Department of Public Health Reports A Surge in Positive Cases, Launch of #HereForTheHolidays Food Drive, and The Risk is Real
The County of Los Angeles is regularly updating resources on COVID-19 and offers today’s update in an effort to keep you and yours informed. Please share the following up-to-date information:
Surge in COVID-19 Cases
The continued surge in cases here in LA County should have us all deeply concerned. On Saturday, we reported over 3,700 new cases of COVID-19. On Sunday, over 3,000 new cases, and today, even with the weekend reporting lag, we have close to 2,800 new cases. The Department of Public health has not reported daily numbers like this since late July, during the last surge that resulted in many people becoming very seriously ill and losing their lives to COVID-19.
It is important for everyone in LA County, businesses and residents, to return to the mindset we had earlier in the pandemic where we followed the rules. For residents we ask you to take the following immediate actions:
- Re-think your holiday plans and cancel any plans for travel outside the region in the coming weeks.
- If you have plans to celebrate thanksgiving with others who are not in your household, please make sure you will celebrate outdoors with only 2 other households. If you need to be indoors, this can only happen with members of your immediate household. This is particularly important since people will need to take off their face coverings while eating and drinking.
- Stay home as much as possible for the next 2-3 weeks except for accessing essential services. This is especially important for people who are older and people with serious underlying health conditions. When possible, try to use delivery services for groceries and medicines. If this isn’t possible, assign one person from your household to take care of errands and shopping.
- If you live with people that are older or have serious health conditions, wear masks and keep your distance both indoors and outdoors as much as possible. Higher risk household members should try when possible to eat by themselves and particularly avoid being in close contact with other people who have possible exposures at their jobs or in the community.
- If you are positive or a close contact of someone who is positive, please follow the public health orders to isolate or quarantine for the full amount of time; 10 days for isolating if you are positive and 14 days if you need to quarantine.
- If you have engaged in risky activities where you may have been exposed because you were in a crowd with people who weren’t wearing masks and distancing, please self-quarantine for 14 days.
For information and guidance on physical distancing, click here.
Businesses can also step up by doing the following:
- Follow all safety protocols closely and ensure adherence with masking, infection control and distancing requirements;
- Make sure there are no crowded places or spaces at your site, and limit occupancy to make sure that everyone can always distance at least 6 feet
- Allow as many employees to work from home as much as possible.
- Call public health immediately if there have been 3 or more cases within 14 days at your worksite. You can call our customer call center at (888) 700-9995, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm.
For more resources and guidance for businesses, click here.
It is time to be very careful and as diligent as we have ever been. Whenever you are out of your home and around other people, keep at least 6 feet of distance and wear a face covering at all times.
We’re #HereForTheHolidays!
No one should go hungry, especially during Thanksgiving.
That’s why we are asking you today to help spread the word about L.A. County’s new #HereForTheHolidays food drive. Teaming with our nonprofit partner the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, we’ve set an ambitious goal of supporting 100,000 vulnerable families through New Year’s Day.
We’re making it easy for people who want to help feed their neighbors in need. With a single click, they can donate goods, time or money to assist households experiencing food insecurity. With COVID rates climbing again, those numbers will swell in coming months.
Los Angeles County workers have already distributed nearly 3,000 tons of food at more than 50 drive-through events throughout the region. That’s nearly 5 million meals provided. But now we need your help to feed our most at-risk communities.
In the coming weeks, L.A. County will offer more resources and tips about how local government, businesses and residents can support the County’s food-relief efforts. As a first step, we are asking you to promote donation and volunteer opportunities through your website, socials, newsletters and other channels. You can access a social media toolkit here. #LetsFeedLACounty
The Risk is Real
You may think it can’t happen to you, but the risk is real. The reality is, anyone can become infected, and recent trends show a spike in younger adults contracting the virus. Nearly 60% of the positive COVID-19 cases being reported in LA County are in people under 50 years old and hospitalizations among younger adults are on the rise. Though you may recover from the virus, you risk spreading COVID-19 and infecting others in your home who are more at-risk, including grandparents and parents.
Watch stories of survivors at covid19.lacounty.gov/risk and help us spread awareness on the importance of masking up, keeping six away from people we don’t live with it, and washing our hands regularly.
Your actions can save lives.
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COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program
LA County is helping train businesses on the implementation of COVID-19 safety protocols through a no-cost online training course called the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program (CSCCP). Once completed, business owners receive a certificate, and window seal to display on their storefront, which can reassure employees and customers alike that the business is following COVID-19 infection control and physical distancing requirements.
If you have not yet completed the CSCCP course or want to learn more about it, visit publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/covid19cert.htm. Help support your employees, customers, and community while on the Road to Recovery.
Great Plates
Great Plates Delivered has been extended through December 8th. LA County’s meal assistance program offers eligible seniors with three (3) home-delivered meals a day. Seniors over 65, seniors 60-64 years of age who have been diagnosed or exposed to COVID-19 or those at high-risk for COVID-19 may qualify. When you help a senior connect to Great Plates Delivered, you’re also helping your local restaurant, hospitality and transportation community get back to work.
To learn more or apply, click here.
Incident Report
Today’s Incident Report is in the process of being finalized and will be posted on the Incident Report section of the County’s COVID-19 site when complete. Please note, that the reports are posted by date and can be accessed at https://covid19.lacounty.gov/incident-updates/.”
COVID-19 Digital Communications Guide & Toolkit
View our updated COVID-19 Digital Communications Guide, and get tips on Best Practices, Do’s and Don’ts, Key Messaging, and our Social Media Toolkit – with multi-lingual graphics and messages like the ones seen below.
Access our Social Media Toolkit here. Wearing a face covering when caring for those who are vulnerable to COVID-19 will help protect them, and yourself. |
Additional Information
The County of Los Angeles appreciates your continued partnership in responding to COVID-19 questions and needs of residents. For additional information, please visit:
- County of Los Angeles: covid19.lacounty.gov
- County of Los Angeles Public Health: publichealth.lacounty.gov
- California Department of Public Health: cdph.ca.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov
Los Angeles County residents can also call 2-1-1