Due to COVID-19, Ventura County is currently in the red tier, but should transition into the orange tier in the near future. The tiers represent places opening up more, including in-person learning.

According to abc30, being in the red tier means personal care services can be opened indoors with modifications, retail can open indoors at half capacity, and schools can reopen for in-person learning after two weeks into the red tier, and much more.

Ventura County had the possibility of moving into the orange tier as early as Oct. 27. Now, since the number of reported COVID-19 daily cases have gotten much larger recently it seems unlikely Ventura County will meet the criteria for changing tiers. We are still in the red tier, and might even bump down into the purple tier.

The main way to move tiers is to have a certain number of daily cases per day; the daily number must be in a certain rage. To move into the orange tier, there must be about 8-34 (per 100k) daily cases per day. In the red tier, the number of daily cases must be about 32-56 (per 100k).

According to Ventura County Recovers, the number of daily cases for the night of Nov. 3 is 41k, placing our county in the middle of the red tier. To move to the orange tier, there must be at least 7 fewer daily cases. As of the night of Nov. 13, the number of daily cases in Ventura County is 265k.

Once in the orange tier, more activities will start to reopen more. One main activity reopening are schools. In the red tier, schools can reopen after 14 days, once the schools have prepped for students and staff to attend safely. In the orange tier, all grades can go back to in-person learning based on state and county guidance.

Also, in the orange tier, movie theaters can open with 50% capacity, restaurants can open with 50% capacity indoors, family entertainment centers can open indoors at 25% capacity, and much more. More activities will be able to happen, just not with full capacity. Only then Ventura County will be able to slowly move into the yellow tier.

There is not a set day for Ventura County to move into the orange tier because it all depends on how well the number of residents who are healthy. When Ventura County does move into the orange tier, more activities will open up as long as the number of COVID-19 cases decrease.