In a major shift, Los Angeles officials said they expect a reins of business sectors to reopen as early as Monday.
The changes come as newly established cases of COVID-19 continue to decline, while the number of Angelenos vaccinated against the disease is slowly increasing.
The reopening depends on California reaching its goal of administering 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to residents in the most disadvantaged areas – which is likely to happen on Friday.
So what will change when the country announces its latest health order? What will be the restrictions? Here is an explanation:
Restaurant
- Restaurants are allowed to serve meals indoors with a capacity of 25%.
- Visitors must sit at least eight feet from other tables, and indoors only one household with a maximum of six people per table is allowed. Restaurants can seat up to six people per table from three households eating together outside.
- Restaurants need a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system “in good working order” and need to increase ventilation to the greatest extent possible.
- It is recommended that N95 masks, KN95 masks or double masks and a face shield be given to all workers dealing with customers indoors.
Meetings
- Private gatherings are allowed with up to three separate households, with masking and distance required at all times. People who have been fully vaccinated will be able to congregate in small numbers indoors with other people who have been fully vaccinated without having to tighten up and remove the requirements.
Other local
- Museums, zoos and aquariums can open within 25%.
- Gymnasiums, fitness centers, and yoga and dance studios can open indoors with a capacity of 10%, with a masking requirement for all indoor activities.
- Movie theaters can only open 25% indoors with reserved seats only where each group sits at least six feet apart in all directions between other groups.
Shopping
- Retail and personal care services can increase capacity to 50%, while masking is required at all times and for all services.
- Indoor shopping malls can increase capacity to 50%, with the common areas remaining closed; food lanes can open 25%, according to the restaurant guide for indoor eateries.
School
- Higher education institutions can reopen all permitted activities with the necessary security adjustments, except for residential housing, which remains below the current restrictions for the spring semester.
- Schools are allowed to reopen for personal tuition for students in grades 7-12 who comply with all state and provincial prescriptions.
LAUSD
- The Los Angeles School Board on Thursday approved an agreement with the teachers’ union aimed at reopening elementary schools in mid-April and middle and high schools in late April or early May.
- Students in a transition school to eighth grade can stay on campus five days a week between 08:00 and 16:00. The proviso is that at least half of the tuition will remain online or be spent on work that does not involve live interaction with a teacher.
- Primary school students have the option to return to campus Monday through Friday for three hours of lively, personal interaction with their teacher and classmates. Personal classes will take place during the morning session, and an early afternoon session is for students learning full-time at a distance.
- Children who have personally attended the morning can either go home or go to day care on campus in the afternoon. Everyone has assignments to complete during the school day that they are not with their teacher.