EL CENTRO â After almost a year of many indoor activities in Imperial County being shut down as a precaution against COVID-19, local establishments, such as restaurants, will be able to open their doors to a controlled number of patrons for indoor service. On Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health confirmed that Imperial County had at long last achieved the elusive red tier of its Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The stateâs numbers show the county has just squeaked by the allowed plateau of seven new daily cases of COVID (6.8) per 100,000 resident to qualify for the less restrictive tier. Meanwhile, the countyâs seven-day average positive test percentage of 3.2 and its 4.1 percent health equity rate would otherwise qualify it for the orange tier.