The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in West Hollywood as of today is 183, an increase of four from yesterday’s count of 179.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reports 2,112 new cases across the county. That brings the total to date to 53,651. The county has confirmed 48 new deaths related to COVID-19, bringing that total to 2,338.
The Health Department announced on Friday that hair salons and barbershops could reopen and that in-person dining in restaurants could resume now that the State of California has agreed that Los Angeles County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has met necessary public health thresholds. Bars are not allowed to re-open, although restaurants can serve alcoholic beverages with meals. The salons and restaurants are required to comply with rules intended to ensure social distancing.
West Hollywood’s Code Compliance Division and the Sheriff’s Station have been monitoring businesses to ensure they are complying those rules. One business that was found not to be in compliance was Beaches, the bar and restaurant at 8928 Santa Monica Blvd., where on Friday night a customer video-taped others who weren’t dining but were standing close together without masks, drinking cocktails, and dancing.
“We did issue a field notice to Beaches yesterday evening after we had visited them earlier in the day as a part of a proactive effort field officers made to educate all restaurants on the newly issued County Health Officer Orders,” said Danny Rivas, head of the city’s Code Compliance Division. “We required them to correct the issues we identified within 30 minutes, which they did.”
“We have made contact with a few other businesses to educate them about the county Health Officer Orders in the past few days but we have taken an educational approach. “
Rivas said Code Compliance and the Sheriff’s Station are monitoring businesses and responding to complaints all day and night. “Businesses may be subject to a notice and or citation or shut down depending on the issue,” he said.
Other restaurants that opened were the Chapel at the Abbey, one of West Hollywood’s best known restaurants and bars, where dining tables that normally had been close together were spread apart and servers were wearing face covering, and Rocco’s, the restaurant and bar on Santa Monica Boulevard at San Vicente, which was enforcing similar disntancing..
On Wednesday, the Health Department announced that it was permitting the re-opening of houses of worship, office worksites, in-store shopping at retail establishments, including indoor malls and shopping centers, flea markets, swap meets and drive-in movie theaters. Houses of worship can operate at 25% capacity or with a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower, and retail establishments can operate at 50% capacity.
“As the recovery journey continues, more people being around one another may result in more transmission of COVID-19, more cases, and more hospitalizations and deaths,” said the Health Department’s announcement of today’s count. “The actions everyone takes today will impact where numbers are in two or three weeks. Everyone must continue to follow distancing and infection control protocols and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in contact with other people not in your household.”
The Health Department said the reopening of these businesses “better aligns the county with neighboring counties, moving Southern California towards a regional recovery and supporting our service-oriented businesses, many of which are small and locally owned.”
If at any time, the county’s rate of infection and other key metrics return to unsafe numbers, the Department of Public Health can limit or close reopened types of businesses.
Rules for business owners and customers at hair salons, barbershops and in-person restaurant dining are as follows:
Barbershops and hair salons
- Physical distancing measures will be in place.
- Employees and customers will be screened for symptoms, including cough and fever. Clients feeling unwell should reschedule their appointment.
- Everyone, including clients, must wear cloth face coverings while in the salon or barber shop and clients are encouraged to wear face coverings with ear loops to ensure the face covering does not interfere with the hair service.
- Magazines, coffee and other amenities will not be available.
- Clients are encouraged to use credit cards and contactless payment systems. If electronic or card payment is not possible, customers should come with exact cash payment or check, if available.
- Stylists may only serve one client at a time.
More details about the rules can be found online.
In-person dining in restaurants
- Physical distancing measures will be in place.
- Employees and customers will be screened for symptoms, including cough and fever. Patrons feeling unwell should not eat at a restaurant.
- Outdoor seating and curbside pickup are prioritized.
- Reservations will be encouraged.
- Customers will be asked to wait for their table in their cars or outside the restaurant to prevent crowds from gathering.
- Diners must wear cloth face coverings when not eating.
- Bar areas will be closed.
- Occupancy capacity will be limited to 60% for the next three weeks.
More details about these rules also can be found online. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/.
Nail salons and spa services,including massage, facials and waxing, are not permitted to re-open
Also still closed are:
- Gyms and fitness centers
- Beach piers
- Indoor entertainment venues including arcades, bowling alleys, movie theaters, live performance theaters, concert halls, stadiums, arenas, theme parks, gaming facilities and festivals
- Indoor museums, galleries and zoos
Click here for a detailed list of what’s open and closed in L.A. County.
Public and private gatherings of people outside of a single household unit are not permitted except for public protests and faith-based services, which are permitted to operate with limits on the number of participants.
As of today, the Health Department reports an increase of one confirmed infection in Beverly Hills, bringing that total to 138. That is an increase of two from yesterday’s count of 135. The number of infections in Culver City has increased by three to 147. The number of infections in the Hollywood neighborhood has increased by four to 272. The number of confirmed infections in the Melrose neighborhood increased by four to a total of 549.
Residents with questions about the COVID-19 pandemic and who are looking for resources to deal with it can find answers on the City of West Hollywood’s website. Here is a list of links to sections about particular subjects and issues:
This is nuts.
Why is nobody in the Beaches bar video wearing a mask?