With Orange County now in the yellow tier, Disneyland can expand capacity to 35%
ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- Now that Orange County has officially moved into the yellow tier, businesses can increase their capacity and welcome back more customers, including Disneyland.
Under the least restrictive tier in California's reopening framework, the Anaheim theme park can expand its capacity from 25% to 35%, marking a significant step toward fully reopening California.
As one of the biggest contributors to the city's economy, Disneyland's reopening last month and now ability to expand capacity is good news for many surrounding businesses.
"A lot of the businesses here have said that as soon as Disneyland is open, expect it to be busy and I honestly just can't wait for that," said Jonny Mireles, executive chef at Byrd's Hot Chicken.
Under the yellow tier, bars and distilleries are now able to open indoors and restaurants can expand their capacity for customers.
See the map below to find out where your county stands and keep reading to learn what can and can't open in each color-coded category.
"More optimism. I'm just really excited about it, I'm excited about inviting more people to come in. That's good for me, it's good for my staff...," said Rick Smets with Stereo Brewing. "It's good to be able to make beer again."
In the yellow tier, private events can boost their maximum outdoor capacity from 100 to 200. If attendees show proof of a negative test or full vaccination, then the maximum jumps to 400 people.
Indoor maximums jump from 150 people to 200 people with everyone showing proof of a negative test or full vaccination.
The wedding industry is hopeful this is the start of its comeback after a year of cancellations and postponements.
As an independent wedding planner, Cindy Lieber knows the capacity limits won't change much, since most weddings take about a year to plan. Still, Lieber remains optimistic.
"It's definitely exciting. We want to get back to work," Lieber said. "We love what we do. This industry is a great industry, it's a lot of fun. We can't wait."
Orange County is now the second Southern California county to join the yellow tier. Los Angeles County was the first to advance earlier this month.
Orange County CEO Frank Kim said the move "is a continuation of the trends that we've seen over the past two weeks." After the county moved up to the orange tier in mid-March, officials saw the COVID-19 numbers had "plateaued" at about 3 cases per 100,000 residents, Kim said.
"We moved past the plateau," Kim said. "It's a testament to how effective vaccines are."
Meanwhile, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties remain in the orange tier.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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