” York said.
“The only way that we can continue to protect ourselves and our loved ones is by following those non-pharmaceutical interventions and the guidance that is out there.”
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‘Not likely’ Butte County maintains current coronavirus tier status, BCPH says - Chico Enterprise-Record
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