By LAist
Originally published April 1, 2021
Starting Monday, bars in Los Angeles will become eligible for the city’s Al Fresco program, the city’s initiative that launched last May that relaxed the rules that regulate outdoor dining for restaurants.
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced [Wednesday[ that bars will now also be able to serve customers on sidewalks, streets and private parking lots.
Garcetti says the program, which provides free, temporary permits for outdoor dining, has helped keep businesses open and customers and employees safe.
“We’ll continue this program through the summer months, and work to create a smooth transition to permanent permits for businesses who want to continue taking advantage of our new outdoor life,” he says.
Bars that already have established, permitted outdoor spaces can reopen outdoors on Monday, that’s when L.A. County is officially moving to the less-restrictive orange tier of the state’s color-coded reopening framework.
Bar owners can apply for the Al Fresco program at Coronavirus.lacity.org/LAAlFresco.
— MONICA BUSHMAN
This report is reprinted with permission from Southern California Public Radio. © 2021 Southern California Public Radio. All rights reserved.
