LA Bars Could Reopen For Indoor Seating As Early As Next Week

As of Tuesday, April 27th, LA County has officially qualified to move from the orange tier into the yellow tier, based on California’s Blueprint For A Safer Economy program. If you need a refresher on the whole tier system, or you’re in the mood to stare at some vibrant colors, be sure to check out our detailed breakdown. But essentially, yellow is the least-restrictive tier in the program, meaning more businesses are allowed to reopen with fewer restrictions.

Only a few months ago, LA and surrounding counties were practically the nation’s epicenter for the pandemic. But as vaccination numbers rise and California continues to post the lowest COVID-19 case rates in the continental US, reopening is about to start happening quickly, with less restrictions for LA County businesses assuredly on the horizon.

Below we’ve outlined exactly what it all means, and when you can expect to see changes in LA bars and restaurants.

What Changes Can We Expect to See Once We Hit the Yellow Tier?

Moving into the yellow tier will affect retail, places of worship, museums, zoos, bowling alleys, live music venues, and more businesses. For restaurants and bars, the most noticeable changes will be:

1. Bars that don’t serve food will be allowed to reopen indoors at 25% capacity

2. Indoor capacity at restaurants stays at 50%, but there will be no 200 person limit.

3. Breweries, wineries, and distilleries that serve food will be able to increase indoor capacity to 50%.

How We Got to This Point

Just as it was when we moved from the red tier into the orange tier, LA County uses these three key metrics to judge when it can move into a less restrictive tier:

1. Adjusted Case Rate: The number of cases per 100,000 people that were reported in the county across a seven-day average.

2. Test Positivity Rate: This number is representative of the percentage of tests that came back positive in the county across a seven-day average.

3. Equity Index: This number measures the rate of positive tests recorded in low-income neighborhoods in comparison to the county’s overall rate.

La County's Numbers Right Now

All three metrics have to cross the same tier threshold in order for the County to qualify for that tier. As of Tuesday, April 27th, LA County’s numbers are as follow:

• Adjusted Case Rate: 1.9% (yellow tier)

• Test Positivity Rate: 0.9% (yellow tier)

• Equity Index: 1.0% (yellow tier)

Why Are We Still Waiting, if the County Qualifies Right Now?

Now that LA County officially qualifies for the yellow tier, there is a week-long waiting period to see if those numbers stay at the same levels. If numbers remain flat through next Tuesday May 4th, county health officials can then set an official date for the county to move into the yellow tier.

There's a Guide for That

LA is in a massive moment of change, and if you’re looking to get back out into the world, we’ve got you covered for every situation possible. Maybe you’re meeting friends who you haven’t seen in a year, planning a big night out outside, or finally getting back into the dating scene. Perhaps this is all still a bit too much and you just want a quiet patio to take a breath on.

Have any questions or feelings? You can reach us at losangeles@thenfatuation.com.