LOS ANGELES:  California health officials set new rules on Friday that would permit Disneyland and other theme parks, stadiums and outdoor entertainment venues to reopen as early as April 1, after a closure of nearly a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the updates of the state's Blueprint to a Safer Economy unveiled by the California Department of Public Health, theme parks in the counties in the most-restrictive purple tier are not allowed to reopen. Yet theme parks in the red tier will be eligible to reopen at 15 percent capacity.

Maximum capacity will be increased to 25 percent for theme parks in the counties in the orange tier and to 35 percent in the yellow tier. Public health officials noted that attendance will be limited to in-state visitors.

Almost all Southern California counties are still in the purple tier, but some of them, including Orange County where Disneyland is located and Los Angeles County where the Universal Studios is, are on track to move into the red tier in the coming weeks as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to drop in the region.

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