COVID-19 cases rise in Fresno, Tulare; data show counties moving through reopening tiers
Fresno County added more than 70 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus to its growing total on Thursday, while neighboring Tulare County’s total increased by nearly 60 cases.
Together, the central San Joaquin Valley’s two most populous counties added more than 125 cases, and one additional death, to the toll that COVID-19 has taken in the region.
The California Department of Public Health reported Thursday the addition of 71 new infections in Fresno County, raising the total since early March to 29,650. Tulare County’s Department of Health and Human Services in its Thursday update acknowledged 57 new cases, for a cumulative total of 17,072.
Tulare County also reported one death Thursday. Since the first local cases in the global pandemic surfaced in March, 274 Tulare County residents have lost their lives to COVID-19.
Around the Valley
Thursday’s updates from counties in the central San Joaquin Valley include:
Fresno County: 71 new cases Thursday, 29,650 to date; no additional deaths, 424 to date; 19,407 people recovered. Fresno County only updates deaths and recoveries on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Kings County: 12 new cases, 8,115 to date; 1 additional death, 83 to date, 6,445 people recovered. The case count includes more than 3,630 infections among inmates at state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran.
Madera County: 14 new cases, 4,822 to date; no additional deaths, 73 to date; 4,429 people recovered.
Mariposa County: No new cases, 77 to date; no additional deaths, two to date; 74 people recovered.
Merced County: 16 new cases, 9,302 to date; no additional deaths, 152 to date; recoveries not reported.
Tulare County: 57 new cases, 17,072 to date; one additional death; 274 to date; 16,190 people recovered.
Among Valley counties, Fresno, Kings and Merced counties are now in Tier 2 of the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” that lays out the extent to which businesses and other economic sectors can resume or expand operations after sweeping restrictions put in place in the spring and summer to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Counties are assigned to the color-coded tiers based on the number of new daily cases per 100,000 residents and on the percentage of residents tested to are found to be infected with the virus. After being in purple Tier 1, the most restrictive tier for “widespread” risk of transmitting the virus in the community, when the blueprint was introduced on Aug. 31, Fresno, Merced and Kings counties are now in red Tier 2. Tier 2 denotes “substantial” risk of transmission.
The next step for each county, if they don’t regress in their progress, would be Tier 3, color-coded orange for “moderate” risk of spreading the virus.
Mariposa County, which entered the blueprint in the orange tier on Aug. 31, is now in yellow Tier 4, the least restrictive level.
Madera and Tulare counties remain in purple Tier 1.
Under Tier 1, restaurants, churches, movie theaters, fitness clubs, family amusement centers, museums and zoos are restricted to outdoor operations only. Elementary schools can only reopen to resume limited classroom activities if they receive a waiver from their county and the state.
Under the red Tier 2, retailers and shopping centers can be open at up to 50% capacity, but common areas of shopping centers are closed and food courts are at reduced capacity. Schools can also reopen with limited capacities without a waiver if a county has been in the red tier for at least two weeks.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 2:10 PM.
