City Of Hermosa Beach Coronavirus Update For August 27, 2020

Press release from the City of Hermosa Beach:

August 27, 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.

City Council Takes Actions in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: The City Council approved several measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic at its meeting on Tuesday, including:

• Establishing a FEMA/CAL OES Fund for tracking COVID-19 expenses
• Pickleball Operations During the Pandemic and Memberships
• Urgency Ordinance for Churches to Operate Outdoors During the Pandemic
• A Resolution Ratifying the Urgency Ordinance to Temporarily Close Parts of Certain Streets During Pandemic to Support Local Businesses

Hermosa Beach City Manager Provides COVID-19 Update: During this week’s Virtual City Council Meeting, Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal provided a COVID-19 Update reminding residents that, although we are starting to see the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations moving in the right direction, we must continue to be vigilant in following public health guidance and remembering to wear face coverings in public. The City Manager also provided a table that documents Hermosa Beach’s COVID-19 actions to this point. Click here to read the City Manager’s COVID-19 Report in full, and click here to read a Table of the City’s COVID-19 Actions so far.

City Issues Supplemental Outdoor Dining/Retail Guidelines: The City of Hermosa Beach is issuing supplemental guidance for temporary outdoor business permit holders related to the overnight storage of furniture and use of overhead power sources to provide lighting. The supplemental guidance is being provided in response to requests and inquiries from local businesses to enhance these temporary outdoor spaces with more durable furniture that can be secured and left out overnight, and as lighting may be increasingly needed to provide ambiance for diners as it starts to get darker earlier in the evening. Amplified sound/speakers or televisions are not permitted in these outdoor spaces as the City seeks to balance between providing additional outdoor spaces and minimizing noise levels that can carry to nearby residential properties. Local business owners are encouraged to view the Supplemental Temporary Outdoor Permit Guidelines on the City’s website, and contact the City with any questions or proposed changes to outdoor spaces based on this new guidance.

Hermosa’s Temporary Eviction Moratorium Remains in Effect: The City of Hermosa Beach’s emergency moratorium on all residential and commercial evictions for tenants who experience COVID-19 related inabilities to pay rents remains in effect – even as the State’s moratorium is scheduled to end Sept. 1. The City Council enacted the moratorium to protect tenants experiencing a loss of income because of the pandemic. To avoid eviction, tenants must notify landlords in writing and provide documentation within 30 days of when rent is due. Commercial tenants experiencing only a partial loss of income are required to pay a pro-rata share of rent corresponding to reduced income. The rent is still due after the local emergency declaration ends. It must be repaid within 6 months of the local emergency's expiration.

Economic Development Committee Meets Monday: The City’s Economic Development Committee, which is made up of two members each from the City Council and Planning Commission to help guide the City’s economic recovery efforts during COVID-19, will meet this Monday, August 31. The meeting agenda and materials are available on the City website. The City continues to work with local business owners to help advise the Economic Development Committee in its efforts to strengthen and expand the City’s economic recovery in the midst of COVID-19 and long-term economic resiliency of Hermosa Beach businesses.

L.A. County Announces “LA vs. Hate” Initiative: The County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, the LA County Department of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS), and the Commission on Human Relations jointly announced the launch of the “L.A. vs Hate” initiative to report and end incidents of hate and hate crimes in LA County this week. The announcement comes as 211-LA continues to receive reports of hate, including COVID-19 related hate calls, and is part of a multi-year mission by the Board of Supervisors to end acts of hate in the County. The LA vs Hate website includes shareable artwork and information about the campaign.

L.A. County Public Health Update: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health today reported 38 new deaths and 1,636 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. The number of new cases reported today include a backlog of 280 test results received from the State. To date, Public Health identified 236,986 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 5,701 deaths. The Department also reported 1 additional COVID-19 case and 1 additional COVID-19 related death in Hermosa Beach since the City’s last update this past Monday, bringing the City’s total to 186 COVID-19 diagnoses and 4 COVID-19 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Governor Announces Plan to More than Double California’s Testing Capacity, Reduce Turnaround Time: Governor Gavin Newsom announced yesterday that California has signed a contract with a major diagnostics company to allow the state to process up to an additional 150,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests a day, with a contractual turnaround time of 24-48 hours. The goal is to stand up a laboratory facility and begin processing tens of thousands of additional tests by November 1 and run at full capacity by ­no later than March 1, 2021.

Global Coronavirus Figures: There are over 24.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide since the start of the pandemic, and almost 830,000 COVID-19 related deaths have occurred across the globe as of August 27, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Latest Facts & Figures*

Jurisdiction - Reported Cases | Reported Deaths

• Hermosa Beach - 186 | 4
• L.A. County - 236,986 | 5,701
• California - 683,529 | 12,550
• United States - 5,799,046 | 178,998

*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 hand washing, 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.