City Hall Scoop

The Los Angeles County Health Officer Order was updated to reflect newly permitted activities allowed in the State of California’s Orange Tier, beginning Monday, April 5 at 12:01 a.m. Additional safety modifications are required or recommended for many sectors.

The modifications to the Health Officer Order include the following:

• Bars that do not provide meals will be allowed to open outdoors with distancing, masking and infection control safety measures. Indoor operations are not permitted. Visits are limited to 90 minutes. Masks are required except when people are eating or drinking. There can be no counter seating and people can eat or drink only when they are seated. Tables must be 8 feet apart, with a maximum of 6 people from up to 3 different households. There can be no live entertainment, television is permitted outdoors only and hours of operations are from 11:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.
• Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries that do not serve meals can remain open outdoors and can also open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. These establishments will follow the same public health directives as bars for their outdoor areas, however, there are additional requirements for indoor spaces: reservations are required for indoor seating, there is a maximum of 6 people per indoor table and they must be from the same household, and there is no live entertainment or television viewing indoors.
• Restaurants can increase capacity for indoor dining to 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is less, with continued safety modifications.
• Cardrooms can operate indoors at 25% capacity. There must be 8-feet of distancing between tables and masks are always required. Food and beverages remain banned from card tables and gaming areas.
• Places of Worship can hold services indoors at 50% capacity.
• Fitness Centers can operate indoors at 25% capacity and indoor pools can now re-open. Masks are always required except when swimming.
• Movie Theatres can increase capacity to 50% or 200 people, whichever is less. Seats must be reserved, and each group must have 6 feet of distance from other groups in all directions. Eating and drinking is allowed in only designated dining areas or while in your reserved seat. Masks must be worn at all times, while not eating or drinking.
• Family Entertainment Centers can open indoors at 25% capacity for distanced activities, such as bowling or escape rooms. Masks remain required.
• Grocery and Retail Stores can increase capacity to 75%, although Public Health strongly recommends grocery stores remain at 50% capacity until April 15 to allow time for as many grocery store workers as possible get vaccinated.
• Hair Salons, Barbershops and Personal Care Services can increase capacity to 75%. Patrons and workers are required to be masked at all times. For services that require customers to remove their masks, such as facials or electrolysis, staff must wear a fitted N95 and goggles or a mask with a face shield.
• Museums, Zoos and Aquariums can be open indoors at 50% capacity.
• Youth and Adult Recreational Sports can play all outdoors sports between two teams with required modifications. For events or competitions that involve more than two teams or multiple individual or doubles competitors, event organizers must apply to Public Health for approval of the proposed athletic event, tournament or competition.

It is critical that businesses follow Health Officer Order directives and infection protocols to protect workers and customers and minimize COVID-19 spread as much as possible. The County’s recovery and the safety of workers and customers depend on businesses fully implementing infection control and physical distancing requirements.

Also, effective April 1, 2021, amusement parks, outdoor seated live events and outdoor professional sporting events are permitted with the safety measures in place, including occupancy limits, distancing, masking and eating and drinking requirements.

Please visit the website to see the new Health Officer Order and all updated Los Angeles County protocols and guidance documents related to COVID-19, including information on the vaccine.

Thank you, from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

4/5/21