Sep 2 Statement from Alameda County Health Care Services Agency
Published on September 03, 2020
Alameda County Issues In-Person Learning Readiness Questionnaire for Schools Allows Selected
Activities in Alignment with State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy Purple Tier
ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA – On Friday, August 28, 2020, the State announced a shift from its Monitoring List to a color-coded four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy. In doing so, the State altered requirements for some businesses and activities, allowed opening of some that had been prohibited and imposing new standards on others. The State also reiterated that local Health Officers can be more restrictive than the State. Alameda County is in the Purple Tier, which indicates widespread COVID-19 in our county.
Alignment with State on Selected Activities with Purple Tier
We have carefully examined the activities permitted by the State to reopen in the Purple Tier, taking into consideration the risk, timing and cadence of reopening activities, as well as their downstream impact on local disease conditions that could limit future activities. Alameda County is aligning with a limited selection of the State’s Purple Tier permitted activities. Starting Friday, September 4, 2020:
Sectors previously allowed to open by Alameda County, then closed or modified during the Monitoring List era, are now reopened by the State: indoor malls, with a new 25% capacity restriction and continued mandatory closure of food courts and public congregation points.
Sectors previously allowed by the County, now aligned with new, more restrictive State measures: retail stores with a 25% capacity limit, and grocery stores with a 50% capacity limit.
Sectors previously allowed by the Alameda County are newly authorized to operate indoors:
• Hair salons and barbershops; guidance for hair salons and barbershops and indoor retail are available at https://covid-19.acgov.org/recovery.page.
Outdoor recreational activities in the Purple Tier that clarify existing activities and are allowed by Alameda County:
• Outdoor dance classes as part of outdoor non-contact fitness classes;
• Mini-golf, batting cages, driving ranges, and kart racing, as allowed by the State’s Family Entertainment Center Guidance.
Shared play structures continue to be closed, including bounce houses, ball pits and playgrounds.
Other activities that may be allowed in the Purple Tier by the State are still not permitted in Alameda County at this time. For a complete list of activities that are open and not open in Alameda County, visit: https://covid-19.acgov.org/covid19-assets/docs/recovery/approved-open-and-closed-businesses2020.09.02-01.pdf. We will continue to monitor local COVID-19 indicators to guide further re-openings.
The Alameda County Public Health Department encourages residents and businesses to adjust activities and plans as needed in response to changes in air quality during wildfire season. When air quality is poor, residents should stay inside when possible with doors and windows shut. For air quality updates and forecasts, visit the Bay Area Air Quality Management District or AirNow.gov.
In-Person Learning Readiness Questionnaire
Since Alameda County is in the Purple Tier, schools are not permitted to open for in-person learning until disease conditions improve and we move into the next tier (Red) for 14 days. To move into the Red Tier, the county’s case rate will need to be between 4-7 new cases per day per 100,000 County residents, and a testing positivity of between 5-8%. While we are in the Purple Tier, the County may accept waivers to allow in-person learning for elementary (TK-6) schools.
As a part of the waiver application process, schools and districts will need to develop and post on their website a reopening plan that addresses categories that include disinfection, cohorting, health screenings, contact tracing and testing of all staff. Implementation of these necessary precautionary measures to allow for a waiver may be burdensome for many schools and districts in Alameda County. In addition, all schools are encouraged to utilize the State’s guidance for Small Cohorts/Groups of Children and Youth to best serve their highest needs students. The State has also provided a Frequently Asked Questions document to support implementation of school-based small cohorts.
The Alameda County Office of Education and the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency are requesting that all schools and school districts complete the In-Person Learning Readiness Questionnaire to report their use of school-based small cohorts to serve high needs students and to indicate their interest in applying for a TK-6 waiver. Questionnaire responses will be used to plan for public health infrastructure and technical assistance needed to support safe in-person learning across Alameda County.
All schools and districts should complete the questionnaire regardless of their intent to seek a waiver. For schools that wish to indicate their interest in applying for a TK-6 waiver, this questionnaire is the first step in the process.
The questionnaire is available at https://covid-19.acgov.org/schools.page? and should be submitted by noon on September 11, 2020.
Safe reopening of our schools for in-person learning is a collective effort involving families, schools, and the community. To help Alameda County move to a less restrictive tier, please wear a mask in public, wash your hands regularly, keep at least six feet of physical distance when in public, and limit mixing with people outside your household.
Neetu Balram, Public Information Manager