LA County issues “Safer at Home” order; South Bay COVID-19 cases increase to 19
Los Angeles County Thursday night announced a new “Safer at Home” order in concert with a statewide stay at home order issued by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The LA County order requires all indoor malls, shopping centers, playgrounds and nonessential retail businesses to close and prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people in indoor or enclosed places.
Kathryn Barger, chair of the LA County Board of Supervisors, called the order “the next phase in our efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus” by more effectively increasing the practice of social distancing.
“We know that staying home and limiting close contact is the best way to prevent community spread,” Barger said. “We know that social distancing does not mean restriction from going outside and does not mean isolation. We still encourage you to stay connected to your community and loved ones in creative ways and to spend much needed times outdoors.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who issued a similar and slightly more restrictive order for the City of LA closing all non-essential businesses, said the urgency of the order is literally a matter of life and death.
“What we do and how we do it and if we get this right will determine how long this crisis lasts. What we do and how well we do it is also an act of love,” Garcetti said. “A love for those lives we seek to protect and a reflection of how precious they are.”
“This is not ‘shelter in place’ like a school shooting, this is ‘stay at home’ because you’re safer at home,” Garcetti said. “And the only people who should be leaving home and going out are those whose jobs are critical to the safety, the health and security of the city, as well as the economy of recovery for us and the nation during this crisis.”
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Thursday confirmed 40 new cases of coronavirus countywide, bringing the total to 230. Those numbers included nine new cases in the South Bay, nearly doubling the local total of confirmed cases from ten to 19. Unaccounted for in those numbers were two new cases confirmed by Kensington Redondo Beach, an assisted living facility, including one resident and two workers. In the County’s tallies, Manhattan Beach jumped from four to five confirmed cases, while Lomita jumped from none to five.
In the LA County order, Essential businesses are deemed grocery stores, food banks and outdoor farmers markets; schools; child care; businesses that provide food, shelter, and social services; gas stations; banks and financial institutions; hardware stores, plumbers and electricians; healthcare operators and facilities; transportation services; and residential facilities.
Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said the new orders will help protect the health care system from being overrun.
“We must slow the number of new cases we have — we must,” Ferrer said. “Without slowing the number of new cases, we will for sure overwhelm not only our healthcare system but a number of essential services as workers themselves fall ill.”
Governor Gavin Newsom, in a press conference Thursday night, projected that 56 percent of Californias would eventually be infected by the novel coronavirus.
Ferrar said that numbers will increase dramatically, most likely, dramatically in coming days and weeks. She implored people to take the new orders seriously.
“Social distancing is critical and we implore you to take seriously everyone’s obligation to limit their exposures to others and to limit their exposure to you,” Ferrer said. “This is the one way we can all be serious about what it means to try to slow down the increasing numbers of cases here in the country. Because Covid-19 is widespread, as a general rule of thumb, you should assume you may be infected and that others around you may be infected, and therefore act accordingly. Take every precaution possible to avoid infecting others and to avoid becoming infected. That is the goal of social distancing. If we all adopt this mindset and we act accordingly, it will slow the spread of Covid-19 ,and it will keep you and your family and those most vulnerable in our community safer. Everyone should remain at home as much as possible.”
Laboratory Confirmed Cases — 231 Total Cases
- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas) — 217
- Long Beach — 12
- Pasadena — 2
By City
- Alhambra — 2
- Arcadia –2
- Baldwin Hills –1
- Beverly Hills — 4
- Beverlywood –2
- Boyle Heights –5
- Brentwood — 13
- Burbank –1
- Calabasas — 1
- Carson — 1
- Castaic –1
- Covina — 1
- Crestview –1
- Culver City –3
- Diamond Bar –2
- Eagle Rock — 1
- East Los Angeles –1
- Echo Park — 1
- Encino — 6
- Gardena –1
- Glendale — 4
- Granada Hills –4
- Hancock Park — 2
- Hawthorne — 1
- Hollywood Hills — 2
- Hollywood — 5
- Inglewood — 2
- Koreatown — 1
- La Mirada — 3
- Lawndale –1
- Lomita — 5
- Lynwood — 1
- Manhattan Beach — 5
- Mar Vista — 1
- Melrose — 11
- Monterey Park –2
- North Hollywood –3
- Northridge –1
- Pacific Palisades –5
- Palms–1
- Park LaBrea — 3
- Playa Vista — 1
- Reseda –1
- San Dimas — 1
- San Pedro –1
- Santa Clarita — 3
- Santa Monica Mountains — 2
- Santa Monica –2
- Sherman Oaks — 5
- South El Monte –1
- South Pasadena — 1
- Stevenson Ranch –1
- Studio City — 3
- Sylmar — 1
- Tarzana –5
- Torrance– 2
- Tujunga –1
- University Park — 1
- Valley Glen –1
- Van Nuys –1
- Venice — 4
- Vermont Knolls — 1
- Walnut — 1
- West Adams — 1
- West Hills –3
- West Hollywood — 12
- West Los Angeles –2
- West Vernon — 1
- Westchester –3
- Westwood — 2
- Whittier –2
- Woodland Hills –3
- Under Investigation –30