California updates criteria for tier assignments in Blueprint for a Safer Economy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KION) The California Department of Public Health announced Thursday that it has updated its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which determines county COVID-19 restrictions.

The tier assignment already takes a county's adjusted case rate and test positivity rate into account, but now it will also account for hospitalization data.

If the CDPH finds that there are "objective signs of stability or improvement" in the data, a county may stay in a less restrictive tier.

Unless other circumstances arise, counties will only move to a more restrictive tier if hospitalizations increase significantly in vulnerable populations or among those who have already been vaccinated. The positivity rate and adjusted case rate would also need to show an increase in transmission.

The state did not provide any additional details.