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Los Angeles County restaurants, gyms, museums and cinemas will soon be allowed to reopen for indoor activities, according to a public health announcement made Thursday that marks the first major reopening of businesses since the start of the pandemic.
Reopenings will be triggered as soon as California hits its goal of delivering 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to residents of its most disadvantaged areas – which appears to be happening on Friday.
After clearing that hurdle, the state will relax the threshold necessary for counties to exit the most restrictive purple category of its four-tier reopening plan, eliminating a number of them – including Los Angeles – to pass. at the least restrictive red level in some cases. point over the weekend.
Indoor meals are completely prohibited in the purple level, but permitted in the limited capacity red. This milestone will also trigger increased activity in retail and personal care services, which will increase capacity to 50% with masking required at all times and for all services.
If the vaccination threshold is reached on Friday, the new order from the LA County public health official could go into effect as early as Monday morning.
Under the new health ordinance, private gatherings would be allowed with up to three separate households, with masking and distancing required at all times. Fully vaccinated people might congregate indoors in small numbers with others who are fully vaccinated without masking and moving away from the requirements.
“We plan to go red very soon, which will allow more reopenings and permitted activities in LA County,” said Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer. “This step is the result of businesses and individuals working together and doing their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It will be up to everyone – businesses and residents alike – to continue to reduce transmission and closely follow safety guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety by avoiding an increase in cases. When even a relatively small number of businesses and individuals fail to comply with security measures, many more suffer tragic consequences. “
The new health ordinance will mark the first time in more than eight months that residents will be able to eat indoors at a restaurant.
Once the new health worker order is in place, restaurants will be allowed to serve diners indoors at a 25% capacity.
Guests must sit at least eight feet away from other tables, and indoors only one household with a maximum of six people per table is allowed. Restaurants may allow up to six people per three household table to dine together at outdoor tables.
Restaurants need a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system “in good working order” and, where possible, increased ventilation.
Public health officials strongly recommend that all restaurant workers who interact with customers inside receive additional masking protection above the face shield currently required on face masks. It is recommended that workers receive N95 masks, KN95 masks or double masks and a face shield.
In addition, public health officials strongly recommend that all employees working inside “be informed and have the opportunity to be vaccinated,” according to a statement released Thursday. LA County food service workers, including those working in restaurants, table service, take-out and food preparation, have been eligible for the vaccine since March 1.
Other changes that need to take place in the order of the health officer include:
- The museum, zoos and aquariums could open indoors at 25% capacity.
- Gyms, fitness centers, yoga and dance studios could open indoors at 10% capacity with a blanking requirement for all indoor activities.
- Theaters could open indoors at 25% capacity with reserved seating only when each group is seated at least six feet apart in all directions between all other groups.
- Retail and personal care services can increase capacity to 50% with masking required anytime and for all services.
- Indoor shopping malls can increase capacity to 50% with common areas remaining closed Food courts can open to 25% capacity in accordance with restaurant guidelines for indoor dining.
- Institutes of higher education can reopen all authorized activities with the required security changes, with the exception of residential accommodation, which remains subject to the current restrictions for the spring semester.
- Schools are allowed to reopen for in-person instruction for Grades 7 to 12 students, in accordance with all state and county guidelines.
For months, the scene inside every restaurant in LA County was the same – tables roped, chairs stacked in corners or on tables, and signs warning customers that tables were temporarily closed.
On July 1, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the immediate closure of indoor operations at restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, cinemas, zoos, museums and card rooms. Its announcement came after California broke a record for new daily coronavirus infections – 8,610 cases, according to the Times tracker – for the second day in a row.
The worst was yet to come, and LA County struggled to ensure its case rates were low enough to meet state reopening thresholds.
Thursday’s announcement comes about six weeks after LA County lifted its ban on alfresco dining, allowing restaurants to reopen their patios and outdoor tables at 50% capacity, with tables set apart from ‘at least 8 feet.
It was a much-needed relief for an industry affected not only by the closures, but also by the limited disposable income of their customers. Many families have chosen to cook at home during the pandemic, both to save money and limit exposure.
About 110,000 restaurants across the country have closed since the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Assn.
Data compiled by the California Restaurant Assn. show that 1.4 million residents worked in restaurants before the pandemic. Since the closures last March, around 1 million of those workers have been made redundant or made redundant and have struggled to wait for delayed unemployment payments.
In previous efforts to reopen the economy, elected officials have at times provided conflicting statements about how best to protect the public from the virus from the heavy toll of unemployment and closures.
Last spring, as the coronavirus spread across the country, Los Angeles County saw a fraction of the hospitalizations and deaths seen in New York City, and local officials – after stressing the importance of making slow progress in the process. reopening of the economy and estimated that it would be in July before these. decisions made – hastily announced in late May that indoor dining would resume. The reopening has led to a summer increase in cases.
County supervisors later expressed regret for not providing the public with a clearer message that just being able to eat at a restaurant did not mean the end of the pandemic. Health officials said that on June 20 – a day after LA County gave the green light to reopen bars, breweries, wineries and similar businesses – more than 500,000 people visited the premises. County nightlife scene recently reopened.
In early July, California saw its number of new coronavirus cases skyrocket, filling some hospitals near capacity.
At the end of August, Newsom announced a four-tier system whereby mandated counties meet specific parameters before being allowed to open various business lines.
“We’re going to be more stubborn this time around,” Newsom said at a press conference in Sacramento. “It’s a stricter approach, but we believe it is more stable.”
Since then, LA County, plagued by high rates of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, has yet to leave the purple level.
Over the past year, the closures have met resistance from local officials, many of whom have faced pressure from restaurateurs and chambers of commerce to reopen.
Shortly before Thanksgiving, LA County public health officials announced that they would restrict all in-person meals for at least three weeks and limit restaurants – as well as breweries, wineries and bars – only serving take-out and delivery. The announcement came after the five-day average of the county’s new coronavirus cases surpassed 4,000, a threshold officials had set for the restriction to be implemented.
A few days later, at a meeting of the county supervisory board, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose 5th district extends north of the Alhambra to the Kern County line, presented an emergency proposal. to roll back the ban on outdoor dining, even though county health officials had said it did. necessary. The measure was rejected 3-2, with supervisor Janice Hahn co-authoring and supporting the measure.
“It’s the only company that keeps its customers, and often for a while, unmasked,” supervisor Sheila Kuehl said at the November meeting. “And that, I think, is enough to distinguish him there. We have tried, but the numbers have increased. “
Times editors Taryn Luna and Phil Willon contributed to this report.
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