SACRAMENTO, California – Friday lifted some coronavirus restrictions on outdoor sports and entertainment venues, paving the way for fans to attend games on the opening day of Major League Baseball and that the parks themes such as Disneyland would reopen for the first time in more than one course.
The rules, announced Friday by the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom, will go into effect on April 1, but only apply to people living in California. Baseball teams, event organizers, and theme parks are not allowed to sell tickets to anyone living outside the state, as public health officials try to limit the mix as they continue to deploy coronavirus vaccines.
The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland A announced they will have fans in the stands during Opening Day on April 1st. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants will begin their seasons on the road and said they would announce their plans later.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s top public health official, said the state is acting now because rates of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are declining as the number of people receiving the vaccine increases. California reported 4,659 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, while just over 3 million people have been completely vaccinated, or about 10% of the population 16 years of age or older.
“Today’s announcement focuses on incorporating some of the most compelling science into how the virus behaves and how activities performed in a certain way can reduce risk,” Ghaly said.
Although President Joe Biden said there will be enough vaccine doses for all adults by the end of May, state officials said Friday that they cannot estimate when the next group of people will be eligible to receive shots. Supplies are expected to remain flat for several weeks, said Marta Green, who is at the state agency in charge of delivering the vaccine.
California divides its counties into four color-coded levels based on the spread of the virus. The purple level is the most restrictive, allowing the least number of activities due to the spread of COVID-19, followed by red, orange, and yellow. Attendance limits for outdoor sports and other events are based on the level at which a county is located.
Outdoor sports will be limited to 100 people at the purple level. The limits increase to 20% capacity at the red level, 33% at the orange level and 67% at the yellow level.
Teams and event organizers can only sell tickets regionally at the purple level. At all other levels, teams and organizers can sell tickets to anyone living in California. Concessions will not be accepted at the purple level, while in others, concession sales will only be available in the squares.
The application of the rules will be left to the sites. Ghaly and Dee Dee Myers, directors of the Office of Government and Business and Economic Development, said organizers will need to sell tickets in advance and will be able to check to confirm home cities that will help locate contacts if cal.
Myers acknowledged that some people will try to get over the system, but said officials expect people to abide by the guidelines.
Attendance at indoor events, including NBA games and concerts, is still prohibited. Myers said “presenting rules for covered events is” much more difficult. “
“We will continue to work on it back in the coming weeks and try to update it so that we can offer more visibility and a way forward for more companies,” Myers said.
Announced Oakland A fans will be seated in doses or four seats and tickets will only be available on the MLB Ballpark app.
Fans can ask for concessions on their phones and have them delivered to their seats. Transfer is not allowed, and teams will not accept money inside the stadium. People who do not have debit cards can buy one in cash at a limited number of places on the premises.
Richard Haick, of St. Paul, California, has already bought ticket vouchers for the return of Oakland A and said he hopes to bring his ten-year-old son to a party soon.
“It’s nice to have, even with a reduced capacity, a certain sense of normalcy,” said Haick, a 45-year-old photographer.
Theme parks can open at the red level with a capacity of 15% and increase attendance limits as virus rates decrease. Again, only people living in California can buy tickets. Indoor walks will be allowed in outdoor parks because they are usually short and can allow for adequate spacing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.