Many California counties have taken a step backward on the road to coronavirus recovery.

Following statewide reopening efforts last month, now more than 40% of California counties comprising over 70% of the state’s population have been placed on a public health department monitoring list after experiencing increases in COVID-19 cases or hospitalizations.

Nevada County isn’t on that list, though its COVID-19 cases have been rising.

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In Nevada County, after starting June with just 42 cases, it added 13 cases in the first two weeks of the month. From June 15-30 cases more than doubled from 55 to 116. The count as of Friday stood at 129, adding more than a dozen cases in less than a week. The county as of Friday had 44 cases in western county, including 14 in the 95945 Grass Valley zip code, and 85 in eastern county, including 77 in the 96161 Truckee-area zip code.

“We continue to see a steady increase in lab confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nevada County. Many of these infections could have been avoided as they are due to gatherings between more than one household,” Public Health Director Jill Blake said in an email. “While some of these activities are allowed by the state and county, they still need to be done in a way that prevents infections, so please conduct health screenings when possible, maintain the recommended 6 ft. distance from others, wear face coverings, and stay home even if you feel only mildly ill. These simple practices will help our community remain on a steady path of reopening.”

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Nearby counties like Colusa, Glenn and Sacramento have been placed on the monitoring list after seeing increases in cases largely driven by social, family and community gatherings. Counties placed on the list for more than three consecutive days must re-close bars and restrict restaurants to take out or curbside pick up, among other restrictions, for a minimum of three weeks.

According to Nevada County’s attestation plan, which was approved by the state before businesses were allowed to reopen, the county will consider dialing back its reopening if it meets one or more epidemiological, health care, or public health criteria.

These would include a significant increase in cases over three consecutive days not due to an increase in testing; an occurrence of four or more unlinked chains of transmission in a two-week period; an increase in the number of health care workers infected for five consecutive days; or insufficient personal protective equipment for medical personnel or beds for patients.

John Orona is a Staff Writer for The Union, a sister publication to the Sierra Sun. He can be reached at jorona@theunion.com or 530-477-4229.