City Of Hermosa Beach Coronavirus Update For August 10, 2020

Press release from the City of Hermosa Beach:

August 10, 2020

To help keep the community informed, the City of Hermosa Beach is providing regular updates featuring the latest news about COVID-19; related local updates; and how the City is working to meet the needs of the community and protect public health.

Local Updates

Health Enforcement Officers on the Job in Hermosa Beach: The Health Enforcement Officers the City of Hermosa Beach hired to enforce face mask requirements in the crowded parts of town started working on Saturday. Over a busy weekend, they spoke to approximately 600 people who weren’t wearing face coverings. They also distributed about 150 face masks to people who didn’t have masks, and issued 8 citations. The officers focused on informing the public about the City’s urgency ordinance enacted July 28 that requires face coverings anytime people are in the more crowded parts of the City: Downtown, Pier Plaza, the Strand, all City Parks and the Beach when out of the water. The ordinance imposed administrative fines for violations, which are $100 for the first offense, $200 for a second offense and $500 for all subsequent offenses within a 12-month period. Several observers said more people appeared to be wearing face coverings after the officers began patrolling on Saturday. They will continue to patrol the crowded parts of town 7 days a week for the immediate future. For more information, please see the City’s press release on the hiring of the officers from a private consulting firm and the press release on the City’s urgency ordinance.

Virtual City Council Meeting Tomorrow: A reminder that tomorrow’s City Council Meeting will be conducted via videoconference due to ongoing health concerns about COVID-19. The Public Meeting will begin at 6 p.m. The meeting can be watched on local access channels or on the City’s Meeting and Agenda Webpage. For more information, please see the City Council Meeting Agenda. To submit public comments, visit the City’s eComment platform. Key items on the City Council Agenda include:

• Award of contract to prepare the City’s required Housing Element update for 2021-2029

• Update on the Public Hearing/Assessment Ballot Process for the Formation of the Proposed Greenwich Village North Underground Utilities Assessment District

Updated COVID-19 Protocols for Reopening Youth Sports Issued: L.A. County Department of Public Health has issued protocols for reopening youth sports. The protocols were updated to match State Guidance and clarify that:

• Activities are limited to non-contact drills and skills building exercises.

• Practice games among players of the same team (intra-squad games, scrimmages, and/or matches) are allowed for non-contact sports only.

• All youth sporting events, including tournaments, events or competitions are not permitted at this time.

• All players, coaches, family members and visitors are required to wear an appropriate face covering that covers the nose and the mouth at all times, except while swimming, showering, eating/drinking, or engaging in solo physical exertion.

As a reminder, all coaching and instruction activities at City parks or on the beach requires a permit or contract with the City of Hermosa Beach Community Resources Department.

Hermosa’s Friday Farmers Market Resumes this Week: Hermosa Beach’s Friday Farmers Market at 11th Street and Valley Drive is scheduled to resume from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday. The Hermosa Beach Rotary Club, which hosts the Friday Farmers Market and has brought on a new market manager, will be re-opening the market in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. Please see Friday Farmers Market Facebook page for more information.

L.A. County Launches $100 Million COVID-19 Rent Relief Program August 17: In an effort to assist renters with limited means affected by the COVID-19 crisis, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has provided $100 million in CARES Act funds to create a COVID-19 Rent Relief program to assist between 8,000 to over 9,000 households. The program is operated by the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) and is set to launch on Monday, August 17, for a two-week period, closing on August 31. A list of Frequently Asked Questions with more program detail is available at rentrelief.lacda.org.

L.A. County Sees Signs of Stability in Key Indicators as COVID-19 Response Continues: As the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reports 19 new deaths and 1,920 new cases of COVID-19 today, county health officials are seeing signs of stability in key indicators including daily hospitalizations and deaths. There are 1,514 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 31% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. Nearly a month ago the County was averaging about 2,040 daily hospitalizations. Towards the middle of July, this number was up to 2,200 daily hospitalizations. This is significant progress in the number of confirmed cases currently hospitalized daily. Deaths in the county have also declined, and today L.A. County represents less than half of all deaths in the State. For a long period, L.A. County accounted for slightly more than half the deaths statewide. Deaths remain stable at an average of 37 new deaths per day over the last two weeks.

To date, Public Health identified 210,424 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,996 deaths. The County reported 11 additional COVID-19 cases in Hermosa Beach since the City’s last update this past Thursday, bringing the City’s total to 164 COVID-19 diagnoses and 2 COVID-19 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

State & Federal Updates

Ongoing Testing Backlog in California: California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly recently disclosed that as many 300,000 COVID-19 testing records hadn’t been processed across California, leaving county health officials without accurate current data on the virus’ transmission. Ghaly said today that the testing backlog was processed over the weekend and would be available to counties in the coming days. As a result of this backlog, some County, State and local data, including the numbers in this update, may be affected.

President Trump Signs Four Executive Orders to Address U.S. Economy During COVID-19: Over the weekend, President Trump signed four executive actions intended to help boost the country's economy during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including one order that will provide as much as $400 in enhanced unemployment benefits. The other three actions signed include a memorandum on a payroll tax holiday for Americans earning less than $100,000 a year, an executive order on “assistance to renters and homeowners” and a memorandum on deferring student loan payments.

Over 97,000 Children in U.S. Test Positive for COVID-19: According to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association, more than 97,000 children in the US tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks of July. Researchers discovered a 40% increase in child coronavirus cases in the states and cities that were studied during the same time period.

Global Coronavirus Figures: There are more than 20 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide since the start of the pandemic, and almost 734,000 COVID-19 related deaths have occurred across the globe as of August 10, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Latest Facts & Figures*

Jurisdiction - Reported Cases | Reported Deaths

• Hermosa Beach - 164 | 2
• L.A. County - 210,424 | 4,996
• California - 561,911 | 10,359
• United States - 5,023,649 | 161,842

All reported data is from the close of the previous day.

Additional Resources

Please continue to follow public health experts’ recommendations to avoid spreading the coronavirus including frequent handwashing, wearing a face covering, keeping a safe distance from one another, and staying home if you are ill. Public Health has issued the following guidance during this time of increased spread: If you are mildly sick, stay home for at least seven days or until 72 hours after being fever free, whichever is longer. Call your doctor if you are concerned and/or your symptoms worsen. Individuals who are elderly, have underlying health conditions or pregnant should consider contacting their providers earlier when they are sick. More information is available here.

We are monitoring updates and sharing information about the coronavirus from trusted sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health, and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Information regarding coronavirus is changing frequently, and the City will provide the latest information about COVID-19 and links to resources on our website.

This press release was produced by the City of Hermosa Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.