LA County Launches COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certificate Program, Reports 42 More Deaths
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Thursday reported 1,239 newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 42 deaths, bringing countywide totals to 251,024 cases and 6,128 deaths.
Of the 42 new deaths reported Thursday, 14 people were over the age of 80, 14 were between the ages of 65 and 79, 10 were between the ages of 50 and 64 and four were between the ages of 30 and 49. Of those who died, 31 had underlying health conditions.
The county also announced a new program for Los Angeles County business owners that offers no-cost online training educating owners of the essentials of the county's health orders and what is needed to ensure they are in compliance with infection control and physical distancing requirements.
After completing the training, businesses will receive a COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certificate that can be posted on storefronts.
"I encourage all businesses and institutions to reach out to Public Health if they need assistance complying with Health Officer Orders and offering services to the community as safely as possible." Dr. Barbara Ferrer, county health director, said. "Business and institutional compliance is a cornerstone of our efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus in the County."
The training will be available in 13 languages and can be accessed online, though it is not mandatory.
Health officials also reported that over the Labor Day weekend, 331 businesses, including restaurants, markets, hair salons and barbershops, hotels and gyms were visited by the department's compliance team. Inspectors noted many gyms and hotels need to work on ensuring that their patrons are wearing a face covering and many restaurants need to work on physical distancing, though the checks mostly revealed "reasonably good compliance."
Since the department began issuing citations on Aug. 28, 30 businesses have been cited and a total of $23,000 in fines have been imposed.
With testing results available for more than 2.4 million people, the county's overall positivity rate was holding steady at 10%. As of Thursday, there were 940 confirmed cases currently hospitalized with 33% of being treated in intensive care units.
