Los Angeles county imposed new restrictions on businesses Tuesday and is readying plans for a mandatory curfew and new stay-at-home order if coronavirus cases keep rising.
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The county of 10 million residents – the nation’s most populous – has seen daily confirmed cases more than double in the last two weeks to nearly 2,900. Hospitalizations have topped 1,100, a rise of 30% in that period.
Starting Friday, nonessential retail businesses in the county will have to limit indoor capacity to 25% and restaurants to 50% capacity outdoors. Those businesses will have to close at 10pm.
California counties return to restrictive Covid rules amid hospitalization surge
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The new rules in the county and warnings of a potential return to lockdown come as other counties across California have been forced to reinstate restrictions due to a surge in cases over the last 10 days and as some of its leaders have faced scrutiny for not abiding by guidelines themselves. The first week of November saw the fastest rate of increase in cases in the state since the beginning of the crisis.
In Los Angeles county, in addition to new restaurant guidelines, services at salons and other personal care businesses may only be provided by appointment and customers and staff must wear face coverings. Services such as facials that require customers to remove their face coverings are not permitted. All gatherings must be outdoors and limited to 15 people from no more than three households.
The county also warned of increasingly restrictive policies if cases keep rising. If the five-day average of cases tops 4,000 or hospitalizations are above 1,750 per day, outdoor restaurant dining will be banned.
If cases reach 4,500 per day or hospitalizations top 2,000, the county will impose a three-week lockdown that will restrict people to their homes for all but essential services. A nighttime curfew for all but essential workers would run from 10pm to 6am.
“Los Angeles county is at a critical moment to save lives and curb the spread of Covid-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. “Lives and livelihoods are at stake and our entire community will be affected by our collective action if we do the right thing.”
The Los Angeles mayor, Eric Garcetti, on Monday urged residents to stay home as much as possible to slow the spread.
“This is a different kind of moment, a new level of danger,” Garcetti said. “If we don’t make these decisions now, there really is only one outcome: we will almost certainly have to shut things down again. And more people will get sick and die.”
Los Angeles county has had a disproportionately large share of California’s cases of the pandemic, but cases across the state are rising.
On Monday, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, deployed an “emergency brake” amid a troubling rise in cases in the state, returning more than 94% of California’s population and most businesses across the state to the most restrictive tier of rules aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
The state is also strengthening its guidance on masks; Newsom announced face coverings would now be required outside people’s homes with limited exceptions.
In Orange county, south of LA, more than 1,500 residents have died from Covid-19, but some local leaders have criticized state restrictions this week despite rising infections. The region is one of the most conservative parts of the state and has been the site of frequent protests this year against Covid-19 regulations and stay-at-home orders.
Meanwhile, top lawmakers in the state are facing national backlash over recent missteps. Newsom was forced to apologize after it was reported he had dined with several other couples at a restaurant for a birthday dinner.
On Tuesday, photos of Newsom’s gathering leaked, showing him seated close to others without masks. It was also revealed this week that some California legislators had traveled to Hawaii for a conference, despite national travel warnings due to Covid-19.
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