California approached another solemn milestone Thursday as the coronavirus death toll neared 4,000 and more communities pushed to further reopen their ravaged economies.
The death toll in the state remains much lower than those in the coronavirus hot spots of Michigan, New Jersey and New York. But officials have said that while other metrics such as hospitalizations and new confirmed cases offer signs of significant progress, deaths in California remain a major concern.
Los Angeles County remains the center of the novel coronavirus in California, recording 49 new deaths on Thursday and bringing the total to 2,241. More than half of all deaths across the state have been in the county, which has been slower to reopen than areas less hard-hit.
The total number of confirmed cases in L.A. County is at nearly 50,000 — representing about half of all California cases.
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This week, the county allowed shopping malls and churches to reopen with strict social distancing and safety rules.
County officials could find out as early as Friday whether they’ll be allowed to reopen restaurants for in-person dining, along with barbershops and hair salons.
The county Wednesday submitted its variance application to the state, a process created by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office in early May that allows counties to reopen at an accelerated rate if they can meet certain COVID-19 benchmarks. Forty-seven counties, including all that surround L.A. County, have been approved for a variance. Ventura County‘s application was approved within 48 hours.
Newsom has cautioned, however, that with even businesses across the state starting to reopen, the threat of the coronavirus is not over.
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In their application to the state, L.A. County officials make the case that the county has met criteria created by the California Department of Public Health to reopen.
For example, Los Angeles County had to prove that the prevalence of COVID-19 cases is low enough that, if the stay-at-home order is eased and cases undoubtedly increase, the county will have the capacity to respond.
L.A. County also had to prove that the prevalence of the coronavirus spreading in the community was low enough, by the state’s standards, to reopen. The state’s criteria are: Fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the last 14 days, or fewer than 8% testing positive in the last seven days.
L.A. County was able to meet the latter, with 6.5% testing positive in the last seven days, according to the variance application. Meanwhile, the county saw 98.7 cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days, four times the state’s criterion.
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The county also had to show state leaders that its hospitals have enough personal protective equipment for essential workers, and ample ventilators and other equipment if the county sees a surge of at least 35% in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
As of Sunday, 84% of L.A. County hospitals had enough N95 masks to last 15 or more days, while 72% had enough eye protection and 53% had an adequate amount of gowns, according to its application.
One of the more concerning portions of the county’s application related to showing nursing homes are prepared should the COVID-19 pandemic intensify.
As of Tuesday, only 33% of the 381 nursing homes in L.A. County had enough personal protective equipment to last more than 14 days, according to the application. Fewer than half, 47%, have enough N95 masks to last two weeks, and only one-third have adequate gowns.
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Elsewhere in the state, San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Thursday unveiled a plan for reopening the city, including allowing outdoor dining and permitting customers inside retail stores beginning June 15.
“We’re entering a new phase of this crisis and we feel comfortable that we’re at a place that we can begin reopening parts of our economy,” Breed said. “But that is not to say that this virus doesn’t continue to threaten our city.”
San Francisco’s plan includes three phases.
In addition to allowing outdoor dining and restricted in-store retail service by June 15, the city plans to permit private household indoor services, religious services and ceremonies, outdoor exercise classes, sports games with no spectators, and nonemergency medical appointments.
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The second phase would start on July 13, when restaurants could reopen for indoor dining, hair salons and barbershop could reopen, and real estate open houses could resume by appointment only.
By mid-August, schools, bars, nail salons, gyms, playgrounds, indoor museums, tattoo parlors and swimming pools might be able to reopen.
In the final phase — the date of which has yet to be determined — the city would reopen concert venues, nightclubs, festivals and hotels for tourism.
City officials cautioned that the schedule would be followed only if San Francisco continued to make progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19.
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Some areas are itching to move further — and faster.
Officials in Placer County, northeast of Sacramento, have petitioned the state for permission to reopen gyms, nail salons and entertainment venues, with modifications, as well as to restart youth sports and other programs.
They also are seeking to scrap the state’s recent guideline that subjects churches to a 100-person attendance limit for in-person services.
That limitation has been particularly contentious, with some church and elected officials saying the state’s guidelines remain overly restrictive and potentially unconstitutional.
