The morning after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti revealed that the board of supervisors was considering new business closures in the event of an increase in the number of Covid-19s, the board apparently did just behind closed doors.
Although there has been some disagreement about whether the cases are declining, stabilizing or starting to increase, health officials say there are undoubtedly hospitals in the area that are unsustainably flooded with patients. As a result, the province experiences one death every six minutes.
The death toll from Covid-19 continued a relentless climb in LA on Thursday, with about 1,700 deaths due to the virus confirmed last week alone. In the past three days, there have been nearly 900 deaths in the region.
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The mayor of LA is looking at further closures as the numbers of Covid-19 increase again, says Mayor Eric Garcetti
The provincial department of public health on Thursday announced another 287 deaths due to the virus, which increased the total number of deaths during the pandemic to 13,234.
The nonprofit online publication Capital & Main, citing unnamed provincial sources, reported Thursday night that the country’s board of supervisors is holding a closed discussion today to consider additional infection control measures, including possible closures of non-essential businesses. Longtime TV reporter Gigi Graciette, from LA, quoted sources this morning as telling her that closure was indeed being discussed in the oversight meeting.
Sources confirm that the Board of Supervisors in LA County will discuss the increase in the discussion # COVID-19 matters (17K reported yesterday) in a closed (virtual) meeting. The director of public health, dr. Barbara Ferrer, is expected to attend and the conversation will focus on the possibility of more closures. @foxla
– Gigi Graciette (@GigiGraciette) 15 January 2021
Garcetti said Thursday night: “I think these are the obvious categories: whether schools stay open or not, indoor gyms, public youth leagues.”
Many such businesses are already operating under strict 20% capacity constraints under a local state order imposed by the state due to a lack of beds for intensive care units in Southern California.
According to the province’s website, the Board of Supervisors is holding a special closed-door meeting at 1 p.m. Friday. The two agenda items are a vaguely identified meeting with legal advisers on ‘significant exposure to litigation’ and a performance evaluation of provincial department heads. It should be noted that the California Restaurant Association sued last month by challenging the council’s previous closure order.
During a media conference on Wednesday, the director of public health, Barbara Ferrer, will not rule out the possibility of imposing additional health restrictions, especially in light of current infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths.
She also noted the likely presence in the country of a new coronavirus variant that was first discovered in the UK but has since been identified in Southern California. The new strain of the virus does not make people sicker, but it is much more contagious, which means that it can spread faster from person to person, which can increase the number of cases even higher. Garcetti cites the variant, called B.1.17, as a potential factor in the decision to apply further closures.
“The current projections by the experts predict that if left unchecked, this variant could dominate locally by March,” Ferrer said.
She urged residents to continue with the existing health restrictions, while suggesting that more is needed.
“We need to be willing to do more if things stay high,” she said.
“The work ahead requires us to take all necessary actions to reduce the transfer.”
On Thursday night, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti drew attention to possible new business closures or other restrictions, saying, “This is something I know the county is looking at.”
The mayor said that, given the potential danger of the British variant of the virus, ‘we should always be open and I will always follow the science and advice of our public health. [leaders] … and the provincial supervisors, who I know, are making very difficult decisions and are incredible leaders who are currently trying to figure out whether there should be further closures or not. ”
Ferrer reported this week that workplace outbreaks have increased dramatically over the past few weeks, which has helped boost the increase in cases, potentially giving credibility to a possible strike by more businesses.
Garcetti on Thursday reiterated the concern about workplaces, saying that essential workers are at risk of becoming infected with Covid and spreading it to their families.
“We have reached the breaking point where too many essential workers in our denser neighborhoods have to go to work, come home and distribute it,” he said.
The mayor said the region could avoid stricter business restrictions if the case numbers eased.
“But at the moment it’s rising, as we saw in December, at any rate like that, it’s absolutely something we can not maintain, and most importantly, our hospitals can not do it, and we will be there. going into a crisis mode, “he said.
City News Service contributed to this report.