Public Health Warns About the Risk of Gathering with Others Over Labor Day Weekend as Tragic Milestone is Reached

6,000 total deaths, 24 new deaths and 1,196 new positive cases of confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As temperatures in Los Angeles County warm up over Labor Day weekend and many people will be out of their home in public places, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) is warning of great risk of community spread of COVID-19 when gathering with others who are not part of your household.

Public health urges residents to celebrate the Labor Day weekend as safely as possible. There are several things we can all do this holiday weekend to celebrate responsibly and keep safe. First, it is best to only gather with members of your household this holiday weekend – there’s so much to do together in our magnificent county – explore a trail, or have a picnic at one of our many parks, or head to a beautiful beach early in the day. Always use your own utensils, cups, food, drinks – do not share with others. Avoid crowds and be flexible and willing to change plans or move locations if you find yourself in a crowded area. Avoid confined spaces, especially pace where physical distancing or staying more than 3 steps away from others isn’t possible, and people aren’t wearing face coverings.

If you are planning to visit the beach, please know that they are likely to be crowded this weekend and any crowded space—even if it’s outdoors—can pose health and safety risks. Your best bet is to avoid crowds. Visit the beach at off hours, in the mornings or early evenings. Always stay physically distanced from anyone outside your party. Wear a face covering when out of the water. If the beaches get too crowded, it may be necessary to close them.

“Each day, we join with those mourning the distressing loss of life to COVID-19 and we keep all who are grieving in our thoughts and prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Unfortunately, today marks another devastating low point for LA County as we acknowledge that 6,000 residents have lost their lives to COVID-19. While the progress we’ve made over the past several weeks to get back to slowing the spread is very positive, it has come at a cost to so many of our families and neighbors. We have the tools right now to prevent a lot of virus transmission if each of us takes seriously our obligation to make decisions that save lives. When we don’t wear face coverings, keep our distance from others, and implement safeguards at workplaces, our actions result in serious illness and death for others and sometimes for ourselves. We do not need to wait for a vaccine to slow the spread; we just need for every single person to do the right thing. It is nonsense to believe that parties and gatherings are essential for our well-being; parties and gatherings lead to unnecessary exposures and make it that much harder to lower the rate of community transmission so that our children can get back to school and employees back to work. While holidays are typically a time to come together with extended family and friends to celebrate, we ask you to alter your plans this year and take responsibility by not engaging in any risky activities that can spread the virus.”

Today, Public Health has confirmed 24 new deaths and 1,196 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. This brings the cumulative number of positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County to 247,542, and a total of 6,000 deaths. There are currently 984 people hospitalized, of which 32% are confirmed cases in the ICU. Upon further investigation, 61 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Of the 20 new deaths reported today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), 10 people that passed away were over the age of 80, four people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and six people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old. Seventeen people had underlying health conditions including nine people that passed away were over the age of 80, three people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and five people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old.

Ninety-two percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 5,642 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 10% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

Testing results are available for 2,360,795 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing, and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household. It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results, to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside, or until they receive a negative result. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a contact tracer to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.

As the County experiences record breaking heat for the next three days, Public Health urges all residents to take precautions to avoid exposure to the heat and to seek out a cooling center if you have limited ability to remain cool and safe from the high temperatures. Cooling centers adhere to all public health COVID-19 directives and offer a protected place for people to go. Information about cooling centers and tips for avoiding heat related illness can be found at https://ready.lacounty.gov/heat/

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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