Indoor restaurants, gyms and museums could start reopening later this weekend in parts of Southern California.
But the exact timing differs by county and some things are still up in the air.
Here is an analysis:
Which counties are reopening and when?
On Sunday: Thirteen counties – Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Placer, Mendocino, San Benito, Tuolumne, Siskiyou, Amador, Colusa and Mono – will leave the purple layer, the most prohibitive in the state’s reopening plan, on Sunday , according to the California Department of Public Health. They are home to 17.7 million Californians, representing 45% of the state’s population.
As early as Wednesday: Another 13 counties – San Diego, Riverside, Sacramento, Ventura, San Joaquin, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Kings, Sutter, Yuba, Lake and Tehama – are also expected to join the red layer as early as Wednesday, provided their metrics of coronavirus remains firm. The timing of the reopening of these counties is still an open question until the data are released. These counties are home to 10.6 million Californians, representing 27% of the state’s population.
If all of these counties leave the purple layer on Wednesday, it means that 92% of Californians, or 36.2 million people, would be in the 50 counties that are not in the state’s most restrictive layer.
What’s the plan in Los Angeles County?
LA County health officials – along with the health departments of the cities of Long Beach and Pasadena – said the red-level reopening will take effect at 12:01 pm on Monday.
LA County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said the decision to wait until Monday “is really to give companies some time” to properly prepare and modify their operations as needed.
“We want them to understand what the requirements are, to have some time to put these things in place,” he said during a briefing on Friday.
Does that include the city of Los Angeles?
Yes, the new rules apply to all cities in LA County.
How about Orange County?
Orange County plans to reopen on Sunday.
In an interview on Friday, Orange County supervisor Lisa Bartlett said, “It looks like we’re finally turning the corner and people are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Orange County was hovering at the 7 mark for a long time and we couldn’t really break that,” said Bartlett, referring to the target for the rate of new daily coronavirus infections that the county needed to reach to move. if for the red layer. “We now have a buffer, so even if we saw a slight increase in cases, we would still remain in the red layer.”
What about San Bernardino County?
San Bernardino is also changing on Sunday.
“People across our county worked tirelessly last year to protect each other’s health and safety,” said San Bernardino County supervisor, Curt Hagman, in a statement. “This was a community-wide effort involving everyone, from health professionals and essential workers to companies and residents, following strict public health protocols. Our diligence is now beginning to bear fruit ”.
What does it mean to rise to the red level?
Red tier counties will be allowed to resume indoor meals at restaurants and movie theaters at 25% capacity, welcome students back in person at 7th to 12th grade, reopen in-house academies and dance and yoga studios with a 10% capacity and expand capacity restrictions in non-essential stores and libraries.
Museums, zoos and aquariums can also reopen internal operations, with a 25% capacity.
Amusement parks can reopen at 15% capacity, with other modifications, as of April 1. Long-closed attractions, such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain are still weeks away from receiving visitors – who must be California residents – after being closed for a year.
Outdoor sports – with fans – and live outdoor performances may also be resumed on April 1, subject to the following limitations: For counties still at the most restricted, purple level, capacity will still 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, the available capacity will increase and will be limited to 20%, with sales mainly of seat concessions.
Any word of caution?
yea.
Opening more locations is no reason for Californians to let their guard down, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, state secretary for health and human services, during a news conference on Friday. He said there are still reasons to be careful when participating in new permitted activities, such as dining in restaurants, as any place where people are not wearing masks all the time is at risk of infection.
Mingling with people from another home, for example, still needs to be done carefully and it is safer to dine outside than in a mixed group environment, he said.
Davis, the Los Angeles County health officer, warned that eating in a restaurant’s indoor dining room still poses risks and dining outdoors remains safer.
“People are susceptible to this virus. has variants that are circulating in our county, ”said Davis. “Many of them can be transmitted more easily and some may be causing more serious illnesses.”
The persistent risk of eating in indoor restaurants is one of the reasons why Los Angeles County requires those who eat together to live in the same house. However, people from up to three families are allowed to dine at the same table outdoors.
Davis said it’s probably better for people who are high risk for serious illness and death by COVID-19 to avoid dining inside a restaurant.
Los Angeles County supervisor Hilda Solis called the action “welcome” but warned “that it in no way means that we can let our guard down now,” she said in a statement. “We owe our neighbors, our local businesses and our children to remain vigilant so that the reopenings are safe and lasting. The use of masks and physical distance remain critical. “
Is any county going to orange soon?
In the bay area, San Mateo County appears on track to enter the orange, the second least restrictive, layer on Wednesday. In the orange layer, municipalities can allow bars to reopen outdoors, with modifications, without the need to serve food; capacity restrictions are lifted in stores (although pandemic security modifications still apply); the capacity of indoor places of worship, museums, zoos and aquariums increases from 25% to 50%; the capacity of the internal restaurant and cinema increases from 25% of the capacity or 100 people, whichever is less, to 50% of the capacity or 200 people, whichever is less; and the capacity of the indoor gym and the yoga studio increases from 10% to 25%.
What have been the recent changes in breweries, wineries and distilleries?
New rules came into effect on Saturday, governing breweries, wineries and distilleries that do not serve food. Business as usual, however, will remain a distant concept, even in the milder category of the state reopening plan of four categories.
According to the new state health guidance that goes into effect on Saturday, breweries, wineries and distilleries can operate outside without serving food in counties that are in the purple or red ranges, the two most restricted. Customers will be required to make reservations and will be subject to a 90-minute time limit, and consumption on site must stop by 8 pm
Breweries, wineries and distilleries that serve food will continue to be governed by the same rules applied to restaurants.
Despite the relaxation of restrictions for some establishments that serve alcoholic beverages, bars that do not serve food will remain completely closed in the purple and red layers.
While the new guidance paves the way for counties to offer additional reopenings, it remains to be seen whether local health officials will go as far as the state allows.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has yet to announce whether it will align its guidelines on breweries, wineries and distilleries with the state.
Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.