During a Board of Supervisors meeting, Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on Tuesday admitted "with all certainty" that the county's stay-at-home order would be extended another three months, through July. The only way the county would reopen would be if there was a “dramatic change to the virus and tools at hand," the Los Angeles Times reported.
Specifically, Ferrer wants to see a greater ability to test people for the Wuhan coronavirus, both in medical settings and at home. Without those, the public health director said it would be hard to reopen the economy.
“Our hope is that by using the data, we’d be able to slowly lift restrictions over the next three months,” Ferrer said.
“Additional restrictions may be lifted later this week to allow for reopening additional retailers for curbside pickup, select manufacturers, and additional recreational facilities,” the county said in a statement Tuesday. “Until the final stage five is reached, Health Officer Orders and directives will continue to ensure the slow of spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases at healthcare facilities.”
Los Angeles County has its own five-stage reopening plan:
Stage 1 (taking place now) - the stay-at-home order expires May 15th.
Stage 2:
• May 8th - florists, some retailers, car dealerships, golf courses and trails open.
• Next (TBD) - other low-risk businesses, including manufacturers, offices, retail stores, essential health care, outdoor recreation, libraries, museums, cultural centers and galleries.
Stage 3 (TBD):
• Higher-risk businesses like body art, massage places, bars and nightclubs, movie theaters, bowling alleys, K-12 schools, colleges and universities.
Stage 4 (TBD):
• Highest risk businesses like entertainment venues, large conventions, sporting and spectacular events.
Stage 5 (TBD):
• Everything is reopened.
According to ABC 7, the county announced 38 deaths and 566 new cases on Monday. The United States Census Bureau estimates that Los Angeles County has 10.1 million people.
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