LOS ANGELES — Angelenos will be subject to new COVID-induced restrictions starting this weekend, following a curfew issued by the Calfornia Department of Public Health and a new health officer order from L.A. County. Both were issued earlier this week in an attempt to flatten a record-setting spike in COVID-19 cases that saw 5,031 new infections and 29 deaths in L.A. County reported Thursday — the highest number of daily new cases since the pandemic’s onset in March.

But what, exactly, do the new orders mean for Angelenos?

What You Need To Know

  • There are two sets of COVID-induced restrictions taking effect in Los Angeles this weekend

  • The state's limited Stay at Home Order takes effect Saturday, November 21, at 10 p.m. and runs through 5 a.m. December 21; it prevents nonessential work, movement, and gatherings between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

  • Starting Friday at 10 p.m., L.A. County will limit the number of people who gather outdoors to a maximum of 15 people from no more than three households

  • The L.A. County health officer order also requires nonessential businesses to close from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and reduces the capacity at outdoor restaurants, breweries, and wineries to 50%

Under the limited Stay at Home order the state issued Thursday, nonessential work, movement, and gatherings between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. are prohibited for counties in the most restrictive purple tier, including L.A. County. That order takes effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, November 21, and will remain in place through 5 a.m. December 21. 

Under the order, individuals can leave their homes between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. to perform essential activities, such as buying food from grocery stores or picking up restaurant orders. They are also allowed to walk their dogs and seek medical care.

The order does not prevent people who live in the same household from leaving their residence, lodging, or temporary accommodation. They just are not allowed to interact or gather with people from other households. 

Los Angeles County’s restrictions begin Friday. Starting Friday at 10 p.m., the number of people who can gather outdoors will be limited to a maximum of 15 people; those gatherings can not be amongst people from more than three households. Restaurants, breweries, wineries, bars, and other nonessential retail businesses must close from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Outdoor restaurants, breweries, and wineries will be limited to 50% capacity. Those establishments can still provide pick-up and delivery services after 10 p.m. 

Cardrooms, outdoor mini-golf, go-karts, and batting cages will also be limited to 50% outdoor capacity. Nonessential businesses that are allowed to operate indoors, such as retail stores, offices, and personal care services such as salons, will be limited to 25% occupancy. Personal care services can only be provided by appointment and customers and staff must wear face coverings. Services such as facials or shaves that require the removal of a face covering are not permitted.

It’s possible L.A. County could impose further restrictions. The L.A. County Department of Public Health advised that a five-day average of 4,000 new cases a day, or hospitalizations exceeding 1,750, would lead to a prohibition of outdoor and indoor dining and would only allow those businesses to offer pick-up and delivery services.

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If the five day-average exceeds 4,500, or 2,000 hospitalizations, the county would mandate a safer-at-home order for three weeks that would allow only essential and emergency workers and people seeking essential services to leave their homes. The county would also mandate a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, the only exemption being for essential workers.

As of Thursday, 1,238 people in L.A. County were hospitalized due to COVID. L.A. County Public Health cautioned this week that if the surge continues at the current rate of increase, daily new cases could reach 4,000 by December 6, triggering the prohibition of all outdoor and indoor dining.

In September, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that dining and drinking at places that offer on-site eating and drinking is one of the riskiest activities for COVID transmission. Adults who tested positive for COVID were roughly twice as likely to have dined at a restaurant than individuals who tested negative.

L.A. County Public Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis reported Thursday that the county was experiencing a dangerous acceleration of cases increasing at a higher rate than the spike seen in July. Infections have jumped 68% since the end of October. During a previous spike between mid-June and early July, COVID infections increased 47%.

Despite the increased restrictions, enforcement may be lax.

 

Responding to the state curfew, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva tweeted Thursday, “We are aware of the limited Stay at Home Order issued by the Governor today. Since the first Stay at Home Order was issued in March of this year, we have focused on education and voluntary compliance, with criminal enforcement measures being an extreme last resort. We trust in the community and rely on people to assess risk and take precautions as appropriate.”