On Wednesday, March 10, Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Rosansky released a video sent to Chamber members and other businesses and community members showing him holding a tub of popcorn and boxes of candy.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m standing here holding a container of popcorn and movie-size boxes of candy,” said Rosansky. “Get ready to go to the movie theater because the new coronavirus numbers are out, and they are phenomenal.”
“Usually, when a business says it’s in the red, that’s a bad thing—meaning it’s losing money,” continued Rosansky. “In the case of coronavirus, being in the red is a good thing because for the first time in months, Orange County is in the red zone in Gov. Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which will allow for increased economic activity and the opening of theaters and indoor dining in restaurants.
Rosansky noted that everyone has been waiting for the case rate to drop below 7 per 100,000, and Wednesday’s rate was 6 per 100,000. The positivity percentage has dropped to 3.2 percent and the health equity positivity rate has dropped to 4.1 percent. Both of those indicators sit squarely in the orange tier, which is the next one down from the red tier.
“Under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, we will need to be in the red tier for a minimum of two weeks before the less restrictive requirements of the red tier can be implemented,” said Rosansky. “Therefore, we will need one more week in the red tier before restaurants can reopen for indoor dining, fitness centers and gyms can reopen indoors, and of course a trip to the movies will be possible because movie theaters can open for up to 25 percent occupancy or 100 moviegoers, whichever is less.”
Rosansky added that “if the current trend continues, Orange County may find itself in the orange tier by the beginning of April, which would allow for more significant return to normalcy and fewer restrictions on our economy.”
For more information, visit the Chamber of Commerce website at www.NewportBeach.com.
