Manhattan Beach Indoor Businesses Could Reopen Monday

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA—Manhattan Beach residents and visitors will once again be able to enjoy dining indoors and going to movie theaters next week, according to an announcement from LA County health officials.

The County is expected to move into the less restrictive red tier of the State's Blueprint for a Safer Economy—which allows for additional reopenings—as early as Monday, the report said.

The County is principally aligned with the state’s reopening framework for the red tier with mandatory masking, distancing and infection control practices for every business and permitted activity, according to the report.

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 requirements for all indoor activities.
• Movie theaters can open indoors at 25% capacity with reserved seating to provide at least six feet of distance between patrons.
• 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 with 8 feet distancing between tables; one household per table with a limit of 6 people.
• 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.
• Schools are permitted to reopen 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.

Currently, Manhattan Beach has confirmed to-date 19 new deaths and 1,242 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,208,024 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 22,304 deaths.

“To the families and friends mourning the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health in the announcement.

"We plan to move into the red tier very soon, and that allows for more reopenings and permitted activities in L.A. County," Ferrer said. "This milestone is the result of businesses and individuals working together and doing their part to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. It will be up to everyone, businesses and residents, to continue driving down transmission and to follow safety directives closely to keep everyone as safe as possible by preventing increases in cases. When even relatively small numbers of businesses and individuals fail to adhere to the safety precautions, many others experience tragic consequences."

To make a vaccine appointment in L.A. County and when your turn is coming up, sign up for a vaccination newsletter and learn more at www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish). Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.