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With the coronavirus outbreak, Los Angeles County public health officials on Tuesday, November 17, are set to impose curfews at restaurants, wineries, bars and game rooms, while ordering new caps at social gatherings, officials said.
The new amendments to the county’s COVID-19 health order are expected to be officially announced on Tuesday afternoon.
The new guidelines include:
- The closure of restaurants, breweries, vineyards and non-essential retail businesses from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- A ceiling of no more than 15 people at outdoor social gatherings, and no more than three households at any gathering;
- A 25% occupancy cap on the number of people allowed in indoor retail stores, personal care businesses and offices;
- A 50% cap on the capacity of outdoor restaurants, breweries, wineries and card rooms;
- Outdoor restaurants, breweries, wineries and card rooms would be capped at 50% of capacity; and
- Personal care facilities will only be required to serve clients by appointment, and services that require them to remove masks will not be permitted.
The measures, which would begin Friday, would come as infections rise to levels not seen since the summer in LA County – and with flu season and the holidays looming.
“I was very supportive. I was very concerned about the numbers increasing, ”LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said of the new rules.
But officials also feared a widespread shutdown, similar to the initial stay-at-home orders in March, when the virus originally took hold. “We are trying to make businesses run and we are trying to reduce where we think is the greatest danger.”
She added: “I didn’t want everything to suddenly stop. We’re pretty sure if everyone follows (the order of health), we could cut the numbers down. “
Public health officials – and county supervisors, who approved the limits – fear the flu, coupled with seasonal family gatherings and other large groups coming together, will only accelerate the spread of the virus, which in LA County has resulted in deaths. of 7,275 people since March.
The current outbreak is also gripping the state and the nation. Many varieties of restrictions have been launched in recent weeks in US states
This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom moved 28 counties – including Orange – to the most restrictive level in California’s business operations matrix and revamped how counties will be classified in the four-tier reopening matrix of the State. LA County is stuck in the most restrictive purple level since the system was put in place.
Case rates among those aged 18 to 29 have more than doubled in LA County, representing the highest proportion of new cases consistently over the past two months, she said. Case rates among those aged 30 to 45 have almost doubled. People over 80 are responsible for most of the hospitalizations, which rose to 1,049 people over the weekend, although officials are more concerned that the young people gathered are intensifying the spread.
Some fear that if the surge increases exponentially, hospitals could be overwhelmed. Officials at many county hospitals have said they have resisted the worsening outbreak so far and have stockpiled protective gear.
County health officials have hinted more restrictions are on their way, particularly with the holidays on the horizon.
Barbara Ferrer, county health director, stressed that people’s state of mind needs to return to where they were when the pandemic started.
For residents, this means rethinking vacation plans and canceling travel plans outside the region in the coming weeks, Ferrer said.
For those still considering getting together for Thanksgiving, she urged people to do so with no more than two households, celebrating outdoors while wearing masks and taking as much distance as possible.
“Stay at home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks, when possible,” Ferrer said. “Try to use the delivery service for groceries and medications. If this is not possible, assign someone to do the shopping. “
But the timing couldn’t be worse for many Los Angeles-area businesses, already struggling with the weight of months of hobbling during the pandemic. In a season normally devoted to picking, picking is increasingly the root of the spread – and a major impact on their bottom line.
The late night crowd
Ron Hodges, who owns Shannon’s and the Carvery in downtown Long Beach, has kept his restaurants afloat thanks to his 95-seat patio, which is on Pine Avenue as a result of the city’s Open Streets program.
With Shannon staying open until midnight, a new curfew and reduction in patio capacity should be a double whammy during already tough times.
“It’s not good for us at all,” he says.
He said a large portion of his crowd is made up of late-night diners who come to eat at his house after work.
“It’s a big part of our business,” he said.
“It’s tough – and they keep changing things all the time. I don’t think the recent surge in COVID has anything to do with restaurants. It’s controlled, ”he says.
“We follow all the COVID routines but when you leave the restaurant they are not. People are walking the streets – and why don’t they need masks when people are walking on sidewalks? It’s ridiculous, ”he added.
Likewise, Robert Molina, who owns Roxanne’s in Long Beach, expects to take a big financial hit due to the new restrictions.
“It’s hard, it really is. This is all heartbreaking, ”he said.
When indoor dining was limited, Molina transformed the 3,200-square-foot parking lot next to her restaurant and lounge into a sprawling patio with over 100 seats, while remaining open until 1:30 a.m., serving late night crowds.
“It worked wonders. It kept us afloat, ”he said.
But he said he would have no choice but to follow the new guidelines.
“So now it’s about adjusting again to see what we can do,” Molina said, adding that maybe he should focus more on takeout orders and increase production at his distillery. , located directly behind the restaurant.
However, he has no intention of giving up.
“We have decided to get involved. We are not going to close. We will continue until the wheels fall off, ”he said.
A 10 p.m. shutdown would have an immediate effect on The Raymond 1886, a Pasadena dining establishment that already offers terrace dining at 50% capacity. Deputy manager Andrew Cohan said it would put off diners who come later.
“There is only a limited number of guests I can sit between 4 and 8 am.”
In Monrovia, Connie McCoy, manager of LeRoy’s restaurant, was already preoccupied with the restaurant’s business, which is already down to 40% of normal. Most of it comes from alfresco dining.
“It would really disappoint us,” McCoy said, adding that the holidays are his busiest time of the year.
Journalists Fielding Buck and Richard Guzman contributed to this story.
This is a developing story. More updates to come.
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