Decision Expected Tuesday On LA County Reopenings

LOS ANGELES, CA — Tuesday will mark a major milestone for Los Angeles as county and health department leaders will hatch plans for reopening a number of businesses including indoor shopping malls, hair salons and barbershops. An announcement about the reopenings is expected as soon as Tuesday afternoon.

Months of effort to slow the coronavirus outbreak began translating into a drop in COVID-19 deaths across the county over the last week. At the same time, the number of new cases and the rate of transmission dropped to levels not seen since June in Los Angeles County. The upcoming holiday weekend , however, could pose a hurdle for reopenings. Holiday gatherings over the Memorial Day and Independence Day weekends proved to be major factors in the coronavirus summer surge that slammed Los Angeles.

The county announced another 16 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising the countywide total to 5,784. Another 1,022 cases were also reported, raising the cumulative total since the start of the pandemic to 241,768. A total of 1,043 people were hospitalized due to the virus as of Monday.

Long the epicenter of the state's coronavirus outbreak and the hardest hit region during the surge, county officials have been slower to pursue reopenings than neighboring communities. Indoor malls and salons opened up across Orange County on Monday while such businesses remained shuttered in Los Angeles. County health officials have been hesitant to move too quickly with new business reopenings, fearing a repeat of COVID-19 increases that followed earlier lifting of restrictions.

The full Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will meet with public health director Barbara Ferrer on Tuesday to discuss possible business openings under the state's new four-tier virus-tracking guidelines.

"Our board will be discussing with Dr. Ferrer tomorrow the protocol moving forward, recognizing the state has allowed us to open and we want to do it in a very thoughtful process," Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. "So tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be discussing it and make announcements hopefully by early afternoon."

Under the new state guidelines, shopping malls can reopen with restrictions such as a 25% capacity limit and requiring common areas and food courts to remain closed. The guidelines also permit the reopening of indoor hair salons and barbershops, also with modifications.

It wasn't immediately clear if the looming Labor Day weekend might impact the county's decision.

During the county's weekly coronavirus media briefing Monday, county Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis delivered the first in what is likely to be a week of pleas for residents to adhere to health precautions over the holiday.

"We need to continue to forego our traditional holiday traditions," Davis said. "We know for sure that our holiday gatherings and parties can result in increases in transmissions, hospitalizations and deaths. The ability for us to reopen more fully relies on everyone doing their part, being smart of their choices and reducing their risk of exposure to COVID-19 every day."

Asked if the county might consider a more drastic step for the weekend, such as closing the beaches, Davis said only that the county would "continue to watch our data to see what it looks like and see if there's any increased risk."

He noted that the weather is expected to be hot over the weekend, and he urged people to stick to the basic infection-control procedures.

"First, only gather with members of your household this holiday weekend," Davis said. "There is so much more to do together in our beautiful county. Explore a trail or have a picnic at one of our beautiful beaches early in the day. If you're outside of your home and around others, please wear a face covering.

"Always use your own utensils, cups, food and drinks and do not share with others. Avoid crowds and be flexible and willing to change plans or move to a different location if you find yourself in a crowded area. And once again avoid confined spaces, especially places where you can't stay more than three steps away from others. ... And if you're sick and have been exposed to someone who is positive for COVID-19, please stay at home, isolate and quarantine as appropriate. Remember, these actions save lives."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.