The City of Angels has announced that lockdown will be extended until May 15th as the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing.
The announcement was officially made at a press conference on Friday by Barbara Ferrer, the public health director of L.A. County. This means that under the “Safer-at-Home” initiative, all public beaches will remain closed as well as most parks, and residents should only be going out to get essential items or to see the doctor.
There have been 18 new deaths from COVID-19 in L.A. County, which brings the total to 241 and a 6% increase in cases, according to Ferrer.
In regards to the extension, Mayor Eric Garcetti says, “This is beginning to bend the curve.”
Christina Ghaly, director of the L.A. County Department of Health Services says, “If we were to stop physical distancing at this point in time, while we would still succeed in pushing those cases out further in time, we would go back to the same original peak on that same slope, which would result in a large increase of cases of COVID-19 that would run the rim of overwhelming the health-cares system. Public health interventions can lower that peak.”
Much like the rest of the country, residents of Los Angeles have been wearing masks and practicing social distance while out in public. Restaurants are able to stay open as long as they only serve takeout.
According to Garcetti, a poll taken by Loyola Marymount University reports that half of L.A.’s residents have lost their jobs or have had their hours cut because of the pandemic.
Originally, the “Safer-at-Home” initiative was supposed to last until April 19th.