Contra Costa County Moves into the Orange Tier

Saint Mary’s College shifts into the Orange Tier for COVID-19 safety. Various on campus resources open back up for both residential and off-campus student communities. 

By Evan Rodrigues
News Reporter

As of April 7th, Contra Costa County entered into the Orange Tier. This comes after factors of improvement were maintained for three weeks. The COVID19.CA.GOV webpage offers updates on California’s case rates alongside information on the tier system itself. 

“Every county in California is assigned to a tier based on its positivity rate, adjusted case rate, and health equity metric. Counties must remain in a tier for at least 3 weeks before moving to a less restrictive tier. Counties must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks to move to a less restrictive tier.”

Saint Mary’s College administration has announced the campus changes corresponding to the tier upgrade. An email from Vice Provost for Student Life Jane Camarillo lists the changes students should be aware of.

“Here are the key changes with the Orange Tier:

• The Recreation Center is open at 25% capacity to all students;
  
• Dryden Student Commons is open to on and off campus students;
  
• Sunday Student Mass is open to all students;
  
• GaelPantry is open to all students and is moving back to Soda Center;
  
• Outdoor Informal Social Gatherings are open to all students;
  
• The Library will open to all students at 25% capacity as of Thursday, April 8;
  
• The Museum of Art will open to all students; check their website for updated days and hours; (now open)
  
• Events are permitted for residential students and off campus students with room capacity modifications.” (April 6, Jane Camarillo)
  

Sporting events are now on the table for students, with modified seating and advanced registration. The LiveSafe health screenings are still required to enter campus, and social distancing protocols are still required. As noted at the end of VP Camarillo’s message, there is more information available on the Campus Services page. 

While it is promising that businesses are now able to serve more guests, a press release from the Contra Costa Health Services highlights the need for continued caution. The April 6th article reads:

“Contra Costa Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano said people should not let down their guard yet. He noted that case rates have plateaued recently, suggesting a slowdown in the recovery. ‘We are still in a pandemic and people should continue to act accordingly: Keep wearing masks in public and get vaccinated as soon as you can. I still strongly recommend people to avoid most indoor activities with people outside of their own household until they are fully vaccinated,’ Dr. Farnitano said.”

If you are uncertain when it comes to rules and regulations and how to stay safe, make sure to do your research before making plans to go out. For more information, visit the links below. 

Author’s note:
https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/
https://cchealth.org/press-releases/2021/0406-ccc-orange-tier.php
https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/covid-19-news-resources/campus-services-status