On the same day that Los Angeles County recorded its 300,000th coronavirus case and its 7,000th COVID-19 death, county health officer Mantu Davis gave health advice for private gatherings and public celebrations.
Citing the increased rate of COVID-19 community transmission, citing the increased risk of COVID-19 infection in such cases, Davis said that “Halloween, Thanksgiving and the approaching” all measures we take to slow the spread are serious. ” Winter holidays.
Says Davis, “There have been many instances of people unknowingly spreading the virus at such gatherings, which, unfortunately, have led to new infections, serious illness and death.
Health Advisor: High Risk # COVID-19 Transmission at Gatherings and Public Celebrations.
See https://t.co/5xTDPGrx4E for more. pic.twitter.com/2t5cqysZyz– LA Public Health (lapublichealth) October 27, 2020
Since the beginning of October, the average number of daily cases in Los Angeles County has risen from around 940 per day to 1,200 per day. In addition, recent contact tracing interviews during the week showed that exposure% of people who knew of potential contact participated in an event where 2 or more people were ill, the LA Public Health Department said in a statement.
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As a result, Davis warned, Angelinos “should not participate in any kind of public celebration.” If they do, the health department issued a protocol that must be followed (see below).
L.A. Barbara Ferrer, director of public health, said the recent increase in cases was “the result of decisions we made collectively two to three weeks ago. And the actions we are taking today will affect whether we are able to continue our recovery journey, or we We do not need to slow down the transmission to achieve economic recovery. “
Ferrer warned that the gathering of people from different homes in a nearby location was one of the main reasons for the spread of the disease. He noted in recent weeks that younger residents are the primary driver of new cases. And on Monday, he suggested that the recent start of college and pro football, the NBA playoffs and the season following the Major League Baseball post could play a role in increasing daily cases in the past month.
“We’ve all seen pictures of fans for their sports teams where they boom in large crowds, and almost no one has covered their faces. This is a perfect setting for infecting viruses, “Ferrer said.
Asked to elaborate on the issue, Fair said the gathering of sports fans could contribute “the most” to the recent case growth. Fans are still barred from attending sporting events in the county, but many still visit restaurants or other venues to watch sports on TV.
The case goes on to say, “People correspond with more frequent gatherings when they come to watch games with household members.” “And it wasn’t just the Lakers or the Clippers. It’s not just basketball. We now have football games that are happening and of course we already have Dodgers a few weeks into the post season.
“The negative of this is during the epidemic [is that] Some of the things we’ve done in the past don’t make sense, “Ferrer observed. “Gathering a large crowd to watch sports indoors, people don’t wear their face ingots, people are screaming a lot. It’s not just sensible. Outside dining areas also gather outside and watch sports with hundreds of people and no masks Celebrates by jumping up and down without, embracing complete strangers, again with a lot of screaming and cheering. It’s very easy to spread the virus. “
Ferrer also issued an early warning to people to celebrate Halloween safely on Saturday. She urged residents to improve their actions in the epidemic – using zoom gatherings, hunting home sweepers or taking advantage of drive-through Halloween performances. He again frustrated the door-to-door trick-or-treating, although the tradition is not entirely prohibited by the county’s health order.
He stressed that the decree bans Halloween parties or other large gatherings.
“This epidemic has forced so many people to make so many sacrifices this year, and we recognize the frustration and despair from the holiday restrictions,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. Transmitting COVID-19 this year is very risky because we are not with other people in the house. “
To prevent the future spread of COVID-19, Davis reminded Angelnos that it’s best to celebrate at home with your family. However, if you are going to host or participate in a private gathering, it will follow the following protocols:
Outside the physical distance between the house
– Limited to 3 houses, including the host and all guests
– Facial covers are worn when not eating or drinking
-Food is served in single-serve disposable containers
For two hours or less
City News Service contributed to this report.