Ballparks, California Theme Parks Can Reopen With Limited Capacity on April 1

Ballparks, Stadiums, Theme Parks Can Open Outdoors Beginning April 1 with Capacity Restrictions and Other Safety Modifications as Science Indicates Outdoor Activities are Safer

SACRAMENTO – Today, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released updates to the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening framework focused on activities that can be conducted outdoors with consistent masking, two factors that are scientifically shown to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread. The updates allow outdoor ballparks, stadiums and theme parks to open with significantly reduced capacity, mandatory masking and other public health precautions. These changes take effect April 1.

Following on yesterday’s announcement of how vaccine equity will be linked to future Blueprint case rate tier changes, today CDPH announced how, guided by science, other sector changes can be introduced into the Blueprint.

“With case rates and hospitalizations significantly lower, the arrival of three highly effective vaccines and targeted efforts aimed at vaccinating the most vulnerable communities, California can begin gradually and safely bringing back more activities, especially those that occur outdoors and where consistent masking is possible,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. “Even with these changes, California retains some of the most robust public health protocols in the country.”

“Throughout the pandemic, California’s business community has been committed to protecting the health and safety of workers and customers – and that won’t change now,” said Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Governor Newsom and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). “We will continue to work together with our partners across all sectors of the economy, as we reopen safely, sustainably and equitably.”

Changes to the Blueprint include:

• Outdoor sports and live performances (with fans/attendees) are eligible to begin April 1. In the Purple tier, capacity will be limited to 100 people or fewer and attendance will be limited to regional visitors. Advanced reservations will be required, and no concession or concourse sales will be allowed. In the Red tier, capacity will be limited to 20 percent. Concession sales will be primarily in-seat (no concourse sales). In the Orange tier capacity will be limited to 33 percent and in the Yellow tier capacity will increase to 67 percent. Attendance will be limited to in-state visitors in the Red, Orange and Yellow tiers.
• Amusement parks are eligible to reopen in the Red tier beginning April 1. Capacity will be limited to 15 percent in the Red tier. In the Orange tier, that limitation will increase to 25 percent, and then 35 percent in the Yellow tier. Attendance will be limited to in-state visitors.

California will continue to update the Blueprint periodically based on science and vaccination progress. View the updated sector chart to see which activities and businesses are allowed in each tier.

www.cdph.ca.gov

Statewide COVID-19 Data as of Today

• California has 3,493,126 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
• There were 4,659 newly recorded confirmed cases Thursday.
• The 7-day positivity rate is 2.1% and the 14-day positivity rate is 2.4%.
• There have been 49,294,503 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 146,818 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.
• As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase. There have been 53,448 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
• As of March 5, providers have reported administering a total of 10,003,942 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 13,069,780 doses have been delivered to entities within the state, and 13,376,865 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed.

*Today’s count of administered doses includes 135,736 doses that were not previously processed. These doses were reported between Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Blueprint Summary (as of March 2)

• 40 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier
• 16 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier
• 2 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier

Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. Find the status of activities in specific counties.

ADDITIONAL DATA & UPDATES

Tracking COVID-19 in California
State Dashboard – Daily COVID-19 data

County Map – Local data, including tier status and ICU capacity

Data and Tools – Models and dashboards for researchers, scientists and the public

Blueprint for a Safer Economy – Data for establishing tier status

COVID-19 Race & Ethnicity Data – Weekly updated Race & Ethnicity data

Cases and Deaths by Age Group – Weekly updated Deaths by Age Group data

Health Equity Dashboard – See how COVID-19 highlights existing inequities in health