City Of Hermosa Beach Coronavirus Update For November 30

Press release from the City of Hermosa Beach:

November 30, 2020

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.

We are issuing an additional COVID-19 Update this week with new public health orders issued and the importance of getting these messages to the community.

New L.A. County COVID-19 Health Measures in Effect Today: With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surging, L.A. County Department of Public Health issued additional safety modifications that went into effect today and remain in effect for three weeks through December 20. The new temporary order aims to reduce the risk of transmission several ways, including by:

• Asking individuals to remain at home with only their immediate household as much as possible
• Requiring everyone to wear a face covering whenever they are engaging in activities outside their homes where they are, or can be, in contact with others not in their households
• Reducing gathering or close contact with others not in your household
• Reducing capacity at sites where non-household members mingle to avoid crowding

The Department said that the most important action we can all take to stop the surge is to stay home as much as possible. The Department prohibited all public and private gatherings and events with individuals not from the same household, except for faith-based services and protests, which are constitutionally protected activities. Under the temporary measures, residents are still permitted to travel to and from essential businesses, work or provide services to a healthcare operation or essential business. Residents may also engage in essential activities or participate in permitted individual or household outdoor and indoor activities while practicing required distancing, infection control and masking, the Department said.

Hermosa Beach Playgrounds Affected by New Safety Measures: The City of Hermosa Beach knows how important parks and play equipment are to families with young children, and it has worked to keep the parks open and available to the community during the pandemic. L.A. County Department of Public Health’s Safer at Home Order that went into effect today requires the re-closure of the City’s playgrounds until December 20 because of the current upsurge in COVID-19 diagnoses and hospitalizations. The Department noted that playgrounds were observed to have limited compliance with face covering and social distancing requirements. The City’s open spaces, beach and walking paths, like the Greenbelt and Strand, remain open for passive recreation, with face coverings required at all times.

The City of Hermosa Beach is required to comply with the County’s orders and urges parents and childcare providers to ensure their children are safe by keeping them off the playground equipment. Families can continue to play in green spaces in the park, so long as all members of the family aged 2 and older wear face coverings over their noses and mouths and observe social distancing requirements of at least 6 feet from people who are not members of their household. The City will be engaging additional personnel to monitor the play equipment and provide reminders to parents and childcare providers about the temporary closures of the play equipment.

Support our Local Businesses by Ordering Food for Carry-out or Delivery: The City is encouraging residents to support Hermosa Beach’s local restaurants by ordering food for carry-out or delivery after the L.A. County Department of Public Health halted in-person dining and drinking on November 25. The Department said there is a high risk of transmission of COVID-19 when people are eating, drinking and talking together without a face covering, as happens when people are dining onsite at restaurants. The City of Hermosa Beach advocated for keeping outdoor dining open, and the matter went to a vote before the L.A. County Board of Supervisors last week. The Board voted 3-2 to support the Public Health Order that halted in-person dining. Hermosa Beach retail stores remain open with limitations placed on the number of customers who may be inside the location. Please consider visiting Hermosa Beach retailers’ websites for online orders. More information about Hermosa Beach businesses may be found on the HermosaOne website.

Governor Announces Relief for Businesses Impacted by COVID-19: Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced that California will provide temporary tax relief for eligible businesses impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. The temporary tax relief entails an automatic three-month income tax extension for taxpayers filing less than $1 million in sales tax, extends the availability of existing interest and penalty-free payment agreements to companies with up to $5 million in taxable sales and provides expanded interest free payment options for larger businesses particularly affected by significant restrictions on operations based on COVID-19 transmissions. The total tax relief, if fully utilized, is estimated to have billions in impact.

The state would build on its ongoing support for businesses impacted by COVID-19 by providing immediate, temporary tax relief potentially worth billions and a new $500 million COVID Relief Grant program. The Governor also announced that the state would expand the California Rebuilding Fund by $12.5 million, bringing the total investment to $37.5 million. These efforts are informed by recommendations made by the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery.

Today’s announcement builds on the state’s ongoing business support throughout the pandemic, including the Main Street Hiring Tax Credit, which authorizes $100 million in hiring tax credit for qualified small businesses. The credit is equal to $1,000 per qualified employee, up to $100,000 for each small business employer. The application opens tomorrow, December 1. A full list of existing state support for businesses can be found here.

Great Plates Extended to December 8: Great Plates Delivered has been extended through December 8th. L.A. County's meal assistance program offers eligible seniors 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. The L.A. County Great Plates Website has information on how to apply for the food program or be a restaurant providing the food.

Governor Warns of Additional Stay-at-Home Orders: Gov. Gavin Newsom, during his briefing today, said 51 of the state’s 58 counties, including L.A. County, are in the highest tier, the purple tier, in terms of COVID-19 diagnoses and hospitalizations. He also said hospitalizations are increasing at an alarming rate and that the capacity for staffing mutual aid is limited due to the surge nationwide. He said the State is evaluating the surge closely and, if the trends continue, a Stay at Home order, similar to the one issued earlier this year, with possible modifications may be enacted within the next couple of days in the 51 counties in the purple tier.

California to Begin Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine: Gov. Gavin Newsom said today that 327,000 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine will soon be arriving in California. He said administration of the 2-dose vaccine could begin as early as mid-December. The second dose would be provided 3 weeks later, he said.

The state will determine the distribution of the vaccine, with healthcare and other front-line workers expected to be among the first to receive it. Because it could still be six months to a year before the vaccine becomes available to the general public, health officials are urging people to remain vigilant about COVID-19 safety measures. The governor said that wearing masks, social distancing and washing your hands is even more necessary as the state is currently in its largest surge of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

Quarantine Urged for People who Traveled over Thanksgiving: L.A. County Department of Public Health issued a statement today that said people who traveled or gathered with others over the holiday should quarantine for 14 days. The Department said it is very possible that travelers and people who gathered with others were exposed to someone who is infected with COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising those who travel to test twice during the quarantine period, once a couple of days after you return, and another test taken five to seven days later. Please note, the Department said, that a negative test does not mean you don’t need to remain home in quarantine since this virus can incubate over 14 days.

Los Angeles County Update: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health today reported 17 new deaths and 5,150 new cases of COVID-19. This is far higher than the County's peak number of daily cases during the summer surge, which averaged 2,950 cases on July 14. The Department also reported a total 400,919 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,655 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The Department said it remains concerned not only about the people who are suffering from COVID-19, but also about how increasing numbers in hospitalization could overwhelm the healthcare system.

Hospitals across the country and world have been overwhelmed and have not had enough capacity to treat patients who have COVID-19, but also serve patients who are in need of medical care for other reasons. This remains a concern in L.A. County, and although currently the County has adequate capacity at hospitals and there are extensive plans in place to take appropriate actions to manage the increases, a continued surge in cases and hospitalizations is not sustainable. The Department is closely tracking the number of positive cases among healthcare workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic response and reported an additional 747 new cases among healthcare workers.

Hermosa Beach is also experiencing an upsurge in COVID-19 diagnoses. In the past month, the number of confirmed cases in Hermosa Beach grew by about 33%, from 260 total cases on October 30 to 346 today. That is an increase of 86 confirmed cases in the City in the past month.

Latest Facts and Figures

Jurisdiction - Reported Cases | Reported Deaths

• Hermosa Beach - 346 | 4
• L.A. County - 400,919 | 7,655
• California - 1,212,968 | 19,141
• United States - 13,295,605 | 266,051

*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.

Information regarding coronavirus is changing frequently, and the City will provide the latest information about COVID-19 and links to resources on our website. To stay informed, please sign up for Hermosa Beach eNotifications, public safety alerts or follow the City on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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