Los Angeles County’s Covid-19 cases are jumping again, triggering new restrictions – a deadline

Los Angeles County public health officials said 4,544 new Covid-19 cases have been confirmed today, meaning the enhanced safety measure will begin on Monday. Includes an enhanced home order that will remain in effect until Christmas week.

To date, LA County’s five-day average averages 4751. Authorities said last weekend that if the five-day average of cases is 4,500 or greater, they will issue a “targeted safer home order” for three weeks, imposing additional restrictions on non-core workers. and workers providing basic services. leave their homes. See below for details on the new restrictions.

“These targeted measures will be in place for the next three weeks and will still allow for many basic and non-core activities where residents will always be masked and demarcated,” said Barbara Ferrer, LA County Director of Public Health, today. “We know we’re asking so much of so many who have been sacrificing for months, and we hope LA County residents will continue to follow public health safety measures that we know could slow down the spread.”

The new restrictions are scheduled to remain in effect until December 20th.

According to official estimates, every COVID-19 patient in Los Angeles County passes the virus to an average of 1.27 people – the highest transmission rate in the county since the outbreak in March, with any safety protocol such as facial mask and social distance in place. Based on this transmission rate, health officials judge that one in 145 people in the county is infected with the virus and pass it on to others.

“Acting with collective urgency is essential if we are to stop this wave,” Ferrer added. “Please stay home as many times as possible and do not gather with others who do not live in your household for the next three weeks.”

Meanwhile, county officials also said today that 1,893 people with coronavirus will be hospitalized in the county, nearly a quarter in the intensive care unit. Just a month ago, 747 people were hospitalized in Covid, Los Angeles County – an increase of 253%.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti noted the alarming trend in today’s tweet:

Two months ago, one in every 880 LA county residents was projected to be infected with COVID-19. It is estimated that this is one in 145.

We need to act now to slow the spread.

Please stay at home as much as possible.

– MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) November 27, 2020

The new county restrictions would have been triggered even if hospitalizations exceeded 2,000 a day for five days.

Here are details of the stricter restrictions on LA County residents starting Monday as a result of a fifth consecutive day of 4,500 or more new Covid-19 cases:

• Assemblies: All public and private meetings with individuals do not
  with the exception of ecclesiastical services and protests,
  which are constitutionally protected rights.
• Employment barriers in different businesses; in these all individuals
  sites must wear a face mask and be at least 6 feet away:
• Basic retail: 35% maximum occupancy;
• Non-essential retail (including indoor shopping malls): maximum occupancy 20%;
• Personal care services: 20% maximum occupancy;
• Libraries: 20% maximum utilization;
• Outdoor fitness centers: maximum occupancy 50%;
• Open-air museum galleries, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens: maximum occupancy 50%;
• Mini golf, rackets, outdoor go-kart competition: 50%
  maximum occupancy;
• Outdoor leisure activities that require face covering (except swimming) and keeping away: Beaches, trails and parks remain open; it is forbidden to hold gatherings in these places with members outside his household.
• Golf courses, tennis courts, pickling, archery, skating parks, bike parks and community gardens remain open to individuals or members of a single household. Pools serving multiple households may only be open for controlled cruises, with one person per lane. Introductory films / events / car parades are allowed, provided that the occupants of each car are members of a household.
• Schools: All schools and day camps will remain open with the reopening of protocols. K-12 schools and day care camps with an outbreak (3 or more cases for 14 days) must close for 14 days.
• Closed, non-essential businesses / activities:
• Playgrounds (excluding childcare and school playgrounds;
• Card rooms;
• Restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries remain closed due to high levels of infection in the community due to personal eating and drinking opportunities as customers do not wear face shields, which increases the chances of the virus spreading. Restaurants, wineries and breweries remain open for receipt, delivery and export. Breweries and wineries remain open to retailers with a 20% occupancy rate.

The City News Service contributed to this report.