County health officials issued a modified “Safer at Home Order” Friday banning almost all gatherings of people not in the same household, even if they are held outdoors.
On Friday, officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) issued an update to the county’s Public Health Order, putting additional restrictions in place across the county starting Monday.
“In the new Order that goes into effect on Monday, residents are advised to stay home as much as possible and always wear a face covering over their nose and mouth when they are outside their household and around others,” the new health order reads.
Among those restrictions is a ban on almost all kinds of private and public gatherings within the county, whether they be indoor or outdoor. The two exceptions to this ban are outdoor church services and outdoor protests, as long as participants in both adhered to social distancing and facial covering guidelines.
“These targeted measures are in effect for the next three weeks and still allow for many essential and non-essential activities where residents are always masked and distanced,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the LADPH. “We know we are asking a lot from so many who have been sacrificing for months on end and we hope that L.A. County residents continue following Public Health safety measures that we know can slow the spread. Acting with collective urgency right now is essential if we want to put a stop to this surge.”
Additionally, outdoor activities that are currently permitted will now be limited to 50 percent capacity, indoor essential retail is limited at 35 percent capacity and indoor non-essential retail is limited at 20 percent capacity.
County health officials estimate that 1 in 145 Los Angeles County residents are currently infectious to others with COVID-19 and that about 1 in 5 have had COVID-19 at some point during the pandemic.
See Related: L.A. County Board Of Supervisors Uphold Temporary Shutdown Of Outdoor Dining
The announcement comes just after a three-week closure of all in-person dining for the over 31,000 restaurants in the county took effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger moved to block this shutdown during the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ regular meeting on Tuesday, but was struck down by Supervisors Hilda Solis, Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas in a 3-2 decision.
“I feel this arbitrary and punitive towards outdoor dining in restaurants,” Barger said. “While it is a concern that cases are increasing, it cannot be directly attributed to outdoor dining.”
An additional 4,544 Los Angeles County coronavirus cases have been reported Friday, for a total of 387,793 cumulative cases, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH).
24 additional deaths have been reported Friday with the total deaths across the county reaching 7,543, according to public health.
There are 1,893 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, 24 percent of which are in the ICU. Just two weeks ago, there were 888 people with COVID-19 hospitalized, officials said.
“The increases in cases and hospitalizations must slow to avoid overwhelming our hospitals and healthcare staff, and save lives,” reads a statement issued by the LADPH Wednesday.
An update issued by public health officials Wednesday predicts that hospitals may face shortages of both hospital and ICU beds in the next two to four weeks if there is no change to the current rate of transmission.
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