Several weeks have gone by since Governor Newsom paused California’s reopening plan due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, leaving California businesses with little guidance as to when they could resume reopening. On August 28, 2020, the state finally released The Blueprint for a Safer Economy. This new blueprint for reopening is a four-tier, color-coded system that lays out the restrictions for each activity in each county, with Tier 1 being the most restrictive.
- Tier 1 – Purple: Widespread
- Tier 2 – Red: Substantial
- Tier 3 – Orange: Moderate
- Tier 4 – Yellow: Minimal
While most of the state’s counties are in currently in Tier 1 (hence the prevalence of purple in the map), California residents and businesses owners will receive weekly updates related to their county’s progress and whether the COVID-related metrics qualify the county to move up a tier where more businesses and activities are allowed to resume and less restrictions apply. The Blueprint went into effect on August 31, 2020 and the first update will be provided on September 8, 2020.
While we continue to grapple with the uncertainty that is COVID-19, this new Blueprint at least provides a framework to plan ahead for both businesses and individuals. Check out this Alert written by our own Liku Madoshi for more information on California’s new blueprint, and how it might impact you.