Los Angeles County residents will likely find themselves under some type of stay-at-home restrictions through August, barring a major change in the fight against the coronavirus, the county’s public health director said this week.
Speaking to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday during a debate on extending an eviction moratorium, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Department of Public Health, said restrictions will most likely remain in place unless there is a “dramatic change in this virus or in the tools available’’ to fight COVID-19.
The countywide public health order mandating business closures and calling on residents to remain at home as much as possible, practice social distancing and wear face coverings when interacting with others is set to expire today.
Ferrer and other county health officials have been frank in recent weeks that social distancing and face coverings will be the “new normal,’’ likely for months to come, as efforts continue to slow the spread of the virus.
Despite that warning, the county last week began loosening its stay-at-home restrictions, allowing hiking trails and golf courses to reopen. Some retail businesses—toy stores, sporting goods stores, clothing stores, music shops and florists—were also allowed to reopen with curbside pickup only. Car dealers were also permitted to reopen, as long as they adhere to sanitation and social distancing mandates.
Ferrer indicated during Tuesday’s board meeting that more openings could be done on a much slower basis.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the state was again loosening its statewide umbrella health order, and give individual counties the authority to allow shopping malls, strip malls and outlet malls to reopen with curbside pickup. The state modification would also allow counties to authorize the reopening of some offices, if workers are unable to work remotely.
The state also released guidelines for possible reopening of other businesses, such as car washes and pet groomers.
