With L.A. County anticipating reopening additional sectors as soon as Monday, March 15, L.A. Public Health set guidelines that include indoor dining, movie theaters and indoor gyms.

L.A. County will likely qualify to enter the “red tier” of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy sometime this weekend, and being in the tier comes with a slew of reopenings and higher capacity activities.

“The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health anticipates qualifying for the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy less restrictive red tier that allows for additional re-openings between Monday, March 15 at 12:01 a.m. and Wednesday, March 17,” L.A. Public Health said in a statement. “The exact date depends on when 2 million doses have been administered to people in the most under-resourced communities across the state.”

In the red tier, indoor dining will be permitted at 25% of a restaurant’s max capacity, so long as tables are stationed 8-feet apart, with a limit of six people per table (from one household) and an HVAC system working at its maximum possible ventilation.

Indoor gyms and fitness studios still be allowed to reopen at 10% capacity with masks required for indoor activities.

Movie theaters will be allowed to reopen at 25% capacity with a reserved seating system in place and six feet of distance between groups of moviegoers.

Museums, zoos and aquariums will be allowed to resume indoor operations at 25% capacity.

Personal care services such as hair salons and barbershops will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity with mask requirements.

Indoor malls will also be allowed to operate at 50% capacity with its food courts running at 25% capacity. The same mask and table guidance for indoor restaurants will be applied for food courts.

The red tier also triggers schools to restart in-person classes for grades 7-12. LAUSD is among the districts that have been approved for reopening and as of Tuesday, the district and the UTLA teacher’s union came to an agreement on reopening terms.

While not included in next week’s anticipated reopenings, theme parks, stadiums and outdoor venues will be allowed to reopen while the county is in the red tier, starting April 1.

Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti stated that theme parks and stadiums are no longer seen as “super spreader” sectors when running under limited capacity.

 

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