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LA County public health officials said on Sunday they would issue an order suspending alfresco dining at restaurants amid a wave of new coronavirus cases.
The new rule goes into effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday and restricts restaurants, as well as breweries, wineries and bars, to take out and deliveries only for the first time since May. They will stay in place for at least three weeks, officials said.
Wineries and breweries can continue to retail.
“The high and persistent number of cases requires additional safety measures that limit mixing in settings where people are not wearing masks,” Barbara Ferrer, LA County health director, said in a statement.
“We hope individuals will continue to support restaurants, breweries and wineries by ordering take out or delivery. We also sincerely hope that every resident of LA County will support all of our activities by following public health guidelines which we know are helping to slow the spread.
Officials had warned earlier in the week that the new rules would be imposed if the five-day average of new cases reached 4,000, or if hospitalizations exceeded 1,750 per day.
The five-day average had reached 4,097 on Sunday, the public health department said. There were 1,473 confirmed coronavirus patients in LA County hospitals on Saturday, an increase of about 92% from the previous month.
Officials on Sunday reported 2,718 new cases of the virus and nine deaths.
“While I know that the number of our cases is increasing rapidly, I would have preferred to discuss this measure openly at our Supervisory Board meeting so that the public can understand the rationale,” said the county supervisor. Janice Hahn in a statement.
“Some of these restaurants barely hold up. I hope this is not the last nail in their coffins. I wish we could find a way to impose more restrictions rather than shutting down restaurants completely.
The pace of new coronavirus cases began to increase at the end of last month. They are now accelerating even faster than they did in July, when new cases and hospitalizations both peaked in LA County, officials said.
Health officials blamed various factors including vacations, athletic championships, protest demonstrations, an increase in social gatherings and outbreaks in the workplace, and a general feeling of fatigue when it comes to keeping up. the rules.
They are urging everyone to stay at home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks to stem the rising tide of infections and avoid overwhelming the healthcare system with increased hospitalizations.
LA County could face even stricter rules to stem the spread of the virus if the five-day average number of cases continues to rise and exceeds 4,500, or if hospitalizations reach more than 2,000 per day, said officials.
In this case, authorities plan to impose a three-week stay-at-home order that would allow only essential workers and those procuring essential services to leave their homes.
Earlier this week, LA County announced that non-essential businesses are to close at 10 p.m. and further limit their maximum capacity during office hours.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also imposed an amended stay-at-home order that took effect on Saturday and remains in effect until December 21. The ordinance bans most non-essential activities outside the home from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in counties that are the most stringent, purple, level of the state’s four-phase reopening plan. About 94% of the state’s population live in purple counties, including all of Southern California.
Some residents have been angered at the new statewide restrictions – though most law enforcement agencies in Southern California have said they have no plans to enforce them.
A minute after the governor’s order went into effect on Saturday night, about 200 protesters, most of whom wore bright red caps and waved American flags, gathered at the Huntington Beach Pier.
It came a day after Orange County reported its highest one-day total of new coronavirus cases, registering 1,169 new cases on Friday.
Orange County reported 552 new cases of the virus and three deaths on Sunday, bringing its total to 69,694 cases and 1,554 deaths. Hospitalizations continued to increase, reaching 380 patients, an increase of about 126% from the previous month.
Protesters also rallied in LA County. A protest outside the official residence of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday was called the “Block Party of Curfew Protest: No More Lockdown.” Another is expected Sunday afternoon in front of the mayor’s home.
Times editor Rosanna Xia contributed to this report.
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