LA County to reopen indoor dining, gyms, movie theaters on March 15

A YEAR after the start of the coronavirus, Los Angeles County announced that indoor operations will resume anew for key sectors like restaurants, movie theaters and gyms starting Monday, March 15.

This announce comes as the county moves into the state’s less restrictive red tier, meeting the threshold to reopen key sectors.

Starting Monday, restaurants can welcome indoor dining with a maximum capacity of 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer, 8 feet distancing between tables and one household per table with limit of six people. They can expand outdoor dining from one household to three households (up to six people) per table.

Local school officials will decide when schools, including middle and high schools, can reopen fully for in-person instruction.

Further, movie theaters can operate indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people and reserved seating is required. Gyms, fitness centers and yoga studios are allowed to operate at 10% capacity and must require masks. Museums, zoos and aquariums can operate indoors at 25%.

Previously, the state announced that amusement parks can reopen at 15% capacity in red tier counties. Meanwhile, that limitation will increase to 25% in the orange tier, and then 35% in the yellow tier. Attendance will be limited to in-state visitors.

Outdoor sports and live performances (with fans/attendees) are eligible to begin April 1.

In the purple tier, capacity will be limited to 100 people or fewer and attendance will be limited to regional visitors. Advanced reservations will be required, and no concession or concourse sales will be allowed. In the red tier, capacity will be limited to 20%.

Concession sales will be primarily in-seat (no concourse sales). In the orange tier, capacity will be limited to 33% and in the yellow tier, capacity will increase to 67%. Attendance will be limited to in-state visitors in the red, orange and yellow tiers.

“This is welcome news, especially as many of our small businesses have borne the brunt of the financial fallout from this pandemic, and as our students struggle to keep up with distance learning,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis of the first district.

To date, LA County’s adjusted case rate is 5.2 new cases per 100,000 people. The test positivity rate is 2.5%, and in areas with the fewest health affirming resources, L.A. County has a test positivity rate of 3.6%. (AJPress)