City Of Hermosa Beach Coronavirus Update For September 14, 2020

Press release from the City of Hermosa Beach:

September 14, 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.

Hermosa Beach Skate Park Reopened Today: The Hermosa Beach Skate Park reopened today, with protocols in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Skate Park will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily and members will be able to use the park for one session each day to minimize overcrowding and allow for sanitizing of high-touch surfaces between sessions. To join or renew skate park memberships or for more information on the skate park protocols, please visit our website: hermosabeach.gov/skatepark.

City of Hermosa Beach’s Virtual Meetings This Week: City of Hermosa Beach boards and commissions continue to meet virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, the Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Please see the Planning Commission’s Agenda for information on the meeting and how to join by phone and online. The Civil Service Commission is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday, and the Public Works Commission is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Please see the Civil Service Commission’s Agenda and the Public Works Commission’s Agenda for information on those meetings and how to join them by phone and online.

City Holds Wreath-Laying Ceremony in Memory of Lives Lost on 9/11: Hermosa Beach held a small wreath-laying ceremony on Friday at the City’s 9/11 Memorial, while the City was unable to host a traditional ceremony this year. Hermosa Beach Mayor Mary Campbell, City Manager Suja Lowenthal, Police Chief Paul LeBaron and L.A. County Fire Department Chief Scott Hale participated in the brief ceremony. Residents were then invited to stop by the 9/11 memorial on the Greenbelt to honor the memory of the lives lost and recognize the courage of those who put themselves in harm’s way to save people they never knew.

Face Covering Compliance Over the Weekend: Hermosa Beach Health Enforcement Officers contacted about 500 people over the weekend regarding their compliance with the City’s face covering ordinance that the City Council adopted July 28. The ordinance requires face coverings at all times in the most crowded parts of town where it’s difficult to maintain the required 6 feet of physical distance from non-household members. Those areas are the Downtown, Pier Plaza, the Strand, the Greenbelt, all City parks and the beach when out of the water. The enforcement officers distributed about 100 face masks and issued 24 citations on Saturday and Sunday. Please see the City’s Face Covering Requirements for more information about the ordinance.

Stay Housed L.A. County Program Launched to Help Tenants: L.A. County has launched Stay Housed L.A. County, a new program which connects tenants facing eviction with legal assistance and virtual educational workshops, to help keep county residents in their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The new program is a partnership between the County of L.A., legal aid groups and community-based organizations to provide emergency support to tenants in need. Today's launch included the release of the StayHousedLA.org website, which offers tenants with information about their rights, workshops and support. Learn more about Stay Housed L.A. County by watching this short video or visiting StayHousedLA.org

L.A. County Highlights Actions That Have a Ripple Effect on All County Residents: As reported by Los Angeles County today, actions that increase transmission and actions that decrease transmission of COVID-19 have a ripple effect among all County residents. As a result of the Safer at Home Order, when people were asked to stay home unless they needed to access essential services and when schools and many businesses were closed for in-person services, the number of cases remained fairly steady at 1,000 or less new cases per day.

As recreational activities and businesses reopened, starting May 8, and as people were exposed to more non-household members when out, whether at work, while shopping, while protesting, and/or while celebrating Memorial Day and Independence Day, the County saw cases, and as a result hospitalizations and deaths, increase and spike in an alarming manner in mid-July.

On Monday, the L.A. County Department of Public Health confirmed 24 new deaths and 733 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. The lower number of cases today reflect a weekend reporting lag and reduced testing due to poor air quality. To date, Public Health has identified 254,656 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,231 deaths. These include 201 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hermosa Beach and four deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Global Coronavirus Figures: There are over 29 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide since the start of the pandemic, and more than 925,947 COVID-19 related deaths have occurred across the globe as of September 14, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Latest Facts & Figures*

Jurisdiction - Reported Cases | Reported Deaths

• Hermosa Beach - 201 | 4
• L.A. County - 254,656 | 6,231
• California - 757,778 | 14,385
• United States - 6,503,030 | 193,705

*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.