Central Coast residents react to new California reopening guidelines
ORCUTT, Calif. - Governor Gavin Newsom announced new reopening guidelines Friday. This comes as California's COVID-19 numbers are improving.
The governor announced a new four tier system. The two key metrics that decide tier level are daily new case count and percentage of positive tests.
"This is a dynamic process," said Governor Newsom. He said they came to the new system with "considerations that we make in real time with experts and county health officers."
Both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties fall into the top purple tier, meaning the virus is widespread.
To go into the next tier, red or substantial spread, we need to have only four to seven new daily cases per 100,000 people. We also need to have a positivity rate between 5 to 8 percent.
Both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties already meet the positivity rate goal.
Santa Barbara County needs to drop 2 cases per 100,000 to move into the red tier. San Luis Obispo County needs to drop 0.3 cases per 100,000.
Counties must remain in a tier for three weeks before they are able to move to another stage and reopen more of the economy, and a county must meet the next tier's criteria for at least two consecutive weeks.
Most restrictions already in place will not change for the time being. Central Coast residents have mixed reactions to the new guidelines.
"I like the fact that it's going to open up slowly," said Winston Binney, an Orcutt resident. "It gives us hope that there's a possibility that if everything is done properly, then maybe in the future we won't have to shut down again."
Chad Jordan, an Orcutt resident, said, "It's a moving target every single time. It feels like another hoop that we're jumping through."
Jordan added that working in the salon industry, he is very glad to see updates to salons reopening. He said that hair salons and barbershops are among the cleanest establishments.
The governor announced that barbershops and hair salons could open as early as Monday.
"Honestly it couldn't come quicker for us," said Beacon Barber Shop owner Kevin Pischke. "We're super eager and really can't wait to see our customers."
