Napa County on Tuesday moved to orange on the state s COVID-19 rating scale and is subject to fewer business and activity restrictions â for now.
Being in orange allows restaurants, movie theaters and fitness centers to serve more people indoors. Wineries can hold indoor tastings and bowling alleys can reopen. Â
The move up to orange takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.Â
But Dr. Karen Relucio, county public health officer, said that the county s most recent COVID-19 rates are trending higher. Unless that changes, the county could fall back into red on April 14.
âOur overarching goal is to remain orange,â Relucio told the Napa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. âWe donât want this to be short-lived.â
California reports that Napa Countyâs estimated population has shrunk slightly for the fourth consecutive year, leaving the county with fewer people than it had in 2012.
The county on July 2020 had 138,711 residents, according to the state Department of Financeâs preliminary estimate. Thatâs lower than the revised 139,874 estimate in 2019, the all-time high of 141,649 in 2016 and even the 139,026 in 2012.
Visible signs are mixed. On one hand, hundreds of new apartments can be seen in the city of Napa. But the 2017 wildfires destroyed about 650 rural homes. Last yearâs Hennessey and Glass fires more than doubled that number, but came after the population estimate time window.