LA County Reports 1,285 New COVID-19 Cases, 28 More Deaths
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Los Angeles County reported 1,285 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, marking the third day in a row that the county announced more than 1,200 cases.
The 1,285 cases announced by the county lifted the cumulative countywide total since the start of the pandemic to 281,165.
The county also reported another 28 coronavirus-related deaths Saturday, which is more than double the number of deaths reported Friday. The new deaths increased the countywide total to 6,768.
The number of patients hospitalized dropped from 724 on Friday to 701 on Saturday, but was still higher than Wednesday's total.
With more businesses reopening in the past week, health officials urged everyone to adhere to all safety guidelines when leaving their home. According to the county, there were 118 virus outbreaks in businesses or workplaces were opened in the past two weeks alone.
Since Sunday, the county has issued 125 citations to businesses for failing to comply with health protocols, and an undisclosed number were actually closed due to "significant health and safety concerns or violations'' of health orders.
Indoor shopping malls got the green light to reopen Wednesday, though limited at 25% of capacity and with food courts and common areas remaining closed.
Nail salons were permitted to reopen indoors last week. Card rooms were allowed to open outdoors on Monday, and outdoor playgrounds were cleared to reopen at the discretion of individual cities.
Los Angeles County is still in the strictest level of the state's COVID-19 reopening system. The county's recent testing positivity rate is low enough to qualify the county to move up to a less-restrictive tier, but the average daily number of new cases needs to drop to about 700 per day before any movement will occur.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
