LA's Covid-19 'explosion': overwhelmed hospitals, struggling workers, shuttered restaurants

[marmar]

(Guardian UK) Los Angeles is facing an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations as the region backtracks on reopening before a major holiday weekend.

LA county broke records in recent days with worrying coronavirus outbreaks and fatality rates – the county reported three straight days of more than 2,100 new cases.

Worried the Fourth of July weekend may exacerbate the crisis, local health leaders have responded with an indefinite ban on indoor dining in restaurants, the partial closure of beaches, the shutdown of museums, and a new mask mandate for gyms.

Los Angeles had halted to a close in March, seeing rare traffic-free freeways, deserted boardwalks and beaches and a shuttered film industry. Residents poured into the streets for massive police protests in May, and the region’s economy slowly started to pick up, with businesses opening and Hollywood discussing how to resume. But the rising numbers have sparked fear of a turning tide.

Coronavirus cases are up across the state, with hospitalizations due to Covid-19 increasing 56% in just two weeks and some counties nearing surge capacity. Experts in LA are also particularly worried about a spike in hospitalizations, warning the county could run out of intensive care unit hospital beds within weeks. Across the county, there have been increasing delays for testing appointments despite the increasing jump in cases. ..........(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/03/los-angeles-covid-19-surge-homeless-immigrants

[Hekate]

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