Wednesday, July 22, the Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti provided updates on the COVID-19 outbreak. There has been a hard pause placed on anymore businesses opening during this pandemic, due to the rise in positive cases. Mayor Garcetti shared the latest guidelines that the city will abide by and he discussed resources for those who are in need during the downturn of the economy.
Garcetti announced the L.A. Mask Print Project, to encourage Angelenos to wear a face covering while in public. It rolled out with three commissioned posters that are bi-lingual; they were donated by Studio Number One. Garcetti stated within the press release, “Los Angeles is a creative capital where dreamers from around the world come to innovate and create — and we are harnessing that spirit to save lives during this public health crisis.”
The L.A. Mask Print Project will help us reach even more people with a clear message: when you wear a mask, you stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep everyone healthy and safe. “The city is looking to collaborate with small business throughout this directive, to distribute posters through Los Angeles.
The COVID threat level remains at orange, the current data reflects efforts made from weeks past. CDC leadership recently stressed the significance in wearing face coverings, if everyone in America wore masks COVID-19 would be manageable in 4-8 weeks. The current actions of the community are directly linked to the future of everyone’s livelihood.
The city’s Business Ambassadors are fully reinstated, they are set in place to make sure all firms in L.A. are compliant to the county health officer orders. Los Angeles Health Department reported 3,266 new cases, bringing the total within L.A. 164,870. Over one thousand of those positive reports were located in the city of Los Angeles. There were 64 additional deaths reported on Wednesday, bringing the total of fatal cases to 4,213. COVID-19 is on its way to become the second leading cause of death in the L.A. County, right below coronary heart disease.
The moves towards retracting back inside has prompted the health department to believe that the community transmission is being lowered. The ratio of the spread of coronavirus has dropped below 1.0, which means very few are contracting the virus through community transmission and then passing it on.
There has been a noted decline within the positivity rate that came from testing sites. Within the city testing locations there is a capacity for 18,000 people to get tested. Mobile teams are still active in los Angeles, bringing the tests to those who do not have the means to travel to a physical location. On July 23 there will be a mobile team at the Nickerson Garden housing development.
The mayor stressed the need for federal government assistance in the uphill battle to keep the L.A. economy alive. He sent a letter to the Los Angeles Congressional Delegation, Garcetti addressed to leadership in both Republican and Democratic parties. It outlined the top ten requests during this critical moment; the letter is looking to add to the blueprint of the next California Relief Package.
The mayor emphasized the way to move forward, is through individual concern for safety. Wearing a mask, physical distancing, and being mindful during this global pandemic will save lives. The mayor is hopeful in seeing the numbers declining, but he emphasized it is a collaborative effort between public leadership, health officials, and the everyday choices of the community. Garcetti stated, “It’s about protecting but also respecting others.” There has been a decline and there are signs of numbers stabilizing, but the mayor is still seeking to build a strong front against COVID-19.
