Indoor dining will return to Los Angeles restaurants on Monday – with these restrictions: LAist

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Los Angeles County hit red today, which means LA officials will likely allow restaurants will resume their meals indoors on Monday – with some restrictions.

Restaurants should:

• Operates at 25% capacity or seats no more than 100 people (whichever is lower)
• Space tables 8 feet apart
• Do not place more than 6 people at a table
• Forbid people from different households to sit at the same table (although there is not much restaurants can do to confirm and enforce this)

Food courts in indoor shopping centers will also be able, once again, to let customers sit and eat their food under the skin-enhancing glow of a Sbarro sign – as long as the food court does not exceed 25% of its capacity.

Restaurants in Long Beach, which has its own health department, may also open indoor operations with modification on Monday, officials said.

The city of Pasadena, which also has its own health department, will also allow restaurants to resume indoor dining on Monday, by a Pasadena Public Health Department announcement.

After today’s move to the red level – what happened when California administers 2 million COVID-19 vaccines to hardest-hit communities – LA County Public Health Department will need to change public health order so businesses can reopen . Officials could pull the trigger sooner or later, but the official reopening will likely take place on Monday.

In addition to good news, California recently eased restrictions to breweries, cellars and distilleries this do not serve food can reopen outside in the counties of the purple and red levels, starting Saturday March 13. (Previously, these establishments had to wait for future levels to reopen.)

Breweries, cellars and distilleries must:

• Require advance reservations
• Limit visits to 90 minutes
• End of alcohol consumption at 8 p.m.

However, counties have the option of changing state rules to make them more stringent, and Los Angeles Department of Health officials may decide to do so.

If you’re confused because your neighborhood bar has been open for most of the pandemic, we don’t blame you. Breweries and wineriess who serve food are classified as restaurants and must follow these rules, which allow early reopening.

What about bars that do not serve food? They will remain closed until a county reaches the “orange” level. In the orange level they will be allowed to reopen but only outside.

In the red level of California’s four-level reopening plan, other companies may also reopen:

• Indoor malls can increase capacity to 50% and their food courts can reopen to 25% capacity.
• Museums, zoos and aquariums can also open indoors at 25% capacity
• Gyms, fitness centers, yoga and dance studios can open indoors at 10% capacity. Masks are still needed.

Good dinner.