| (November 23, 2020, 2:05 p.m.) -- The August 2020-organized Long Beach Restaurant Association has issued a release responding to the Nov, 22 announcement by LB Health Officer, Dr. Anissa Davis (paralleling an announcement by LA County's Health Officer just hours earlier) indicating that she will amend LB's current COVID-19 order to prohibit for at least three weeks (effective Nov. 25, 10 p.m.) in-person dining (indoor or outdoor) in restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars.
The LB Restaurant Association's release says there's no scientific proof that socially distant outdoor dining has increased community spread of COVID-19 and said the City's Health Dept. "looked for an easy target" to blame for the virus' spread. It said the result "will dramatically impact not only small business owners but thousands of LB area restaurant workers. The group urged the City of LB Health Dept, which is legally independent of LA County's Health Dept., to meet with unspecified "real stakeholders in the hospitality industry," including the LBRA and "reconsider its actions." LBREPORT.com publishes LBRA's Nov,. 23 release text in full below. [LBRA Nov. 23 release text] -- The Long Beach Restaurant Association ("LBRA") is extremely disheartened to learn of the revised order issued by the County and in turn, the City of Long Beach Health Department, that will now close outdoor dining. We are disappointed that the County of Los Angeles and the City of Long Beach would take such drastic actions without consultation with members of the restaurant industry. Against the backdrop of the upcoming Holidays, these recent actions will dramatically impact not only small business owners but the THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYEES that work in Long Beach area restaurants. [Scroll down for further.] |
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In her Nov. 22 announcement, LB's Health Officer didn't provide details of her forthcoming amended order, but LA County's Dept. of Public Health has indicated the County amended order will prohibit in-person dining but will allow take-out, drive thru and delivery services and allow wineries and breweries to continue retail operations while adhering to current safety protocols. At 3 p.m. today (Nov. 23), Mayor Garcia and Health/Human Services Director Kelly Colopy are scheduled to provide a 3 p.m. livestream briefing on issues including COVID-19...but it's unclear if Mayor Garcia will field reporters' questions. For weeks, he's used the City livestream briefings to orate on various issues and then leave before reporters ask questions. (This leaves non-elected city staff, in this case Ms. Colopy or sometimes LB Health Officer Davis to respond.) LBREPORT.com plans to livestream today's City briefing on our LBREPORT.com Facebook platform.
In its Nov. 23 release, LBRA indicated it also urges the "rapid deployment" of CARES Act money "to mitigate the impact of restaurant closures " The CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) was a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020 in response to COVId-19-related economic disruptions.
As flashed on LBREPORT.com's Facebook page and LBREPORT.com's website front page, at early evening Sunday Nov. 22 Long Beach Health Officer Dr, Davis announced she will amend her current health order effective Nov. 25 at 10 p.m. to prohibit in-person dining in restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars. "As Long Beach has substantially similar data patterns to Los Angeles County with numbers currently at alarming levels, the City will be aligning with the County to prohibit in-person dining at restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars beginning Wednesday Nov. 25 for the next three weeks, at minimum, to slow the spread of transmission [of COVID-19] in Long Beach." Dr. Davis' official statement included the following: The unprecedented rise in COVID-19 transmission rates locally, regionally and across the state is alarming in Long Beach, over the past two weeks the number of new cases has increased 200%. These increases are occurring dramatically faster than the first surge experienced during the height of the summer when we were seeing hundreds of new cases daily, overwhelming our ability to appropriately contact trace and threatening hospital capacity. With the upcoming holidays, officials are concerned that these numbers will continue to surge, similarly impacting hospitalization capacity.
As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, on Nov. 20 City of LB Health Officer Davis amended the LB's Safer at Home to parallel an LA County action imposing a 10 pm.-5 a.m. curfew "affecting all sectors, businesses and activities that are not designated an Essential Business, Essential Infrastructure or a Healthcare Operation. This includes: Lower-Risk Businesses (such as non-essential retail, limited services and activities, drive-in operations) and Higher-Risk Businesses (such as restaurants; gyms and fitness facilities; museums galleries and aquariums; personal services; nail salons; hair salons and barbershops; family entertainment centers)." LB's Health Dept. said its curfew "does not prevent people from leaving their home, lodging or temporary accommodation between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. to engage in critical activities, such as going to work, grocery shopping or walking a dog, as long as they do not engage in any interaction with (or otherwise gather with) any number of persons from any other household..."
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