Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

COVID-19 Update: Record Surge – City and County Recommend Staying Home for Thanksgiving

LA County hit a big new record for COVID-19 cases yesterday, with 6,124 new cases reported – far surpassing the previous single-day record of 5,031 cases set just last Thursday, and greatly multiplying numbers from as recently as October, when new cases were hovering around (or even just under) 1,000 per day.

When the daily average exceeded 4,000 for the first time a few days ago, the County announced a new closure of outdoor dining at restaurants, bars, wineries and tasting rooms.  With yesterday’s huge totals, the daily average of new cases now also exceeds the 4,500 case threshold set by the LA County Department of Health as a trigger for even more restrictions.  That said, however, LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer also said in a press conference earlier this week that because we know more now about how the virus is transmitted than we did in March, and testing capacity has also increased, any new restrictions, even with the current surge numbers, will probably not be as strict as the original stay at home order last March.  The LA County Board of Supervisors will meet this afternoon to discuss those next steps.

In the meantime, both LA County and Los Angeles city officials are strongly urging residents to stay home for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, and to celebrate with immediate family members only.

In a press conference yesterday, LA Mayor Garcetti said the pandemic is “threatening to spiral out of control,” and noted that in addition to the surge in new cases, hospitalizations are up more than 50% from just a week ago.  And that if current trends continues, he said, we may be out of hospital beds by Christmas.

“These are the most dangerous moments since the first days of this pandemic,” Garcetti posted on Facebook yesterday. “It’s not too late to turn things around, but time is running out. I am asking you to keep making sacrifices to stop the spread. Together, we can flatten the curve again.”

And he was was even more blunt in the press conference.  “The solution is simple,” Garcetti said. “Stay away from each other…This year, love is not being with someone you love.”

 

 

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Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN but has lived in LA since 1991 - with deep roots in both the Sycamore Square and West Adams Heights-Sugar Hill neighborhoods. She spent 10 years with the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, volunteers at Wilshire Crest Elementary School, and has been writing for the Buzz since 2015.

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