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VIDEO: Mayor Garcia Cites Alarming/Unprecedented COVID-19 Increases, Says Restaurant Outdoor Dining Ban Will Hurt Some Of His Friends And Cause Workers Serious Personal and Economic Damage But Doesn't Signal Support To Reconsider Forthcoming Action, Says Important Aspect Of His Job Is To Ensure Available Hospital Beds/Ventilators And Discourage Gatherings That Can Spread Virus
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VIDEO: Mayor Garcia Cites Alarming/Unprecedented COVID-19 Increases, Says Restaurant Outdoor Dining Ban Will Hurt Some Of His Friends And Cause Workers Serious Personal and Economic Damage But Doesn't Signal Support To Reconsider Forthcoming Action, Says Important Aspect Of His Job Is To Ensure Available Hospital Beds/Ventilators And Discourage Gatherings That Can Spread Virus
LA County Public Health Dir. Ferrer signals possible "targeted" Safer At Home order less strict than original March lockdown, will discuss it Nov. 24 Bd of Supervisors meeting
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(November 24, 2020, 3:40 a.m.) -- In a City of LB Nov. 23 mid afternoon news briefing, Mayor Garcia described as alarming and unprecedented increases in COVID-19 cases with hospitalizations increasing 248% since Nov 1 (updating a 200% increase cited in a Nov. 22 City release and questioned by former Councilman Gary DeLong.)
Long Beach data show that the city's case rate trend (daily new cases) has increased to 23.1 per 100,000 population, a figure perviously in single digits.
LB's positivity rate (percentage of positive results from tests) has also risen to 5.8% from levels in the high 2's and 3's just weeks ago and in the 4's just days ago.
Mayor Garcia said the steepness of the rise and rapidity of the climb "is something we have to care about in the weeks ahead. It's not just who is in our hospitals today but the steady increase." He said area hospitals have sufficient room now to handle people who are sick "but if we keep up the current rate of growth we will be in a very dangerous position just weeks from now,"
Garcia acknowledged that some of his friends, including business owners and their workers, would be hurt by a restaurant outdoor dining ban but declined to respond to calls from the Long Beach Restaurant Association, and others, to urge LB's Health Officer's to reconsider her initial statement (Nov. 22) that she will follow LA County's lead on a forthcoming outdoor dining ban. Garcia said one of his most important jobs is to ensure hospital beds/ventilators are available to those who may need them and to discourage gatherings that could spread the virus.
[Mayor Garcia, Nov. 23, after referencing Dr. Davis' Nov. 22 statement]... I will say this has been very very hard. I know many of these restaurant owners personally. I know the workers that are working so hard to take cere of themselves and their family and it is a devastating loss for them, the workers and for our economy. The risk for them, the financial damage is serious. And we are hearbroken that we are in this health pandemic and crisis.
I also know that one of the most imporant jobs that I have and the Health Dept has is to ensure that if your mom and dad is sick that they have a hospital bed available and waiting for them at one of our hospital, that if your sister or a fmily member needs a ventilator they're available in our hospitals. And so we're seeing here in Long Beach and across the region and the County and at the state is trying to restrict the spread and encourage the wearing of masks and discouraging gatherings this coking Thanksgiving in the weeks and holidays ahead...
LB's Health Officer, who (like the City of Pasadena) can act independently from LA County's Health Department, has issued an updated order banning outdoor dining. [City Nov.. 23 evening release text] "The new Health Order prohibits on-site dining, including outdoor dining, at restaurants, brewpubs, breweries, bars, pubs, craft distilleries and wineries. Any service of food or beverages, including alcoholic beverages, where a customer remains on site to consume the food or beverages, is prohibited. Restaurants, which include brewpubs, breweries, bars, pubs, craft distilleries and wineries may operate for drive-thru, curbside, doorside or other outdoor pickup and delivery under certain conditions, which are specified in the Restaurant Protocol of the Health Order."
Earlier in the day (Nov. 23) the L.A,. County Dept. of Public Health reported its highest daily case increase to date: 6,124 new COVID-19 cases in a single day. L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, who previously signaled the possibility of return to a full lockdown similar to the "Safer at Home" March 2020 order, said her agency would work with the County Board of Supervisors to determine "additional safety modifications" including a "targeted Safer at Home" order focused on sectors and activities to be announced.
She indicated the result would be less strict than the March "Safer at Home" lockdown but didn't offer details. "This is something that will require deliberation and conversation so that we can actually mark a path forward," she said, indicating she'd bring the item to Board of Supervisors meeting tomorrow (Nov. 24.)
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During the City Nov. 23 news briefing, Mayor Garcia said that earlier in the day (Nov. 23) he took part in a virtual meeting with what he described as a "bipartisan group of Mayors" involving President-elect Biden and VP-elesct Harris. LBRFEPORT.com has learned that the virtual "meeting" was actually a media event involving multiple Mayors staged by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a privately operated membership group (Mayor's dues paid by LB taxpayers) advancing the views of its member Mayors) designed to show unity with the incoming Biden administration on a number of issues including COVID-19.
Vice President-elect @KamalaHarris and I spent the afternoon meeting with a bipartisan group of mayors. It was just the start of what I know will be a strong partnership in the months and years ahead. Together, we’re going to beat COVID-19 and build back better. pic.twitter.com/2oiKD7gxAi
This afternoon, @JoeBiden and I met with @usmayors to discuss how we’ll work together to beat COVID-19. Our nation’s mayors are at the forefront of this pandemic and deserve all the resources and support they need to succeed. pic.twitter.com/Xvm5zpUTSc
After the event, the US Conference of Mayors said in a release that responding to the health and economic crises it has created "will require a significant legislative package like the House has already passed, and we will continue to make the case for pandemic relief for families, small businesses, and cities."
However Mayor Garcia went further in the Nov,. 23 City news briefing, assuring LB residents that cities, including Long Beach, could expect substantial sums from the Biden administration to deal with the effects of COVID-19. "We do expect, with this administration, a significant recovery package that will allow us to make some strategic and serious investments back into the city and into our economy." He said President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris concurred "that this plan is in the works."
On Sunday Nov. 22, LB's Health Officer Dr, Davis announced plans to 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 Nov. 22 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.
#COVID19LongBeach HEALTH ORDER UPDATE: Official statement by Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services (LBDHHS) Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis related to the recent surge in #COVID19 cases.
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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