Los Angeles County officials are weighing whether to allow the reopening of indoor shopping centers, retail shops and hair salons in accordance with the state’s new guidelines, which permit counties — no matter their COVID-19 status — to reopen such businesses under certain conditions.
If county officials decide to lift the restrictions, the businesses would be allowed to operate at a limited capacity, as well as indoor modified operations at hair salons and barbershops.
Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer and the board of supervisors are expected to meet Tuesday to discuss the new guidance, Supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a news conference on Monday.
“We recognize the state has allowed us to open, and we want to do it in a very thoughtful process,” Barger said.
The state has placed L.A. County, along with 37 other counties, including all in Southern California except San Diego, on Tier 1 of its reopening plan for having widespread risk of the virus. The county has recorded more than 241,800 cases and 5,784 deaths. In recent weeks, those numbers have declined and stabilized, but August stands as the county’s deadliest month since the pandemic hit.
Any decision by the county will have major implications for financially struggling business owners amid the pandemic-related economic slowdown. Most nonessential businesses in Tier 1 counties, such as L.A., are closed. As a county moves through the tiers, more businesses are allowed to reopen.
The tiers are:
- Tier 1, widespread transmission: Counties have more than seven daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and a test positivity rate of more than 8%.
- Tier 2, substantial transmission: Counties have between four to seven daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 and a test positivity rate of between 5%-8%.
- Tier 3, moderate transmission: Counties have 1-3.9 daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and a test positivity rate of 2-4.9%.
- Tier 4, minimal transmission: Counties have less than one daily COVID case per 100,000 and a test positivity rate of less than 2%.
Currently, Alpine and Modoc counties are the only two in the state that are on Tier 4. Most businesses are allowed to reopen in this tier, albeit with some limitations. Concert venues, convention centers, live theaters, nightclubs and theme parks remain closed statewide.
Los Angeles County currently has a 5.1% seven-day average for positive infections and a seven-day average of 12.4 cases per every 100,000 people. By comparison, the state’s average positivity rate during the same time frame is currently 5.9% and its average case rate per 100,000 people is 10.2.
A county must show progress in its positivity rate and case count over a three-week period before moving to a new tier. If a county has a case count and positivity rate that fall on two different tiers, the more stringent rules would apply. Such updates will take place on Tuesdays following the state’s review of a county’s metric.
