With the lifting of the regional stay-at-home order on Monday, San Diego's temporarily shuttered business sectors are beginning to emerge, including iconic spots like the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and USS Midway Museum, but also nail salons and a host of others.
The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park were among the first out of the gate, making their announcement just hours after the state-imposed order was lifted.
The zoo and safari park, which have been closed since Dec. 7, will reopen Saturday with limited shows, shopping, dining and transportation. Guests will be required to answer a few health questions before entering. There is a mask requirement for guests and employees, and the parks will have signs reminding visitors to social distance.
Daily capacity will be limited and same-day reentry won't be permitted, parks officials said. Reservations will be required for everyone older than 2.
On Tuesday, the USS Midway Museum said it, too, would reopen -- in its case, on Feb. 1.
“As we did when the museum was opened for several months last year, we will ensure that our guests have the safest experience possible through our extensive health and safety protocols,” said Mac McLaughlin, president and CEO of the USS Midway Museum.
The Midway will be using an online timed-ticketing system. Tickets have to be bought in advance here.
Also approved for reopening:
- Restaurants (outdoor only, from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Diners must order by 10 and leave by 11. Live entertainment is permitted outdoors. Takeout and delivery can take place 24 hours a day)
- Wineries (same as restaurants)
- Bars, breweries, distilleries that serve food (same as restaurants)
- Hair salons, barbershops, massage, nail salons, tattoo parlors (open indoors)
- Grocery stores (50% capacity)
- Retail (25% indoor capacity)
- Hotels (open)
- Professional sports (pen without live audiences)
- Offices (remote)
- K-12 schools (distance learning if not already open for in-person instruction. There is an application process for K-6 if not yet opened)
- Places of worship (outdoor only)
- Gyms (outdoor only)
- Family entertainment, including go-karts, mini golf, batting cages (outdoor only)
- Youth and recreational adult sports (outdoor only)
- Movies theaters (outdoor only)
- Museums (outdoor only)
- Aquariums (outdoor only)
- Outdoor recreation, camping (open)
- Outdoor gatherings of three households permitted, but they must be socially distanced and participants must wear masks
The state this week made some small but notable adjustments to the restrictions in the purple tier itself, allowing the return of some intra-team sports and live entertainment.
A variety of low-contact adult and youth recreational sports will now be permitted, specifically, cross-country, golf, running, swimming, diving, tennis, and track & field. County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said on Monday at a county briefing that "all entities" can practice but there can be no contact between participants, who must remain six feet apart. The county would have to move into the red tier for the return of baseball, field hockey, girls lacrosse and softball.
A full list of the sports allowed in the less-restrictive subsequent tours can be found here.
Fletcher also said that live music and other forms of entertainment could be performed outdoors at restaurants, wineries and bars that served food. Performers must be socially distanced more than than the usual six feet, though.
"There needs to be a 12-foot separation between a live performer and a patron," Fletcher said. "So someone sitting at a table in an outdoor dining environment needs to be 12 feet away from someone performing, say, music. If there is more than one performer, they need to be 12 feet apart from each other."
