County nearing Orange Tier; CL cases plummet

As Riverside County preps for entering yet another less-restrictive tier, Canyon Lake COVID-19 cases continue to decrease. This past week saw only four new positive COVID-19 cases within the boundaries of the City of Canyon Lake. And, more importantly, another week passed with a COVID-19-related death in the city.

The county is hitting the metrics that will allow it to enter the Orange Tier after spoenind just a few weeks in the Red Tier. With Orange Tier restrictions, businesses in the county, and, consequently, the city, will be allowed to open with more capacity as soon as next week.

The COVID-19 statistics show the county barely hovering over the minimum number of virus cases required to enter the Orange Tier, according to County Director of Public Health Kim Saruwatari. The number of new cases in the county per 100,000 people is currently at 4.1, she said during the Tuesday Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting. The state requires that number to be below 4.0.

Where Riverside County qualifies for lowering tier levels is in the vaccinating of those in disadvantaged communities within the county, she said. The Orange Tier case threshold can be lowered once 4 million vaccine doses are administered in disadvantaged communities.

“The county is tracking to potentially move into the Orange Tier as soon as next week,” she said.

With the county in the Orange Tier, Canyon Lake bars will be able to serve patrons outside; restaurants, museums, places of worship and movie theaters will be able to increase indoor capacity from 25% to 50%; and gyms and fitness centers can move from 10% to 25% capacity, among other changes.

The City of Canyon Lake has had a total of 943 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which ranks it the number nine lowest-infected city per capita in the county. The city ranks number 10 in lowest deaths, 15, in the county, per capita. 8.47% of Canyon Lake’s population has had COVID-19 and 1.35% of the population in the city have died from it.