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California Lifts Stay-at-Home Order: What’s Next?

Stay-at-Home and 10pm curfew lifted, but no specifics for Bay Area yet as to outdoor dining or actual openings.
By - posted 1/25/2021 No Comment

As new cases and hospitalizations decline, the state of California announced on Monday morning that the stay-at-home orders for all regions across the state have been lifted.

Read the Press Release

This means the easing of restrictions will no longer be based strictly on regional ICU capacity or projected 4-week ICU capacity, but instead will be based on each individual county’s metrics such as test positivity and COVID.

But things may not change right away and there have been no specifics given yet. All counties, including the Bay Area, will go back into the “color-coded” tier system that was in place prior to December’s most recent restrictive lockdown.

According to the California Dept. of Public Health, tier updates will be made weekly on Tuesdays, but individual counties can choose to impose stricter rules.

Because case rates remain high across most of the state, the state’s Hospital Surge Order remains in place to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. The Limited Stay at Home Order, which limits non-essential activities between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., expires with the Regional Stay At Home Order ending.

SF Gate reports that most counties will start out in the strictest “Purple” tier that allows more outdoor activities

The state will now allow counties to resume outdoor dining and outdoor worship along with other outdoor activities such as hair salons, but counties can always opt to be more restrictive like San Francisco chose to do at certain times in 2020, even when stats should have placed San Francisco is a less restrictive tier.

What is the Purple Tier?
– Outdoor Restaurants – open (indoor dining still closed)
– Indoor Museums – still closed
– Personal Care (Salons/Barbers) Open outdoors and open indoors with modifications)

Please note that the tiers and what is allowed might be changed.

As of Monday morning at 9am, the state has yet to update the county tiers. The last update was 1/19/21.


The “curfew” order which limited non-essential activities between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. also expires.

Please note this is an evolving news story and details may change quickly.

Next Updates for San Francisco: There is a 1:15pm press conference scheduled for today (Monday, January 25) with the Mayor of San Francisco and Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health where updates on stay-at-home are expected including the resumption of Outdoor Dining and personal services.