As state and county health officials begin lifting restrictions imposed a few months ago amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura are among 51 California counties that have been given the go-ahead to move forward in reopening more businesses on Friday.
Among the businesses that will be reopened (with modifications), are movie theaters, bars, gyms and day care centers, though some details on specific industries have remained sparse.
Here's what we know about Los Angeles County and California's current reopening plans.
Entertainment Venues, Gyms and Bars
Movie Theaters
Movie-lovers may be able to go to their local theater as soon as this Friday, thanks to the new state guidelines. However, theaters are being asked to limit the number of guests in a movie theater to about 25 percent of capacity, or a maximum of 100 attendees - whichever is lower. A reservation system will also be required to limit the number of movie-goers when possible.
Theaters will be required to close, or remove seats from use to help keep fans at least six feet apart in the theater. Other rules include asking attendees to wear face masks while they aren't eating or drinking.
Other suggested actions for movie theaters include disposable or washable coverings for seats.
Summer camps, swimming pools and museum and gallery spaces at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine have also been reopened following a three-month shutdown brought on by COVID-19.
Bars
Bars were given the OK to reopen on Friday according to California's new guidelines, however, no information was issued on what requirements bars must follow to reopen.
Gyms
If you've been missing the gym over the last few months, there's good news for you. While gyms have been given the go-ahead to reopen, the state has not issued any industry-specific guidelines they must follow in order to reopen.
Schools
Schools
State superintendent Tony Thurmond on Monday released new guidelines for schools in California to reopen over the next few months for the new school year. Among the lengthy list of requirements for schools and students are requirements for face coverings to be worn, as well as keeping students spaced out at least 6 feet away from one another in the classroom.
Other requirements include:
- Cafeterias will suspend self-service buffets and shared tables for lunchtime. Students may eat their lunches in the classroom, spaced out at their desks.
- New scheduling options to stagger the number of students through the day.
Professional Sports
Sports will be making a comeback in California on Friday - albeit without an audience. Teams will be allowed to resume training and competing after June 12 - however, there's no word on what that may look like.
Disneyland, Other Theme Parks
Disney Resorts this week announced a plan they are proposing to local and state leaders to reopen Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure in July.
According to the plan, the phased reopening of the popular vacation destination would begin on July 9th with Downtown Disney "in line with the state’s reopening guidelines." Then, on July 17th, the Disneyland and the California Adventure theme parks will reopen their gates, with the resort's hotels, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel reopening on July 23rd.
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