Orange County Reports 94 New COVID-19 Cases As Officials Hope To Move To Orange Tier
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) -- Orange County reported 94 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, raising the cumulative case count to 250,189.
Another 27 deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 4,711.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 also declined from 172 to 170, with the number of ICU patients dropping from 31 to 28.
Orange County's daily metrics continue to keep the county on its path to move to the orange tier of the state's reopening plan. If current trends continue, the county could graduate to the orange tier by Wednesday, officials said.
The orange tier would allow for more businesses to reopen. Retail stores would not have to limit attendance, and churches, movie theaters, museums, zoos and aquariums could expand attendance to 50% of capacity.
Restaurants could expand indoor dining to 50%, wineries could offer indoor service at 25%, and bars that don't serve food could reopen outdoors for the first time.
Gyms and fitness centers could expand to 25% of capacity, and family entertainment centers could offer indoor attractions such as bowling.
Orange County is also opening another large vaccination site at the Costa Mesa fairgrounds next week, Supervisor Katrina Foley said.
"It will have extended hours so that people who work or can't take a day of work ... will be able to go at more flexible times,'' Foley said.
Foley added she was "working on having some designated lines'' for various categories such as hospital, food industry or theme park workers.
The site will have walk-up and drive-through appointments, Foley said. She would also like to have a no-appointment option as well, "which will help us reach the more vulnerable communities,'' who struggle with making an appointment through the county's website or app.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)