In the past few months, COVID-19 has been an ever-looming threat to the health of Californians. Staying home and distancing on the occasions that people do decide to go out in public has become the new normal. The pandemic has become something that we have grown used to, and at times it can feel like life will never return to the way that it was before. Despite this feeling, people should maintain their optimism since California is showing positive progress when it comes to combatting the pandemic.

When looking at graphs displaying the number of cases in California, it is clear that currently, the number of cases is going down. The data does show that even though the number of cases are decreasing, there are occasional spikes. This should serve as a reminder that even though progress is being made, if people do not continue to take precautions, cases could rise again. Nevertheless, if this positive trend continues, California will be on the right track to recovery.

At the moment, Orange County is in the red tier, meaning that some non-essential indoor businesses are closed. This has allowed restaurants to begin serving customers indoors again, and other businesses have also benefited from California’s tier system. According to CBS LA, Orange County is currently between two tiers, red and orange. This means that soon more businesses will reopen and more restrictions will be eased or lifted. While the red tier means that cases are nowhere near as low as they would ideally be, Orange County is one of the few counties in the state of California that have successfully made it out of the purple tier.

The progress that has been made is undeniable, but people should remember that it is possible for progress to be lost. During Labor Day, some people held large gatherings and many ignored the recommended health guidelines. Because of this, now is the time when a spike in COVID-19 cases could potentially appear. If Dr. Fauci’s prediction turns out to be true, California and other states across the country could potentially face another spike in coronavirus cases.

California COVID-19 cases are dropping, and it is important that people continue to practice social distancing. Piper Guyton (10) says that she is “happy about all of the progress that has been made, but people should remember that the pandemic hasn’t disappeared just because things are opening again.” Progress will only continue if people put in the effort to stop the spread.