Los Angeles will begin reopening restaurants, movie theaters and gyms as early as next Monday after months of harsh lockdown restrictions.
L.A. County - which is home to more than 10 million people - will be eligible to begin reopening once California administers 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to residents in the most disadvantaged areas.
Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state is on track to reach that target on Friday - effectively clearing Los Angeles businesses to begin operations at a reduced capacity.
'L.A. will be a big beneficiary of this new metric. Moving through the weekend and into next week, you will see more activity, more loosening of the tiers,' he stated at a press conference on Wednesday.
Los Angeles County has had some of the strictest lockdown laws in the country.
Los Angeles will begin reopening restaurants, movie theaters and gyms as early as next Monday after months of harsh lockdown restrictions
Tens of thousands of LA residents are being vaccinated each day, which may be contributing to the drop in daily case numbers. Pictured: a drive-thru vaccination center in LA count
On July 1 last year, Gov Newsom closed indoor dining, cinemas, zoos and museums in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
But the closures did little to stop the spread of the virus, and the country was slammed by COVID-19 over the course of the winter.
An estimated 1 in every 3 residents have contracted the disease.
In late December, L.A. hospitals reached capacity and, by early January, one resident was dying from the coronavirus every 6 minutes.
On January 16, Los Angeles became the first county in the country to surpass one million COVID-19 cases.
The surge prompted even stricter stay-at-home orders, which have caused the number of infections to drop dramatically in recent weeks.
LA residents have been unable to exercise indoors, but from Monday gyms and fitness centers are likely to reopen
This file photo shows a shuttered cinema last March. While owners believed they would be back in business by April, they have been closed for the better part of a year. From Monday, they are likely to begin reopening
While outdoor dining was given the go-ahead several weeks ago, patrons will be able to eat indoors for the first time in eight months if L.A. County is cleared for reopening Monday.
However, capacity will be capped at 25 percent, and tables must be spaced eight feet apart, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, movie theaters would also be able to reopen at 25 percent capacity, while museums, zoos and aquariums will also be able to welcome back the general public.
Gyms, fitness centers and dance studios are also able to recommence indoor operations - but capacity will be capped at just 10 percent.
Perhaps, most crucially, schools from grades 7-12 will also be able to open for in person instruction.
L.A. County has clocked more than 1.2 million COVID cases. Across the country, 29.2 million people have contracted the disease.
A staggering 530,000 people have died.
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