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L.A. County orders stricter restrictions to start at midnight due to COVID-19

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Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger held a press conference Thursday, March 19, to announce the “Safer at Home” public health order.

LOS ANGELES – Stepping up restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus, Los Angeles County issued a “Safer At Home” order Thursday, calling on people to remain home as much as possible and for businesses that don’t provide essential goods or services to close. [View the order here.]

While not fully banning outdoor activities, the order prohibits gatherings of 10 or more people. The order allows for health-care, government and food-industry employees to continue going to work, along with workers in other “essential” fields, but others are encouraged to stay home.

The order goes into effect at midnight and will last until at least April 19, and it could be extended if necessary, county health officials said.

“We know that staying home and limiting close contact is the best way to prevent community spread,” County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. “We know that social distancing does not mean restriction from going outside and does not mean isolation. We still encourage you to stay connected to your community and loved ones in creative ways and to spend much needed time outdoors. People working in essential functions within the healthcare, government and food industries will still be on the job, but we encourage other employees to stay home.”

For restaurants, the county has the ability to withdraw the establishment’s service permit if they do not comply with the order, but Barger said many large businesses have told her they will comply.

Businesses that are considered “essential” and permitted to remain open under the order include police and fire stations, jails, courts, government services, utilities, gas stations, repair shops, hospitals and health care centers, grocery stores, farmers markets, convenience stores, restaurants, hardware stores, nurseries, plumbers, electricians, laundromats, media outlets and educational institutions.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said if people are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness, they cannot enter public spaces.

“We must slow the number of new cases that we have,” Ferrer said, otherwise, there will be a strain on the county’s health care system. “The predictions are not inaccurate to say many, many people could be infected in L.A. County.”

Filed Under: Health, Home, Los Angeles County

25 comments for "L.A. County orders stricter restrictions to start at midnight due to COVID-19"

    • Does anyone know with certainty any establishments that are taking online food orders for pickup or delivery? How are families that must quarantine able to get food ?

      • There’s only a few to blame for this outbreak our politicians.
        You let everybody into this damn country
        You bring a ship that’s docked outside of California with three to four thousand people on it most of them contaminated You released two of them from San Diego by mistake that had the virus to hell with our God damn politicians in California you’re a bunch of idiots

    • Renowned epidemiologist Ron has spoken. And, like Trump it’s best to ignore, dismiss, toss out and forget what he says.

      His synapses are misfiring once again and he thinks his thoughts are real. Not even close.

      • W: Your TDS knee-jerk default positions of Trump killing people remind me of when Kanye said little Bush (the dumbest, worst POTUS ever, BTW) caused Hurricane Katrina. Perhaps Trump caused the plague, ebola, zika and Mount Saint Helens also, lol.

        We’re at war with this thing. Let’s show a little solidarity like after 9/11.

        STAY SAFE !!!

        • Hey, Trumpist#1

          A case can be made that Trump’s slooooooooooow response to the news of the virus resulted in unnecessary deaths especially as he was calling it a “hoax” for months and people weren’t taking appropriate precautions. Right? Right.

          North Korea and Iran resumed their nuclear programs unimpeded by Trump’s big mouth saying who knows what. So, there’s that.

          The wall? A couple feet have been built after over 3 years. And, don’t blame it on the Democrats. So, there’s that.

          The stock market? Wow! It’s down were it was before his inauguration. That too.

          Low unemployment? Wow again. Wait till the future reports come out. More of that.

          Yup. Trump is inept and unqualified to be president as we told you. It was inevitable that when a crisis came he would mess things up and he has and will continue to do so.

          Why do you defend the insensible?

          Oh, and your meager tax cut. Well, the idiot giveth and the idiot taketh away. How is is your portfolio doing?

          Yet, you’ll vote for him again won’t you? Good luck doing that in California. All the Electoral College votes will go to Biden or whoever the Democrat is. You might as well stay home on November 3. But, go ahead and vote just to be disappointed.

          • Hey, Democrat

            You didn’t depute anything I wrote but just said blah, blah, blah.

            What is immature is turning a blind eye to everything. Or, maybe you are blind but still that’s no excuse. Helen Keller could see the disaster that Trump is but not you.

      • You can tell you one of those damn ignorant Democrats trying to blame Trump you’re an idiot once you leave California which is go to Cuba maybe Bernie Castro will let you in
        You Democrats are brain-dead and puppets

        • Like Trump ‘hisself’ you give ignorance a bad name.

          As you can see, Democrats showed Bernie the door. You poor stupid Republicans nominated Trump as your candidate and suck up to him every day. Fearful Republicans are just what the country needed the last 3 years.

          When he is gone so will the GOP be gone and not soon enough. The sane Republicans have already left the party leaving behind Rand Paul in quarantine and other losers with vacancies in their skulls.

          • William:

            I’m worried about you. You seem delusional and out of your skull. Do you have fever? Delirium? Or are you just being non compos mentis like all other Democrats? Better take your meds like a good boy.

            Warm regards, you evil genius.

          • Why would you say that, Trumpist?

            Trump gutted the pandemic response team in 2018 and we sure could have used their expert opinions now instead of yours. I didn’t imagine that.

            Did you believe him when he called it a “hoax” for several months? I didn’t imagine that either.

            Funny how so many Republican are “hot” with the virus now. I guess they listened to Trump and not the experts. Like you.

            Oh, well, now go shake hands with everyone. It’s good for ya.

          • William:

            Sorry, I can’t stop to shake hands cause I’m too busy licking toilet seats and door handles.

            Seriously, we should hold Chinese Communist Party accountable for some of this and seek ways to disengage.

          • Y’know Trumpist#1

            I listed a few “facts” about Trump and the pandemic.

            In your world that’s delusional. Right?

            I don’t go around flipping turtles on their backs, Trumpist. I don’t have to. I’ve got you, Babe.

            Your turn. But, first flip yourself upright again.

          • William: But do you agree we should disengage from communist China where and when we can?

          • Hey, Trumpist

            You changed the subject from you being delusional for ignoring the facts about Trump and his pathetic response to the pandemic that was know to him in early January.

            Trump just gave a presser saying he has a great relationship with Xi Jinping so tell you guy Trump to fix that or don’t you trust him.

            You are in the band on the Trumptanic slowly sinking into the North Atlantic playing “Born To Lose”. My apologies to Ray Charles.

  3. So are they going to make the homeless stay in their tents? Are they going to send in the National Guard to defend the Border? I didn’t think so.

    • From what I am hearing you would think the homeless were being rounded up for concentration camps. A lot of conspiracy theories abounding.

      • No. My point is they want everybody to stay home, but allow homeless to poo on the streets, shoot dirty needles, live in filth, they can cause all kinds of diseases, but don’t worry about that. Liberals have no problem with people running across the border. Have no idea how many diseases these people are bringing in without being screen. Do u people realize that 60 million people were infected with the Swine Flu in 2009, 2010. 300,000 were sent to the hospital, in the USA, over 17,000 died. In the USA. They didn’t shut everything down. Nobody freaked out. They didn’t destroy the economy . 80- 90 % of people recover from this virus. Seems to me people are overreacting. Just regular flu kills more people every year than the Corona.

    • So is our Gov. going to have the Naional Guard patrol our border from people crossing and bringing in diseases? Yeah don’t think so. Liberals are Mental!!!