Although still concerned about a possible post-Labor Day spike in coronavirus cases and hospitalization, Los Angeles County health officials confirmed Tuesday the county meets the criteria to move into a less-restrictive phase of the state’s economic-reopening roadmap.
However, the county must maintain those numbers for two consecutive weeks before the state will move it out of the most-restrictive “purple” level and into the slightly less onerous “red” tier.
“We plan to closely monitor our data to understand how effectively we are slowing the spread of COVID-19 after the Labor Day holiday and the impact of re-opening schools for high-need students and re-opening hair salons for indoor operations,” public health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “We thank Los Angeles County residents, workers and businesses who have continued to take the steps needed to slow the spread, including wearing their face coverings, physically distancing and not gathering with people outside their household.”
The state’s color-coded reopening map classifies counties into one of four tiers based on a seven-day average testing positivity rate, and the on an average number of daily new cases per 100,000 residents.
According to the state, Los Angeles County as of Tuesday had a testing positivity rate of 2.8% and was averaging seven new cases per 100,000. Those figures would enable the county to move up to the “red” tier, if the numbers hold for two weeks. The average number of new cases is barely under the line. The state’s criteria for the red tier allows counties to have no more than seven new cases per 100,000 residents.
A separate map created by Crosstown LA, the data-based non-profit journalism organization associated with the USC Annenberg School for Journalism, shows that the percentage of West Hollywood residents who have been confirmed to have been infected with the COVID-19 virus over time is less than that of most neighboring cities and communities. As of today, West Hollywood has 1,518.07 confirmed infections per 100,000 residents (the actual count is 552). Beverly Hills has 1,940.48 infections per 100,000 residents. The Fairfax area on the Crosstown LA map has 13,572.8 infections per 100,000 residents, and the Carthay area has 5,992.23 per 100,000. What is known as the Melrose neighborhood in the Health Department data is included in those neighborhoods. Hollywood has 1,639.14 and Hancock Park has 2,124.62 cases per 100,000.
County health officials are keeping a close watch on new case numbers this week, noting Monday that there was an unsettling uptick in daily new case reports for four days last week, potentially indicating a possible spike in cases following the Labor Day holiday weekend.
On Tuesday, the county reported 810 new cases of COVID-19, but it was unclear if the lower-than-usual number was a result of reduced testing over the weekend. Long Beach health officials reported 65 more cases, while Pasadena officials added six.
The new cases increased the cumulative countywide number since the start of the pandemic to 262,207. The county also reported 40 new deaths due to the virus, increasing the cumulative total to 6,401.
While still monitoring for a possible post-Labor Day spike, health officials said that watching the daily number of hospitalizations can be a more stable figure to analyze. As of Tuesday, there were 745 people hospitalized due to the virus, maintaining what has been a downward trend over the past two months. In late July, the county was averaging more than 2,200 hospitalizations per day.
If the county moves into the less-restrictive “red” tier. additional businesses would be authorized to reopen, such as indoor shopping malls and movie theaters, all with limited capacity.
The state announced on Tuesday that nail salons are being permitted to reopen with limited capacity and other restrictions, but Los Angeles County has not yet cleared those businesses to resume operating. County health officials said they would consult with the Board of Supervisors to determine the timing of possible loosening of restrictions on the salons.
As noted above, as of today, the number of confirmed infections in West Hollywood has increased by three to a total of 552. The number of people in West Hollywood who have died of COVID-19 related illnesses as of today is five.
In Beverly Hills, the number of confirmed remains at 667. The number of COVID-19 related deaths in Beverly Hills as of today was 12. The number of COVID-19 infection confirmed among Culver City residents remains at 383. The number of deaths as of today remains at 29. The Health Department reports one newly confirmed infection in Hollywood, bringing its total to 1,173. The number of deaths remains at14. The Melrose neighborhoods latest count is up by two to 1,874. The number of COVID-19 related deaths remains at 70.
Public Health has a dedicated call line for confirmed cases of COVID-19. If you are positive for COVID-19 and have not yet connected with a public health specialist or need more information on services, call toll-free at 1 (833) 540-0473. Residents who do not have COVID-19 can continue to call 211 for resources or more information.
One way the virus can be transmitted is through a cough, a sneeze or even through air that comes from the mouth when someone talks. For that reason, residents must wear face coverings when out in public and can be cited for not doing so. The citations come with a $250 fine and a $50 administrative fee.
West Hollywood residents with questions about the COVID-19 pandemic or who are looking for resources to deal with it can find answers on the City of West Hollywood’s website. Here is a list of links to sections about particular subjects and issues:
