Indoor eateries, gyms and museums could begin reopening in parts of Southern California this weekend.
But the exact timing varies by country, and some things are still in the air.
Here is an explanation:
Which provinces reopen and when?
Already on Sunday: Thirteen provinces – Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Placer, Mendocino, San Benito, Tuolumne, Siskiyou, Amador, Colusa and Mono – will leave the press level on Sunday, the most descriptive of the reopening of the blueprint of the state. , according to the California Department of Public Health. They are home to 17.7 million Californians, who make up 45% of the state’s population.
Already on Wednesday: Another 13 provinces – San Diego, Riverside, Sacramento, Ventura, San Joaquin, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Kings, Sutter, Yuba, Lake and Tehama – are ready to join the red line as soon as Wednesday, provided their coronavirus statistics are. remains steady. The timing for the reopening of the province is still an open question until the data is available. The counties are home to 10.6 million Californians, who make up 27% of the state’s population.
If all the counties leave the press level by Wednesday, that means 92% of Californians, or 36.2 million people, are in the 50 counties that are not in the state’s most limited level.
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 redevelopment at red level will take effect Monday at 12:01 p.m.
LA County Health Officer Muntu Davis said the decision to wait until Monday is to give businesses some time to prepare and modify their operations appropriately.
“We want them to understand what the requirements are, have some time to put things in place,” he said during a briefing on Friday.
Does it include the city of Los Angeles?
Yes, the new rules apply to all cities in LA County.
What about Orange County?
Orange County plans to reopen Sunday.
Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said in an interview Friday: “It feels like we’re finally making the turn and people are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Orange County hovered at the 7-point mark for a long time, and we couldn’t really break through that,” Bartlett said. moves up to the red level. “Now we have a buffer, so even if we see a slight increase in cases, we will still remain in the red level.”
In San Bernardino County?
San Bernardino also makes the shift on Sunday.
“People in our country have worked tirelessly over the past year to protect each other’s health and safety,” San Bernardino supervisor Curt Hagman said in a statement. “It was a community-wide effort in which everyone was involved, from health workers and essential workers to businesses and residents, according to strict public health protocols. Our zeal is now beginning to bear fruit. ”
What does the move to the red level mean?
Provinces in the red level will be allowed to resume indoor dining at restaurants and cinema shows with 25% capacity, and students welcome in person grades 7 to 12, reopens indoor gyms and dance and yoga studios at a capacity of 10%, and expands the capacity constraints at non-essential stores and libraries.
Museums, zoos and aquariums can reopen indoor operations, with a capacity of 25%.
Amusement parks can reopen at 15% capacity, with other amendments, from 1 April. Attractions that have been closed for a long time, such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain are still weeks away from welcoming visitors – who are certainly California residents – back after being closed for a year.
Outdoor sports – with fans – and live performances outside will also be allowed to resume April 1, subject to the following restrictions: For provinces still in the strictest level, press, capacity will still be limited to 100 people or less, and attendance will be regionally limited. Advance bookings are required, and there will be no concession or access sales. In the red level, the available capacity will increase and be limited to 20%, with mainly concession sales.
Any words of warning?
Yes.
Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary of health and human services, said during an information session Friday that this is not the reason for Californians to open up about their disappointment. He said there was still reason to be wary of participating in newly permitted activities, such as eating indoors in restaurants, because every venue where people do not wear masks all the time carries a risk of contamination.
Mixing with people from another household, for example, must be done carefully, and it remains safer to eat outside than in a mixed group, he said.
Davis, the Los Angeles County health official, warned that eating a restaurant’s indoor dining room still poses risks and that it stays safer outdoors.
‘People are susceptible to this virus. There is variant which is spreading in our country, ”said Davis. “Many of them can be transmitted more easily, and others can cause serious illness.”
The persistent risk of eating indoors in restaurants is one of the reasons LA County is demanding that those who eat together live in the same household. However, it is permissible for people from up to three households to eat outside at the same table.
Davis said it’s probably better for people out there high risk for serious illness and death due to COVID-19 not eating in a restaurant.
LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis called the upcoming move “welcome news,” but warned “that in no way means we can wait now,” she said in a statement. ‘We owe it to our neighbors, our local businesses and our children to be vigilant so that the reopening is safe and long lasting. Wearing masks and physical distance remains critical. ”
Are there any provinces on the way to the orange level soon?
In the Bay Area, San Mateo County looks set to move to the orange level Wednesday, the second least restrictive. In the orange level, provinces can reopen bars outdoors, with modifications, without serving food; capacity restrictions are lifted in stores (although pandemic security adjustments still apply); indoor places of worship, museum, zoo and aquarium capacity increased from 25% to 50%; indoor restaurant and movie theater capacity increases from 25% or 100 people, whichever is less, to 50% or 200 people, whichever is less; and indoor gym and yoga studio capacity increases from 10% to 25%.
What were the recent changes to breweries, wineries and distilleries?
On Saturday, new rules apply to breweries, wineries and distilleries that do not serve food. As usual, however, affairs will remain a distant concept, even in the strictest category of the state reopening plan for four categories.
According to new state health guidelines in effect on Saturday, breweries, wineries and distilleries can operate outside without serving food in provinces that are in the purple or red level, the two strictest. Visitors must book and be subject to a 90-minute period, and on-site consumption must stop by 8 p.m.
Breweries, wineries and distilleries that do serve food will still apply under the same rules that apply to restaurants.
Despite the relaxation of restrictions on some liquor services, non-food bars remain completely closed in the purple and red levels.
Although the new guideline provides the provinces with the way to schedule the additional reopening, 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 not yet announced whether it will align its leadership on breweries, wineries and distilleries with the state.
Times author Hannah Fry contributed to this report.