There has been no increase in confirmed COVID-19 infections as of today in West Hollywood, where restaurants and hair salons and barbershops are preparing to re-open after a shutdown mandated by the government in response to the deadly virus outbreak.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reports that the number of confirmed infections in WeHo remains at 179, the same count as yesterday. However, infections continue to spread across the county, with 1,824 new cases announced today. That brings the total to date to 51,562. The county has confirmed 50 new deaths related to COVID-19, bringing that total to 2,290.
The Health Department announced that as of today, hair salons and barbershops can reopen and in-person dining in restaurants can resume now that the State of California has agreed that Los Angeles County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has met necessary public health thresholds. Within hours of the announcement the Chapel at the Abbey, one of West Hollywood’s best known restaurants and bars, announced that it would be reopening at 10 a.m. Also planning to open tomorrow are Rocco’s, the restaurant and bar on Santa Monica Boulevard at San Vicente, and The Den on Sunset has posted on Facebook that it is preparing for an opening.
On Wednesday, the Health Department announced that it was permitting the re-opening of houses of worship, office worksites, in-store shopping at retail establishments, including indoor malls and shopping centers, flea markets, swap meets and drive-in movie theaters. Houses of worship can operate at 25% capacity or with a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower, and retail establishments can operate at 50% capacity.
” As the recovery journey continues, more people being around one another may result in more transmission of COVID-19, more cases, and more hospitalizations and deaths,” said the Health Department’s announcement of today’s count. “The actions everyone takes today will impact where numbers are in two or three weeks. Everyone must continue to follow distancing and infection control protocols and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in contact with other people not in your household.”
The Health Department said the reopening of these businesses “better aligns the county with neighboring counties, moving Southern California towards a regional recovery and supporting our service-oriented businesses, many of which are small and locally owned.”
If at any time, the county’s rate of infection and other key metrics return to unsafe numbers, the Department of Public Health can limit or close reopened types of businesses.
“Like my colleagues I am happy that so many will return to work and familiar activities,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, whose 3rd District includes West Hollywood. “Still, I cannot overemphasize the importance of the public’s role in making these next steps a success. People must continue to physically distance, wear face covers, and wash their hands often. If not, our cases and hospitalizations are likely to rise dramatically, forcing us to consider reducing access in order to protect public health.”
Rules that will be in place for business owners and customers at hair salons, barbershops and in-person restaurant dining are as follows:
Barbershops and hair salons
- Physical distancing measures will be in place.
- Employees and customers will be screened for symptoms, including cough and fever. Clients feeling unwell should reschedule their appointment.
- Everyone, including clients, must wear cloth face coverings while in the salon or barber shop and clients are encouraged to wear face coverings with ear loops to ensure the face covering does not interfere with the hair service.
- Magazines, coffee and other amenities will not be available.
- Clients are encouraged to use credit cards and contactless payment systems. If electronic or card payment is not possible, customers should come with exact cash payment or check, if available.
- Stylists may only serve one client at a time.
More details about the rules can be found online. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/.
In-person dining in restaurants
- Physical distancing measures will be in place.
- Employees and customers will be screened for symptoms, including cough and fever. Patrons feeling unwell should not eat at a restaurant.
- Outdoor seating and curbside pickup are prioritized.
- Reservations will be encouraged.
- Customers will be asked to wait for their table in their cars or outside the restaurant to prevent crowds from gathering.
- Diners must wear cloth face coverings when not eating.
- Bar areas will be closed.
- Occupancy capacity will be limited to 60% for the next three weeks.
More details about these rules also can be found online. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/.
Nail salons and spa services,including massage, facials and waxing, are not permitted to re-open
Also still closed are:
Gyms and fitness centers
Beach piers
Indoor entertainment venues including arcades, bowling alleys, movie theaters, live performance theaters, concert halls, stadiums, arenas, theme parks, gaming facilities and festivals
Indoor museums, galleries and zoos
Click here for a detailed list of what’s open and closed in L.A. County.
Public and private gatherings of people outside of a single household unit are not permitted except for public protests and faith-based services, which are permitted to operate with limits on the number of participants.
As of today, the Health Department reports an increase of one confirmed infection in Beverly Hills, bringing that total to 138. That is an increase of two from yesterday’s count of 135. The number of infections in Culver City has increased by three to 147. The number of infections in the Hollywood neighborhood has increased by four to 272. The number of confirmed infections in the Melrose neighborhood increased by four to a total of 549.
Residents with questions about the COVID-19 pandemic and 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:
I’m not worried about the businesses that are opening causing a spike of infections. I think the spike is going to be caused by all the looters and police screaming and spitting at each other. Then there are the large groups of hoodlums being packed in the jails together. To clarify I am not including peaceful protesters of the real problem. They have all been wearing masks and have not been violent.
I trust the guidelines set forth by the state and county which are already some of the more stringent in the world. The Abbey is not going to be wall to wall packed like it usually is. There are tables with social distancing, masks, sanitization. The evidence shows there isn’t a big difference in number of cases in “closed” vs “open” areas. Unless we do a Wuhan style shutdown where people can’t leave their homes the virus will persist. As long as people can go to supermarkets, Target, or travel county/state lines freely with differing policies. We need to start… Read more »
Cases will inevitably go up the more that businesses return to normal operations, that was always going to be the case until we get a cure. The point was always just to not overwhelm the hospitals. In that regard, it’s time to keep progressing.
There are a number of VERY important protocols for dine-in restaurants right now. Such as: On-site seating at a table shall be limited to […] members of one household. Reservations should be used for customers dining-in to reduce congregating in one place. All customers must give their contact information for contact tracing purposes. Customers must be seated at tables. And more… Reference: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/docs/protocols/Reopening_Restaurants.pdf Lastly, it could be argued that many of the establishments listed are not operating primarily as restaurants but as bars/nightclubs which also happen to serve food. Don’t begrudge them from doing business with food; however, if the… Read more »
Seems like a very odd mix of what’s open and still closed, and add in how do you enforce mask wearing and distancing at The Abbey? Bizarre!
If The Abbey opens, won’t they be bringing in all of those people from all over the county, where “infections continue to spread” (according to the article), put them in a small space, and then send them out into the world again??
There are no tourists in town. Even Hollywood Blvd is totally empty.
Tourists? Why would a tourist come here now? Most hotels are closed. You can’t Comfortably dine out. There’s social distancing. Masks are very uncomfortable to wear and are very off putting. Creepy. There’s nothing much to do. And that’s how it’s been for about 10 weeks. Prior to this, I had breakfast at Mel’s diner from time to time. There were many foreign tourists. That’s gone. It will be very slow to come back. Also, businesses are going to cut back way on travel for employees. With millions unemployed, disposable income will be very carefully spent. Everything is going to… Read more »
The Abbey is not opening, the Chapel is opening.
Really hope this is not too soon. Would be tragic if everything has to close again.
Yeah, we still have new cases.
Nobody appears to be following CDC guidelines.
I understand that restrictions are still in place, but there is a lot we don’t know about COVID-19.
I think this is madness.