- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city is “on the verge” of another order to stay home on Sunday.
- During an appearance on CNN, Garcetti criticized the lack of national leadership by stopping COVID-19.
- Last week, Los Angeles County broke its record for a single day, with more than 4,500 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday.
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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday that Los Angeles is “on the verge” of another order to stay home.
Los Angeles County has seen an increase in cases recently, with new records for hospitalizations and infections. The city has more than 150,000 cases.
“A lot of things went wrong,” said Garcetti. She noted that cases have not increased as fast in Los Angeles as in some cities, but said “there is no national leadership” in efforts to curb or stop the pandemic. “It was politicized when it should have been unified.”
Garcetti also mentioned that many people are “just exhausted” after the duration of the pandemic, and have stopped socially distancing themselves, wearing masks, and practicing diligent handwashing. She said the city previously opened too quickly.
While LA is not yet under orders to stay home, many measures have been reinstated to combat the resurgence of the coronavirus. On June 28, Governor Gavin Newsom closed bars in several counties, including Los Angeles, and on July 1, indoor dining in restaurants was suspended. Garcetti mentioned that mayors do not necessarily have much power in coronavirus closings, which occur primarily at the county and state levels.
Last week was the worst week for new cases in Los Angeles since the pandemic began, with several record days for cases and hospitalizations. Thursday remains the record for infections, with more than 4,500 new cases.
Authorities are warning residents of the danger to people under 40, who are seeing higher hospitalization rates than before in the pandemic. Los Angeles County is home to more than half of all coronavirus deaths in California, The LA Times reported.
