Health Officials Confident, But Cautious, As More Businesses Reopen

US-HEALTH-VIRUS

L.A. County officials today reported another 48 deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the county's death toll to 2,241.

Of the 48 deaths, at least 31 people were over the age of 65 and 10 people were between the ages of 41 and 65. At least one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 40. Thirty-three people had underlying health conditions, including 24 people over the age of 65.

“As a community, we have lost far too many of our loved ones, friends and neighbors to COVID-19. For all of the people who are experiencing the profound sorrow of losing someone they love, our hearts are with you,” said Barbara Ferrer, the county's Director of Public Health. “There is a lot at stake as we continue our recovery journey. More people being around one another can result in more transmission of COVID-19, more cases, and likely more hospitalizations and deaths. Individuals and institutions need to continue to do their part to slow the spread of the virus. For individuals, this means physical distancing and wearing cloth face coverings whenever you are outside of your home and around other people. For institutions, this means closely following all directives that protect employees, customers, and people who are most vulnerable.”

Ferrer also reported another 1,041 cases of the coronavirus, bringing the county's total to 49,774.

A new health order issued by health officials earlier this week allows the reopening of houses of worship, office worksites, in-store shopping at retail establishments - which include indoor malls and shopping centers. Health officials also said that political protests with a limited number of participants are also allowed. Houses of worship are allowed to operate at 25% of capacity with a maximum of 100 people gathering. Retail establishments are allowed to operate at 50% capacity while still maintaining social distancing practices and infection control protocols.

The number of confirmed cases around Southern California include:

  • Los Angeles County: 49,774 cases - 2,241 deaths
  • Orange County: 5,746 cases - 143 deaths
  • Riverside County: 7,252 cases - 306 deaths
  • Ventura County: 1,038 cases - 32 deaths
  • San Bernardino County: 4,777 cases - 183 deaths
  • San Diego County: 6,983 cases - 255 deaths

Statewide, there are more than 101,946 cases with at least 3,919 deaths reported. According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, more than 1,711,313 cases have been confirmed nationwide, with the country's death toll reaching 101,129 by Thursday afternoon.

Photo: Getty Images


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