Meanwhile, it will be decided on Thursday whether Los Angeles County will allow all businesses below the less restricted “red” level to actually reopen, especially indoor eateries at restaurants.
Under a plan announced last week, once the state reaches the 2 million dose milestone in low-income communities, the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” that regulates reopening of businesses will be adjusted, for provinces make it easier to get through four-level matrix.
As of Wednesday, the state has administered 1,926,968 doses in severely affected communities, and Newsom said the 2 million mark will be reached by Friday. If the point is reached, provinces could move out of the most limited “purple” level of blueprint if their average daily new COVID-19 infections reach 10 per 100,000 inhabitants – a lower standard than the current 7 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Under the new guidelines, Los Angeles and Orange would both be immediately eligible to go to the less restrictive ‘red’ level, as they have been below the standard 10 per 100,000 for two weeks. The new Los Angeles County rate is currently 5.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, while Orange County is 6 per 100,000.
The ‘red’ level allows provinces to reopen indoor restaurants, fitness centers and movie theaters, while also increasing capacity at shops and malls.
“Southern California, you will be a beneficiary of this,” Newsom said on Wednesday during a visit to a mobile vaccination clinic in South Gate. “LA will specifically be a big beneficiary of this new benchmark that is likely to be reached on Friday. And as you move through the weekend and next week, you will see more activity, the levels relax more. It’s encouraging and I hope that people will be enthusiastic about what it means to move forward because we have a range of other thresholds and other goals that will enable us to move forward with more clarity, more conviction and more confidence as we move over the next few weeks and the next few months. ”
RELATED: Newsom says it wants to reach vaccination target so most SoCal provinces can move to red level
Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said it would take 48 hours after the state announced that the vaccination threshold had been reached for the province to officially move into the ‘red’ level. If the goal is reached by Friday, as Newsom announced, the province could already advance on Sunday.
The idea behind the 2 million dose threshold is to ensure that vaccines are distributed fairly by the state, to ensure that low-income communities that are excessively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are not overlooked in the vaccination effort. Newsom ordered that 40% of the state’s vaccine stock be earmarked to ensure fairness in the distribution process.
Once Los Angeles County goes to the ‘red’ level, it is up to provincial officials to decide whether to fully comply with the reopening guidelines, or to maintain stricter regulations. Ferrer hinted this week that the province may consider it She repeatedly referred this week to a recent federal study that found that eating a person poses a greater risk of COVID-19 spread, an indication that the province may not be able to reaffirm indoor dining room to start over.
Asked on Wednesday whether indoor dining will be allowed, Ferrer was unrestricted and said talks were being held with the board of supervisors and the restaurant sector. But she said the province plans to announce on Thursday a ‘red’ level of operating regulations for restaurants, movie theaters and other businesses. ‘
“We look at what’s happening in the state, we look at what we’ve learned about what can create as much security as possible within people,” she said.
According to the state’s “red” level guidelines, indoor dining can be allowed at 25% of the capacity, but provinces may draw up stricter regulations. The level also allows indoor fitness centers at 10% of capacity and cinemas, museums and aquariums at 25%. can also reopen theme parks like Disneyland in Orange County and Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles County at 15% of capacity, visitors only in the state.
On Tuesday, two members of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors said their support was fully in line with state guidelines, including dining inside.
“I feel pretty strong that I think we need to conform to the guidelines for reopening the state,” said Janice Hahn, supervisor. … I think other than that at the moment it would be confusing and probably cause a lot of anger because there are so many places out there, entities that have really suffered and are waiting to get some more of these restrictions lifted.
“Especially when we talk about the reopening of Disneyland on limited capacity, there will be fans in the opening day at Dodger Stadium,” she said. “… But I really hope we can stay in line so that there is no confusion from one province to another.”
RELATED: LA County may move to red level as soon as weekend, but will indoor dining return?
Supervisor Kathryn Barger agrees with Hahn and says LA County should fit its public health order with the state and neighboring provinces.
“I believe that clarity and consistency lead to the highest degree of compliance,” Barger said, adding that with fewer restrictions, his local residents wanted to avoid traveling to other provinces.
Ferrer warned the council that the number of cases and the test-positivity rate have dropped drastically in recent weeks, but that things could easily get worse if residents become lax about infection control measures.
“This is the month I would say – the month of March, the beginning of April – where we have to be extremely careful,” she said. ‘Because we’ve been here before. We were here with reopening. We were already here on a journey with Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have seen what happens around holidays if we are not really careful. … We must all live now so that they can be vaccinated and stay alive. So it would be a time for extreme caution. ‘
She specifically pointed out the spread of virus variants that cause COVID-19, which can spread more easily from person to person. Ferrer said the variant, first identified in the UK, is expanding its reach in Los Angeles County, and now believes it is responsible for 10% of all COVID cases in the country.
“There has also been growing concern about a global fourth wave COVID-19 as business began to pick up in the last week of February, after six weeks of decline, particularly in Europe,” she said.
Ferrer also noted that although the country received the largest grant of the COVID-19 vaccine this week, at more than 300,000 doses, it is expected that the number will decrease as the province will not receive any doses of the new single dose Johnson not. & Johnson vaccine for the next two weeks due to a production and production issue. ‘
“Essentially, Johnson & Johnson immediately handed out everything they had, and now we’re going to wait a bit until they have more to distribute,” she said.
The decline in vaccine supply will coincide with the extension of vaccine admission to people aged 16 and over next Monday who have an underlying health condition that puts them at risk of serious illness or death due to COVID-19. She said Wednesday that the suitability also extended to supervisory workers, public transport and airport staff, as well as social workers dealing with cases of violence and abuse, and foster parents providing young people with emergency housing.
Ferrer urged people to be patient in trying to make vaccinations due to the constant shortage of vaccine and the growing number of people eligible for the shots. She asked people with underlying health conditions to contact their doctor to see if they could arrange shots through their health care provider.
On Wednesday, the country reported another 119 COVID-19 deaths, although five of those deaths were announced Tuesday by Long Beach health officials. Long Beach reported another death Wednesday afternoon, while Pasadena added two more. The new deaths increased the nationwide death toll from the entire pandemic to 22,216.
The province has announced another 1,514 cases, though Ferrer said several hundred “cases” are attributed to a backlog in reporting. Long Beach reported 22 cases on Wednesday and Pasadena announced five. The new cases increased the cumulative pandemic to 1,206,740.
According to state figures, as of Monday, 1,056 people in the country were in hospital due to COVID, with 309 people in intensive care.
As of Friday, 2415,460 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in the country. This includes 814,593 doses, representing the number
people who have been fully vaccinated.
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