Monterey Bay Aquarium expands its visitor capacity after county achieves Yellow Tier status.

A Yellow Tier designation officially beginning for Monterey County today in some ways translates into a green light for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Thanks to the less restrictive state rules, the Aquarium is now eligible to open up to 100-percent capacity, although the plan for now is to increase capacity over time, a spokesperson says.

The county entered into the less restrictive tier from the Orange Tier after its Covid-19 case rate fell below 2.0 cases per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks, as outlined under the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Under the Orange Tier recently the Aquarium was only allowed to accommodate 50-percent capacity. It reopened to the public on May 15.

Upon the Yellow Tier announcement, Aquarium officials opened up more tickets on their website through September. Tickets for the rest of the year will open up on July 1.

"We have already begun to increase our attendance capacity and, as long as the spread of Covid-19 continues its downward trend, we will continue gradually increasing capacity through the summer," spokesperson Emerson Brown says in an email. The Aquarium will continue the practice of using timed tickets to evenly distribute visitors throughout the day.

The mask requirement will remain in effect after June 15, Brown says, for the safety of staff, volunteers and visitors age 3 and older, "so we can provide the safest experience possible—regardless of vaccination status."

The mask policy is subject to change as the Aquarium continues to evaluate the situation. 

Tickets are available at montereybayaquarium.org/visit/admission-tickets. There are no in-person sales. Members may acquire tickets by logging into their account on the website.