California to allow large gatherings, indoor events. Proof of vaccination could be required
Large outdoor gatherings and indoor performances will be allowed in most parts of California starting April 15, state officials announced Friday.
The shift comes as more than 20% of Californians are fully vaccinated and the case numbers remain low. April 15 is also the date when all Californians aged 16 or older will be eligible for the vaccine.
“We have critical tools that are widely available to us and freely available” such as antigen testing and vaccines, said state Public Health Officer Dr. Tomas Aragon at a press conference.
As of Friday, nearly half of California’s counties were in the “moderate” or orange tier, with much of the rest in the “substantial” or red tier. Only three counties — San Joaquin, Merced and Inyo — are in the most restrictive purple tier.
In California, tiers are tied to which businesses can open and what kind of restrictions they must follow. The state is expected to further ease restrictions and move many of its counties to less restrictive tiers next week, when it is expected to reach a milestone of giving four million doses of vaccines to those in most disadvantaged communities.
California has already allowed outdoor stadiums and theme parks to open starting April 1, along with concerts.
Outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people will be allowed in counties in the red tier. The capacity will increase to 50 people in counties in the orange tier and 100 for the least restrictive yellow tier.
Indoor gatherings of up to 50 people — or half capacity — while strongly discouraged will be allowed in counties in the yellow tier, with the capacity dropping down to 25 for the orange tier and 10 for the red tier.
Private outdoor events such as receptions and conferences of up to 200 attendees will be allowed in the counties in the yellow tier, with the capacity increasing to 400 if all guests show proof of full vaccination or are tested within the 72 hours of the event. Private indoor events of up to 200 attendees will be allowed if the guests are tested or show proof of full vaccination.
All events must be ticketed or have a defined guest list. The events will have less capacity allowed if they are held in more restrictive tiers.
Indoor events or performances of up to 2,000 attendees or 10% of the venues’ capacity will be allowed in the counties in the yellow tier. The venues can fill as much as 50% of their capacity if all guests show proof of full vaccination or are tested within the 72 hours of the event.
Bigger venues with a capacity of more than 1,500 people will be allowed to open in orange and yellow tiers. But for counties in the red tier, those venues can open only if guests are tested or show proof of vaccination.
“There’s a natural incentive for people to get vaccinated,” Aragon said. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Those indoor events are allowed only for in-state visitors, who must buy tickets in advance online. The venues must also have a pre-designated eating area; no eating or drinking will be allowed in seats. Workers should also be tested weekly.
Aragon said venues may have a section for those fully vaccinated, who are still required to wear masks but don’t need to follow social distancing rules.
People self-attest their vaccination status now, Aragon said. But he said he expects the process to become digital, giving an example of the San Francisco Giants using a mobile app to verify one’s vaccination status.
Aragon said the state won’t be in the business of verifying vaccines or providing “vaccine passports,” saying it will leave the activity up to the private sector.
What will this mean for California’s and Sacramento’s events?
The Sacramento Kings said they hope to reopen Golden 1 Center to fans “in the near future.”
But the announcement was met with dismay by California’s convention industry, which has been complaining for weeks that it needs some sort of guidelines from the state about how conventions can resume. Sacramento’s convention center, which is wrapping up a $245 million renovation this summer, is among the venues around the state sitting empty.
Barb Newton, chief executive of the California Travel Association, said the caps on attendance at conferences “makes it impossible for a convention center.”
“Every month that goes by is billions in lost revenue and jobs,” she said. “Gov. Newsom needs to take action now to reopen this sector and get our hundreds of thousands of employees back to work.”
Mike Testa of Visit Sacramento, which books conventions in the city, said the guidelines do allow for small conferences. But as far as major conventions are concerned, Sacramento is losing business to other states.
“Meeting planners continue to go to Arizona, Nevada, Florida, where they can hold full meetings,” Testa said.
Tom Martinez, chief deputy general manager at Cal Expo, said while he’s excited about the news, the site may not host events until the fall or when “we beat the pandemic.” Cal Expo currently hosts one of the largest mass COVID vaccination site in the state.
“As it relates to Cal Expo, I see us currently serving in an emergency capacity,” Martinez said.
Indoor concerts could take time
While the guidelines allow the resumption of live performances indoors, don’t expect major theater companies such as Sacramento’s venerable Music Circus to resume performances this summer.
For one thing, staging the shows would take far more preparation time than is available, said Richard Lewis, the head of Broadway Sacramento, the umbrella organization that oversees Music Circus.
And, like the convention industry, the limits on seating capacity would make it impossible for performances to pencil out financially, Lewis said.
“We need to be able to operate at capacity,” he said. “Doing something at 200 seats – it’s not what we do.” Music Circus seats more than 2,000 patrons.
For now, Lewis said his organization is sticking by its plans to reopen Sept. 15 with the touring production of “Hamilton.” It will mark the first performances at the rebuilt SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center.
“We need to just hang in there,” Lewis said. He called the state’s announcement a sign that “things are progressing in the proper direction.”
Similarly, Capital Stage couldn’t operate with such limited seating, said Michael Stevenson, the theater company’s producing artistic director. “If you had a big outdoor venue, it would make sense,” he said.
And Stevenson said producing shows would still be months away anyway, given the need to rehire actors and staff. “We have to start the machine several months in advance,” he said.
In the coming days, California will have a guidance on so-called the “green phase,” where much of the restrictions could be removed, said Dee Dee Myers, senior adviser and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
“We will provide that roadmap ... within the coming days that will show how do we get to these larger events so that people can begin to plan,” Myers said.
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM with the headline "California to allow large gatherings, indoor events. Proof of vaccination could be required."
