Friday, May 29, 2020
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced during his Friday (May 29) press conference that the state has approved Los Angeles County to reopen restaurants for in-person dining and resume services at barbershops and hair salons, marking a new phase in the region’s efforts to reopen the struggling retail economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Los Angeles houses almost half of the state’s coronavirus cases (nearly 50,000) with more than 2,200 deaths. County officials noted that while covid-19 case numbers and deaths continue to rise, infection and hospitalization rates have decreased.
With the state granting the variance, restaurants and salons will have to meet the county’s guidelines and safety protocols, officials said. The variances are granted based on a list of criteria, including infection rates, hospital capacity, testing availability and ability to trace contacts of infected residents.
Earlier this week, the county issued a new health order called “Safer at Work and in the Community” which allows for the reopening of houses of worship, office worksites, in-store shopping at retail establishments, including indoor malls and shopping centers, flea markets, swap meets and drive-in movie theaters which can operate at 50% capacity. The new “Safer-at-Home” health officer order has no definitive end date.
“While the Safer at Home orders will remain in place over the next few months, restrictions will be gradually relaxed under our 5-stage Roadmap to Recovery, while making sure we are keeping our communities as safe as possible during this pandemic,” said the county’s Public Health Director, Dr. Barbara Ferrer.
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