Another 20 deaths and 2,542 cases were confirmed related to COVID-19, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced Sunday, as the county amended its order to require all bars, breweries, brew pubs, pubs, wineries and tasting rooms close unless they offer sit-down dine-in meals.
The cumulative deaths related to the COVID-19 hit 3,305, with confirmed cases jumping to 97,894 in the county.
Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of bars in several counties Sunday, citing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
There has been a sharp increase in new cases and hospitalizations, with the timing of the increases in line with the reopening of sectors of the economy that include bars, the county's public health department said.
As of Sunday, 1,717 people were hospitalized, which as an increase from 1,350 to 1,450 daily hospitalizations seen in recent weeks, the county said. The rate of positive tests was 9%, with the cumulative positivity rate increasing from 8% to 9%, and the 7-day average of the daily positivity rate increasing from 5.8% two weeks ago to 8.7% Sunday, the Department of Public Health said.
“While it’s disappointing to take a step back on our economic recovery journey, it’s critical that we protect the health of our residents and protect the capacity in our healthcare system,” Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said in a statement released Sunday. “I implore that our residents and businesses follow the Public Health directives that will keep us healthy, safe and on the pathway to recovery. Otherwise, we are quickly moving toward overwhelming our healthcare system and seeing even more devastating illness and death.”
For a breakdown of cases and deaths, click here.
