Monterey County awaits approval from state to move to red tier

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) Monterey County is waiting to hear back from the state after submitting an application that would allow the county to move to the red tier, if approved.

In the red tier, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, aquariums, zoos and places of worship would be allowed to open indoors with limited capacity.

Here's a look at the what the county's numbers are which help determine whether or not they can move to the next tier:

The county argues they can move into the red tier because the state miscalculated the third metric, known as the health equity metric, and that it's lower than the state is reporting. With both that metric and the county's overall positivity rate low enough to move into the orange tier, the county says they should be able to move into the red tier, per the state's requirements.

Here's a look at those state requirements for reopening:

With the cooler weather, rain and wind starting to come in on the Central Coast, outdoor dining may not be as sustainable as the seasons change. Business owners KION spoke with say any ease in restrictions will help.

Thankfully, the weather was pretty nice in Salinas Monday afternoon to eat out on the patio, but gusty winds recently damaged a tent at Norma's Family Restaurant in Salinas.

But business hasn’t been the same since the start of the pandemic.

"The volume is really low compared to with the indoor dining. We have 35 tables inside and we’re seating 3 tables outside,” Owner Daniel Boudreault said.

Boudreault told KION to-go orders have been sustaining the business and they’re pushing through.

The possibility of reopening indoor dining would be a welcome change for him and other business owners we spoke with.

Moving to the red tier would mean that restaurants could operate at a maximum of 25 percent capacity indoors or 100 people, whichever is fewer.

But with the restrictions, business owners are weighing the pros and cons.

"If it’s at 25 percent, I mean, it’s an uptick from where we’re at right now at 10 percent outside and then being able to sit inside, I know that customers are going to like that a lot more,” Boudreault said. “The conditions under which we are able to seat them in the restaurant are possibly a con, we don’t know if that’s going to cost more than what it’s going to produce."

In addition to restaurants, gyms could also resume indoor operations in the red tier with modifications, including a maximum 10 percent capacity. 

The Reborn Fit Co-owner Hugo Gonzalez said they have been adapting at their gym in Salinas by moving their classes and training sessions outdoors but they’re ready to get back inside.

“That’s something that, you know, we’ve been waiting for for the past months now, not only for the business aspect but also for the security of our clientele with the weather changing constantly, and now it’s getting colder,” Gonzalez said.

Under the state’s reopening plan, counties that move to a new tier can stay there for two weeks, but if the situation worsens, they may have to move back to a lower tier.

The county is still waiting to hear from the state about their request. The state’s health department typically releases updated tier assignments on Tuesday, so we could hear more tomorrow.