The Antelope Valley Times

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California lifts stay-at-home orders

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LOS ANGELES – Citing improving conditions in hospitals, state health officials Monday lifted all regional stay-at-home orders, including in Los Angeles County, but counties will still be subject to the tight regulations of the restrictive “purple” tier of economic reopening guidelines.

The regional stay-at-home order was imposed late last year when intensive-care unit capacity dropped below 15%. The regional capacity subsequently dropped to an adjusted 0%. But state officials said Monday that with hospitalization numbers trending downward, four-week projections now indicate ICU capacity will rise above the 15% threshold.

“Californians heard the urgent message to stay home as much as possible and accepted that challenge to slow the surge and save lives,” said Dr. Tomas Aragon, CDPH director and state public health officer. “Together, we changed our activities knowing our short-term sacrifices would lead to longer- term gains. COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, so our work is not over, but it’s important to recognize our collective actions saved lives and we are turning a critical corner.”

Although the state order has been lifted, individual counties are still able to impose stricter restrictions than the state. It was unclear if Los Angeles County — considered a national epicenter of the current COVID-19 surge — would be easing any of its restrictions. But in general, lifting the state order could mean a resumption of outdoor dining, as well as at least some services at gyms, barber shops and nail salons, among other businesses.

A possible resumption of outdoor dining could be the biggest economic boon of the announcement. On Sunday, the California Restaurant Association sent its members a letter announcing the pending state decision, saying, “we thought you’d like to know this good news.”

On Sunday, the county reported 8,243 new cases of COVID-19 and 98 additional deaths, bringing the county’s totals to 1,073,111 cases and 15,260 fatalities. There were 6,697 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in the county as of Sunday, down from 6,881 a day earlier. View the latest detailed report by city and demographics here. LA County health officials have noted that hospitalization numbers were leveling off, but patient populations were still dramatically high.

“We are also seeing a decline in hospitalizations and several other indicators we track, including test positivity rate, percentage of emergency department visits associated with COVID-19 and percentage of respiratory specimens positive for COVID at sentinel laboratory surveillance sites,” said Dr. Paul Simon, the Department’s chief science officer.

“However, despite these promising trends, I do want to emphasize that the numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain far too high,” Simon said. “So while there’s reason to be hopeful, we all must remain vigilant and continue to be disciplined, wearing masks, physically distancing when outside the home, avoiding gatherings and washing our hands frequently.”

Officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have been urging patience among residents anxious to get a COVID-19 vaccination, with supplies remaining woefully short and the overburdened online reservation system leaving many people frustrated as they try to schedule appointments.

The county expects to receive about 143,900 more doses of vaccine this week. However, since people need to receive two doses of the medication, spaced three to four weeks apart, the bulk of the vaccine coming this week will be used to administer second doses to people who have already received the first shot. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer estimated earlier that only 37,900 of the new doses will be available for people to receive their first dose.

Eight new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS- C) were reported Saturday. This brings the total cases of MIS-C in L.A. County to 62 children, one of whom has died. All 62 were hospitalized and 45% were treated in the ICU. Of the children with MIS-C, 31% were under 5 years old; 37% were between 5 and 11; and 32% were between 12 and 20. Latino/Latinx children account for nearly 74% of the reported cases.

MIS-C is an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19. Symptoms include fever that does not go away and inflamed body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. If you believe your child is displaying MIS-C symptoms, contact your primary care or urgent care provider. Seek emergency care for critical or life-threatening conditions. If you do not have a primary care provider, dial 211 and L.A. County will help connect you to one.

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34 comments for "California lifts stay-at-home orders"

  1. You should really do your own research. There are now thousands of doctors, days analysts and scientists all over the world speaking out on how this is the greatest crime against humanity in our generation and not at all as deadly as they said. Data from the CDC is now clearly showing that. Like anything, if you are already fragile it will take you out but if you are not, we are talking a 99.985 recovery rate. The fear they instilled in you is sad.

    • YOU are part of the greatest crime against humanity, Anne. Your continued lying to please your orange baboon traitor has helped to cause hundreds of thousands of AMERICAN deaths.

  2. … I have special information on these viruses. They aren’t naturally occurring. It wasn’t just one having leaked from communist China’s bioweapons lab. There were more than several. Some possess axiom to trade between ionic and covalent bonds, hopping between atmospheric carbon and metallic objects. They don’t seat under pedocal soils as readily as they do, upward leaching pedalfir soils indicative of the east coast. All of them are vulnerable to ultraviolet (e.g., UV-C). Two 60 watt UV-C bulbs, positioned at opposite corners of the room, at least 4′ high, 6′ from the corner, going two hours in each room, followed by an industrial grade aerosol disinfectant, wipes out all of these viruses, and their payload –

  3. Oh how I despise ignorant fools. All you have to do is research basic death data per year country-wide or even world-wide if you are feeling like the sharpest tool in the shed. Yes, COVID-19 deaths have made a huge difference in the amount of people that died in 2020 and so far in 2021. You spill your selfish nonsense because your household has not been hit or if a relative died, she or he meant very little to you. Wait until it’s your own husband or children in ICU hooked up to a ventilator, unable to see them or touch their hand and I will see you turn around crying and devastated. Shut up you silly cult followers.

    • Or just wait till its your business you’re ordered to close and you’re turned down for loans and you find yourself on the street. Maybe then you’ll understand.

      • What good is your business to you if you are dead or you find yourself with months or recovery ahead of you?

        • If she’s under 50, not much chance. Out of 300 million in US, there have been 360,000 deaths. Of that, 16,000 under the age of 50 (per the CDC). So only 4% of the deaths are under the age of 50. That equals 0.005% of the total population. Total deaths for under 50 for all causes is 300,000

          • And the customers Mr.Sparky? Any of them over 50? Not just about if one person gets it and is fine. It’s about how many other people they could give it to that wouldnt be. Your numbers dont mean squat on that.

  4. I don’t see the logic in the story. Gavin Newsom said that regions of the state had to go into special lockdown when ICU bed available hit less than 15%. But the special lockdown order is lifted right now, when trends show that ICU bed available should be above 15% in four weeks (not now, but in four weeks maybe). We don’t have the beds now, and the news story cannot or will not say what percentage of ICU beds are available right now.

    The county health department says that hospitalization “remain far too high” but Newsom is opening up? Have we passed a metric or not? Or was the whole thing just a whim of Gavin Newsom’s?

    • I’ve been thinking the exact same thing! Here in SoCal hospitals are at capacity. Why then are we loosening state mandates PRIOR to those numbers being reduced? Doesnt make sense!

      • Trying to avoid what is happening in Holland and other countries with civil unrest due to lockdowns

    • Yeah, which is exactly why the nation is going to have 500,000 dead by the next month. Glad to know that people are so selfish in this country that they can’t forgo certain pleasures in life for a short time for the safety and health of others around them. Maybe it is just people who you know not listening, but as for me and mine we’re doing our duty as Americans by doing the right thing. I can’t believe that a year into this pandemic and people still want to deny the reality of the seriousness of this situation.

      • 2.8-3 million die in the USA every year. 500,000 over 10 months isn’t even on par with that. You keep believing the reality your TV god created for you and spewing the propaganda about selfishness and duty that it vomited out for you.

        • 1/6 of the deaths. Added on top of the other deaths. It is beyond par.
          Put another way at 3M per year that is 250K per month. So two months worth of people in less time.
          And while everyone looks at the deaths, few seem to notice the long term health affected patients that now are further compromised, or compromised for the first time.
          Stop trying to make this seem like nothing, it is something and it is bad.
          Feel happy it has not affected you personally!

          • Good news is, apparently Covid cured a lot of cancer, heart disease, flu deaths and so on. Since covid became the catch all, all other forms of death have dropped.

        • Look at data from around the globe at nations that have been hit hard by Covid-19 and it all says the same thing, that excess mortality is up in each of these countries. You are a selfish individual and your uncaring attitude about 500,000 dead Americans shows that. I don’t know what TV god you’re talking about, but I guarantee I watch far less television that the average person. There is no excuse for not doing the right thing and you can keep hurling insults to cover up the fact that you don’t care about others around you.

        • There is no conflicting data, and your warped view about giving up liberties is what has cost more American lives than necessary. Go spend an hour in any hospital in LA County and see if the data is conflicting. The American thing to do is to protect all those around us not to use your liberties argument as a reason to keep acting like a selfish uncaring person.

          • Yup, if you don’t do what the TV god told you to, you’re a selfish, bad American.

          • Thuderclese; Selfish, uncaring people that only care about their own personal liberties, and cause chaos in stores and elsewhere where masks are required, only to be thrown out while they are screaming. I’ve witnessed the tantrums by self-centered people, but most people I’ve encountered have been courteous and peaceful wearing their masks.

      • Yep, I agree! If we dont lock down COMPLETELY for at least 2-3 months, which we havent done yet, we will continue to see acceleration of the virus.