There will be no more confusing tier system come June 15th.
All of California will be fully reopened.
But what does that mean for Los Angeles specifically?
Business Capacities/Social Distancing
After June 15th, Los Angeles businesses will be allowed to resume normal operations.
That means no more capacity limits and no more social distancing restrictions.
The one exception will be for mega-events (5,000 or more people).
Masks
California is currently ignoring CDC guidance on masking. That will change soon.
California, Los Angeles included, will follow CDC guidelines starting June 15th.
That will mean relaxed masking rules for vaccinated people. Some vaccinated people will still choose to wear masks, but it will be optional in most situations.
Travel
There will be plenty of things to do in Los Angeles. However, if L.A. doesn’t cure your travel bug, you will have plenty of other options as well.
Las Vegas is fully reopening on June 1st. So weekend trips to Vegas are an option.
If you want to travel internationally, that’s an increasingly realistic option.
There’s a growing list of countries allowing Americans to enter with a vaccine or negative test.
It’s important to remember that you need a negative test to come back if you leave the country. That goes for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.
Large Events
While there will be no restrictions for ordinary businesses, large events will have some.
Vaccine verification or negative test results within 72 hours of an indoor event are required. This only applies to indoor events with 5,000 attendees or more. So if you want to catch a Laker or Clipper playoff game (assuming they both make it out of the first round), you might need to get tested or be vaccinated.
The state also recommends the same restrictions for outdoor events larger than 10,000 people.
Covid Passports?
Requiring vaccine verification for large events worries some people. They think that means that some version of a “vaccine passport” is coming to Los Angeles.
That is not the case at this time. Apparently, “self-attestation” is good enough for the state. So L.A. will rely on the “honor system,” not vaccine passports.
My Thoughts
Dr. Mark Ghaly made some interesting points that I completely agree with.
“Lifting restrictions will inevitably result in some increased transmissions, but the health care system should be able to handle them and local officials can still impose additional limits if there are outbreaks. Health officials will continue tracking whether virus mutations start breaking through vaccinations, which he said could mean renewed health measures.”-Dr. Mark Ghaly
A return to normal is not without risks. There will probably be an uptick in the number of cases in Los Angeles. However, we are better equipped to handle it now.