“My message couldn’t be simpler. It’s time to hunker down. It’s time to cancel everything. And if it isn’t essential, don’t do it,” Garcetti said during a press conference on Dec. 2. Los Angeles’ coronavirus case numbers have steadily remained in the thousands throughout November and now into December. On Dec. 2, there were 2,119 new cases, and the week’s average is over 2,000, which is more than a 17 percent increase from the prior week’s average. In terms of hospitalizations, the city of Los Angeles currently has more than 2,500 coronavirus patients in the hospital. “If cases continue on this pathway, if they continue to increase at the pace that we’ve seen, the County expects that we will run out of hospital beds here in Los Angeles by Christmas time,” Garcetti said. “The public health condition of our city is as dire as it was in March, in the earliest days of this pandemic.” Before the press conference, Garcetti signed a new “Targeted Safer at Home Order,” which says that the city “must resume some of the more restrictive measures instituted in the spring.” The order requires Los Angeles city residents to remain in their homes, businesses to return to remote working, and public or private gatherings by anyone from more than one household to cease, unless subject to some of the exceptions in the order. While this order has effectively prohibited dining out and in-person learning for all education institutions, it notably does allow some places to remain open, like salons and retail stores—as long as they implement certain precautions, including limiting patrons to a 20 percent maximum indoor capacity and not operating past 10 p.m. However, those aren’t the only restrictions listed in the new order. For more places the order has effectively shut down until further notice, read on, and for more on the state as a whole, California May Be Locking Down Again, Governor Warns. If you want to get a workout in, it has to be outdoors. This new order requires “indoor portions of fitness facilities” to be closed to the public until further notice. These fitness facilities can, however, open outdoor operations at a 50 percent maximum capacity. And for more on the spread of coronavirus, This Is How Bad the COVID Outbreak Is in Your State. Garcetti is requiring outdoor and indoor pools to close if they “serve members from more than one household.” The only exemption to this rule are outdoor pools that offer regulated lap swimming, which separates one swimmer per lane. And for more on lockdowns, This Pop Star Is Getting Banned for Breaking COVID Lockdown. While malls can still operate at a 20 percent capacity, mall food courts are being shut down for indoor dining. According to the order, “restaurants and food facilities located entirely within an indoor mall must close all in-person dining and may not take in-person orders for food or beverages inside the indoor mall.” And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb According to the order, all Los Angeles piers are closed. However, the beaches themselves can remain open for “active recreation,” which includes swimming, surfing, running, and walking. Sunbathing, sitting, and gatherings are not allowed. And for more on coronavirus closures, This One State Has a Secret COVID Lockdown Loophole.
