Here’s the Entire Crazy Timeline for Restaurant Reopening Policies in LA County

LA is quickly approaching the five-month mark when both LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of COVID-19. During that same mid-March week, both leaders ordered the closure of restaurants throughout the city.

Since then, government officials changed the very nature of the restaurant industry by mandating social distancing. Restaurants were forced to change their business models with takeout and delivery as the new normal, along with limited capacity within dining rooms, protective gear for staff, and a slew of new guidelines from cities, counties, and the state.

Restaurants quickly adapted to these rules, but the changes are so frequent it’s sometimes difficult to keep up. Then in late-May, LA restaurants faced a new struggle. On the same day officials gave restaurants the green light to reopen, protests against police brutality were in full swing with intermittent curfews.

Eater LA has tracked the policy changes/announcements locally and statewide. It’s all here, from the initial shelter-in-place order, to Alcoholic Beverage Control’s unprecedented move allowing restaurants to selling alcohol to-go. This stream also includes recent additions, including Newsom’s July deadline to close indoor dining, fining restaurants for sign usage, and the county health department monitoring non-compliant restaurants.

The last five months have been a wild, torturous ride for LA restaurants and residents. And it’s not over yet.