Los Angeles County will officially shift to the less restrictive “Red” level of the state on Monday, with the state reaching the 2 million milestone dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in hard-hit communities and triggering a relaxation of requirements for counties advance in government. Gavin Newsom’s economic reopening project.
LA County officials said the change from Purple to Red will take effect at 12:01 pm on Monday, meaning that indoor restaurants can return and indoor cinemas and gyms can reopen, all with limited capacity.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed on Thursday that the news announced by Newsom the day before the cinemas could open indoors with a 25% capacity “with reserved seats only where each group is sitting at least 6 feet away in all directions between any other groups. ”But the director of Public Health, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, was not sure whether the vaccination milestone would be reached on Friday or at the weekend. Today’s announcement resolves that issue. LA officials have already confirmed that, after 48 hours of preparation, the county will enter the Red level on Monday.
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Here are the Los Angeles theater chains reopening as soon as Covid’s restrictions are lifted.
Ferrer said on Wednesday that the county plans to launch its own operational guidelines for restaurants, cinemas, gyms, live outdoor events and theme park reopenings, as the county anticipated the move to the less restrictive Red level of the plan. reopening of California. This happened on Thursday.
Disneyland likely to reopen with 66% more capacity than expected
Although Governor Gavin Newsom announced the easing of state restrictions on Wednesday, local health officials have the authority to be more restrictive than the state, if they so wish. LA health officials have exercised that option in the past.
The state restrictions are as follows: “Capacity must be limited to 25% or 100 people, whichever is less”. Thus, not only is the new Los Angeles County Health Order in place, theaters will also be limited by the 100-person limit mentioned in the state order.
The LA County press release confirming local guidelines on Thursday made no mention of the “100 person” warning in the state order, but county officials cannot be more lenient than the state, so both limitations should be applied in LA
According to Anthony D’Alessandro of Deadline, AMC plans to open its cinemas in Los Angeles one week from tomorrow. On Thursday, TCL – which has the Chinese 6 and the Imax Chinese Theater – was still debating whether to reopen next weekend. Cinemark said it hopes to reopen in the region and will share “a reopening update as soon as government restrictions are announced”. Obviously, this has now happened.
Holdouts include Regal, Arclight, Laemmle and Cinepolis. Each of these chains expects to reopen at a later date. For details, click on Anthony’s story.
Here is the full list of Red level reopening guidelines issued by LA county officials on Thursday:
Museums, zoos and aquariums can open indoors with 25% capacity.
Gyms, gyms, yoga and dance studios can open indoors with a capacity of 10%, with a masking requirement for all indoor activities.
The cinemas can open indoors with 25% capacity with reserved seats only, where each group sits at least 6 feet apart in all directions among any other groups.
Retail and personal care services can increase capacity to 50% with the necessary masking at all times and for all services.
Restaurants can open indoors with a maximum capacity of 25% under the following conditions: 8 feet of distance between tables; one household per table with a limit of 6 people; the HVAC system is in good working order and has been evaluated and, to the maximum, the possible ventilation has been increased. Public Health strongly recommends that all restaurant employees who interact with customers indoors receive additional mask protection (over and above the face protection currently required on masks); this may be suitable for tested N95 masks, KN95 masks or double masks and a face shield. In addition, Public Health strongly recommends that all employees working in closed environments be informed and have opportunities for vaccination. Outdoor dining can accommodate up to six people per table from 3 different families.
Indoor malls can increase capacity to 50% with common areas remaining closed; food courts can open at 25% capacity according to the restaurant’s guidelines for indoor dining.
Higher Education Institutes may reopen all permitted activities with the necessary security modifications, except for residences, which remain under the current restrictions for the spring semester. Schools can reopen for face-to-face classes for students from 7th to 12th grade, in compliance with all state and municipal guidelines.
Private meetings can take place indoors with up to 3 separate families, with the necessary masking and distance at all times. Fully vaccinated people can meet in small numbers indoors with other fully vaccinated people, without the need for masking and detachment.
The City News Service contributed to this report.