The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced on Sunday restaurants will no longer be able to have indoor or outdoor dining effective November 25 for three weeks due to a rise in cases of COVID-19.
The announcement is the latest blow to restaurant owners as many have invested in outdoor dining infrastructure ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Retail businesses are able to continue operating with protective measures still in place.
Public Health Reports 34 New Deaths and 4,522 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County -
— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) November 22, 2020
New COVID-19 Cases Remain High and Daily Hospitalizations Continue to Increase. View https://t.co/zoTxAT5rdK pic.twitter.com/GjNau75f3N
In a press release from Saturday, the LA County Department of Public Health said there have been "34 new deaths and 4,522 new cases of COVID-19. New COVID-19 cases reported remain high and the number of people hospitalized is increasing. Over the last four days, there have been a total of 17,769 new cases reported," adding, "Ninety-three percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions."
Reporters based in the Los Angeles area have said business owners are beyond frustrated at the latest lockdown measure.
Spoke to restaurant owners in LA on this latest lockdown. They had spent thousands making outdoor dining feasible. They had prepped for Thanksgiving week, one of their biggest nights for business of the year. This is devastating for them. His one question: where is the science?
— Christina Pascucci (@ChristinaKTLA) November 23, 2020
L.A. County should reimburse every single one of these businesses that spent thousands making modifications to move outdoors and retrofit for safety. Maybe start with some of those fat county salaries? None of the people making the decisions have to worry about their livelihoods.
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) November 23, 2020
I’d be curious to see the science that differentiates between an average of 3,900 cases, 4,000 cases and 4,500 cases in a county of 10 million?
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) November 22, 2020
Where did these arbitrary thresholds come from?
What specific proof is there of mass outbreaks from restaurants following the rules?
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