No Post-Labor Day Spike In COVID Cases Pushes LA County Closer To Reopening
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A feared post-Labor Day spike in coronavirus cases didn't materialize, possibly paving the way for more schools and business to reopen across Los Angeles County, officials said Monday.
Reporting a single coronavirus-related death, L.A. County is still listed in the "purple" tier, the state's highest-risk category for COVID-19 under its four-tier economic recovery roadmap.
Countywide, the total number of deaths in the county due to the virus is now 6,515.
Last week, the county met both of the state's criteria for advancing to the next stage, the ``red'' tier -- meeting the required seven-day average testing positivity rate and the number of new cases per 100,000 residents.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled Tuesday to discuss possibly allowing school districts to apply for waivers to offer some in-person instruction.
Health officials are also expected to weigh in about the possibility of additional businesses reopening, including nail salons, which have been cleared by the state to reopen if individual counties authorize them to do so.
Operators of card rooms and craft breweries have also been pushing hard to reopen on a limited basis.
Public health director Barbara Ferrer said the county will rely on
lessons learned from past decisions about reopenings, as well as its level of confidence in the ability of affected businesses to adhere to health
restrictions once they're permitted to begin operating.
"There's no way to open with as much safety as possible if people are not complying with the public health directives," Ferrer said. "I think that's really clear to us now that we're in September, and I think that will be used to guide our decisions as we move forward."
Earlier Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he anticipates "a number of counties'' will be moving into new tiers in the state's coronavirus monitoring system Tuesday.
