Indoor Dining, Movie Theatres Can Re-Open In L.A. County Monday

Officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) announced Friday that several key sectors can re-open just after midnight Monday, including indoor dining and movie theatres.

On Friday, L.A County Public Health officials announced on social media that L.A. County has met the state’s threshold to re-open key sectors in line with the red tier, allowing significant sectors to reopen their indoor operations just after midnight on Monday, March 15.

“Los Angeles County is experiencing the lowest case levels that we have seen throughout this pandemic; and as we enter the Red Tier, we are doing so with extensive research on what activities are high risk and how we can safely begin to reopen critical parts of our community and economy,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Friday.

LA County has met the state’s threshold to reopen key sectors in line with the red tier, allowing significant sectors to reopen their indoor operations on Monday, March 15 at 12:01 AM.

Learn more: https://t.co/cQVeIZt851

Thread (1/4) pic.twitter.com/nCxAck1Wts

— Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) March 12, 2021

“That allows for more re-openings and permitted activities in L.A. County,” LADPH Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said in a statement Thursday. “This milestone is the result of businesses and individuals working together and doing their part to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.”

Newly permitted activities and modified safety protocols in the red tier include the following:

• Museum, Zoos and Aquariums can open indoors at 25% capacity.
• Gyms, Fitness Centers, Yoga and Dance Studios can open indoors at 10% capacity with masking requirement for all indoor activities.
• Movie Theatres can open indoors at 25% capacity with reserved seating only where each group is seated with at least 6 feet of distance in all directions between any other groups.
• Retail and Personal Care Services can increase capacity to 50% with masking required at all times and for all services.
• Restaurants can open indoors at 25% max capacity under the following conditions: 8 feet distancing between tables; one household per table with a limit of 6 people; the HVAC system is in good working order and has been evaluated, and to the maximum extent possible ventilation has been increased. Public Health strongly recommends that all restaurant employees interacting with customers indoors are provided with additional masking protection (above the currently required face shield over face masks); this can be fit tested N95 masks, KN95 masks, or double masks and a face shield. In addition, Public Health strongly recommends that all employees working indoors are informed about and offered opportunities to be vaccinated. Outdoor dining can accommodate up to six people per table from 3 different households.
• Indoor Shopping Malls can increase capacity to 50% with common areas remaining closed; food courts can open at 25% capacity adhering to the restaurant guidance for indoor dining.
• Institutes of Higher Education can re-open all permitted activities with required safety modifications except for residential housing which remains under current restrictions for the Spring semester.
• Schools are permitted to re-open for in-person instruction for students in grades 7-12 adhering to all state and county directives.
• Private gatherings can occur indoors with up to 3 separate households, with masking and distancing required at all times. People who are fully vaccinated can gather in small numbers indoors with other people who are fully vaccinated without required masking and distancing.

An update on the number of COVID-19 cases in both the county and the Santa Clarita Valley is expected to be released later on Friday afternoon.

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