New California pandemic reopening rules could allow more parts of the Southern California economy to resume functioning this week.
It still depends on when the region reaches certain benchmarks related to the coronavirus. And yet, there is still a question about exactly which companies and facilities would open and when.
Here’s what we know:
What do the new rules say?
Of the COVID-19 vaccines available in the state, 40% will now be dedicated to residents in the most disadvantaged areas of California – a major commitment that officials say will help to resolve stark inequalities in vaccine administration.
Once 2 million doses have been administered in these communities, the state will relax the necessary limit for a county to move out of the purple, or more restrictive, category of the state’s four-layer color-coded reopening roadmap.
Currently, counties must have an adjusted daily rate equal to or less than seven new cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people to move to the most permissive red level. But after the state reaches its goal of 2 million doses, which is likely to happen this week, counties with a case rate of up to 10 new cases per day per 100,000 people will become eligible for the red level.
According to state data, nearly 1.88 million doses of vaccine have been administered by Monday in the target communities – those in the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places index.
So, where is Southern California?
LA, Orange and San Bernardino counties were among those that recorded adjusted case rates of less than 10 new cases per day per 100,000 people last week. If they fall below that threshold again when the state updates its classification data on Tuesday, it appears that these counties would be allowed to advance to the next level of reopenings.
LA County officials said they believed that, once county case rates hit the target level, some reopenings could take place within 48 hours.
Which companies reopen in the red layer?
Red tier counties may allow indoor restaurants and cinemas to reopen with a capacity of 25% or up to 100 people, whichever is less. Indoor gyms and dance and yoga studios can open at 10% capacity. Museums, zoos and aquariums can open indoor activities at 25% capacity, and non-essential stores and libraries can open at 50% capacity, above 25% capacity.
The red layer, however, still keeps several places closed – including convention centers; bars, breweries and distilleries where meals are not provided; indoor pools; indoor entertainment areas, such as bowling alleys, escape rooms and laser tag facilities; and internal card rooms.
Counties can allow such activities, albeit largely in a modified way, when they move into the orange and yellow layers.
Can counties be more stringent than the state?
Yes, they do.
All level rules serve as a basis for local health agencies, which can adopt even stricter regulations if they feel it is necessary, although they cannot be more lenient.
“As we plan to move to the red level, where additional reopenings will be allowed, we are closely examining science to understand which practices can help reduce community transmission of COVID-19,” said the Los Angeles County public health director, Barbara Ferrer. .
She pointed for a study by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that the death rate from COVID-19 decreased in counties where states required masks and accelerated in counties where states allowed meals at on-site restaurants.
“This is something we should take into account when starting more reopenings in our restaurants,” she said.
What is the timetable for Los Angeles schools?
Authorities said on Monday that elementary and high schools across Los Angeles County may be eligible to open in a few days, with LA Unified planning to reopen its secondary campuses in late April.
Several difficult points, however, can lead to further delays in the country’s second largest school district, including the time it would take for school teachers and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the capacity of the district and its teacher union reaching an agreement on school hours and working conditions.
Elementary school campuses in LA County became eligible to reopen on February 16, but elementary and high schools had to wait until viral levels in the community were lower because older children are more likely to develop COVID -19. In addition, Ferrer said, his class schedule usually requires more mixing.
“In primary schools, it’s really easy to keep people in relatively stable groups,” Ferrer told a news conference on Monday. “Mixing with many, many people is what makes it easier for the virus to spread, and in high schools and elementary schools this mix will be much more difficult to control.”
An announcement by the head of Los Angeles schools, Austin Beutner, about the reopening of secondary schools came a week after he set a mid-April goal for elementary schools, departing slightly from the original April 9 goal. According to county health guidelines, elementary school campuses could have opened last month.
LA Unified is among the school systems that reopen much more slowly. Some, including Long Beach, are moving faster because they were able to gain access to vaccines earlier.
Other school districts, mainly in wealthier areas, have started to reopen without vaccines. State and federal guidelines encourage schools to open without vaccinations for employees, as long as strict safety protocols are followed.
What’s going on beyond Southern California?
Based on the most recent state data, 12 counties may advance this week to a less restrictive reopening level, including nine currently in the purple category: Alameda, Butte, Calaveras, Imperial, Mono, Placer, Santa Cruz, Solano and Tuolumne.
Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, El Dorado, Napa, Lassen and Modoc entered the red level last week.
The counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Plumas, Yolo, Marin, San Mateo and Mariposa were already in the red layer. Two counties – Sierra and Alpine – have taken a step further, to the orange level.