With the number of California coronavirus deaths exceeding 7,000 and cases continuing to rise, more parts of the state are delaying reopening plans as they desperately try to slow the outbreaks and prevent more hospitals from affecting capacity.
California has seen coronavirus cases and hospitalizations skyrocket in the past month as the economy reopened and residents returned to summer socialization. While the state cracked down on bars and indoor dining in many areas, officials described the conditions as critical.
The rate at which tests of COVID-19 are giving positive results in California for the past seven days reached 8.3% on Sunday. That’s the highest percentage since April, a continuing sign that the coronavirus is spreading across the state, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis conducted over the weekend.
A week ago, on July 5, the so-called positivity rate in the last seven days was 6.8%; and the previous Sunday, June 28, it was 5.9%. The positivity rate in Los Angeles County is even worse than the state figure. On Friday, the seven-day positivity rate was 10% in Los Angeles County; at the end of May, that rate fell to a low of 4.6%.
Alarmed by the metrics, some counties in the Bay Area are declining.
Alameda County authorities said the state had informed them that eating at outdoor restaurants is no longer allowed and that restaurants can only be opened for transportation, pick-up or delivery. Meals in indoor restaurants have never reopened in Alameda and several other Bay Area counties.
In Contra Costa County, officials issued an order Saturday that will ban indoor religious services from Monday morning. Outdoor gatherings, including worship services and political protests, will still be allowed as long as the rules for physical distance and mask are followed.
Contra Costa county officials said in a statement that more than 8% of their COVID-19 tests are now testing positive in the past seven days, “a sign that the virus is spreading rapidly in the county and that the community you must take immediate steps to reduce the spread of the coronavirus and prevent our health system from being overwhelmed. “
“Contra Costa is especially concerned about the risk of COVID-19 transmission in indoor gatherings and in gatherings involving removing face covers for eating and drinking,” officials said in a statement. Health officials say they are now “concerned that the number of patients needing intensive care may quickly exceed capacity.”
In Santa Clara County, officials are rescinding part of the region’s relaxation orders that were slated to take effect on Monday. The county had initially planned to allow indoor gatherings of up to 20 people. But officials now say they will not advance.
“Our county is at a critical moment,” said Dr. Sara Cody, county health officer, in a message posted Saturday on social media. “Right now, the numbers we are seeing are not going in the right direction. … The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is growing every day. “
However, the county is allowing beauty and hair salons, massage parlors, and gyms to reopen starting Monday, with some new and stringent requirements not seen in other counties, such as banning the indoor use of machines. Cardiovascular, such as treadmills, elliptical machines, exercise bikes, and other equipment that induces heavy breathing or an elevated heart rate. Authorities said there are no plans to reopen bars or interior dining rooms in restaurants for the foreseeable future.
Over the weekend, state health officials ordered Sonoma and Placer counties to ban many indoor businesses, including indoor dining, indoor winery tasting rooms, and movie theaters.
Los Angeles County recorded more than 3,200 new cases of the virus on Sunday and 14 related deaths, according to the Los Angeles Times’ coronavirus tracker.
With that, the county has now recorded more than 133,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,800 deaths. That means Los Angeles County residents account for 54% of the state’s coronavirus-related deaths, despite accounting for about a quarter of the state’s population.
Hospitalizations also continue to rise, both statewide and in Los Angeles County.
As of Saturday, there were 6,322 people with confirmed coronavirus infections in hospitals across the state, a decrease of less than 1% from Friday’s 6,357 number. Saturday’s number was the second-highest number of hospitalized patients with viral infections confirmed so far in this pandemic.
There were 1,806 people with confirmed viral infections in California’s intensive care units on Saturday, tying the record set Friday for the highest number.
Los Angeles County also posted a new record for hospitalizations on Friday, with 2,093 people reported hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections; That number fell less than 2% on Saturday, when 2,056 people were confirmed to be in the hospital.
In June, there were an average of approximately 1,500 patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in Los Angeles County hospitals.
“We have been battling this virus for several months and I know that ‘COVID fatigue’ is a very real thing,” Barbara Ferrer, county health director, said in a statement. “I want to encourage everyone to remain vigilant and continue to use all the tools we have to prevent further transmission of the virus.”
Authorities say the increase in streaming likely started around Memorial Day week, and they have attributed it to more people being in contact with each other due to the reopening of more workplaces and the holding of more social gatherings.
In an attempt to limit the increase, the county partially withdrew its economic reopening on state orders. Bars in several counties, including Los Angeles, were made to close again on June 28, and restaurants were also told to stop dining in person in many counties on July 1.
There are now 31 of the 58 California counties that have been forced to close bars and indoor operations of certain businesses, which include not only restaurants, but also movie theaters, bowling alleys, game rooms, and museums.
The orders affected more than 33 million Californians, or more than 85% of the state’s population.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned that the city could reimpose a mandatory order to stay home if conditions continue to worsen.
Lin reported from San Francisco, Wigglesworth from Southern California.
