California’s theme parks and sports stadiums will be allowed to receive visitors much earlier than expected under new state guidelines released on Friday.
While the changes do not mean business will continue as usual in large-capacity facilities, they do reflect the growing state feeling that, with declining case rates and the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine continuing to increase, it is now possible resume some activities – particularly those that can be performed outdoors with additional safety modifications.
“Throughout the pandemic, the California business community has pledged to protect the health and safety of workers and customers – and that will not change now,” Dee Dee Myers, senior adviser to Governor Gavin Newsom and director of the governor’s business office. and Economic Development, said in a statement Friday. “We will continue to work together with our partners in all sectors of the economy as we reopen with safety, sustainability and equality.”
As of April 1, amusement parks will be able to reopen with limited capacity in counties that are at the red level – California’s second strictest reopening roadmap for four categories.
Capacity will be limited to 15% for parks in the red layer; the limit rises to 25% when a county changes to the orange level and 35% when it reaches the softest, yellow level.
Authorities said participation would be limited to visitors from the state. Other restrictions will include no indoor dining and limits for indoor walks, although details were not available immediately.
Outdoor sports – with fans – and live performances may also be resumed on April 1, subject to the following limitations:
- For counties at the most restricted, purple level, capacity will be limited to 100 people or less and participation will be limited regionally. Advance reservations are required and there will be no concessions or sales in the lobby.
- At the red level, capacity will be limited to 20%, mainly with seat concession sales.
- The capacity limit will increase to 33% for counties in the orange range and 67% for yellow counties. Participation will be limited to visitors from the state in the red, orange and yellow layers.
Counties that have entered the red layer include Santa Clara, home to California’s Greater America.
Three counties in Southern California with major theme parks – Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties – are in the purple layer and cannot be opened immediately. How quickly these areas can be reopened depends, in part, on when California will be able to administer an additional 400,000 vaccinations to people living in the lower income areas of the state, which will trigger a broad relaxation of the opening criteria.
Even when they reach the state limit, counties have the authority to impose stricter limits than those authorized by the state.
Newsom government officials said the changes are being made with a clearer understanding of how fresh air circulates, masks and maintains physical distance, all helps to reduce coronavirus transmission.
“With significantly lower case rates and hospitalizations, the arrival of three highly effective vaccines and targeted efforts to vaccinate the most vulnerable communities, California can gradually and safely begin to bring back more activities, especially those that take place on air free and where consistent masking is possible, ”Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services, said in a statement. “Even with these changes, California maintains some of the most robust public health protocols in the country.”
The announcement represents one of the most aggressive relaxations of California’s coronavirus restrictions since the pandemic began.
According to the state’s original design, large theme and amusement parks, such as Disneyland and Six Flags Magic Mountain, were not allowed to reopen until their county of origin progressed to the yellow level – which would require an adjusted rate of coronavirus of less than 1 new case per day per 100,000 people.
The red level, by comparison, requires an adjusted daily rate of coronavirus cases equal to or less than 7.0 new cases per day per 100,000 people.
Reaching the red level should become easier with another change that the state revealed this week.
California will now dedicate 40% of the COVID-19 vaccine available to residents in the most disadvantaged areas of the state – including South Los Angeles, East LA, Koreatown, Compton, Southeast LA County, Santa Ana and East San Fernando Valley.
Once 2 million doses have been administered in these communities, the state will relax the threshold for entering the red level, allowing counties to progress at a rate of up to 10 new cases per day per 100,000 people.
Los Angeles and Orange counties – home to some of California’s largest and most loved theme parks – already meet the revised case criteria, positioning them to move to the red level within a week or two.