Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino now meet the metric range to qualify for the red level, but must stay there for a week before the state allows more business and activities to reopen.
Riverside and Ventura counties are close behind and may also change soon, depending on some additional state vaccination goals that are due to be met soon.
The state usually announces new level assignments on Tuesday. This week, the state announced that nine counties – none in Southern California – are now shifting to less restrictive levels.
To change levels, counties must meet several metric goals, such as case rates per 100,000 residents, positivity rate and a health equity metric that focuses on the most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Los Angeles County
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County-adjusted average rate of new daily COVID-19 cases dropped to 5.2 per 100,000 residents, well below the target of 7 cases per 100,000 to qualify for the red level. The municipality was already meeting the other metrics.
The municipality is expected to move forward after the state reaches the administration limit of 2 million doses of vaccine in hard-hit communities across the state, a total that could be reached by the end of the week.
Los Angeles County officials expect the move to the red level to occur as early as next week.
The county was initially anticipated to advance to the red level later this month, with the rate of new daily infections COVID-19 expected to fall below the state’s required 7 cases per 100,000 residents as early as Tuesday. If the county maintained that level for two weeks, it would move out of the purple layer and move to the “red” layer.
The state, however, changed the limits to move through the four-tier plan for a safer economy last week, taking into account the volume of vaccines being administered in hard-hit low-income communities across the state.
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When that happens, moving to the red level will require the county to have a new case rate of 10 per 100,000 residents – a rate that LA County will have already met in the required two weeks. County director of health, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, said this means the county is likely to move to “red” in the middle of next week.
The change from the restrictive purple to the red layer will authorize the county to increase capacity limits in retail establishments and reopen in-house restaurants, fitness centers and cinemas. However, the county is not subject to state guidelines and may continue to impose stricter rules.
For example, while the county currently allows open-air dining in the purple layer, it still prohibits restaurants from turning on television sets in their courtyards, as a way to avoid meeting sports fans. The state does not have this restriction on restaurants.
Orange county
Orange County also meets all requirements for a move to the red level, including a rate of 6 cases per 100,000 residents. Its positivity rate is even stronger, meeting the standards of the orange layer
If the county can maintain these metrics until Sunday, it can move to the red level, which allows for relaxation of requests to stay at home until March 17.
The county also reported on Tuesday 108 new cases and declining hospitalization rates, but 61 more deaths.
Where is your county?
See the map below to find out where your municipality is and continue reading to find out what can and cannot be opened in each color-coded category.
Application users: for a better experience, click here to see the full map in a new window
The red layer allows many more businesses and organizations to reopen. For example, retail stores can allow half capacity instead of 25%, and museums, zoos and aquariums can reopen for indoor activities at 25% capacity, as well as cinemas, gyms and restaurants.
Below is a complete analysis of what may or may not be reopened in the red layer:
- Hairdressing salons: open indoors with modifications
- Retail: open indoors with 50% capacity
- Shopping malls: open indoors with 50% capacity and limited eating areas
- Manicure salons: open indoors with modifications
- Electrolysis: open indoors with modifications
- Personal care services (body shaving, etc.): open interior with modifications
- Tattoo and piercing: open inside with modifications
- Museums, zoos and aquariums: open indoors with 25% capacity
- Places of worship: open indoors with a capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is less
- Cinemas: open indoors with 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less
- Hotels: open with modifications, in addition to fitness centers can open with 10% capacity
- Gyms: open indoors with 10% capacity
- Restaurants: open indoors with 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less
- Wineries: open air only
- Bars and breweries: closed
- Family entertainment centers: just outdoors, like mini golf, batting cages and go-kart racing
- Card rooms: open air only
- Non-essential offices: remote work only
- Professional sports: no live audiences
- Schools: may reopen for face-to-face instruction after two weeks out of the purple level
- Theme parks: must remain closed
The City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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