Right now, Marin County is an island of red amid a sea of Bay Area counties on the highest level purple tier.
But local officials say they expect Marin to join the rest of the Bay Area in the purple within a week or two. And that would mean tighter restrictions for the county, possibly stricter than the county has seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
"From a public health standpoint, there are a variety of activities that are still allowed that might be changed," said Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s public health officer.
One change that would go into effect automatically is that the county would fall under the state’s overnight stay-at-home order, which prohibits people from leaving their homes to socialize with others after 10 p.m.
Dr. Willis said the county could decide to make that order even stricter.
"The curfew that was opposed overnight could be imposed through the day as well. It’d be more of our original shelter in place approach," which the Bay Area experienced in the spring. "(It’s) even more important than it was then. I think that rule to - if you don’t have a good reason to be out, to stay home with your household members, is critical. This is I think the most critical juncture we’ve been at in our pandemic response, ever."
Other proposals include reducing the capacity allowed at indoor businesses, or even closing outdoor dining as Los Angeles County has done.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the state may bring back a more targeted version of shelter-in-place orders as cases in California continue to surge. Those restrictions could be announced as soon as this week and are expected to impact purple counties, which currently make up nearly every county in the state.
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