Los Angeles residents have been ordered to stay in their homes as much as possible under new lockdown measures put in place by Mayor Eric Garcetti that closes non-essential businesses, bans all travel including walking and prohibits social gatherings outside a single household.
The new order, which was announced late yesterday, applies to the city’s 4 million residents as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge.
Garcetti’s order, which has a long list of exemptions for residents and businesses, mirrors a directive put in place by Los Angeles County health officials last week.
The city, which is the second-largest city in the country, was told the new move was ‘necessary for the protection of life and property in the City of Los Angeles’.
Garcetti urged residents to ‘cancel everything,’ saying no one should be hosting gatherings or going to gatherings. Those who break the rules may potentially be arrested, he warned.
It comes as Los Angeles County, which is home to the city and has about 10 million residents total, reported surges in daily cases with 6,000 infections recorded yesterday.
Garcetti’s order limits nearly all social gatherings of people from more than a single household but exempts religious services and protests protected by the constitution.
He also directed businesses requiring the presence of workers to close, and set restrictions on travel, but specified a long list of exceptions to both.
According to the order, people need to remain in their homes and avoid all travel – including walking, cycling and public transport – except if they need to engage in a number of the exempt activities such as visiting certain businesses and exercise.
Beaches are to remain open for swimming and exercise, and walking trails can operate during normal business hours.
The order also calls for business to cease operations if it requires in person attendance but, again, there are exemptions.
Those businesses that are exempt from the order include healthcare operations, supermarkets and convenience stores, liquor stores, gas stations, banks, hardware stores, handymen services and laundromats, among others.
Retail stores that follow the county’s in-person shopping health protocols are allowed to remain open. Indoor capacity, however, must be limited to 20 percent and be closed between 10pm to 5am.
Personal care establishments such as hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors and tanning salons must limit indoor capacity to 20 percent.
According to the order, non-essential businesses may be ‘permitted to conduct minimum basic operations including inventory, security, custodial services, payroll and employee benefits processing, and any reasonable activity designed to maximize the ability for its employees to work remotely from their homes’.
These businesses must also notify the public with a sign at their entrances that the businesses is closed to the public.
‘My message couldn’t be simpler: It’s time to hunker down. It’s time to cancel everything. And if it isn’t essential, don’t do it.’
‘Don’t meet up with others outside your household. Don’t host a gathering, don’t attend a gathering and follow our targeted safer-at-home order, if you’re able to stay home, stay at home. Just be smart and stay apart.’
Garcetti said Los Angeles County saw an increase of 5,987 new cases yesterday. Of those, 2,119 were from Los Angeles alone. The county now has a total of 414,185 cases.
‘If we stay on this case trajectory, LA’s projected to reach 574,644 cases by the end of the year,’ Garcetti said.
A total of 40 new deaths were added yesterday, bringing the overall total to 7,740.
Garcetti said that public health professionals predict 11,130 people in Los Angeles could lose their lives by the end of 2020.
According to Garcetti, 2,572 Angelenos were hospitalized as of last night, which marks a 5.5 per cent increase from a day earlier.
The mayor said there are only 479 beds left across the county. At the current rate, health officials are predicting that the county will run out of beds by Christmas.
The city’s statement regarding the new lockdown measures stated: ‘Our City is now close to a devastating tipping point, beyond which the number of hospitalized patients would start to overwhelm our hospital system, in turn risking needless suffering and death.
‘These unfortunate facts about the spread of COVID-19 in our City mean that we must resume some of the more restrictive measures we instituted in the Spring. The way to avoid that dreaded scenario is clear.
‘We must refrain from gathering with people from outside our household wherever possible. Angelenos have shown what is possible when we cooperate, listen, and protect our family, friends, neighbors, and favorite businesses.
Read the rest and see the pics here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9012939/LA-told-stay-homes-effective-immediately.html
Only slaves to the communists would obey such an order.
-flek