INLAND EMPIRE – (INT) – Reopening the local economy may seem out of reach as Riverside and San Bernardino counties struggle against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Riverside County slid backward Tuesday into the most restrictive purple tier. San Bernardino County has never made it above that level.

San Bernardino County officials are expressing a note of optimism pointing to a decline in the positivity rate (from 6.5% to 6.2%), and County officials are buoyed by a noticeable increase in testing volume.

Who’s testing positive?

Recent data show that 60.3% of new cases involved residents between the ages of 18 and 49; more than 35% are in the 18 to 34-year-old segment of the population.

While younger individuals are less likely to face the most serious consequences from COVID-19, they can unintentionally spread it to those at much greater risk — such as people over the age of 50, who represent almost 91% of those who have been killed by the disease.

Riverside County enjoyed a few weeks in the red less-restrictive tier last month, but it didn’t last long.

It dropped back to the state’s purple tier, which is the most restrictive tier that requires several types of businesses and places of worship to move back outside.

Riverside County must remain in the purple tier for at least three weeks and meet the red tier metrics for two of those weeks before returning to the red tier.

Riverside County’s metrics include a 5.2 positivity rate and 9.1 case rate. While the positivity rate is within the red tier range, the case rate – cases per 100,000 people – is within the purple tier. Riverside County’s case rate is also worsened by the state’s upwards adjustment for not reaching the statewide median of PCR swab tests.

Getting red for the entire Inland Empire requires a reduction in the number of new cases while improving the overall positivity rate. It also requires both counties to achieve testing numbers the State is demanding. The emphasis is being put on persuading residents to not only follow basic health guidelines (e.g., mask wearing and social distancing) but also to get tested.

Story Date: October 29, 2020