California stadiums can reopen as soon as April 1 under revamped COVID-19 rules.

California theme parks and sports stadiums will be allowed to welcome back visitors as early as April 1 under new guidance the state unveiled Friday.

While the changes don't mean business as usual for the venues, they do reflect the state's growing sentiment that, with coronavirus case rates on the decline and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continuing to ramp up, it is now possible to resume some activities — particularly those that can be held outdoors with additional safety modifications.

“With the increased distribution of the vaccine, with the behavior of Californians who have taken this pandemic seriously, who have adapted their behavior accordingly … we feel like this is a good time to begin to provide additional visibility into how we can move forward opening parts of the economy,” Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and director of the governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, told reporters in a briefing Friday. “This gives some of the bigger employers a chance to ramp up, get ready for April 1, should they be in an appropriate tier, and to begin to move forward based on the data and the science.”

Four weeks from now, amusement parks will be eligible to reopen, with restrictions, in counties that are in the red tier — the second-strictest of California's four-category reopening road map.

Capacity will be limited to 15% for parks in counties that are in the red tier; the cap rises to 25% once a county progresses to orange and 35% upon reaching the most lenient tier, yellow.

Officials said attendance will be limited to in-state visitors. Other restrictions will include no indoor dining and limits on indoor rides; details on those were still being worked out.

A travel advisory remains in place in California, which urges residents to avoid venturing more than 120 miles from home or to other states or countries, except in connection with essential travel. The advisory also strongly discourages nonessential travelers from entering the state and, if they do, to adhere to a 10-day quarantine.

L.A. County still has a mandatory 10-day travel quarantine in place, although those who routinely cross state and national borders for essential travel are exempt. California officials say travel increases the risk of coronavirus variants entering the state, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly urged Americans not to travel.

Outdoor sports — with fans — and live performances also will be allowed to resume April 1, subject to the following limitations:

• For counties in the strictest tier, purple, capacity will be limited to 100 people or fewer, and attendance will be regionally limited. Advance reservations will be required, and there will be no concession or concourse sales.
• In the red tier, capacity will be limited to 20%, with primarily in-seat concession sales.
• The capacity limit will rise to 33% for counties in the orange tier and 67% for those in the yellow. Attendance will be limited to in-state visitors in the red, orange and yellow tiers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.