As Los Angeles prepares to slowly open back up, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Monday that the city is also considering closing some streets in order to give residents more room for safe social distancing while outside.
“So as the beaches open, we can also have places for inland folks to walk safely — not events, not gathering places — but places where we can make sure we get outside and enjoy L.A.,” he said. “We’re working with council members like Mike Bonin, and council members around the San Fernando Valley, central parts, south parts of our cities to find those neighborhoods that are ready."
Beaches in Los Angeles County will start reopening on Wednesday for 'active-use only,' but Garcetti did not give a timeline on when certain streets could see the traffic restrictions or closures. Some county health officials have expressed concerns that closing certain streets in densely-populated areas could instead draw too many people to that area.
“It’s only successful if people adhere to the guidance given out there,” Garcetti added.
According to Los Angeles County public health director Barbara Ferrer, reopening the county will mainly depend on how well residents continue to follow the social distancing guidelines.
As of Monday, 32,258 people in the county had tested positive for the coronavirus, with 1,569 deaths.
“We hit our peak, and it’s come down a little bit, in terms of our deaths, and it’s not going up,” Garcetti said.
Check out more details on KTLA.