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“In towns and cities... there is no more important institution than the local paper.”
Warren Buffett
Actions come as Public Health releases new K-12 protocol to provide “roadmap” to help schools plan for reopening
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise here and across California, the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order will be modified today to align with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s directives to prevent more cases, more serious illnesses, increased hospitalizations and more deaths.
The Order requires the closure of additional indoor operations for certain sectors which promote the mixing of populations beyond households and make adherence to physical distancing with face coverings difficult:
· Gyms and Fitness Centers
· Places of Worship
· Indoor Protests
· Offices for Non-Critical Infrastructure Sectors as identified at covid19.ca.gov
· Personal Care Services(including nail salons, massage parlors, and tattoo parlors)
· Hair Salons and Barbershops
· Malls
Bars, indoor dining at restaurants, indoor museums, indoor operations at zoos and aquariums, and cardrooms and satellite wagering facilities remain closed in Los Angeles County, and all events and gatherings are prohibited unless specifically allowed by the Order.
As the new round of closures were announced, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) also released reopening protocols for K through 12 schools in Los Angeles County. Developed in consultation with more than 500 stakeholders, the protocols are intended to serve as a roadmap for school districts as they plan how to reopen with as much safety as possible for students, teachers, staff and their families.
The protocols do not authorize schools to reopen for in person classroom instruction. School re-openings will be guided by the state and by each school district’s decision on how to best configure learning opportunities during the pandemic, considering the levels of community transmission and what the science tells us about the risks. For those schools that re-open their campuses, they will need to adhere to the public health and safety requirements detailed in the protocol released today.
Today’s announcements come as Public Health has confirmed 13 new deaths and 2,593 new cases of COVID-19. All of the 13 people who passed away were over the age of 65 years old and nine of these people had underlying health conditions.
Los Angeles County continues to see evidence of increased community spread of COVID-19. There are 2,056 people hospitalized, 28% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU and 20% are confirmed cases on ventilators. This remains substantially higher than the 1,350 to 1,450 daily hospitalizations seen four weeks ago.
Testing results are available for over 1,338,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.
To date, Public Health has identified 136,129 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 3,822 deaths.
“For the many families that are mourning the loss of a loved one, our thoughts and prayers are with you ever day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We continue to see increased number of new cases and hospitalizations. To slow the spread and prevent more hospitalizations and deaths, everyone should limit their time with others not in your household. We must take this opportunity to get back to slowing the spread, but to do so, we need everyone’s help. Please find ways to enjoy and celebrate summer only with those from your household, wear your face covering when out and wash your hands frequently.”
Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,553 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 46% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 26% among White residents, 16% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 13 cases reported earlier were not LA County residents.
The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing, and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household. It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results, to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside, or until they receive a negative result. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a contact tracer to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious. People who have underlying health conditions remain at much greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, so it will continue to be very important for the County’s vulnerable residents to stay at home as much as possible, to have groceries and medicine delivered, and to call their providers immediately if they have even mild symptoms.
The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov .