San Mateo County will advance to the orange tier Wednesday in the state’s color-coded plan for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. The move will allow offices to reopen and many businesses to operate more freely.
The county will be the first in the Bay Area to graduate to orange, which indicates “moderate” spread of COVID-19 within the community.
The reopening expansion is very good news for Robin Aning, the office manager of Bel Mateo Bowl in the city of San Mateo. She says her regulars are ready to come back.
"I think its definitely going to help the mental health of our customers," Aning said. "It's more than just throwing the ball down the lanes. It gets them out of the house. It gets them feeling more normal again. So we're thrilled."
David Canepa, president of the county Board of Supervisors, called the transition to orange an important milestone.
“However, this is not the time to grow complacent," he said in a statement. "This is the time to remain strong as a community and to help those around us so that we can continue to open up our economy further.”