The status update for September 29, 2020 includes a Blueprint update from the State; the reopening of outdoor playgrounds; Safety measures for polling places; updated COVID-19 Data; and an Air Quality update.
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The Marin County COVID-19 Status Update is now publishing five days a week (Monday through Friday) and as needed, in order to share important news and resources in our battle against COVID-19 and to keep our economy running. We remain here for you.
Blueprint Update: Marin Retains Tier 2 Status
Today, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) provided its weekly update on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a statewide plan for reducing COVID-19 and keeping Californians healthy and safe. As part of this process, CDPH assesses indicators that capture disease burden, testing, and health equity. This assessment happens weekly on Mondays and CDPH releases updated tier assignments on Tuesdays.
CDPH confirmed Marin’s placement in Tier 2 (red status) for a third straight week. A county must remain in a tier for a minimum of three weeks before being able to advance to a less restrictive tier. CDPH’s September 29 assessment for Marin County includes:
- Testing Positivity: 2.9% (increase of 0.3% since last week)
- Adjusted Case Rate: 5.7 (increase of 0.9 since last week)
For Marin County to move into Tier 3, we must continue to work collectively to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Our testing positivity rate already meets the orange status criteria, falling within the 2 - 4.9% threshold. However, our case rate must fall below “4” in order to qualify for Tier 3 (orange status). Our current case rate is much closer to the Tier 1 threshold than Tier 3.
RELATED RESOURCES:
State Allows Outdoor Playgrounds to Reopen
Parents and children rejoice! The California Department of Public Health issued formal guidance that allows outdoor playgrounds located in parks, campgrounds, and other publicly accessible locations to reopen.
Visitors to outdoor community playgrounds must comply with the following requirements:
- Face masks over the mouth and nose are required for everyone 2 years of age or older with caregiver supervision at all times to ensure face mask use.
- Do not use the playground when different households are unable to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or when the capacity limit has been reached.
- Caregivers must monitor to keep adults and children from different households at least 6 feet apart.
- Consider coming on different times or days to avoid wait times and potential crowded times.
- No eating or drinking in playground, to ensure face masks are worn at all times.
- Wash or sanitize hands before and after using the playground.
- Elderly and persons with underlying medical conditions should avoid playground when others are present.
- Limit visit to 30 min per day when others are present
Playground operators should review and follow the recommendations outlined in the guidance in order to keep patrons of all ages safe and minimize the potential spread of COVID-19.
Planning to Vote? Mitigating Public Health Risks at the Polls
Anxious about the November 3 General Election? There are a number of ways voters can help to ensure a smooth election, mitigate public health risks, and reduce lines at Marin County polling places.
Marin County Registrar of Voters, Lynda Roberts, said one way to put voters at ease is to vote by mail because it will be the safest way to vote during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, state laws have changed this year to require all active registered voters in California to receive a ballot by mail. Typically, at least 75% of Marin’s voters have voted by mail in recent years.
Marin County Public Health is discouraging people from gathering in numbers without stringent social distancing in place. Precautions will be in place at all Marin polling stations, including mask wearing, but voting by mail will best mitigate interactions and speed up the vote tabulation process. And mailing or dropping off your completed ballot as early as possible will ensure your ballot is received on time.
Ballot drop boxes will be available starting October 6 and a location list will be posted at www.marinvotes.org.
Continue reading the news release for more suggestions on how Marin County voters can take to prepare for election day. In addition, you can browse the California Secretary of State’s guidance for administering elections under COVID-19 for detailed information about the safety measures being implemented by election departments across California.
COVID-19 Data Update:
Below is a summary of today’s data now available on Marin Data & Surveillance webpage. View the page for a broader range of data, plus interactive graphs for confirmed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Data analysis is available by age range, gender, race and city/town/geographic region. Questions about the data? See our Data FAQ or contact us.
COVID-19 activity in Marin:
DATA TYPE |
Today’s Report |
Change from Last Status Update* |
|
Total Confirmed Cases |
4,493 |
+ 6 |
|
Total Recovered (14 days post-diagnosis) |
4,208 |
+ 27 |
|
Total Deaths |
91 |
0 |
|
Current Hospitalizations |
8 |
+ 4 |
|
Total / Cumulative Hospitalizations |
144 |
+ 1 |
|
Tests Completed in Marin |
80,558 |
+ 360 |
* The Marin County COVID-19 Status Update is published Monday – Friday. Monday editions of the status update include data from Monday plus Saturday and Sunday of the previous weekend. Therefore, data shown under the “change from last update” heading will always be larger on Mondays and differ from what is published on the Coronavirus in Marin homepage, which is updated 7 days per week.
Residential Care & Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 activity:
DATA TYPE |
Today’s Report |
Change from Last Status Update |
|
Positive Patients at Facilities cumulative |
453 |
0 |
|
Positive Patients at Facilities current |
7 |
- 2 |
|
Positive Staff at Facilities current |
11 |
0 |
|
Facility Patient Deaths |
76 |
0 |
|
Facility Patient Deaths as percentage of all COVID+ deaths |
84 % |
0 |
State COVID-19 activity:
DATA TYPE |
Today’s Report |
Change from yesterday |
|
California Confirmed Cases |
807,425 |
2,162 |
|
California Deaths |
15,640 |
32 |
In Other News… (Non-COVID Updates)
While the following is not related to COVID, it is news from Marin County's Emergency Operations Center that we thought you should know about.
Air District issues Spare the Air Alert for Week
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a Spare the Air Alert for this week (through Friday, October 2) due to wildfire smoke. Officials expect smoke to drain into the Bay Area from far Northern California and impact air quality in the Bay Area region. The Marin County AQI forecast for Wednesday, September 30 is Red or “Unhealthy.”
Smoke from wildfires can affect health. The most common symptoms are eye and throat irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Those with health problems, especially heart or respiratory conditions, should take extra caution.
Follow these precautions to protect your health:
- Minimize outdoor activities. Postpone/Reschedule intense outdoor cardio activities.
- Stay indoors with windows and doors closed as much as possible.
- Do not run fans that bring smoky outdoor air inside.
- Run your air-conditioner only if it does not bring smoke in from the outdoors.
- Avoid activities that create more indoor and outdoor air pollution, such as frying foods, sweeping, vacuuming, and using gas-powered appliances.
- Consider leaving the area until smoke conditions improve if you experience symptoms related to smoke exposure.
- Check on family, friends, and neighbors who may be sensitive to poor air quality and who spend much of their time alone.
Related Resources:
And as a reminder, it is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices during a Spare the Air Alert for particulate pollution.
Stay Informed
Follow the County of Marin on Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor or subscribe to our status updates. Visit MarinHHS.org/coronavirus for resources to stay connected on the issue.
Helpful Links and Online Resources:
- Frequently Asked Questions
- COVID-19 Test Information
- Face Covering & Mask Information
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Donation Options
- Business Reopening Guidelines
- Business Reopening Status
- Archive of past status updates
Contact Us. We Are Here for You.
Have questions? We are here to help. Our call center is available Monday through Friday, from 9:30am to 12-noon and 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Please feel free to connect with us for general information and resources by calling (415) 473-7191. We are also available online! As a reminder, please only call 9-1-1 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
Spread the word: How your friends and family can receive these updates:
- Text "MARIN COVID" to 468311 to receive text message notifications
- Subscribe online to receive email notifications