Imperial County to ease coronavirus restrictions
State allows some Valley to reopen effective Wednesday
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - California health officials announced Tuesday afternoon Imperial County has lowered its coronavirus numbers to the point, where it can begin easing restrictions.
The California Department of Public Health (CPHD) says the transmission rate in the Valley has dropped from widespread to substantial. That moves the county into the so-called Red Tier, and allows some businesses to expand their services.
Changes include:
- Restaurants may offer indoor dining (25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less)
- Indoor retail may expand to 50% capacity
- Indoor shopping centers, swap meets, and food courts may expand to 50% capacity
- School K-12 may return to in-person learning
- Youth and adult outdoor low and moderate- contact sports may resume
- Colleges may resume in-person instruction at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less
- Movie theaters may open to 25% capacity
- Gyms and fitness centers may open at 10% capacity
Bars without meal service, bowling alleys, indoor playgrounds, live theater, saunas, and steam rooms, nightclubs, and festivals are not yet allowed to open.
However, small family gatherings are now allowed with the following precautions:
- Masks and physical distancing required
- No more than three separate households attend (including the host)
- Gatherings should be 2 hours or less
- Those with symptoms must not attend
- Those at high risk of severe illness strongly encouraged not to attend
- Singing, shouting, chanting, and/or playing wind instruments are allowed outdoors although still not permitted indoors at this time.
The changes to into effect Wednesday, March 10, 2021.
