Los Angeles County residents can expect to remain under some type of stay-at-home restrictions for the next three months unless any major changes occur in the fight against the CCP virus, officials announced May 12.
“LA County is continuing its progress on the road to recovery, with planned reopening of beaches for active recreation and an expansion of permitted retail activities coming tomorrow,” public health said in a statement.
“While the Safer at Home orders will remain in place over the next few months, restrictions will be gradually relaxed under our five-stage Roadmap to Recovery, while making sure we are keeping our communities as safe as possible during this pandemic,” it continued.
“We are being guided by science and data that will safely move us forward along the road to recovery in a measured way—one that allows us to ensure that effective distancing and infection control measures are in place. We’re counting on the public’s continued compliance with the orders to enable us to relax restrictions, and we are committed to making sure that LA County is in the best position to provide its 10 million residents with the highest level of wellness possible as we progressively get back to normal.”
The announcement came after the County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer on Tuesday said that with all certainty “the stay-at home order set to expire on May 15 will be expanded all the way to August,” prompting panic among residents in the county.
Clarifying Ferrer’s earlier remarks, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement that the remarks were “taken out of context” and “understandably caused great concern by the public.”
“Relaxing the restrictions in the Safer at Home order is an important focus for the county, which will be done gradually over the next few months,” she wrote.
“I am eager to reopen more of LA County as soon as it’s safe to do so, in collaboration with our health experts, community leaders, businesses, and residents, with best practices in place to ensure our overall health and well-being. These decisions will be guided by the latest science and data collected. I’m confident that the more our communities continue to comply, the sooner we can resume normalcy.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN that the extension of the stay-at-home order is “just a reminder of how delicate and fragile this time is, but do not freak out when you hear a scientist say that it’s still going to be here and we’re still going to be living under health orders,” and noted that some vulnerable population groups may have to continue to stay at home to prevent the virus from spreading.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks at a Los Angeles County Health Department press conference on the CCP virus in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 4, 2020. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
Los Angeles County is home to 10 million residents and is now the California epicenter of the CCP virus, with 33,180 confirmed cases and 1,613 deaths so far, according to public health statistics.
On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a move to further ease CCP virus restrictions, with northern Californian counties Butte, El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, and Shasta being among the first in the state to be granted permission to move more quickly to reopen businesses, including restaurants serving sit-down meals, after showing they have been minimally affected by the outbreak.
However, those restaurants reopening must retool their dining rooms to accommodate social distancing, closing areas where customers congregate or touch food, and stop setting tables with shared condiments such as mustard containers. Menus must be disposable and table-side food preparation is no longer allowed.
Katabella Roberts
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Katabella Roberts is a news writer for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States, world, and business news.
