Category: reopening

San Francisco Bay Area Resumes Indoor Dining

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Most counties in the San Francisco Bay Area resumed indoor dining starting March 3 after their virus numbers improved. Restaurants in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Napa, and Marin counties are now allowed to seat customers inside at 25 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. They have transitioned to the…


State Clears Theme Parks, Ballparks To Reopen, With Strict Capacity Rules

LOS ANGELES—Disneyland, Universal Studios and other theme parks across the state, along with outdoor ballparks and stadiums, can reopen as early as April 1 subject to counties’ rates of COVID-19 spread and with strict capacity-control mandates and required mask-wearing, state officials announced March 5. The announcement marks a major policy shift relating to theme parks,…


Newsom Signs $6.6 Billion School-Reopening Bill, School Year Could Be Extended

LOS ANGELES (CNS)—Gov. Gavin Newsom March 5 signed a $6.6 billion legislative package that offers incentives for schools to resume in-person instruction for students up to second grade by April 1 and provides funds to help recoup learning lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly by extending the school year. But whether Los Angeles Unified School…


Orange County’s Restricted Businesses Unlikely to Reopen Until Late March

Indoor gyms and theaters will likely reopen in Orange County later this month, if the region’s COVID-19 metrics continue their downward trend. Right now, Orange County falls under the state-mandated purple tier, meaning some of its non-essential businesses, fitness facilities and theatres must remain closed. Restaurants can remain open to facilitate takeout orders, or serve…


Mississippi to Lift Mask Mandate, Allow Businesses Back at Full Capacity

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Tuesday that the state will lift county mask mandates, and businesses will be able to operate at full capacity. “Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our county mask mandates and businesses will be able to operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules,” Reeves announced on Twitter. “Our hospitalizations…


State Deal to Encourage School Reopening By April, But Local Resistance Looms

LOS ANGELES—Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders will announce a multibillion-dollar deal March 1 aimed at enticing schools to resume in-person instruction for young students by April 1, but union demands for COVID vaccinations of teachers and reduced transmission rates make it unlikely L.A. Unified will meet that date. According to reports out of Sacramento,…


Disneyland Unveils Special Park Event in March

ANAHEIM—Disneyland officials released details Feb. 24 of a mini opening of the theme park in Anaheim next month in a limited-capacity ticketed event called A Touch of Disney. The theme park, which has been shut down for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will reopen partially on March 18 through April 5 for the…


LA County Supports Less Strict Threshold For Theme Park Reopenings

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors went on record Feb. 23 in support of Assembly Bill 420, which seeks to allow theme parks to reopen earlier. Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended that the board back the bipartisan bill by Assembly members Sharon Quirk-Silva and Suzette Martinez Valladares. The bill would amend the state’s industry…


California Principal Says Note on Schools Not Being Fully Open in Fall Was Mistake

A San-Francisco middle-school principal said she made an error in composing a newsletter that included a quote from the city’s school superintendent advising parents that schools would not be fully reopened by the fall. “After going back through my notes, and following up with folks, I realized my error,” she said in an email to…


California Principal Says Note About Schools’ Status for Fall Was Wrong

A San Francisco middle-school principal said she made an error in composing a newsletter that included a quote from the city’s school superintendent advising parents that schools wouldn’t be fully reopened by the fall. “After going back through my notes, and following up with folks, I realized my error,” Aptos Middle School Principal Stacey Wyatt…