Orange is the NEW Tier
Updated April 1, 2021 – Orange is the NEW Tier!
As of March 30, Los Angeles County has met the threshold for the less restrictive orange tier in the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Los Angeles County is entering the Orange Tier with key sectors reopening, resuming indoor operations and/or increasing capacity starting Monday, April 5. The Health Officer Order and modified directives for businesses will be posted on Friday, April 2, with an effective date of April 5.
March 21, 2021 – Reopenings in the “Red Tier”
Update to the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order http://publichealth.lacounty.
March 15, 2021 – LA County has entered the “Red Tier” of the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy and is lifting some local activity-specific restrictions, which went into effect Monday, March 15, 2021. However, Los Angeles County continues to experience substantial rates of COVID-19 transmission, and the danger COVID-19 poses to our community has not subsided. Vaccinations are occurring as quickly as supplies allow, but most people in our community are not vaccinated. New variants of the virus that may spread more easily or cause more severe illness are present in our county; however, their impact on our local pandemic is largely unknown.
The LA County Department of Public Health urges businesses, entities, and residents to continue exercising caution even as certain restrictions are lifted. Just because certain activities are allowed or certain reopening protocols are revised, that does not mean that those activities are “safe”. Businesses and customers should continue to regularly check the County Public Health website for updates to their sector-specific protocol(s) to ensure they are in compliance with the most current safety modifications.
The updated Health Officer Order adds three protocols: Appendix S – Youth and Adult Recreational Sports; Appendix W – Limited Services; and Appendix X – Movie Theaters.
Newly permitted activities and modified safety protocols in the red tier will include the following:
- Museum, Zoos and Aquariums can open indoors at 25% capacity.
- Gyms, Fitness Centers, Yoga and Dance Studios can open indoors at 10% capacity with masking requirement
for all indoor activities. - 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.
- 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 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 has been increased. Public Health strongly recommends that all restaurant employees interacting with customers indoors are provided with additional masking protection (above the currently required face shield over face masks); this can be fit tested N95 masks, KN95 masks, or double masks and a face shield. In addition, Public Health strongly recommends that all employees working indoors are informed about and offered opportunities to be vaccinated. Outdoor dining can accommodate up to six people per table from 3 different households.
- 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.
- Institutes of Higher Education can re-open all permitted activities with required safety modifications except for residential housing which remains under current restrictions for the Spring semester.
- Schools are permitted to re-open for in-person instruction for students in grades 7-12 adhering to all state and county directives.
- 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.
