COVID-19 weekend alerts Los Angeles officials amid curfew talks

A new outbreak of coronavirus cases on Saturday and Sunday has alarmed Los Angeles County officials, who say they may consider imposing a curfew and other health measures in a bid to stem the spread of the virus. COVID-19.

New cases topped 3,000 for two consecutive days over the weekend. County public health officials on Saturday recorded 3,780 new cases of the virus, the highest one-day total since the crisis peaked in mid-July. Officials reported 3,061 new cases and three deaths on Sunday.

Amid the increase, the county public health department is expected to come up with a series of recommendations to the supervisory board this week.

“Potential options could be the establishment of a curfew so that businesses do not have to shut down completely again, but rather limit themselves to essential activities,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said in a statement on Sunday. .

LA County remains in the tightest purple tier of the state’s four-phase reopening plan, meaning many businesses must remain closed for operations inside. Still, authorities have relaxed some rules over the past two months, including allowing barbershops and hair salons to operate indoors with certain precautions and allowing family entertainment centers to reopen outdoors. .

The increase in the number of new cases could jeopardize these gains. A curfew is one of the few alternatives to further restrict business operations, supervisor Sheila Kuehl said.

“After people drink for a while, they maybe lose their inhibition and judgment and so maybe a curfew could help,” Kuehl said. “But we would have to see if it worked in other jurisdictions. It could help us keep our businesses open as long as they are fully compliant. “

The seven-day average of new cases has nearly doubled in recent weeks, with the county reporting about 2,371.9 new cases per day in the past week, up from 1,241.9 cases two weeks earlier, according to an analysis by the Los Angeles Times.

Although hospitalizations have yet to reach the level seen over the summer, when there were more than 2,200 confirmed coronavirus patients in county hospitals, the number has risen from a low of 687 to the end of September to 1,049 patients on Saturday, raising concerns. the increase could exceed the number of intensive care beds available.

More people are being tested – 340,636 in the week ending November 8, the highest weekly total since the start of the pandemic, according to county data.

But a larger share of those tests also come back positive, which officials say indicates transmission of the virus has increased. The positivity rate has held steady at around 4% since late August, but has climbed to around 6% this week.

“I think this sounds the alarm bells for all of us,” LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis said on Sunday. “We don’t want to go back. We don’t want to have to shut everything down, but if we don’t have cooperation, that’s where we’re headed.

The prospect of a new county-wide curfew prompted a variety of responses from people on Sunday.

Olivia Sanchez, a resident of east Los Angeles, said she believes a county-wide curfew is a good idea, if that’s what’s needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Sanchez, 57, said she had eaten at a restaurant once in the past eight months – and that time was outside at a Denny’s.

Sanchez, a bus driver, said she plans to stay home “as long as I should”, cook for her family and barbecue in the backyard.

“Whatever it takes,” she said. “I have my Lysol. I have my wipes.

Officials blamed several factors for the increase in new cases, which reflects a trend being felt across the United States. The weather has turned colder, drawing more people inside. More people are attending small gatherings with family and friends, and there is a general feeling of fatigue when it comes to observing public health restrictions, officials said.

Mat Estrada, a resident of Hancock Park, said he feared a new curfew could spark a public backlash, with some deciding the county health officials had gone too far. If that happens, he said, residents may disregard other health measures, such as wearing masks and staying at home, he said.

“Everyone is so pissed off because it’s been going on for so long and has been so debilitating,” said the 55-year-old financial planner. “With any new restriction, for a number of people, it’s going to be too much for them.”

Estrada, who went to Hollywood on Sunday to take a COVID-19 test, said he and his partner plan to stay home for Thanksgiving, cooking without guests and possibly making a Zoom call with his two sons, who are living in other parts of the state. . The risk of making them travel, he says, is not worth it.

“There’s just no reason to do it now,” he says.

Stuart Waldman, chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., Said it was not immediately obvious that there was a high demand for later opening hours in restaurants and bars anyway. outdoors. Many restaurants have already scaled back their activities in the wake of the outbreak, serving customers in parking lots and other outdoor spaces, he said.

“If we have to adjust, we have to adjust,” said Waldman. “I think a curfew would be a minor inconvenience.”

Times writer Ben Welsh contributed to this report.