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Drastic new restrictions take effect Monday in Los Angeles County as officials fight an unprecedented rise in coronavirus cases.
The rules, although less severe than the stay-at-home order initiated in the spring, remain the strongest restrictions in months.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said officials hope the more narrowly tailored restrictions will be enough to slow the spread of the coronavirus without having to give way to tighter measures. The county is “in a different place now than we were in March and April when we didn’t have the science around masking and distancing,” she says.
“Now that we’re doing it, it gives us a slightly different path,” she added. “But I’ll be honest: it only gives us a different path if everyone else does.”
If people don’t follow safety precautions, she says, the county may end up where it was in early spring.
“If that doesn’t work, and in two to three weeks we find ourselves in a worse situation than us, we will have to go back and look at what else we have as options, because we cannot continue to risk overwhelming the health care system, ”Ferrer said.
Here’s a look at the new restrictions:
PLAYGROUNDS: Playgrounds that are not part of a school or daycare must close under the new county ordinance.
OUTDOOR LEISURE: Beaches, trails and parks remain open, as do golf courses, tennis courts, pickleball courts, archery fields, skate parks, bike parks and community gardens . Visitors should wear masks and stay at least six feet away from people in other households. Outdoor pools that serve more than one foyer are reserved for regulated lap swimming, with one person per lane.
STORES: Essential retail stores are limited to 35% of their capacity; for grocery stores, this is a reduction from the current cap of 50% capacity. Non-essential retail stores, malls, libraries, and personal care facilities such as barber shops, barber shops, nail salons, body piercing shops, tanning services and massage therapy are limited at 20% of the capacity; previously they were operating at 25% of their capacity.
MEETINGS: For the first time since early October, most gatherings between people from different homes in LA County are again officially banned, with the exception of outdoor religious gatherings and outdoor political protests. This replaces the previous rule which only allowed small outdoor gatherings of 15 people or fewer than three households at most, for a duration of no more than two hours.
GYMS: The capacity of the outdoor gymnasiums and mini-golf, batting cages and kart races remains unchanged at 50% of maximum capacity.
ZOOS / MUSEUMS: A 50% capacity limit applies to outdoor museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums. Previous rules allowed as many customers as possible while maintaining a distance of six feet from people in other households.
SCHOOLS / CHILD CARE: The rules for schools and childcare are largely unchanged. Daycares, schools and day camps that have remained open under current protocols may continue to operate with a new requirement: a mandatory closure for 14 days in the event of an outbreak, which is defined as three or more cases in one. two week period.
BEDROOMS: The outdoor playrooms, which, according to the existing rules, were able to function, must close.
RESTAURANTS: Under a different order that went into effect Wednesday, restaurants in most of LA County can only offer take-out and pick-up service; outdoor dining rooms were closed Wednesday night, except in the city of Pasadena, which has its own independent public health department.
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