L.A. County to reopen indoor restaurants, gyms Monday after California meets COVID-19 vaccine target

In a major milestone, Los Angeles County has met the state’s threshold to reopen key sectors and starting on Monday will permit a wide range of indoor operations to resume in sectors including middle and high schools; restaurants; movie theaters; gyms and museums, zoos and aquariums, all with safeguards in place.

The move into the state’s less restrictive Red Tier comes as case rates continue to fall significantly from their winter peak.

Key sectors reopening include:

The County’s Health Officer Orders and sector protocols will be updated later today to reflect the changes.

In alignment with the state’s reopening framework, mandatory masking, distancing and infection control practices remain in place for every business and permitted activity, and certain sectors have additional safety modifications required or recommended.

“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, Supervisor to the First District. “We have achieved this milestone and moved down to the Red Tier because as a County we worked hard, looked out for one another, and came together to defeat the dark winter surge. Although we are taking steps to re-open some of the hardest hit sectors re-open some of the hardest hit sectors of our economy, that in no way means we can drop our guard now. We owe it to our neighbors, our local businesses, and our children to remain vigilant so that the re-openings are safe and long-lasting — wearing masks and physical distancing remain critical. I know our residents will abide by the Health Officer Order so we can continue on this hopeful trajectory and eventually move from the Red Tier to the Orange Tier, to the Yellow Tier and ultimately, out of this pandemic. I know we will triumph and realize a future of prosperity, unencumbered by the strains of the pandemic but with the lessons we learned to uplift our communities for generations to come.”

"These key re-openings show progress in our efforts to stop this deadly virus, but we can't become complacent now. We must continue to equitably vaccinate and protect our residents who will be most impacted by the re-openings — those who teach our children, serve our food, and sell our goods. Entering the Red Tier is an important step for our economic

These key re-openings show progress in our efforts to stop this deadly virus, but we can't become complacent now. We must continue to equitably vaccinate and protect our residents who will be most impacted by the re-openings — those who teach our children, serve our food, and sell our goods. Entering the Red Tier is an important step for our economic recovery, but we can't return to the health crisis we faced recently, and I urge everyone to continue to wear a mask, to follow public health guidelines and to get vaccinated as soon as it's your turn,” said 2nd District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.

“I’ve never been happier to see red. Thanks to our many County residents getting vaccinated and even more people following our public health guidance, we’ve seen a real reduction in COVID-19 cases and have entered the ‘Red Tier,’ meaning that school districts will be allowed to choose to reopen to more grades, and that we can allow expanded capacity at businesses, and even open some businesses that have been closed for months. This is very welcome news, but, in order to avoid a spike in cases, and a return to more restrictions, masking and physical distancing, especially among the millions of County residents who are not fully vaccinated, remain critical. Our forward motion is dependent on people’s willingness to follow public health guidelines and to get vaccinated when they are eligible,” said 3rd DistrictSupervisor Sheila Kuehl.

1. Museum, Zoos and Aquariumscan open indoors at 25% capacity.

2. Gyms, Fitness Centers, Yoga and Dance Studios can open indoors at 10% capacity with masking requirement for all indoor activities.

3. 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.

4. Retail and Personal Care Services can increase capacity to 50% with masking required at all times and for all services.

5. 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

6. 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.

7. Institutes of Higher Educationcan re-open all permitted activities with required safety modifications except for residential housing which remains under current restrictions for the Spring semester.

8. Schools are permitted to re-open for in-person instruction for students in grades 7-12 adhering to all state and county directives.

9. 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. Businesses must implement all the requirements in the sector specific Public Health protocols. It is critical that directives and infection protocols are followed to minimize COVID-19 spread as much as possible. The comprehensive protocols for all sectors that reopen will be posted online later today.

Today, Public Health has confirmed 101 new deaths and 947 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,208,913 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 22,404 deaths.

There are 1,015 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 28% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for more than 5,937,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. Today's daily test positivity rate is 2.0%.