Wine Country Times

Sonoma County will move to the less restrictive red tier of California's four-tier, color-coded blueprint for a Safer Economy on Sunday, March 14.

The changes mean some additional non-essential indoor business operations, such as movie theaters, gyms, museums, zoos and aquariums, can open with limited capacity since the county has progressed from a widespread risk of transmissions down to a substantial risk.

Wineries, breweries and distilleries that do not serve meals can open for outdoor operation but must ensure that patrons have reservations and observe a 90-minute time limit. These businesses also need to end service for on-site consumption by 8:00 p.m.

"The move to the red tier is the most hopeful news that our community has received in a long time," Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Sonoma County board of supervisors, said in a release from the Sonoma County Administrator's Office. 

She encouraged residents to continue to wear masks, avoid large gatherings and get tested for the coronavirus in order to control its spread and to hasten the reopening of the economy.

The shift to red also means schools in the county, from transitional Kindergarten to grade 12, may reopen after they have posted their COVID-19 safety plan to their website homepage at least five days prior to starting in-person instruction.

Sonoma County Health Officer Sundari Mase is thankful for everyone who is contributing to the battle against COVID-19.

"From the staff providing vaccinations and testing, to the community organizations providing outreach and education, to every individual who is choosing to wear face coverings and practice social distancing, each of you is making a difference," she said in a release from the Sonoma County Administrator's Office.

Vaccination dissemination was flat last week and clinics used the supply to provide second doses, Paul Gullixon, Sonoma County communication manager, told KSRO. The county did, however, get 1,700 doses of the one-shot vaccine by Johnson & Johnson and those went to people who have not gotten the vaccine before.

“We’re told more vaccines are coming, we just don't know when,” Gullixon said. “Supply continues to be a concern, but we’re hopeful that we’ll start to see it go up.”

One case of the coronavirus variant first detected in the U.K. was discovered in Sonoma County earlier this month. The county is concerned about variants because they tend to be more contagious, Gullixon said. But they’re also confident that the vaccines they are administering work against the variants.

“The faster we can get vaccines in arms, the less likelihood we have more problematic mutations down the road,” he said.