State issues less strict COVID guidelines for Fresno County breweries and wineries
Fresno County reported 122 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, the same day state officials said breweries and wineries will have looser guidelines this weekend.
The county has now totaled 96,866 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Any change in the number of deaths is expected to be reported later Thursday, and remains at 1,519 for the time being.
Meanwhile, the state on Thursday announced looser restrictions on breweries and wineries beginning Saturday, the CDPH said in a news release on Thursday.
The looser restrictions means breweries, wineries and distilleries that do not serve meals can open outdoors with modifications. Those business in counties in the purple or red tiers had previously been closed altogether.
However, most breweries and wineries in Fresno County have already been operating because they serve food or have partnered with food trucks. That allows them to operate much like a restaurant during the pandemic, which means there are restrictions on capacity.
Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties are all in the purple tier, while Mariposa has moved up to orange.
The modifications for those businesses require reservations and a 90-minute time limit for the customers’ stay, CDPH said. On-site consumption also ends at 8 p.m.
Bars that do not serve food remain closed in those tiers, CDPH said.
The latest updates come a day after the House approved President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which provides money for struggling local governments and efforts to tamp down the spread of the deadly virus.
To date, Fresno County has received 221,654 doses of vaccines. That number does not include those vaccines distributed to larger providers, like Kaiser Permanente and CVS Pharmacy.
Providers have reported administering 10,988,301 vaccine doses statewide, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that California is directing 40% of its vaccine supply to give shots to people living in census tracts and ZIP codes statewide that fall into the bottom 25% of the California Healthy Places Index, or HPI. The HPI assigns a score to neighborhoods based on health community conditions, assessing factors including economics, education, transportation, access to healthcare, housing, and air and water quality.
Of 376 U.S. Census Bureau tracts in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced, and Tulare counties, 215 are in that bottom quartile of neighborhoods being prioritized by Newsom. Those areas are home to more than 1.1 million people in the Valley.
State offers rapid tests to teachers
California is offering affordable rapid COVID-19 testing to school employees and students returning to campuses in an effort to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The BinaxNow tests will be available to school districts and will provide results in 15 minutes, according to the California Department of Education, which is working to identify school districts that are interested in testing students.
The news comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a school reopening deal that puts pressure on schools to get students back to their classrooms by April. Most school districts in the Sacramento region have announced reopening dates for the end of March or early April.
Other Valley counties
Tulare County reported 47 new cases Thursday of the virus, which brings the total to 48,479. A newly reported death pushed the total to 782.
Merced County tallied 68 new cases, pushing the total to 29,711 cases. A single new death brought the total to 418.
Kings County added 20 cases and added four deaths to bring the totals to 22,270 and 233, respectively.
Madera County did not report any new deaths, leaving that total at 222. A dozen new cases brings that tally to 15,648.
Mariposa County has seen 396 cases and seven deaths related to the coronavirus.
