City Of Hermosa Beach Coronavirus Update For January 28, 2021

Press release from the City of Hermosa Beach:

January 28, 2021

To help keep the community informed, the City of Hermosa Beach is providing regular updates featuring the latest news about COVID-19; related local updates; and how the City is working to meet the needs of the community and protect public health.

Outdoor Dining Slated to Resume Friday: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced earlier this week that it will be issuing a new Public Health Order on Friday that will permit outdoor dining to resume with the appropriate public health precautions, including face coverings, except when eating and drinking, and physical distance between tables. The City’s Temporary Lane Realignment Project was completed Jan. 15, in time to accommodate the re-opening of outdoor dining and personal services. The City launched this project at the request of local businesses in need of more space for outdoor dining, retail and personal services and desiring a more pedestrian-friendly downtown environment.

The project temporarily reconfigured lanes on Hermosa Avenue between 8th Street and 14th Street, and on Pier Avenue between Hermosa Avenue and Valley Drive allowing businesses to safely expand their outdoor dining and retail spaces further into public right-of-way. This project included the addition of new bike lanes along these streets.

The City Council has committed to maintaining the project for six months, at which point it will be reevaluated. City Staff also is continuing to monitor the project and will assess and prioritize possible adjustments to signage and pavement markings that may help improve flow. Please drive safely, watch for pedestrians and people bicycling and move aside when ambulances and police and fire vehicles are responding to emergencies.

COVID-19 Precautions Still Needed to Protect Community and First Responders: The number of new COVID-19 diagnoses in Hermosa Beach continue to climb, but the rate appears to be slowing down, as it is county-wide. In the past 2 weeks, L.A. County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reported 88 new diagnoses in Hermosa Beach over the 14-day period from Jan. 14 to today, Jan. 28. The preceding 14-day period, Jan. 1 to Jan. 14, Public Health reported 148 new cases in Hermosa Beach. While the rate of increase is beginning to slow, the infection rate remains high. Precautions are still needed to avoid spreading the virus to friends and loved ones and to protect people working on the front lines. Among City Staff, 3 Hermosa Beach Police Department staff members recently tested positive for COVID-19 and are quarantining at home. The City has reported this information, as required, to county public health officials. To protect the community’s health and first responders, please continue to wear face coverings over the nose and mouth in public, avoid crowds, stay home when ill and keep a minimum of 6 feet of physical distance from non-household members.

Hermosa Beach City Council Extends Eviction Moratorium: The Hermosa Beach City Council on Tuesday night approved an urgency ordinance that extends the commercial and portions of the residential eviction moratoriums through March 31 for tenants facing financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council also directed staff to bring back additional revisions to the residential eviction moratorium on February 9 to conform to any action by the State Legislature to extend statewide eviction protection for evictions related to non-payment of rent due to COVID-19, if necessary. The Legislature voted today to extend the eviction moratoriums statewide to June 30 as long as tenants pay a part of their rent. Gov. Gavin Newsom has indicated he will sign the bill into law.

In Case You Missed It: City Manager COVID-19 Update: At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, City Manager Suja Lowenthal provided an update on the City’s COVID-19 response.

Vaccine Online Briefing Available from BCHD: The Beach Cities Health District's (BCHD) Safe in the South Bay Series will bring together health experts, cities, chambers, schools and community members to talk about the fast-moving pandemic. The live streamed series will be at 5 p.m. Feb. 4 and will focus on COVID-19 vaccinations. Register here.

L.A. County Vaccine Townhall Recording Available: On Tuesday, January 19th, L.A. County Department of Public Health hosted a COVID-19 Vaccine Virtual Town Hall to discuss the status of vaccine distribution in LA County. If you missed it, you can watch the full town hall here.

Resources for Landlords and Renters Available: Stay Housed Los Angeles has helpful resources for landlords and renters as they navigate through this difficult period. To read your rights or get legal assistance, please visit stayhousedla.org.

L.A. County’s Update on Vaccine Availability: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported Wednesday that 662,963 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered within Los Angeles County. Of this amount, 544,049 are first doses and 118,914 are second doses. The week of January 18, the County received 168,575 doses, which is about 25,000 fewer doses than the previous week. And for this week, the County only received about 137,000 doses. Each week, there is an allocation from the federal government to the State that determines the number of vaccines allocated to L.A. County.

Public Health said that every resident is guaranteed a second dose. And most individuals will be able to receive their second dose at the same site where they received their first dose. Many individuals vaccinated at a County site received the date and location of their second dose appointment on their vaccination card, which will be 21 days after their first dose if they received a Pfizer vaccine, and 28 days after their first dose if they received a Moderna vaccine. All that residents will need to do is confirm the time that works for them via a registration link that is emailed to them. For individuals who were vaccinated at the dozens of other sites across the county, including pharmacies, health centers, and city clinics, please contact the provider or site where you were vaccinated to receive information confirming your second dose appointment.

When new appointments become available, residents with internet access and a computer are urged to use www.VaccinateLACounty.com to sign up. For those without access to a computer or the internet, or with disabilities, a call center is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to help schedule appointments at 833-540-0473.

Los Angeles County Update: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reported today that L.A. County has more than 16,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths. To date, Public Health identified 1,097,941 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 16,107 deaths. On Saturday, L.A. County surpassed the grim milestone of more than 15,000 COVID-19 deaths. Today, Public Health confirmed 213 new deaths and 6,592 new cases of COVID-19.

Latest Facts and Figures

Jurisdiction - Reported Cases | Reported Deaths

• Hermosa Beach - 816 | 7
• L.A. County - 1,097,941 | 16,107
• California - 3,186,610 | 38,961
• United States - 25,456,670 | 427,626

*All reported data is from the close of the previous day.

Additional Resources

Please continue to follow public health experts’ recommendations to avoid spreading the coronavirus including frequent handwashing, wearing a face covering, keeping a safe distance from one another, and staying home if you are ill. Public Health has issued the following guidance during this time of increased spread: If you are mildly sick, stay home for at least seven days or until 72 hours after being fever free, whichever is longer. Call your doctor if you are concerned and/or your symptoms worsen. Individuals who are elderly, have underlying health conditions or pregnant should consider contacting their providers earlier when they are sick. More information is available here.

We are monitoring updates and sharing information about the coronavirus from trusted sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health, and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

This press release was produced by the City of Hermosa Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.