Orange County residents will wake up with more freedoms March 14 when the region moves into a less-restrictive COVID-19 tier.
Its graduation to the red tier was confirmed March 12 after the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the distribution of 2 million COVID-19 does, a metric necessary for Orange County’s reopening efforts to progress.
When Orange County enters the red tier, restaurants will be allowed to have indoor dining at 25 percent capacity, and gyms will be able to open at 10 percent capacity. Museums, zoos, and aquariums can operate at 25 percent capacity. Stores and malls can open at 50 percent capacity.
The CDPH also announced that on March 13, the state will begin allowing breweries, wineries and distilleries that don’t serve meals to open outdoors.
Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett previously told The Epoch Times that moving into the red tier was a big deal for the county, which has been struggling to climb out of the purple tier for months.
“It’s a huge relief for the county and a significant milestone, because it means that with all the vaccinations that are taking place, we’re actually turning the corner relative to addressing the issues of COVID-19,” she said. “So by going from purple to the red tier, we’re going to be able to open up so much more of our local economy.”
