COVID: With Marin On Brink Of Yellow Tier, An Expert Gives Pointers On Mask Etiquette
LARKSPUR (KPIX) -- Marin County could be the first Bay Area county this year to drop into the least restrictive Yellow Tier on Tuesday.
Right now, the region is teetering between the Orange and Yellow Tier.
At Marin Brewing Company in Larkspur, just being on the brink of advancing to yellow is already boosting people's moods.
"It's promising news that things are changing in the right direction finally," said Manager Christian Hansen. "I think it's hopeful that everything is going to be better for a lot of people. It brings a lot of energy, and I think a lot of people are excited."
Though the indoor dining capacity will stay at 50 percent under the Yellow Tier, bars will be allowed to reopen indoors at 25 percent capacity.
At this point a little more than half of Marin's residents are fully vaccinated.
"My understanding is that right now if you have - everybody's been vaccinated, then you don't need to wear masks at a function like a wedding or a reception or something like that," said UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford.
Dr. Rutherford said different rules do apply for large crowds like ball games and gatherings. We should also still err on the side of caution.
"You do need to wear a mask, that's the state mandate, it's still the state mandate when you're out and about," said Dr. Rutherford. "I wear a mask when I go to the grocery store. I'm completely vaccinated. But I think it's the prudent thing to do and I think it's also sort of part of etiquette to model good behavior."
Marin residents and visitors said they're more than ready to embrace the Yellow Tier.
"We're just really stuck, and people want to go out to eat, they want to go work out, they want to be together. So I think being able to do that is - it's time, it's a good thing," said Andrea Kenkart of Novato.
Peter Bowie lives in Sonoma County but works in Marin.
"I just love talking to people, that's just the reality, it's been a year of not being able to just kind of come out into the community, and share our experiences," said Bowie. "I think it's time hopefully for people to do that safely."
Governor Gavin Newsom has said he plans to do away with the tiered system entirely by June 15.
