Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the county plans to disclose its own operational guidelines for restaurants, cinemas, gyms, outdoor events and theme park reopenings, as the county plans to enter the ” red “less restrictive of the California reopening project.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the easing of state restrictions on Wednesday. But local health officials have the authority to be more restrictive than the state. LA health officials have exercised that option in the past. In restaurants, for example, LA officials banned outdoor TV screens, although state guidelines allowed it. Ferrer says there is still no definitive answer as to whether indoor meals will be allowed, despite being an activity allowed at the “red” level of the state’s Blueprint for Safer Economy.
More than the deadline
“We are watching what is happening across the state. We will have a definitive answer on that tomorrow, ”she said.
Whatever the case, said Ferrer, “I’m going to ask everyone to take a look [at the new rules] tomorrow and be compatible. “
“The state has a slide back into the purple strategy,” she recalled. “The only exception is schools.”
Newsom said earlier that the state on Friday will reach its administration limit of 2 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in low-income and hard-hit communities. This will trigger a change in the state’s Blueprint for Safer Economy, taking the counties of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino to the “red” layer of that matrix. This red layer provides a way for more companies to reopen. LA has been at the most restrictive level of the governor’s plan since August.
Ferrer said on Wednesday that he believes the county has 48 hours after the state announces that the vaccination threshold has been reached to officially move to the red level. If the goal is met by Friday, as Newsom announced, the county will move forward on Sunday.
On Tuesday, however, two members of the LA County Board of Supervisors said they support full alignment with state guidelines as soon as possible.
State officials recently announced that the theme parks would be allowed to reopen on April 1 with 15% of their capacity, with visitors only in the state. This schedule was brought forward by about two weeks. Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced on Tuesday that Disneyland would reopen in “late April”.
According to state guidelines, cinemas may reopen with a capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is less.
Live outdoor events, such as sports and concerts, can reopen at 20% capacity. This includes suites with 25% occupancy per suite and no more than three families gathered in each suite.
It remains to be seen to what extent the local health guidelines are in line with these references.
Newsom looked confident during a visit on Wednesday to a mobile vaccination clinic in South Gate.
“Southern California, you will be a beneficiary of this,” he said.
The City News Service contributed to this report.
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