City of Brea COVID-19 Community Update August 28, 2020

State of California Announces New Re-Opening Framework

This afternoon Governor Newsom announced that the State would no longer be utilizing the County Monitoring List as a means of re-opening sectors of the economy. Starting on Monday, the State will be utilizing a statewide tiered system to guide re-openings of various business sectors, referred to as the “Blueprint for a Safer Economy.” As was the case with the County Monitoring List, the goal of the framework is to keep Californians safe and healthy. A county’s tier is based on two factors: new cases per 100,000 population and the testing positivity percentage. The Governor unveiled the four color-coded tiers that counties will fall under based on the metrics in their county. The State also launched a new platform on their COVID-19 website that allows users to input both a county and business sector to show if and where a sector is currently open, open with modifications, or closed in that area.

Orange County Categorized in Purple Tier of New Re-Opening Framework

Orange County is currently in the purple tier of the State’s new re-opening framework, which translates into it having a “widespread risk level” of COVID-19. As part of this tier, the State is permitting the re-opening of indoor operations at hair salons and barbershops as early as Monday, August 31. Shopping malls and centers are also eligible to re-open, but with a maximum capacity of 25%. However, the Orange County Health Officer must provide amended health orders prior to these indoor re-openings in Orange County. More information on this new framework and its implications will develop in the coming days.

Orange County Health Care Agency Statistics

As of August 28, the County is reporting 4 new COVID-19 cases in Brea. This brings the City’s cumulative total to 435 residents who have tested positive, and 5 residents that have passed away from the virus. According to County statistics, there have been 47,782 confirmed COVID-19 cumulative cases county-wide, 323 of which were newly-reported today. Additionally, there has unfortunately been 956 cumulative deaths to date, with 9 newly-reported today. Currently, 351 cases are hospitalized, 98 of which are in the ICU. The County estimates 40,277 individuals have recovered, but that number is speculative.

County Opens Additional COVID-19 Testing Super Site

The County of Orange has opened a second COVID-19 testing supersite at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. Testing is now available through two appointment-based drive-thru sites, Anaheim and Costa Mesa, which can together serve more than 2,000 people daily. To get a test, individuals must meet Public Health priorities for testing and should first seek testing through their medical provider before making an appointment. Click here for more information.