THE ANGELS – Insisting that compliance with health orders and infection control measures will delay the spread of the coronavirus, the Los Angeles County director of public health said Monday that three more local businesses had to close due to large-scale outbreaks. and non-compliance with operating protocols.
“They had significant outbreaks among their employees,” said Barbara Ferrer, noting that the three had more than 40 COVID-19 cases and had not notified the county as required.
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Golden State Foods Corp. in the industry had 43 confirmed cases of the virus, according to Ferrer and the county website. S&S Foods in Azusa had 58 cases.
A Mission Foods facility in Commerce had 40 cases.
The news of the closings came a few days after county officials confirmed that Los Angeles Apparel, the site of the county’s worst COVID-19 outbreak, with four deaths and some 375 confirmed cases, was allowed to reopen its factory. clothing after making training changes. and infection control measures.
It also came as Ferrer called again for regional cooperation and commitment between residents and business owners to curb the spread of the virus and prevent a return to more dramatic orders to stay home.
“I have said before that any setbacks or additional closings should remain on the table,” said Ferrer.
“But at this stage of the pandemic, we believe we have many tools available that, if fully utilized, should allow us to curb the spread without reverting to the stricter home security orders that were previously implemented in the pandemic.” ”
Food facilities forced to close due to COVID outbreaks
Three more local businesses closed by the Los Angeles County Department of Health. After large-scale employee outbreaks.
The county had previously promoted avoidance of the “three Cs”: crowded places, confined spaces, and close contact with others.
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On Monday, Ferrer launched another “three Cs”: Compliance, Containment, and Collaboration, all aimed at urging adherence to control measures such as the use of face covers and physical distancing, along with intensified testing and cooperation with contact and job trackers. collaborative across all government and business sectors.
“Our companies and our employers must also do their part, and they are required to alert us to any outbreaks at their workplaces,” said Ferrer.
“Employers remain key to ensuring we can move forward on our recovery journey,” Ferrer confirmed another 17 deaths from the virus, bringing the total to 4,375.
It also announced 2,039 new cases, while health officials in Long Beach announced another 103 cases, bringing the county’s total since the start of the pandemic to 176,131.
Ferrer noted that, as has been the case in recent days, case numbers may be lower than expected due to a problem with state statistical reporting. That was also true for the number of people hospitalized, which Ferrer reported to 2017 as of Monday, not including Long Beach and Pasadena, which have their own health agencies.
He also re-emphasized that younger residents are driving the recent surge in cases, noting that since May, most new cases have occurred in people ages 18-49. She said the 18-29 age group “represents a percentage of cases that is increasing significantly,” while “all other age groups are flat or slightly decreasing.”
It is that younger group that may be increasingly difficult to reach, as officials have noted in recent weeks that younger residents are more likely to gather in groups, celebrate parties, or generally believe they are not vulnerable. to the virus.
Ferrer has repeatedly warned that while young people may not be in danger of becoming dramatically sick from the virus, they can easily pass it on to people who are.
She admitted some frustration among some residents over the changing nature of health restrictions as the pandemic has progressed, but said adjustments were made as more was learned about the new virus and more changes are possible in the future.
“I’m the first to admit, you know, how wrong we were when we thought there wasn’t much asymptomatic spread, and how wrong we were when we didn’t think about masking ourselves, wearing fabric face covers, was going to offer a lot of protection,” he said. .
“As we move forward, I keep in mind that as we continue to learn more about this virus, we have to make other adjustments in the future, and that is just the path we are on.” laser focused to make sure people understand that we have some tools on hand that allow us to slow the spread.
We also now know without a doubt that wearing face covers really helps protect other people and can indeed protect the user. “… We have learned. Science is catching up to help us as we produce directives and guidance and as we move forward, we need to take every opportunity to take advantage of the tools we have at the moment.
Use them to our full capacity to stop the spread. There will be more tools in the future and that will change what we can and cannot do. I am hopeful about the changes that will happen in the tests … and I am very hopeful that there will be therapies and a vaccine. “
