As coronavirus cases surge across the nation, Los Angeles County officials and other major cities are tightening restrictions to flatten the curve.
What We Know:
- Restaurants, breweries, wineries, and bars are being shut down for in-person dining for at least three weeks starting Wednesday. Instead, they will only be allowed to offer take-out, drive thru, and delivery services to limit the amount of crowding and potential exposures.
- In a statement released by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Director Barbara Ferrer warned, “The persistent high number of cases requires additional safety measures that limit mixing in settings where people are not wearing masks. We hope individuals continue to support restaurants, breweries and wineries by ordering for take-out or delivery. We also fervently hope every L.A. County resident supports all our businesses by following the Public Health directives that we know work to slow spread. Unfortunately, if our cases and hospitalizations continue to increase, we will need to issue further restrictions to protect our healthcare system and prevent more deaths.”
- The city of Los Angeles has currently reached a five-day case average of 4,097 cases as of last Sunday, putting L.A. in the purple tier. The purple tier is the most-restrictive phase of the state’s four-tier reopening plan. Indoor dining isn’t permitted and all non-essential travel is being discouraged. If things continue to get worse, a curfew will be set into place.
- This is the first time since May that restuarants will be prevented from serving guests in-person. Restrictions are also being placed on retail store capacities, outdoor gatherings with others from different households, and mandatory advanced appointments for personal-care businesses.
Will these measures be enough to slow down the spread?