Del Norte County is one of 45 that are in the state's most restrictive tier. Courtesy of covid19.ca.gov

Del Norte businesses have 24 hours to implement new safety measures, including outdoor-operation only, after the county moved into the state's most restrictive tier on Tuesday.

The county's new status on California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy comes after more than 50 novel coronavirus cases were identified last week, according to a letter from Public Health Officer Dr. Warren Rehwaldt. Roughly 20 new cases were reported to the Public Health Branch over the weekend, Rehwaldt said in a letter to the community Tuesday morning.

"All we need to move to Purple 35 cases in a week," he said.

According to the the state's COVID-19 web page, Del Norte County has had 22.3 new cases per day per 100,000 people and a test positivity rate of 3.4 percent.

On Monday, Rehewaldt told the Wild Rivers Outpost that a state metric for small counties allows them to stay in a less restrictive tier if they have up to 14 new cases per week.

Rehwaldt is expected to give an update on Del Norte's COVID-19 status at a special City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. today.

California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy consists of four color-coded tiers with Yellow and Orange containing the least restrictive measures and Red and Purple having the strictest.

Del Norte moved from the Orange Tier to the Red Tier last week.

Under the Purple Tier, most businesses and activities, including restaurants, movie theaters, museums, gyms, aquariums and places of worship must operate outdoors only. Retailers and shopping centers are required to operate at 25 percent indoor capacity only. No food courts are allowed.

For K-12 schools, unless they're already open to inperson instruction, they're required to offer distance learning programs only.

On Monday, Del Norte Unified School District sent a letter to parents notifying them that though the county had moved into the Red Tier on the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy, in-person learning would continue when classes resumed following the Thanksgiving break. The letter also stated that education officials would be taking steps to reopen Del Norte High School to in-person learning for its second semester.

The district urged parents to take precautions during the holiday, including requiring face masks for all students, including the youngest. For families that are traveling or hosting guests from out of the area during the holiday, the district asked that parents request two-week independent study for their students. The district also urged parents to keep sick students at home.

SHARE →