Map of California COVID tiers: Only one county still in purple

Four counties improved their status in Tuesday's announcement.

Only one county, Merced, remained in the lowest of California’s COVID-19 restriction tiers after Tuesday’s reassignments.

Four counties improved their status in the April 13 announcement:

• Moving from purple to red was Inyo County.
• Moving from red to orange were Lake and Kern counties.
• Moving from orange to yellow was Lassen County.

The looser regulations in those counties will take effect Wednesday.

Merced County has been in the purple tier (“widespread” risk) since mid-November.

Thirty-three of the 58 counties, with 83% of the population, are in the orange tier (“moderate” risk). Of the Bay Area counties, only Solano hasn’t advanced to that tier.

The tier-based system of COVID-19 restrictions is likely to be discontinued on June 15, state officials have said.

Click here for the state’s official COVID website, including details of what activities are allowed in the various tiers.