Los Angeles County again reported disturbingly high numbers of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases Friday, continuing a trend that will keep school campuses largely shuttered and business activities restricted as the county fails to control spread of the virus.
And with Halloween on Saturday, health officials pleaded again with residents to avoid traditional large gatherings and take precautions against virus transmission that could further exacerbate the spiking case numbers.
As of yesterday, the City of West Hollywood has seen the number of confirmed infections increase by 26 over the week before. That is the highest weekly increase since July
The City of West Hollywood has issued a statement reminding people that it has cancelled its annual Halloween Carnaval, which typically brought tens of thousands of people to Santa Monica Boulevard.
“As we head into the holiday weekend, please remember there is simply too much COVID-19 going around for us to let our guard down,” public health director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “The fewer people you and your household have in-person contact with, the lower your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19.
“For the county to continue our recovery journey, many more of us need to get back to doing what we know works, and we need to stop engaging in activities that makes it easy for transmission of the virus,” she said.
The county Health Department reported another 1,296 cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Health officials said earlier that the county had been averaging about 940 new cases a day at the beginning of October, but is now averaging about 1,200 a day. On Thursday, the county reported 1,745 new cases, the highest number since late August not associated with a backlog in test results.
The new cases reported by the county on Friday, along with 50 additional cases announced by health officials in Long Beach and 11 in Pasadena, increased the countywide cumulative total since the start of the pandemic to 306,388.
The county also announced another 26 coronavirus-related deaths, while Long Beach added one more, lifting the countywide death toll to 7,057. There were 743 people hospitalized with the virus as of Friday, down from 750 on Thursday and 755 on Wednesday.
Los Angeles County remains entrenched in the most restrictive “purple” tier of the state’s coronavirus economic-reopening matrix. Until the daily case numbers drop to a steady average of about 700 per day, the county will be unable to substantially lift business restrictions or allow school campuses to reopen.
The county had actually reached that benchmark in September, raising hope it might advance to the less-restrictive “red” tier, but it was unable to maintain those case levels.
Health officials have said younger residents represent the bulk of new cases being reported, and they pointed directly to public gatherings — particularly groups of people coming together to watch sporting events either in private settings or at outdoor restaurants — as responsible for the case increases. Beyond just the recent Lakers and Dodgers championship playoff runs, health officials pointed to the start of football season as another factor attracting larger crowds at eateries with television sets.
All bars remain closed in the county, and no spectators are permitted at sporting events, such as Rams and Chargers games at SoFi Stadium.
The Department of Public Health urged residents not to gather on Saturday for Halloween.
“Safer options include participating in a virtual party, attending a drive-in event, driving around your neighborhood to see decorated houses, holding a scavenger hunt for treats at home or attending a special Halloween drive-in movie,” according to the agency. “Carnivals, parties, festivals, live entertainment and haunted house attractions are not safe this Halloween and are not permitted under the Health Officer Order.”
The county several weeks ago released Halloween guidelines that outright banned trick-or-treating, but the restriction was met with immediate public outcry. Health officials quickly revised the guidelines, lifting the ban but still strongly recommending against the practice, saying it is hard to maintain infection-control measures while walking door-to-door and collecting candy from strangers.
The city of Beverly Hills, however, has instituted a ban on house-to- house trick-or-treating, and on car-to-car “trunk-or-treating.”
The number of infections among West Hollywood residents as of today has increased by six to 664. The number of people in West Hollywood who have died of COVID-19 related illnesses is still listed as five.
In Beverly Hills, the number of confirmed infections increased by three to 756. The number of COVID-19 related deaths in Beverly Hills to date 12. The number of COVID-19 infections confirmed among Culver City has increased by one to 427. The number of deaths to date is 28. The number of infections in Hollywood has increased by five to 1,409. The number of deaths to date remains at 15. The Melrose neighborhood’s number of infections has increased by eight to 2,163. The number of COVID-19 related deaths remains at 75.
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:
“Highest weekly increase since July…” should be a wake up call to all to keep their guard and masks up and over their noses and mouths. Still too many with noses uncovered (duh!). It troubles me that supermarket workers (especially, but all people also) are permitted to wear handkerchiefs and gaiters as suitable face coverings when the CDC has said they are ineffective at best and possibly even counterproductive, as they might break the virus into smaller, more transmissible packets. Also question how much a dangling handkerchief is really protecting the wearer since so much potentially virus-laden air can enter… Read more »
So now, people are just getting the message…but not the entire message? Why have China’s cases flatlined since March? Look for yourself, then look at the US, the beacon of irresponsibility. Here we tout our freedom but we flaut our responsibility. One can’t have it both ways. It is sickening to know that so many of our “friends and neighbors” don’t give a whit for us or actually for themselves. Irreponsibility, a sign of self-loathing indistinguishable from a lack of self-respect. Lack of respect is tearing our country apart…putting it back together begins on our individual doorsteps. We currently have… Read more »
PLEASE wear a mask! I still see young people out and about without one. That being said I think mask wearing is getting better.
Alarming. Also never really thought of Halloween as a “holiday.”
You must not have been in WeHo very long LOL