Contra Costa County moved into the most restrictive purple tier, or “widespread” COVID risk, effective Nov. 17, from the red tier, or “severe” risk tier – a development county officials predicted on Friday. 

Soon after the county’s press release, SRVUSD made a statement on Nov. 16 stating that their plans to reopen with a hybrid model, Phase 2 of their reopening plan, in January will not be affected “at this time” by the change “in light of the fact that we were set and prepared to reopen.”

The state stated that for schools to reopen, the county must be in the red tier or lower for two weeks, which Contra Costa did in the weeks of Oct. 27 to Nov. 10. The district is committed to “monitoring the situation closely.” They also explained that guidelines require “increasing surveillance testing of staff,” per the guidelines of the purple tier.

The city and county are pushing resources urging people to celebrate the holidays socially distant. They suggest being tested before an in-person gathering, washing hands frequently and wearing a mask whenever possible. 

To schedule a fast and free test in Contra Costa County, call 1-844-421-0804 or visit  cchealth.org/coronavirus to schedule online.

To get more information, you can go to the county’s press releases. Subscribe to the City of San Ramon’s newsletter or check the COVID-19 page of their website for updates.