LA County COVID Numbers Continue To Decline Saturday Ahead Of Monday's Move To 'Red Tier'

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/CNS) - Los Angeles County's rate of new cases and hospitalizations continued their decline on Saturday with 793 reported new cases of COVID-19 and 42 additional deaths, bringing the totals to 1,209,632 cases and 22,446 deaths since the pandemic began.

"We have made good progress and have more progress to make. We urge everyone to use caution and good judgment in these next critical weeks and months to avoid surges in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths like we saw at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021," Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. "Don't let your guard down. Continue following all safety measures. Stay masked, maintain at least a 6-foot distance from others, and keep in mind outdoor activities are far safer than indoor ones."

On Friday, officials confirmed LA County's move to the "red" tier, when the state met the threshold of administering 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in low-income communities across California that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic.

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, restaurants can again welcome customers indoors and movie theaters and fitness centers will be able to reopen, all at limited capacity.

Under "red" tier guidelines announced by the Los Angeles County Thursday, indoor dining can resume at 25% of capacity. The county will require restaurants to have 8 feet of distance between all tables, which will be restricted to a maximum of six people from the same household. The rules also call for ventilation to be increased "to the maximum extent possible."

Here is a breakdown of the changes:

• Museums, zoos, and aquariums can open indoors at 25% of capacity;
• Gyms and fitness centers can open indoors at 10% capacity, with required masking;
• Movie theaters can open at 25% capacity with reserved seating to provide at least six feet of distance between patrons;
• Retail and personal care businesses can increase indoor capacity to 50%;
• Indoor shopping malls can reopen at 50%, with common areas remaining closed, but food courts can open at 25% capacity and in adherence with the other requirements for indoor restaurants.

Moving to the "red" tier will also allow the reopening of theme parks as early as April 1 -- including Disneyland in Orange County and Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles County -- at 15% of capacity, with in-state visitors only.

The cities of Long Beach and Pasadena, which both have their own health departments separate from the county, also announced they will shift to the "red" tier at 12:01 a.m. Monday, while Orange County officially makes the move one day earlier -  Sunday at 12:01 am.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)