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LA County Business Owners Frustrated About Reopening Limitations As Other Counties Ease Restrictions

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Many Los Angeles County business owners say their needs are not being considered after the county still continues to keep many operations closed or limited because of coronavirus.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday shared an updated method to track efforts of counties in slowing the spread of coronavirus and offer guidance on further reopening schools and businesses like salons and barbershops.

Several counties throughout California, including Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura have released plans to reopen certain businesses for indoor operations but L.A. County said its officials have not fully reviewed the new guidance from the state, and no changes have been made to the local health orders.

RELATED: Gov. Gavin Newsom Announces Revised Reopening Plan For California Businesses

"We absolutely can operate safely in salons and we should be given the opportunity," said Honey Hair Lab owner Rebecca Taylor.

Taylor said she has invested in temperature checking devices and personal protective equipment for her employees and customers to help prevent the spread of coronavirus and wants the county to allow businesses like hers to reopen for indoor services.

Some nail salons, spas, barbershops and hair salons have been operating outdoors during the pandemic, but with rising temperatures and other limitations of outdoor services, many of those businesses say it's not a feasible option.

Under Newsom's new guidelines, counties are categorized by a four-tier color-coded system to track the risk of coronavirus spreading. You can check your county's status here.

Currently, L.A. County remains under a purple classification, which indicates a widespread risk of infection.

While most indoor operations must remain closed under the purple tier, the new system authorizes counties at any tier to reopen indoor barbershops, hair salons and shopping malls at 25% capacity beginning on Monday.

With these new state guidelines for reopening, counties can also choose to implement more restrictive policies locally.

Los Angeles County reported 1,030 new coronavirus cases and 10 additional deaths as of Sunday, which is lower than they were in nearly two months.

Health officials said coronavirus-related hospitalizations in L.A. County are also continuing to fall.

While the declining numbers offer some optimism about cases in the county, health experts continue to urge residents to keep following physical distancing and face-covering guidelines, and to avoid gatherings with non-household members.

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