Fresno County has returned to the most restrictive tier of California's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy."
As of November 16, the county is now operating at purple tier, meaning there is a widespread risk for residents.
Fresno officials have been warning residents to prepare for a return to purple for the past few weeks. During Governor Gavin Newsom's California COVID-19 Update, the regression was confirmed.
Governor Newsom also tightened restrictions on other Central Valley areas including Merced and Kings counties.
The new tier shift limits what businesses can stay open. The purple tier limits retail capacity to 25% and food courts inside malls must close.
Many restaurants will have to return to only outdoor seating and bars will remain closed.
The purple tier also limits movie theaters, museums, zoos, aquariums, and places of worship to strictly outdoor activity.
Many community events will also have to rethink their plans for the upcoming holidays.
River Park's Holiday Drive-In announced that it would be postponing the event, just a day before it was scheduled to open.
"Out of great respect for public health during the ongoing pandemic, we have decided to postpone the Holiday Drive-In at River Park until further notice," wrote the event organizers on their website. "Given the enormous response from the public, we hope to make this a possibility in the weeks to come."
California tier assignments can shift at any time. Fresno County would have to lower their test positivity rate to below 8% and lower their number of daily new cases.
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