Los Angeles County reported 1,062 new cases of COVID-19 and 17 deaths Saturday, bringing the county’s totals to 273,638 cases and 6,642 fatalities.
Coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the county dropped from 730 Friday to 698, with 29% of those people in intensive care. Officials said the county averaged 717 hospitalizations per day this week, the lowest number they’ve seen in six months.
Long Beach on Thursday reported 53 new cases for a total of 12,003 positive cases, and a seven-day positivity rate of 3.7%, which has been one of the lowest rates since the pandemic’s start this year.
Long Beach also reported three more deaths on Thursday for a total 249, of which 153 are connected to long-term care facilities.
Daily case numbers continue to indicate there is still widespread community transmission, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
And while not mentioning President Donald Trump by name, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the outbreak in the nation’s capital should serve as a warning that the virus is still being actively transmitted.
“Our recovery journey depends on the decisions we each make every day about how to avoid transmitting the virus. We are witnessing firsthand in Washington D.C. how very easy it is for this virus to infect dozens of people in a very short time when individuals are not wearing face coverings, distancing and/or quarantining,” she said. “Weekends are typically a time where we go out and enjoy time outdoors; please remember to take all precautions, avoid crowds and proceed with the knowledge that each of us is capable at any moment of becoming infected and infecting others.”
Her comments come on the heels of nail salons being permitted to reopen indoors as of Thursday, and outdoor card rooms set to open Monday. Indoor shopping malls will reopen Wednesday. The nail salons and indoor shopping malls will be limited to 25% of capacity, and mall food courts must remain closed.
In Long Beach, bars, breweries and wineries, which have remained closed for several months, will be allowed to reopen with outdoor seating under new health provisions beginning Monday, officials said.
Outdoor playgrounds can reopen at the discretion of individual cities, but everyone over age 2 must wear a face covering and adult supervision is required.
Health officials said they are still working with county attorneys to finalize plans for the resumption of outdoor beverage service—with food sold by third-party providers—at breweries and wineries. That process is expected to be “completed in a week,” according to the county.
Schools that want to provide in-person instruction for students in pre-kindergarten through second-grade can submit applications to the county for waivers beginning Monday. Waivers will be limited to 30 schools per week, with priority given to campuses in the generally lowest-income areas.
Schools that are granted waivers will have to limit groups of students to no more than 12, and no more than two supervising adults in each classroom. Those teacher-student groups must remain together for the entire day “for all activities,” according to the county.
Complete safety protocols for all reopening businesses will be posted on the county’s website.
Health officials said Friday that two more cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, were also confirmed in the county, bringing the overall total to 40. The rare coronavirus-related syndrome causes inflammation of various organs. There have not been any deaths associated with MIS-C in the county.