Once again, there has been a lot of COVID-19-related news this week, as pressure mounts to re-open city, county and business facilities, while still being cautious to maintain social distancing and health protections in the face of still-rising case and death counts.
Beaches
Today, many Angelenos are excited about the partial re-opening of LA County beaches, which once again allow swimming, surfing, running and walking. It’s important to note, however, that a number of other popular beach-based activities (sitting, sunbathing, biking and more) are still prohibited, and other restrictions (such as mandatory face coverings and maintaining at least 6 feet of social distance) are still in force.
Other County Health Orders
Yesterday, the local media (including the Buzz) were aflutter with reports that LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said at an LA County Board of Supervisors meeting that the county’s Safer at Home orders would likely remain in place at least through July. This was not a comprehensive pronouncement, however, and the County quickly issued a clarification, explaining that its gradual Roadmap to Recovery re-opening plans are also still in place, and will roll out as the data determines each new step is safe. Here is the full text of the County’s clarifying statement:
This graphic shows more about what the various reopening stages are, and what is planned for each stage. We are currently part way through Stage Two:
Also, in a lunchtime press conference today, Ferrer announced that as of today, the County will enable even more Stage 2 openings, including “low-contact recreation facilities” and more retail curbside pickup and delivery operations. According to a press release accompanying the announcement:
“All retailers that are not located in an indoor mall or shopping center are able to reopen for curbside, door-side, outside pickup, or delivery only. The public is not allowed to go inside. Manufacturing and logistic businesses that supply retail businesses may also reopen.
Also:
“Select recreational facilities including golf courses, tennis courts, shooting and archery ranges, equestrian centers and community gardens can also reopen.
However…
“This Order continues to require that specific higher-risk businesses remain closed and prohibits public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit.”
In both the press release and Ferrer’s remarks, the County also stressed that many restrictions (such as social distancing and face coverings) will remain in place at the re-opened facilities…and that business do have to prepare carefully before they can re-open:
“Before retail businesses, manufacturing and logistic businesses reopen, they are required to prepare, implement and post their plan for adhering to directives including distancing and infection control practices that protect both employees and customers.”
And Ferrer also noted that the re-openings do not indicate either a return to normal or that nothing was accomplished by the previous weeks of closures. In fact, Ferrer said, “We did accomplish something huge. We never had a surge, we never had a peak” that would overwhelm our health system.
Also, Ferrer said, the previous Safer at Home orders still do remain in effect, even as modifications continue to roll out one by one. “The good thing about opening slowly,” Ferrer said today, “is that we can take our time, and we’re not going back to the same place.”
City Response
Late yesterday, in his own daily statement, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti took much the same position:
“While the City’s Safer at Home order will remain in place beyond May 15,” Garcetti said, “We will also continue to adjust the order gradually — to safely allow more activities, more businesses to operate, and more Angelenos to get back to work. We’re not moving past COVID-19, we’re learning to live with it — and we will keep taking measured steps toward a new, safer reality in the days and weeks ahead.”
And the city’s website confirmed that the Mayor’s ““Safer at Home” emergency order requires City of Los Angeles residents to remain in their homes except for the most essential activities — including critical tasks such as securing food and health, safety and medical necessities, as well as caring for children, elder adults, family, friends, and people with disabilities. It has been modified to allow some outdoor public recreational space to be used for exercise and certain non-essential businesses to resume limited operations with curbside service. The Mayor has also ordered that workers providing non-medical essential services — and their customers — must wear face coverings while in those work locations.”
Hiking Trails
As part of the gradual re-opening plan, many of the city’s hiking trails re-opened last week, but like the beaches, some restrictions do still apply. If you’re planning to do any hiking this weekend, here’s a good guide from the city:
Masks on Metro
This week also brought some news from Metro, which announced that beginning on Monday this week, all bus and train riders are now required to wear face coverings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Previously, face coverings had been recommended but not required.)
Metro said it will enforce the mask requirement “to the extent that is practical,” and that it will help riders who do not have coverings to obtain them.
At the same time, however, Metro, too, is focusing as much as possible on relaxation of current restrictions and a gradual restoration of services. It cautioned, however, that protection of its riders and employees (including bus drivers, who are particularly exposed to health hazards) is of utmost importance, and because their safety will be considered at every step, the re-opening plans are still a “work in progress.”
LAUSD
LAUSD Superintendant Austin Beutner announced in his weekly address on Monday that about 95% of LAUSD’s 700,000+ students are now connected online, and close to 50,000 district educators and administrators have received either basic or master-level training in online learning.
Beutner also provided some details about LAUSD’s online summer enrichment programs, which will begin on June 24, and will be open to all students. Enrichment offerings will include
- Animation with Illumination
- Environmental Science
- Guitar and Ukele with Fender
- Space Exploration with Columbia Memorial Space Center
- Sports Science with the LA Chargers
- “Voyage of the Titanic” with James Cameron
There will also be more academic classes, including instruction for academically at-risk students, and other classes – open to all students – focusing on math, literacy and critical thinking skills. Registration for all summer programs will open on May 18 at achieve.lausd.net/summer2020
Local Statistics
Last but not least, don’t forget to check out the Buzz’s COVID-19 resources, including our Larchmont to Go! dining guide, Local Business Announcements, Community Resources, and How You Can Help pages. Also, as always, our Community Calendar, Business Directory and Classifieds pages remain available to serve you. And – also as always – they are free and self-service for everyone. (And, yes, you CAN list virtual events, as well as in-person gatherings, on the calendar!)
And finally, it’s worth noting that we’ve also added a new chart tracking local area deaths from COVID-19 to our local case tracker. Both graphics are updated daily. Here are the counts as of this morning:
Note:
Data for this chart comes from the LA City Controller’s COVID-19 Dashboard. In addition to numbers from areas closest to our Larchmont Buzz readership area, the Dashboard also includes data for other LA County neighborhoods, as well as neighborhood maps and boundaries as defined by the County (NOT our local neighborhoods’ self-definitions). To find your own neighborhood’s boundaries, as defined by LA County, or to see data from other LA neighborhoods, see the link above.
* Country Club Park, as defined by LA County, also includes most of Fremont Place, Windsor Village and Wilshire Park.
** LA County’s boundaries for Hancock Park also include most of Windsor Square, except the area bounded by Wilshire Blvd., S. Wilton Pl., W. Third St. and S. Western Ave., which is part of Wilshire Center.
*** The Melrose community, as defined by LA County, is bounded roughly, with some deviations, by Beverly Blvd., Normandie Ave., Santa Monica Blvd., and La Cienega Blvd. (so this also includes much of what we know as the Larchmont and South Hollywood residential areas).
