Staff

Outdoor dining is returning in Los Angeles County starting Friday after Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted all regional stay-at-home orders across California.

With the rescinding of the order, outdoor dining across Southern California was immediately able to return but it was up to Los Angeles County to relax its own restrictions. County Supervisor Hilda Solis confirmed that by the end of the week the county would align with the state.

Other activities permitted by the state’s reopening plan will also be permitted in Los Angeles including outdoor recreational sites like aquariums, zoos, cardrooms, dance studios and miniature golf. Personal care services can also open indoors at 25% capacity explained L.A County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer.

“This is not the time for people to think we can get back to our normal business and our normal ways of interacting with each other,” warned Ferrer. “If we’re not careful, our metrics that are headed in the right direction will quickly change. So, please, do your part to allow us to move forward with careful reopenings.”

The caution comes as Los Angeles reported 8,200 new cases earlier this week and 98 deaths. 6,697 were hospitalized on January 24. Additionally, ICU capacity remained at under 1.5 percent.

“If at any point it starts looking like we’re creating again an overwhelming situation for our hospitals, and we don’t continue to see that we’re making progress and slowing the spread, I’ll be the first person to call us all back together to say we need to move forward differently,” Ferrer said.