LOS ANGELES – After a two-month shutdown due to surging COVID-19 cases, patio dining returned to Los Angeles County Friday but with a new restriction forcing restaurants to turn off or remove all televisions from customer seating areas — a clear effort to prevent gatherings of sports fans.
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% 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.
But the order also states: “Televisions or any other screens that are used to broadcast programming must be removed from the area or turned off. This provision is effective until further notice.” The provision is directly aimed at preventing gatherings of sports fans, particularly with the Super Bowl 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. We want to make sure that as we do these re-openings we can see the impact, and as we move forward, if things continue to get better we may be able to change some of the restrictions that are there.
Speaking directly about the upcoming Super Bowl, Davis added: “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.”
The new health order limits table seating at restaurant patios to six people, and “all people seated at a table should be members of the same household.”
The order encourages, but does not mandate, seating to be done by advance reservation. It urges restaurants to ask customers “to call in advance to confirm outdoor seating/serving capacity, where possible.” Restaurants also must collect contact information from customers in case there’s a future need to reach out in contact-tracing efforts. The order also lifts the previous requirement that non-essential retail businesses be closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
On Monday, following the lifting of the state’s regional stay-at-home order, the county immediately cleared personal-service businesses such as barber shops and nail salons to reopen, albeit with strict infection-control requirements.
Daily COVID-19 infection numbers have been trending downward over the past two weeks, following a surge that saw the county regularly reporting well over 10,000 cases. On Friday, the county reported another 7,112 new COVID infections, lifting the cumulative total from throughout the pandemic to 1,104,393. The county also reported 228 deaths, raising the overall death toll to 16,332. View the latest detailed report by city and demographics here.
According to figures provided by the state, there were 5,669 people hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19, including 1,498 in intensive care. That was down from 5,855 total patients on Thursday, continuing a downward trend that began in early January when the figure topped 8,000.
Health officials have warned that daily deaths will likely remain high for the rest of the month, even as case numbers and hospital admissions continue to fall. Deaths are considered a lagging indicator, meaning they naturally follow increases in hospitalizations.
While the case numbers have improved, they still remain dramatically high. Dr. Christina Ghaly, the county’s health services director, noted this week that while new COVID hospital admissions have dropped to about 500 per day from the recent high of about 700 per day, the current rate is still double that seen in the virus surge that occurred last summer. Davis on Friday stressed the need for all businesses and residents to adhere strictly to infection-control requirements, saying people shouldn’t be lulled into complacency by new economic reopenings.
“Nobody wants to see this number going back or the lines going back up in terms of our cases, our hospitalizations or even our deaths,” Davis said. “We can’t relax. Because if we don’t take precautions, in two weeks we’re going to see cases rise again.”
The county’s COVID-19 transmission rate — reflecting the average number of people a COVID patient infects with the virus — also continues to decline, estimated Wednesday at 0.85, down from 0.94 last week. Keeping that number below 1.0 is considered critical to slowing the spread of the virus.
Allocations of COVID-19 vaccine continue to lag behind demand, with the county expecting to receive roughly 188,000 doses next week. Many of those, however, will be needed to administer second shots to people who have already received the first dose of the two-dose regimen. As of the end of last week, the county had received a total of 853,650 doses. It received an estimated 143,900 doses this week, pushing the total to nearly 1 million.
Vaccination appointments can be booked online at vaccinatelacounty.com or by calling 833-530-0473 between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., but appointments at county sites are largely filled through the weekend.
The county’s chief science officer, Dr. Paul Simon, noted that the county opened about 25,000 vaccination appointment slots on Thursday, and they were filled within two hours. He sympathized with residents struggling to make appointments, expressing hope that the supply of vaccines will improve.
Simon said that most recent figures show a total of 719,138 doses of vaccine have been administered in LA County, including nearly 595,000 first doses and more than 124,000 second doses of the two-dose regimen. While a large number, the total represents a fraction of the more than 2 million people currently eligible to get vaccinated in the county: health care workers, long- term care facility residents and people aged 65 and over. Since each person requires two doses, that equates to more than 4 million doses.
Simon acknowledged concerns that have arisen in recent days regarding availability of the second doses, as residents struggle to make appointments. Simon said anyone who gets their first dose should immediately be given an appointment for a second dose at the same location. Those who did not will be contacted by email.
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reggie says
We also don’t run red lights for all the same reasons…get over it!
IGotYourMaskRightHere says
You don’t run red lights for the same reason you don’t watch sporting events at restaurants? Okay…
Barbi says
Exception, it’s okay if you’re a flaming liberal democrat dining outdoors, watching the MSNBC.
Marvin says
But, if you’re a tea-toddling democrat dining at the French Laundry, you can watch the super bowl on the jumbo wide screen TV, free from having to wear a mask!
What's Barbi doing here? says
I thought you moved away Barbi or weren’t going to post any more or something.
Why are you back? Do you miss Trump’s tweets? This is no substitute, y’know.
Deer says
Deer, chiefs 27
Alice in Democrat Hell says
… democrats run amok, gone berserk imposing upon us how they think we ought to be living our lives –
Sal says
We rigged the election. We won. Now, you do what we say. Period. That’s that. You don’t like it? Tough beans.
Zolton says
And, Barack was born in Kenya.
So there. I’m sure Alice was/is a birther on top of everything else.
Mia Masi says
For now…you can roll around in your vat of fraud…. You Democrats had to cheatem to beat em…WE ALL ARE AWARE OF THE TRUTH… But let’s not be ridiculous, with Biden as President NO ONE WINS. Better start praying for a miracle!
Matt says
So how did we go from around early September 2016 where all you would hear is this guy Trump cant win can he? Yes he shocked us all and did. But then we get to early September 2020 where it all became we cant lose unless we are cheated, when all he did was take a gas can and burn down almost everything he touched almost including the White House itself for 4 years. In four and a half years we went from no way this guy can win, to no way this guy can lose without being cheated. (Even though he lost the popular vote in 2016 as well) please explain Repubs.
Crickets says
chirp. chirp.
Buster says
The same democrats who rigged the election, barking orders it’s illegal watching television, eating outdoors? Well, I want to thank you for setting me straight.
Yvette says
Proof positive once again, you cannot be a righteous democrat, without being a filthy, two-faced, disingenuous hypocrite, it’s okay fiddling with your cell phone, eating outdoors? Glance up at the wide screen boob-tube — go to jail, directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars?
Francie says
… democrats don’t decree policy on merit, much less in the public interest. They impose policy as political payback, to get a rise out of moderates and conservatives. Imposing policy that royally pisses you off, makes their year, week, month and day –
Andrew says
Cucumber sandwich Democrats, perched on the far-left, watch the CNN, and the MSNBC. They don’t watch the super bowl. They’re determined you don’t watch, either.
Matt says
Wow!!! How long ago was it that Trump himself was against all things football? Werent Repubs bragging about the ratings being down. If someone kneeled, u would turn if off anyway. Dems watch football son, never stopped cause the orange man told us to either. Lol. But u stick with your story. Hilarious how u guys are always trying to rewrite history we were all there for. Should I still go with dont believe everything your eyes and ears are telling you, or just the standard alternative facts on your comment. BTW. how you enjoy all of the equality commercials being aired during it. I’m sure it makes your skin crawl. Lol.
AV Illegal says
Let’s stop that sentence right there “Hilarious how u guys are always trying to rewrite history”
Dems have spent the last year destroying American history. Now I hear they are renaming schools that were named after Lincoln, you know, the guy who freed the slaves. Also axing Feinstein’s name from a school. You all will eat your own. Cancel culture at it’s best.
Oh, and televisions don’t just have football on them. There are other sports, and a lot of CNN on in CA.
Matt says
I was 2/3s way before u felt u found something to stop me on. Go ahead and ignore the rest I guess. I’ve got one name for u about cancel culture. Liz Cheaney. Now STFU and crawl back into ur hole. Ur entire party is using it to silence and Repibs who actually make sense. Why are u and ur entire party still worshipping this man. He lost, he is irrelevant, and believe it or not the majority doesnt want him in power anymore. Let him go. He is gone.
XB51 says
@AV Illegal: Apparently you can’t see that both political parties are eating their own. Not all Democrats are the same; not all Republicans are the same. Why do you say “u guys are always trying to rewrite history?” Are you not aware history is rewritten by the people that have a biased mind, showing favor toward what they see as more righteous?
AV Illegal says
Matt, I worship only 3 things. Trump is not one of them. As for me going to STFU….and crawl back in my hole, well you prove the point many have brought forth. Democrats can’t have a discussion. As soon as they lose, they have to berate the other party and shout, scream and stomp their feet. Nice going there. Oh, and it’s Cheney….
As far as I can tell, Trump will be irrelevant like Obama. He will work behind the scenes for a bit, and then resurface.
Dave says
Hey, Matt
Aren’t the Trumpers a riot?
They believe his lies and all kinds of lies from Fox News, Newsmax, Breitbart, Facebook, etc.
They dismiss the truth, evidence, proof, documentation, etc.
They live life backward, inside out and upside down.
It’s a wonder they can find the door to leave a room.
They whined the whole 4 years Trump was in office and now they are going to whine another 4 years. Heck, they’ll whine the rest of their lives. Good.
COVID-TV says
Triple mask it as well…
IGotYourMaskRightHere says
Kakistocracy!
Stinger says
No, Loam, you intentionally obtuse spinner: Watching sports on a TV doesn’t cause COVID. SARS-CoV-2 viruses cause COVID, and they just LOVE large crowds in bars watching sports on the TV there to propagate amongst the cheering and jeering people there.
Seriously, dude. This isn’t even a tough one to figure out.
Bob says
Covid cases are three times higher than when Newsom shut down outside dining.
It will be nice not to be forced to watch sports when dining.
Really? says
I don’t know if I have ever been FORCED to watch TV when dining. How about just going somewhere and paying attention to your table people.
Loam says
Now watching sports on TVs cause COVID?
Next they will be sending the Burgermeister around town to tell people to stop playing with their footballs and to quite laughing! How dare they!