Public Health to Update Health Officer Order Regarding Private Gatherings

22 New Deaths and 1,349 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) will update the Health Officer Order to align with State guidance on private gatherings.

On Friday, October 9, the State updated guidance to allow private gatherings of three or fewer households, as long as the private gathering is outdoors, everyone wears a cloth face covering and keeps at least six feet of physical distance, food is in single-serve disposable containers, and the duration of the gathering is two hours or less.

Tomorrow, October 15, Public Health will update the Health Officer Order to align with this change in the State guidance. The new order will be posted on www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Private gatherings with people from different households increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission, with the risk increasing the longer the gathering. Public Health recommends if you do gather with two other households, that you do so with the same households each time, to create a quasi-bubble that can reduce the risk of spreading the virus. It is very important that you do not attend any private gathering if you are experiencing symptoms of illness, have tested positive for COVID-19 or if you have been exposed or likely have been exposed to someone positive.

A household does not include group living situations such as dormitories, fraternities, sororities, residential care facilities, or commercial group living arrangements such as boarding houses, hotels, or motels.

Large public events and gatherings remain prohibited, even if held outdoors.

Today, Public Health has confirmed 22 new deaths and 1,349 new cases of COVID-19.  To date, Public Health identified 285,016 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 6,812 deaths.  Upon further investigation, 83 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

There are 720 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people in the ICU.

Public Health is carefully tracking outbreaks at worksites and increasing efforts to assist sectors with compliance with the required protocols for reopening. Outbreaks in workplaces are of special concern because they represent a situation where a number of people can get exposed to COVID-19 in one place and then can spread the virus back in various communities and households.

There has been a recent increase in outbreaks investigated at general worksites.  During the two-week period of September 6 through September 19, there were 23 outbreaks in non-healthcare and non-residential workplaces, the lowest number seen since June.  During the two-week period from September 20 through October 4, we’ve seen the number of worksite outbreaks increase to 39.

Public Health’s compliance teams visit businesses across the County every day. Inspectors review the protocols with business owners, identify deficiencies, and, if warranted, issue citations and fines for those out of compliance.  Since the end of August, a total of 131 citations have been issued. Inspectors generally find high levels of compliance, over 90%, at most businesses with Health Officer Order directives. However, one area for improvement is complying with physical distancing requirements, where adherence is at 85% overall.

Public Health encourages L.A. County businesses to take advantage of the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program. The Program allows employers and employees to voluntarily participate in a training program that walks them through COVID-19 infection control protocols and allows them to self-certify that they are fully implementing the protocols.

“We are thinking of all of you across our communities who have lost a loved one or friend to COVID-19, and we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Tomorrow is Global Handwashing Day, and it serves as a reminder of the power simple actions taken by each one of us has in preventing the transmission of COVID-19. Our tools for slowing the spread of this virus include not only frequent handwashing, but keeping physical distance and wearing a cloth face covering when out of our homes and around others, as well as isolating when we are positive for the virus and quarantining for 14 days if we have been exposed to the virus. There is still a great deal of transmission of COVID-19 across our communities and we remain one of a handful of counties in the state that is still in Tier 1.  We are beginning to see modest increases in cases and outbreaks, and while this may be expected as more people are engaged in activities at work and in their private lives that put them in contact with others, it is concerning and slows down our recovery journey.   We need to keep doing what works; each of us has the opportunity every single day to make the right choices that reduces transmission of COVID-19 and saves lives.”

Public Health continues to receive school waiver applications for grades TK-2. As of October 10, Public Health has received 62 applications from schools for waivers to open for grades TK-2 in-person learning.  A number of these applications were incomplete, so we are working with schools to ensure they submit all of the necessary pieces for their applications.  The review process may take 2-3 weeks and includes consultation with the California Department of Public Health. Schools will need to wait until their applications have been approved before opening. Once approved, Public Health will provide technical assistance, including a site visit, to provide support. For more information, visit: publichealth.lacounty.gov

Schools are currently permitted to open for in-person learning and necessary assessments for high-need students while adhering to the school re-opening protocols. To date, 837 schools have opted to offer in-person learning for high-need students; 72% are public schools, 15% are charter schools, and 13% are private schools.   Over 17,000 students and 10,000 staff have returned for on-site learning. The San Fernando region of L.A. County and the South Bay/Harbor region have the most schools opened at this time.  A list of schools open for K-12 specialized services can be found online.

Of the 22 new deaths reported today, five people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, seven people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, five people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29. Fourteen people who died had underlying health conditions including four people over the age of 80 years old, six people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and four people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old.  Three deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

Ninety-three 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 6,413 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% among White residents, 14% 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 nearly 2,851,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

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.

Please see additional information below: