Los Angeles County health officials will begin testing all residents and staff at nursing homes—which have been an epicenter for coronavirus cases—regardless of whether they have symptoms.
The testing for COVID-19 will begin Monday, health officials said at Friday’s press briefing.
New requirements will be put into place to prevent the virus from spreading in nursing homes, which are vulnerable because of the close quarters and compromised individuals living there: Only essential workers will be admitted, communal activity will be banned and staff will be required to wear surgical masks at all times. Residents will also be required to wear face coverings when outside their rooms.
In Long Beach, 22 of the city’s 27 deaths from coronavirus have been associated with nursing homes, along with 155 of its 518 positive cases.
County officials on Friday reported 1,035 new cases of COVID-19, raising its total to 18,517. Officials also said another 52 people died, raising the total to 848.
Officials also addressed the county’s plan to reopen and relax the stay-at-home orders, which have been in place for roughly a month. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the county is still eyeing four benchmarks for its decision on when to lift the restrictions.
“Every one of us is eager to ease Safer-At-Home restrictions so we can return to a normal life,” Barger said. “I’m immensely proud of our residents for adhering to these guidelines so far, which has successfully prevented a huge surge in cases.”
The county is developing a plan to slowly ease the restrictions based on four benchmarks:
- Ensuring capacity in hospitals and health care facilities, in case coronavirus cases surge;
- Ensuring continued protections for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and people with underlying health conditions;
- Providing increased testing and ability to trace contacts of people who test positive; and
- Maintaining physical-distancing and infection control as businesses are allowed to reopen.
“Ultimately we want to make sure as many people return to work as safely and as quickly as possible,” she said. “If we meet the guidelines I shared, we can prevent or limit the spread of COVID-19 when we loosen physical distancing measures.”