3 South Bay Cities Limits In-Person Services As COVID Surges
HERMOSA BEACH, CA — Three South Bay cities on Wednesday curtailed in-person municipal services as COVID-19 cases surge across Los Angele County.
On the same day the county recorded more than 16,000 new coronavirus cases, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and El Segundo announced the changes. The move is a precaution taken as officials expect the outbreak to get worse in the coming days. Municipal agencies across the nation have limited services in response to the pandemic — often because of staffing shortages due to outbreaks.
Hermosa Beach announced Wednesday it will limit face-to-face services through Jan 10. In-person services will still be provided by the Hermosa Beach Police Department, Public Works Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and people can still visit outdoor areas like parks, playgrounds, restrooms and sports courts.
Residents can contact the city about services by visiting hermosabeach.gov or by calling a number on the city's directory at https://bit.ly/3JsPrjV.
If a service requires an in-person meeting, Hermosa Beach staff will arrange a meeting in front of City Hall.
Neighboring Manhattan Beach announced Tuesday that its City Hall will be closed to members of the public without an appointment through Jan. 15 as a precaution against COVID-19. The lobbies of the police and fire departments will also be closed during that period.
"The health and safety of our community and city employees remain our top priority," Manhattan Beach Mayor Hildy Stern said in a statement. "As cases in Manhattan Beach have increased by approximately 10 times over the last few weeks, and the highly contagious Omicron variant has become more and more prevalent within our community, it is necessary to take actions to slow community transmission of the virus and protect city employees."
Officials said public safety and public works services will not be affected, and in-person recreation programs organized by the city will continue until further notice.
Appointments at Manhattan Beach City Hall can be made at https://bit.ly/318gIqw, but officials urge people to take advantage of city services provided online and over the phone.
El Segundo also announced Tuesday that its City Hall and non-public safety facilities will close temporarily to the public until Jan. 10. Select services at City Hall and other facilities will be open, and people can make an appointment by calling 310-524-2300.
City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on the Redondo Beach Patch
