Marin County had anticipated receiving permission to increase the number of people allowed in stores, restaurants and other places Tuesday, when it had hoped to become the first Bay Area county to reach the least restrictive, yellow tier since San Francisco made it there last October. But those bragging rights are now on hold because the state kept Marin at its present orange tier status.
The county said an uptick in COVID-19 cases narrowly prevented it from qualifying to move up and will keep it in the orange "a while longer." The earliest Marin can move to the yellow tier is now May 4.
“This is what the Blueprint was designed to do, to ensure a county moves forward only when we see a reliable trend of decreased transmission," Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said in a press release, referring to the state's color-coded system of moving counties in and out of different categories that dictate the level of COVID-related restrictions. "When a small uptick in cases is enough to keep us where we are, it’s a sign we’re not ready.”
The county attributed the increase in cases to travel over spring break.
As of Wednesday, around 77% of Marin residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Fifty-two percent have been fully vaccinated.
Despite the high number of vaccinations, Willis warned residents the crisis is not yet over.
“If people see relatively high community vaccination rates as a reason to let down their guard, they’re mistaken,” he said. “Children under 16 still remain unvaccinated and it takes about six weeks for newly vaccinated people to develop immunity. The fact is, we remain vulnerable to COVID-19 transmission and if we want to move forward, we have to be vigilant together.”
Marinites can make a vaccine appointment on the county's vaccination website. Members of the public should continue to cover their face, keep physically distant, and consider a free same-day COVID test and quarantining after travel outside the Bay Area.