Placer County Falls Back Two Tiers, Joining 40 Other Counties Across The State
ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — Coronavirus cases are doubling in California, and now Gov. Gavin Newsom is pulling what he calls an "emergency brake."
This means most of the state is sliding back to the most restrictive "purple" tier, with a big impact in Placer County, which slid back two tiers. One week ago they were in orange, now they're in purple.
The coffee is still being curated inside at The Fig Tree Cafe in Roseville, but the owners are frustrated at yet another tier change handed down from the state.
"Every time there's been a drop in a tier, we've noticed a drastic drop in the number of people who are going out," said owner, Joshua Lickter.
Placer County joins 40 others across the state now in the purple tier. El Dorado, Nevada, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba counties also rolled back into the most-restrictive reopening tier.
The restaurants off Vernon Street in Roseville are using tents to keep outdoor seating open during the cooler months. But some now say they'll stay open indoors considering Placer County isn't sending out inspectors.
READ ALSO: Placer County Leaders 'Won't Enforce Governor's Mandate' After Reversal Into Red Tier
"I'm glad we don't have to fear about constant pop inspections from the county," Lickter said.
Though as the case count continues to increase in his county, Lickter says he's focusing on outdoor operations and working to get a heating system up and fast.
"We're trying to be as safe as possible and as accommodating as possible," said Lickter.
Newsom said counties with new tier designations must make changes within 24 hours rather than three days to comply with state guidelines. But leaders in Placer County say they're telling businesses to do what they can to keep their businesses afloat despite what the state says.
"The county is going to do everything we can to help our businesses survive," Placer County Supervisor Kirk Uhler said.
He said he's seen no evidence closing down businesses will help the state fight the virus.
"So far, not in California, not even in the United States are we able to show any correlation between counties and states more open or less open or spike increases or lack thereof," he said.
Newsom says he is aware of concerns from local businesses about the restrictions and said providing financial support for small businesses is his number one priority for the state budget in 2021. Uhler said he's not confident small businesses will make it until 2021.
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