Los Angeles County issued a health order Thursday reopening outdoor dining after nearly two months of lockdown but banning establishments from turning on their TVs to prevent crowding.
“Televisions or any other screens that are used to broadcast programming must be removed from the area or turned off,” the order states. “This provision is effective until further notice.”
Restaurants and breweries can resume outdoor dining at 50% capacity after they were shut down in November due to an uptick in coronavirus cases.
The order, which goes into effect Friday, says outdoor dining tables must be limited to no more than six people per table, all of whom must be from the same household, and that the tables must be positioned at least eight feet apart.
All restaurant employees who may come in contact with customers must also wear both a face covering and a face shield.
The news comes after California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted his regional stay-at-home order, allowing more in-person services to reopen across the state.
County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer called on local businesses to remain diligent.
“To continue to drive down transmission, we all must commit to taking the actions that work to slow COVID-19 spread,” she said in a statement, NBC Los Angeles reported. “When more sectors re-open the risk of COVID-19 transmission increases, because people are interacting more with non-household members. In order to avoid re-openings resulting in increases in cases, businesses and individuals need to be more diligent, not less, in following public health measures.
“We have a way to go before our hospitals are not stressed and fewer people die each day. Staying on a recovery journey is only possible if we all play by the rules,” she said.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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