L.A. County Bans Televisions From Eateries Ahead Of Super Bowl

LOS ANGELES, CA — Angelenos won't be able to watch Super Bowl LV in public this year, as Los Angeles County's new regulations for reopening restaurants included a ban on televisions. As cases continue to surge in the region, the move was a clear effort to deter sports fans from gathering en masse.

The order states: "televisions or any other screens that are used to broadcast programming must be removed from the area or turned off."

The provision was particularly aimed at fans hoping to gather at local eateries to watch Super Bowl LV approaching on Feb. 7.

"We really do need to be cautious as we move forward, given we have a major sporting event," county Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said. "We've seen lots of people together shouting, yelling, screaming during the excitement of a game."

Barbara Ferrer, the county's health director, also expressed concern this week about the upcoming Super Bowl.

"We know that Super Bowl Sunday is coming up, and we can’t repeat the mistakes of the past,"
Ferrer told reporters last week. "It will be tragic if the Super Bowl becomes a super-spreader of coronavirus."

The new rule is in effect "until further notice," county officials said.

"...if things continue to get better we may be able to change some of the restrictions that are there.
"But right now we have to ease into these re-openings," Muntu said. "We want to see these cases continue to come down, our hospitalizations continue to come down."

The new mandate has drawn some criticism on social media with many asserting that the new rule could drive groups indoors to watch sports broadcasts.

Speaking directly about the upcoming Super Bowl, Davis said: "This should be a virtual get-together, just like many of you celebrated the holidays with just your immediate family present. ... Make this a virtual event...Play it safe and don't organize a party at home."

Last week, Ferrer also urged Angelenos not to organize or attend a Super Bowl party.

The county's revised Health Officer Order also reinstates previous restrictions on outdoor dining: requiring servers to wear masks and face shields, limiting restaurants to 50 percent of patio capacity, limiting tables to no more than six people from the same household and requiring tables to be at least eight feet apart.

Although cases have declined within the county, with vaccinations underway, health officials have continued to stress that the winter surge is not over.

"Although some restrictions were just lifted in our county, we are still in a very dangerous period in terms of cases, hospitalizations and deaths," Ferrer said.

Los Angeles County reported 5,925 new cases of COVID-19 and 124 additional deaths Sunday, bringing the county's totals to 1,116,892 cases and 16,770 fatalities.

The City News Service contributed to this report.