Monterey County Health Department shares what needs to be done before more reopenings
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County Health Department shared what criteria has been met and what is left to do before moving further into Stage 2 of reopenings.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced modified criteria that could allow more California counties to move into the extension of Stage 2. The extension allows dine-in restaurants and shopping centers to reopen.
To get state approval to move further into Stage 2, counties have to meet certain criteria. The counties have to meet indicators for epidemiologic stability of COVID-19, protection of Stage 1 essential workers, testing capacity, containment capacity, hospital capacity, vulnerable populations, timelines and triggers for adjusting modifications.
The Monterey County Health Department said it has met epidemiologic stability because the average percent change in hospitals over the last 7 days, and the maximum daily number of hospitalized patients in the last 14 days is 9. The county is required to show a stable or decreasing number of patients hospitalized by a 7 day average of daily percent change that is less than or equal to 5% or no more than 20 patients hospitalized on any day over the past 14 days. The cumulative incidence rate is at 23.5 per 100,000, and it needs to be less than 25. The county must also have a 14 day test positivity rate of less than 8%, and Monterey County is at 5.6%.
The county has also met the minimum daily testing capacity indicator and the capacity of hospitals to accommodate patients at a volume of greater than or equal to 35%.
Information about several indicators is still being compiled or is in development, including: links to copies of distributed guidance for employers and essential workers, availability of supplies, a COVID-19 surveillance plan, a plan to prevent and mitigate the virus in skilled nursing facilities, plans for moving through Stage 2 and metrics to be used as triggers to slow or tighten Stage 2 modifications.
The county currently does not have enough contact tracing staff, but said it has a plan to meet the goal.
Read more about the criteria and Monterey County's status below.
