Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials announced a modified health officer order set to be issued Thursday and go into effect Friday for certain businesses, such as gyms, campgrounds, swimming pools, hotels and filming, among others.
“Because L.A. County has been approved by the state of California as a variance county, these reopenings are permitted beginning (Friday) with the modified health officer order,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
Before businesses can reopen, they must implement the protocols and directives expected to be released with the modified health order Thursday, such as infection control and distancing requirements for reopening.
With these reopenings, L.A. County would be in Phase 3 of the state’s Resilience Roadmap, allowing the following businesses to reopen Friday with modifications:
- Gyms and fitness facilities.
- Professional sports without live audiences.
- Day camps.
- Museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums.
- Campgrounds, RV parks and outdoor recreation.
- Music, film and television production.
- Hotels, lodging and short-term rentals for tourism and individual travel.
Still closed are:
- Nail salons.
- Tattoo shops.
- Bars and wineries.
- Movie theaters, live performance theaters, entertainment centers, concert halls and venues.
- Stadiums, arenas, gaming facilities, theme parks and festivals.
Public and private gatherings outside of a single household unit are still not permitted, except for public protests and faith-based services, and residents are still required to continue following physical distancing and infection control protocols, as well as wear a cloth face covering when in contact with others not from their household.
This comes as Ferrer announced that the overall average daily deaths are decreasing, both countywide and at the skilled nursing facilities, which she attributed to the hard work of county residents to slow the spread of the virus.
“As we move through our recovery journey, both of these numbers are going to remain extraordinarily important for us to watch,” she said.
If at any time, the county’s rate of infection and other key metrics demonstrate a rapid acceleration of new cases that threatens to overwhelm the health care system, Public Health and the county Board of Supervisors may need to limit future reopenings or close reopened sectors, according to a new release issued Wednesday.
Ferrer also issued a reminder to employees and visitors to these businesses, adding, “It remains so important for all of us businesses and residents to follow the directives and to do our part every day to keep ourselves and our friends, our loved ones and our families, as safe as possible. This is really the only way for us to reopen without creating huge increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.”
For more information, visit publichealth.lacounty.gov. To view all coronavirus-related stories, visit signalscv.com/category/news/coronavirus.
