New California Coronavirus Guidelines Allow Movie Theaters In San Diego, San Francisco And Some Other Counties To Reopen

Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would release modified reopening guidelines for counties in the state of California.

On Friday, he made good on that promise, revealing a new framework with four tiers with colors attached to them to indicate severity.

The governor described the new framework as “simple, stringent and slow.”

Case rates and test positivity rates will be the metrics that will determine movement within the tiers which, in terms of severity run from purple to red to orange to yellow. See chart below.

Those color-coded tiers now determine whether movie theaters in the state may open or must stay closed. Eighty-seven percent of the state’s population currently lives in purple-coded counties.

San Diego and San Francisco both are rated “Substantial risk,” which means that they can open indoor theaters with these modifications: 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer.

As for sports, concerts and amusement parks, Newsom said, “We’re still maintaining our current states as it relates to those large events, those large sporting events.”

From the state’s new guidelines:

Widespread (purple)
Movie theaters: Outdoor only with modifications
Family entertainment centers: Outdoor only with modifications for activities like kart racing, mini golf, batting cages

Substantial (red)
Movie theaters: Indoor with modifications
Capacity must be limited to 25% or 100 people, whichever is less
Family entertainment centers: Outdoor only with modifications for activities like kart racing, mini golf, batting cages

Moderate (orange)
Movie theaters: Indoor with modifications
Capacity must be limited to 50% or 200 people, whichever is less
Family entertainment centers:
Outdoor with modifications for activities like kart racing, mini golf, batting cages
Indoor with modifications for naturally distanced activities, like bowling alleys and climbing walls
Capacity must be limited to 25%

Minimal (yellow)
Movie theaters: Indoor with modifications
Capacity must be limited to 50%
Family entertainment centers: Outdoor with modifications for activities like kart racing, mini golf, batting cages
Indoor with modifications for naturally distanced activities, like bowling alleys and climbing walls
Indoor with modifications for activities with increased risk of proximity and mixing, like arcade games, ice and roller skating, and indoor playgrounds