Mayor Robert Garcia and Kelly Colopy, director of the city’s health department, sounded the alarm on rising COVID-19 cases, saying local residents need to do more to prevent the spread of the virus.

“People should be more concerned today than they ever have been,” Garcia said during a live chat with the Long Beach Post Tuesday.

Long Beach has been reporting upward of 120 new cases of COVID-19 per day compared to the 40 to 50 new cases seen several weeks ago. The county reported more than 3,000 cases per day on Saturday and Sunday.

With Thanksgiving approaching next week, both Garcia and Colopy urged residents to refrain from indoor gatherings with people outside their household, even though it’s tough.

“We are trying to communicate to the public about how dangerous it is to gather with family,” said Garcia, adding that this is the first year he will celebrate without his mom and stepfather, both of whom died of coronavirus in late July and August.

Colopy and Garcia also talked about help for businesses, plans to distribute potential vaccines and more.

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