As has been repeatedly pointed out by local officials in the worst case over the past few days, it seems increasingly likely that Los Angeles County and nearby areas in Southern California will be able to move into a less restrictive closure level – from purple, the most restrictive level , to red – soon and possibly as fast as next week. The move would bring about immediate major changes in daily life for consumers, workers and small business owners, with gyms, movie theaters and some indoor eateries (albeit at limited capacity). Here’s what we know.
Earlier this week, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters that Greater LA ‘is about to’ move to the red level ‘as soon as it’s next week’, which provides for indoor dining. “Hope is at hand,” he added in the newscast aired on ABC7. Similarly, the director of public health in LA County said yesterday: “It is quite possible that we will enter the red level as early as next week,” According to KNX reporter Claudia Peschiutta, although dr. Ferrer later clarified (when asked) that she meant that LA County could reach the necessary data thresholds to move, not that the move would actually happen.
Under current guidelines, the provinces must remain below the necessary thresholds to change levels of at least two weeks. Why did the mayor and Dr. Ferrer originally start declaring differently? Was it all a slip of the tongue?
Perhaps. But on March 4, California Govin Newsom formally announced a plan to distribute 40 percent of the state’s vaccines to underprivileged areas as a way to “speed up the reopening of the economy.” LA Times. Here is more of the Times:
After about 400,000 doses were administered to people living in California who were hit the hardest – which could happen within the next two weeks – Govin Newsom government officials said the state intends to enforce the rules for provinces around the to leave most limiting level, to relax considerably. of the reopening blueprint of California’s coronavirus.
“Increasing vaccinations in our communities that have been hit the hardest are morally right and good for public health, because they will slow down the spread of disease,” says Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in a release.
The current target for distribution in underprivileged communities is 2 million total doses; the state has already sent 1.6 million doses to those areas. Once the new benchmark is reached, the state will automatically and immediately adjust the necessary thresholds for shifting between levels – especially to adjust the number of positive cases from less than seven per 100,000 cases to less than 10 per 100,000 cases. Los Angeles County, and most of the nearby counties, are already well below the updated threshold and have been for some time, so any update of the state thresholds will immediately jump those counties to the bottom level.
Here is the language from a press release sent by the governor’s office a few minutes ago:
Once the threshold is reached, the Blueprint for a Safer Economy will be updated to allow for slightly higher cases at each level, with an overall effect that provinces can release the health restrictions at a somewhat accelerated but still responsible pace.
So: California officials are moving fast to bring much-needed vaccines to some of the state’s most important areas. Once done, they will adjust on the threshold numbers needed to move to lower levels, which will automatically move many counties in Southern California (including Los Angeles County) off in a less restrictive level. The new red level offers a limited indoor dining area at 25 percent of total capacity, based on the business certificate of the business – or 100 total eateries, whichever is less.
And there is more. Governor Newsom is currently delivering an 18:00 state of the nation address to lawmakers and directly to the public, scheduled for next Tuesday, March 9 at 6:00 p.m., which would be a pretty big stage to announce that California is economically speaking. start opening again. Government officials did not confirm this shall makes such an announcement regarding relocation thresholds and new assignments, but it seems to be on the table.
Regardless, public health officials now say the distribution of the necessary vaccines to those severely affected will require at most two weeks, which means that, whatever it is, indoor dining is expected to return to Los Angeles County and much of the state this month. Do not be surprised if this happens next week.