Red tier, purple tier — who cares? People in Stanislaus County apparently don’t
I hate to sound defeatist, but this tier system California cooked up needs to go.
Because it’s not working.
Not here in Stanislaus County, where thoughtful people will be courteous regardless of whether we’re in purple or red, and selfish people have ignored the color coding for weeks, if not months.
Early in the pandemic, people observed the lockdown without question. Everyone was scared. Most stayed home, as asked.
When did COVID fatigue set in? Some were exhausted before state leadership came out in late August with the four colors that determine how closed each county is based on its COVID-19 numbers.
Here in Stanislaus County, we’ve only cared about two colors so far: purple and red, with purple the most restrictive in terms of who can do what, and red, a little less so. We spent a brief period in red in the fall, but otherwise, we’ve done nothing but wallow in the purple cellar.
Last week, an editorial I wrote noted that we’re teetering on an upgrade to red. We urged everyone to stay the course so our numbers would dip low enough for reopening junior and high school campuses, indoor dining, worshiping at greater capacity and exercising in fitness clubs.
But I’ve been pondering whether that’s accurate.
The number of restaurants serving inside — in open violation of purple tier rules — is staggering. Many churches welcome all who come. You see people working out in some gyms and yoga studios, in open rebellion.
Some of our school districts point to a San Diego court ruling suggesting that junior and high school students can return in cohorts. Never mind that no other county in California, as far as we know, is using that as justification to reopen.
Disregarding colors in Stanislaus County
I’m not saying students shouldn’t be in school — I’ve written that they should, in fact. I am saying that the color-coded tier system is a joke if so many people don’t follow it.
I’m not saying restaurants brazenly defying public health guidelines are justified. They aren’t, and they share some blame for our numbers stubbornly staying in the purple. And I’m sick at the thought that many of these scofflaw eateries will collect the same amount of COVID rescue money as those that kept the rules and lost a lot more income because they were committed to keeping us safe.
Early in the pandemic, some businesses became lightning rods for disobedience. Modesto’s Velvet Grill & Creamery was the poster children for defiance, paying a paltry $10,000 to settle an enforcement action worth $90,000. What did that teach other restaurants?
Months later, those serving inside — with all enforcement fear long gone — are almost too numerous to count. Advancing to the red tier in theory would allow them to serve inside at 25% capacity, which is laughable because so many already are seating whatever number comes through the door.
They — restaurants and customers — don’t care about purple or red.
Science respecters won’t change, either
And here’s the thing: neither do those with the exact opposite coronavirus approach.
People who see how scary the virus is, who would not be caught dead without a mask in public, who were first in line for vaccinations or will be when they become eligible — they know what COVID can do, what death and destruction it can wreak.
Because they know, they won’t eat in restaurants just because someone in Sacramento flips a switch declaring that we’ve magically moved from purple to red.
You won’t see careful people working out in gyms just yet. They know that church is iffy. Some won’t send their children back to school.
Eventually, when enough of us are vaccinated and science tells us we’re nearing herd immunity, these people will resume all of those activities. Until then, they’ll continue playing it safe regardless of our designated color.
If everyone is colorblind, if tier colors no longer matter, California needs to find something that does.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 7:26 AM.
