LA County's coronavirus stay-at-home order may drag on through July or August, official warns
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Los Angeles County will likely continue its stay-at-home order through the summer, officials said Tuesday, as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on the economy and patience continues to wear thin for some calling for the state to reopen and for normal life to resume.
County Public Health Director Barabara Ferrer said the order will be extended "with all certainty" at the Board of Supervisors meeting, possibly until July or August, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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"Our hope is that by using the data we'd be able to slowly lift registrations over the next three months," she said. "But without widely available therapeutic testing for the coronavirus or rapid at-home testing versions that would allow people to test themselves daily, it seems unlikely that restrictions would be completely eased."
The county's stay-at-home order was extended last month through May 15. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the state is giving counties the authority to loosen restrictions, like allowing shopping malls to reopen with curbside pickup.
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Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the U.S., already has eased some restrictions by allowing golf courses, car dealerships and some retail shops to resume operations with certain rules in place, according to the newspaper. Hiking trails and beaches will reopen Wednesday with social distancing measures.
No sitting or lying on the sand will be allowed and face masks are required.
In Los Angeles, officials will adjust the city's stay-at-home order to allow more activities, permit businesses to operate and authorize residents to report to work, Mayor Eric Garcetti said in response to Ferrer.
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"We’re not moving past COVID-19, we’re learning to live with it — and we will keep taking measured steps toward a new, safer reality in the days and weeks ahead," he said.
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As of Tuesday, the county recorded 33,180 COVID-19 cases, including 1,613 deaths, according to the county Department of Public Health.