LA Bars Can Reopen Indoors Today

Starting Thursday, May 6th, LA County will officially move from the orange tier into the least restrictive yellow tier, as part of California’s ongoing Blueprint For A Safer Economy program. The transition affects multiple sectors of the County (if you’re a Dodgers fan or love exfoliating in a sauna, today is a good day) but for restaurants and bars, the most notable changes are as follows:

• Bars that don’t serve food will be able to reopen indoors, at 25% capacity, for 100 people, or to 37.5% capacity if all customers show proof of vaccination or negative test results. TV viewing is permitted, but there will be no counter seating yet.

• Indoor dining capacity at restaurants will remain at 50%, but will no longer be capped at 200 people.

• Breweries, wineries, and distilleries that serve food will be able to increase indoor capacity to 50%. That number increases to 75% if all customers show proof of vaccination or negative test results.

These looser regulations are a massive shift that comes on the heels of continued declines in test positivity rates, hospitalizations, and death count in Los Angeles. If you’re wondering how LA County got here and the numbers behind this decision, be sure to check out our full breakdown of the County’s reopening process, broken down by tiers.

As always, takeout and delivery are still available at most restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for Korean food, pizza, sushi, or Ethiopian food, we have guides for it all.