Governor Newsom announced yesterday that he is rolling back the restrictions he relaxed in California in May, because of recent spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases across the state. Bars are now closed completely, as are indoor businesses such as gyms, nail salons, and movie theaters.
There were 540 cases of COVID-19 reported in Orange County yesterday, taking the cumulative total to more than 25,000. The O.C. case rate per 100,000 people is 226. Just under 15% of people getting tests are receiving positive results according to the Orange County Health Department. In L.A., there were 2,593 cases reported yesterday, taking its case total to 136,129, or 1298 cases per 100,000 people.
Data show that the cities in O.C. with the highest concentration of COVID-19 cases are the two cities with the largest populations — Anaheim and Santa Ana. Neighboring Riverside and San Diego counties also have case counts above 20,000, while San Bernardino County just north of L.A. has 19,000 cases.
These areas all closed bars over the July 4 weekend, and coastal counties also closed beaches to discourage revelers from gathering together on the sand. Many cities also canceled their annual fireworks shows over the holiday weekend in an attempt to control the spread of the virus.
Southern California is not in good shape, and while hospitals are not currently at capacity, the alarming upward trend in case counts and hospitalizations need to discontinue to be able to provide ICU beds for everyone that urgently requires them in the future. Case numbers have been on a steady incline for months, though numbers in the 10 days post-July 4 have been particularly high.
It is not just in SoCal that spikes are happening. Daily case counts are up 20% across the state, and 8358 cases were reported yesterday alone. The death rate in California has risen 10% in the last week. Data from the University of California Health shows that test positivity is climbing, and reached 3.5% yesterday. More than 1400 patients with Covid19 have been admitted to the 12 UC hospitals spread throughout California. Almost 60% of those patients have since been discharged, according to UC Health.
School districts in the state are announcing plans for the fall start to the academic year. Los Angeles and San Diego school districts will not open classrooms for in-person attendance in August and are preparing for extended schooling online. The Orange County Board of Education, however, voted to allow children to return to school campuses after their summer break. No masks and no social distancing will be necessary, according to the Board of Education.
O.C. Superintendent, and the head of the Orange County Department of Education (a different entity to the Board of Education), notes that today’s recommendation to open classrooms is not binding.
“Locally elected school boards and superintendents will approve and implement plans specific to their districts based on the needs of their schools and communities,” says Superintendent Dr Al Mijares. “OCDE is working to support districts in that effort, and we remain 100 percent committed to following and sharing the guidance of the California Department of Public Health and the Orange County Health Care Agency.”
CDPH and the OCHCA strongly recommend wearing face masks and social distancing to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Orange County is trending on Twitter today, with more than 45,000 tweets relating to the lax school reopening guidelines. Many Twitter users expressed alarm that the Board of Education recommended keeping schools open, without rules on wearing masks or keeping distance from other students.
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