Governor Newsom has unveiled a plan for fully reopening businesses by June 15th and ending the color-coded coronavirus infection tier system. But in the meantime, Nevada County may fall back to the worst tier next week. Newsom says two criteria would have to be met. There would have to be enough vaccine supply for anyone 16 and older to be able to be innoculated, and hospitalization rates would have to remain stable and low.Newsom also says “common-sense risk reduction measures” should still be included and County Public Health Officer, Doctor Scott Kellermann, says that still sounds pretty vague…

Kellermann also says he would have preferred an immunization target number be hit first. Meanwhile, Nevada County’s case rate has jumped from six-point-nine to 12-point-seven, according to the latest weekly reading. Thanks to the four-million dose target just being achieved for disadvantaged communities, we only need to drop back below 10 next Tuesday, instead of seven, to stay in the Red Tier. If we don’t, it’s back to the Purple Tier, where there are only two counties left. One of them is Merced County, which has the same case rate as Nevada County, tied for the worst in California…

But elsewhere, there are now 32 counties in the Orange or “moderate” Tier, comprising over 80-percent of the population.