LA will keep its stay-at-home orders in place through to August as infections and deaths continue to rise and the county’s health director warned a ‘dramatic change’ is needed before lockdown rules can be relaxed.
LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced during a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday that the stay-at-home orders will ‘with all certainty’ be extended for the next three months.
Ferrer said the shocking timeline will only change if LA sees a ‘dramatic change to the virus and tools at hand’.
The county continues to see a spike in cases and deaths, with another 566 people testing positive and 39 dying from the virus Monday.
This takes the total death toll in LA to 1,570, meaning it makes up more than half of the 2,789 deaths across the whole of California.
While other parts of the state have recorded a decline in daily infections and deaths, LA continues to record a growth in both areas.
Ferrer said the aim is to ease restrictions over the coming months but that this will only happen if the rates of infections and deaths decline.
‘Our hope is that by using the data, we’d be able to slowly lift restrictions over the next three months,’ she said.
The county also needs to have access to more ‘tools’ such as testing to bring the outbreak under control, she added.
Just 240,000 of the 10 million residents have been tested for the virus so far, with around 12 percent testing positive.
The City of Angles started relaxing some restrictions last week.
Parks, hiking trails and golf shops reopened Saturday and nonessential businesses started operating curbside pickup.
Beaches are also set to reopen Wednesday but only for surfing, running, walking and swimming, with sunbathing banned and people required to wear masks when not in the water.
Ferrer’s comments suggest any further easing of restrictions could be some time away.
On Monday, the health official told LA residents to prepare for the likelihood that the county’s reopening will not coincide with the rest of the state.
‘Literally half the cases and half the deaths are happening in LA County right now,’ she said during Monday’s briefing.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said different counties should take different measures based on the localized extent of the contagion.
Several parts of California have been noticing a downward slope in cases and deaths, and Newsom started relaxing rules across the state last week.
Some businesses including clothing, sporting goods, florists and other retail stores reopened for curbside pickup
Newsom then announced Tuesday that offices where telework is not possible can reopen with social distancing modifications.
Malls and outlets will be allowed to offer curbside pickup and outdoor museums, car washes, pet grooming and dog walking can also resume operations, the governor announced.
It is not yet clear when the changes to rules will take effect.
California was among the first states to go into lockdown with some of the strictest measures in the country.
Well, since it won’t affect the Hollywood hypocrite types in their Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Hollywood Hills mansions, then go ahead and destroy the rest of the folks in LA County…I mean, who gives a crap about them? After all, they are taxpayers but since they are not Robert DeNiro or Beyonce that pay you millions into your own pocket…
And will Coachella still happen? Beyonce wants Coachella! (or is Coachella in another county?)