Last weekend, Los Angeles slowly opened specific sectors of stores for the first time since March. Mother’s Day weekend embarked on new territory for the City of Los Angeles; as of May 8, thousands of businesses opened for curbside service. L.A. looked to their elected officials to guide the following steps into recovery. The effects will come to light in the following weeks. Monday, May 11 L.A. County shared their updated news surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, they clarified what future moves will be taken into economic recovery. L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer, disclosed statistics surrounding the positive cases and COVID-19 related death rates within the Los Angeles region. The city is still far from uplifting all the Safer at Home Order directives, but public officials share their deliberations with the community about future steps in relaxing a few details in the Safer at Home Order.
Stores opened over the weekend with the allowance for curbside pickup. However, some stores allowed guest into their facility and they did not adhere to the social distancing guidelines. The county inspectors reported certain stores were allowing customers in without masks on. Out of the 410 stores that were surveyed over the weekend, 162 were in violation of the Health Officer Order that addressed COVID-19. Some businesses had to close since they were not able to come in compliance with the physical distancing guidelines. Ferrer stated, “I do want to remind all of us, both residence and businesses that we have to do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19.” Ferrer continued, “Its extraordinarily important to follow the Health Officer Orders and the directives, businesses should not open until they can adhere to all the protocols…”
The Director of Public Health shared the latest updates on the COVID-19 Virus. Ferrer shared Monday, May 11, there were 39 additional deaths, 33 of these individuals were between the ages of 65 and over, 22 of them with underlining health conditions. Four people who died were between the ages of 41-65, three of them had preexisting health concerns. There was one victim under the age of 41 with no preexisting health conditions. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in the L.A. County to 1,569.
Ferrer disclosed as of May 11, there were 591 new COVID-19 reports. In summary, there is a total amount of 32,258 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region. 948 incidents were reported in the city of Long Beach and 551 cases in the city of Pasadena. Among the unsheltered community, the positive case count has reached 234, with 131 victims sheltered and properly isolated.
L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman, Kathryn Barger stressed the distance requirements are vital to uphold, as Los Angeles reopens communal spaces. Wearing a mask and keeping a six-foot distance from everyone is essential to preventing the spread of COVID-19. The public official reiterated that the county is working on accomplishing the four benchmarks that were announced last month, in order to relax more of the Safer at Home Order. As previously mention, the first benchmark is to maintain the capacity in hospitals, as well as primary and specialty care facilities. The data currently conducted by the Department of Health Service (DHS) indicates that the hospitals are in good standing.
Secondly, there is a need for protection of those who are most susceptible to contract the virus. There must be plans for the unsheltered community and those with underlining health conditions. Following that protection measurement, the third benchmark is to have the capacity to isolate people who contract COVID-19. There must be enough locations where patients can self-isolate if they test positive for the virus. The final prerequisite is to maintain physical distancing and infection control.
