With venues across California having been closed to guests for over a year, the state has announced a reopening plan.
These new guidelines allow for assigned, outdoor seating for stadiums and concert venues at 20% capacity, and theme parks will be allowed to reopen to 15% capacity as long as the county remains in the red tier. The events will still be socially distanced and require masks for both the red and purple tiers.
Although this is a general plan, it varies by county and is based on the county’s “tier”. There are four tiers; starting with the most restrictive, purple. Then it trickles to red, orange and the least restrictive, yellow. They are based on the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents.
For amusement parks, tickets can only be purchased online and are allowed to be sold to groups with no more than 10 people. If the park or venue is in a red tier county, only California residents can purchase tickets.
Indoor rides and attractions must be limited and no indoor dining will be permitted. Sports and entertainment venues will require all suites to be purchased in advance and members of only three households may occupy one suite. All venues must test their employees weekly.
SeaWorld‘s official said the park is following guidelines set for zoos. This allows them to currently be open to guests, but all rides and indoor animal exhibits are closed.
For counties that are in the orange tier, theme parks are eligible to open at 25% capacity and in the yellow tier at 35%. Sports and entertainment venues will have 33% capacity at the orange tier and 67% capacity in the yellow tier.
San Diego County remains in the purple tier, and to officially earn the red tier status they “…would need to post a red tier-qualifying score for two consecutive weeks…” If the county remains in the purple tier, it will still be allowed to host events with 100 or fewer people in attendance.
Legoland California Resort released a guide on how it plans on keeping guests and employees safe. Protocols include: empty rows and seats in-between guests, temperature checks and leaving an open parking spot on either side of the guests’ vehicle. Visitors should be prepared to pay with a debit or credit card because cash will not be accepted.
The San Diego Padres are optimistic that the team’s Opening Day will include in-person fans. The home opener is expected to take place on April 1, the first day of the statewide reopening plan.
After multiple attempts to reach SeaWorld San Diego, Legoland and the San Diego Padres, no one responded.
