Indoor concerts, theater performances and private gatherings will be allowed in California, with limitations, beginning on April 15, the Department of Public Health announced on Friday.
Attendees must show proof of full vaccination or be tested for COVID-19, officials said, and the number of people permitted to gather will depend on the tier of the county where the event is located.
Counties in the purple, or most restrictive, tier will not be permitted to resume indoor concerts and theater performances. Counties in the red tier may resume indoor performances at 10% capacity for venues that can seat up to 1,500 people and 20% capacity for larger venues, but these limits could increase to 25% if all attendees are fully vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19.
In the orange tier, which Los Angeles County is currently in, attendance would be limited to 15%, with the option of increasing that cap to 35% if all attendees are fully vaccinated or tested. And in the least restrictive tier, capacity would be limited at 25%, or 50% if all attendees are vaccinated and tested.
Indoor private gatherings are not allowed for counties in the purple tier, but they are permitted in the red tier with a limit of 100 people if all guests show proof of full vaccination or are tested. Otherwise, the guest limit for indoor private gatherings in the red tier is capped at 50.
Counties in the orange tier may have indoor private gatherings with a limit of 150 people if all guests are vaccinated or tested, while counties in the yellow and least restrictive tier may have indoor gatherings with 200 people, at most, if all are vaccinated and tested.
“Today’s update to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy is a result of the progress we are making both in vaccinations and in controlling the spread of COVID-19,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said in a statement.