Gyms, dine-in restaurants, places of worship reopen as Ventura County moves to red tier

Ventira County reopens to red tier

And Ventura County has officially moved to the less restrictive red tier.

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - A number of businesses were given the green light to reopen with modifications in Ventura County, state officials announced Tuesday. Some of those businesses include gyms and fitness centers, places of worship, and dine-in restaurants.

Based on the state’s color-coded, four-tiered system, Ventura County has moved from the state’s more restrictive "purple tier," to the less restrictive "red tier."

In order to move into the red tier, the county had to see average case rates drop below 7 per 100,000 people and testing positivity rates dip below 8%. For the past two weeks, Ventura County has met those benchmarks. As of Tuesday, the case rate is 5.5 per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate is 3.0%.

Additionally, the red tier allows for the reopening of indoor operations with modifications for personal care services, museums, zoos and aquariums.

COVID-19: Ventura County in red tier, Los Angeles County remains in purple

As Ventura County reopens some businesses after moving into the red tier, several neighboring businesses along the border of LA and Ventura counties are upset.

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"I am excited Ventura County has been cleared to go to this next phase," said Supervisor Kelly Long, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. "Ventura County has consistently exceeded the standards in five of the six initial metrics set by the state. Clearing this last hurdle is a testament to the public’s patience and adherence to safety protocols."

Ventura County provided the following updates for businesses:

• Places of worship, restaurants, movie theaters and museums can be operated indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less.

• Gyms can reopen indoors at 10% capacity. 12 feet distancing required in Ventura County.

• All personal care services such as massage, tattoos and piercing salons can open indoors.

• Indoor shopping malls can operate at 50% maximum occupancy (instead of 25%). Food courts can also open following the state's guidelines for restaurants.

• Indoor retail stores can now operate at 50% capacity (instead of 25%)

School openings for in-person instruction are only able to be considered once a county has been in the red tier for 14 consecutive days. At this time, only schools that have applied for school waivers and have been approved are allowed to be open for in-person instruction. If Ventura County continues to meet the threshold for case rate and other metrics, K-12 schools across the county could reopen as early as Wednesday, October 21.

Riverside and Orange counties were moved to the red tier last month.