Because of the rise in COVID-19 transmission rates at local, regional and state levels, the City of Long Beach will prohibit in-person dining at restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars starting on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 10:00 p.m. for three weeks, at minimum, in order to slow the spread, a statement from the City’s Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis said.
Restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars will only be able to take-out offer drive-thru and delivery services.
The modified health order is in alignment with Los Angeles County, which has “substantially similar data patterns to Los Angeles County, with numbers at alarming levels,” the press release said. The updated order will be forthcoming.
Long Beach has seen an increase in new cases by more than 120% in the last two weeks. Since Nov. 1, the hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the local area have increased by 200%.
“These increases are occurring dramatically faster than the first surge experienced during the height of the summer when we were seeing hundreds of new cases daily, overwhelming our ability to appropriately contact trace and threatening hospital capacity,” the statement said. “With the upcoming holidays, officials are concerned that these numbers will continue to surge, similarly impacting hospitalization capacity.”
As of Friday, Nov. 20 the numbers of COVID-19 cases in the city of Long Beach stand at 15,124 with 51 hospitalizations, 270 total deaths and 13,618 total recovered. While in LA County, as of Sunday, Nov. 22, there were 346,085 cases reported (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) and 7,037 deaths.
The Los Angeles Department of Public Health stated in their press release that if the five-day average of cases is 4,500 or more or hospitalizations reach 2,000 more per day, a targeted Safer at Home Order will be issued for three weeks. This order would have further restrictions and would allow essential and emergency workers and those securing essential services to leave their homes.
According to a press release from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, the five-day average of new cases as of Sunday, Nov. 22 was 4,097.
Currently, there are 1,401 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in LA County and 26% of these people are in the ICU. The number of patients has increased by 35% over the last week.
The City press release reminds everyone that staying at home is the best way to protect yourself from the virus and strongly urges to wear face coverings, avoid gathering with people outside of your household, practice physical distancing, wash hands frequently and get flu shots to help continue the health and safety of the community. Additionally, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health reminds everyone that if they’re mildly sick or think they were exposed to someone with COVID-19, to stay home and away from others, especially those at greater risk of becoming seriously ill, and get tested.
