Dine-in restaurants and personal care services such as barber shops and hair salons will be allowed to reopen in Los Angeles County starting today. 

While Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California counties would be allowed to reopen several types of businesses Tuesday, Los Angeles County waited before making the call for its own dine-in restaurants and “close contact” businesses. The county then received official permission from the state Thursday night, with included guidelines, to take effect Friday. 

Dine-in restaurants will have to keep tables six feet away from each other, continue to adhere physical distancing regulations for employees, create a disinfecting plan for workstations and continue to apply sanitary measures such as using hand sanitizers, and wearing gloves and face masks.

Customers will still be encouraged to avoid conducting in-person meetings and limit parties to 10 per table. 

Close-contact services such as tattoo parlors, grooming businesses, spa facilities and massage centers will have to adhere to similar guidelines as restaurants, keeping workstations six feet away from each other, taking sanitary precautions and, additionally, encouraging appointment-only services. 

The state has now allowed the reopening of most higher-risk businesses, with restrictions, as Gov. Newsom reiterated during a press conference, “We are currently in Phase 3 and are not ready for Phase 4.” 

Phase 4 would involve the reopening of what is considered by the state to be the “highest risk” businesses, such as stadiums and concert venues.

K-12 schools and colleges fall under Phase 3 of Los Angeles County’s Roadmap to Recovery, and Gov. Newsom said that guidelines are being drafted to address not just the safety of students, but teachers, principals, custodial staff, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and maintenance workers. 

In a virtual news conference Wednesday, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said that he expects to send out school guidelines in June, but reopenings will ultimately be left to individual school districts.  

 

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.