LA County Reports 439 New COVID-19 Cases, 7 Deaths
REDONDO BEACH, CA — Another seven coronavirus-related deaths were reported Tuesday, along with 439 new cases, with the low numbers reflecting reporting lags and reduced availability of testing over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The seven deaths increased the cumulative countywide total since the start of the pandemic to 6,036.
The 439 new cases reported by the county, along with 30 announced by health officials in Long Beach and three reported by Pasadena, lifted the countywide cumulative total to 249,274. There were 942 people hospitalized due to the virus as of Tuesday.
It was too early to tell, however, if the holiday weekend — which saw large crowds gathering at some beaches thanks to the heat — will result in a spike in cases similar to those that occurred following the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends. Since COVID-19 has a roughly 14-day incubation period, a possible spike in cases due to the Labor Day holiday won't be known for two weeks.
"We thank everyone who modified their holiday plans and actions to avoid exposures to COVID-19," county public health director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. "As we prepare for schools reopening to provide services for high-need students that require in-person support, we all must do our very best to minimize participating in non-essential activities that create risk of virus transmission.
"L.A. County is still among the California counties with high rates of community transmission," she said. "Before we get into cooler weather and flu season, we need to significantly lower the number of new cases. This is the only path forward that allows us to get more students back to school and reopen more business sectors."
The county announced last week it will authorize the return of in-person instruction for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, but only for small groups of students with individualized learning plans, students requiring instruction for English as a second language and students needing other "specialized in-school services."
All other students will still be limited to remote learning.
County officials also authorized indoor hair salons and barbershops to resume operating last week but limited to 25 percent of capacity. The county still has not authorized the reopening of indoor shopping malls, even though new state guidelines that took effect early last week allow those malls to open with capacity limited to 25 percent. Counties can impose stricter guidelines than the state, depending on local health conditions.
Health officials on Tuesday issued an extra warning for people to exercise caution when venturing outside, due to the combination of heat and smoke from the fires burning in the region. Residents in affected areas were urged to avoid physical exertion and keep their windows and doors closed as much as possible to keep smoky air out.
Fires across the state are setting records in 2020, with 2.2 million acres already burned this year and four more months of the season left to go. This is a record number for total acres burned in one year, outpacing 2018's devastating season. Since early August, 1.7 million acres have burned, eight people have died, and more than 3,300 structures have been destroyed in the historic fire season.
Power outages caused by a heatwave, combined with dry air, are posing serious threats to the county. High winds upward of 50 mph are set to arrive as fire crews continue battling flames and the threat of the Diablo and Santa Ana winds Tuesday.
- City News Service and Patch Editor Nicole Charky contributed to this report.
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This article originally appeared on the Redondo Beach Patch
