Arcadia: State Officials Move Los Angeles County To Red Tier Loosening Pandemic Restrictions

Press release from the City of Arcadia:

March 15, 2021

Los Angeles County will officially move into the state’s less restrictive red tier today, Monday, March 15, signaling the reopening of a wide range of indoor activities such as in-school learning for grades 7-12, indoor dining at restaurants, plus movie theaters, gyms, museums, zoos and aquariums, all with limited capacity.

The county will be allowed to advance quickly into the red tier as the state announced Friday, March 12, that it reached a benchmark of administering at least 2 million vaccine doses to underserved communities. Newly permitted activities now include:

• Museums, Zoos, and Aquariums: can open indoors at 25% capacity.
• Gyms, fitness centers, yoga, and dance studios: can open indoors at 10% capacity with masks required.
• Movie theaters: can open indoors at 25% capacity, or 100 people, whichever is fewer. Theaters must have reserved seating and groups should sit at least 6 feet apart.
• 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, or 100 people, whichever is fewer. Tables have to be spaced 8 feet apart, with just one household allowed per table with a limit of 6 people seated together. Ventilation should be increased and restaurant employees interacting with customers are urged to have additional masking protection, like N95 masks or double masks and a face shield. Meanwhile, outdoor dining can accommodate up to six people per table from three different households.
• Institutes of higher education: can reopen all permitted activities with required safety modifications, except for student housing which remains under current restrictions for the Spring semester.
• Schools: are permitted to reopen for in-person instruction for students in grades 7-12, while adhering to all state and county guidelines to curb coronavirus spread.
• Private gatherings: can happen indoors with up to three 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 masks and distancing.

And according to state guidelines, a move to the red tier also means that starting April 1, major theme parks in those counties can reopen at 15% capacity, while ballparks and stadiums can welcome back fans at 20% capacity.

For more specific information on industry guidance, please visit publichealth.lacounty.gov.

This press release was produced by the City of Arcadia. The views expressed are the author's own.