SANTA ANA—Orange County entered the less-restrictive red tier of the state’s coronavirus regulatory system March 14, allowing for bigger crowds in retail stores and the reopening of museums, movie theaters and indoor dining at restaurants. “We expected it—it’s almost anti-climactic at this point, but it’s a step forward. It gives people the relief they’ve been…

SANTA ANA—Orange County reported 110 new cases of COVID-19 and 53 additional deaths March 7, but officials said death reports over the next few days may be higher than usual as they clear the backlog created by technical issues in the state reporting database. The number of county residents hospitalized with the coronavirus decreased from…

Indoor gyms and theaters will likely reopen in Orange County later this month, if the region’s COVID-19 metrics continue their downward trend. Right now, Orange County falls under the state-mandated purple tier, meaning some of its non-essential businesses, fitness facilities and theatres must remain closed. Restaurants can remain open to facilitate takeout orders, or serve…

SANTA ANA—Orange County reported 1,355 new cases of COVID-19 and 44 additional deaths Jan. 31, bringing the county’s totals to 232,391 cases and 3,062 fatalities. The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals continued its downward trend, declining from 1,442 Jan. 31 to 1,412, with the number of patients in intensive care dropping from 394…

SANTA ANA—Orange County Jan. 29 logged 107 more COVID-19 fatalities, a record number in a single batch of death reports, which raised the cumulative to 2,975 for the pandemic. The death reports are staggered because they come from a variety of sources and are not always logged immediately, but the batch of reports logged Jan….