| (November 25, 2020, 6:25 a.m.) -- As followed and flashed on our Facebook platform and our front page as events occurfed, the Long Beach Health Dept. and LA County Health Depts have responded to a surge in COVID-19 cases by revising their respective Health Orders to apply additional restrictions, effective tonight (Nov. 25) at 10 p.m., including a three week prohibition on outdoor restaurant dining.
Long Beach: In Long Beach, Mayor Robert Garcia and City Councilmembers have voiced no publicly stated dissent to a Nov. 23 order by LB City Mgm't's Health Officer Dr, Anissa Davis that prohibits on-site dining, including outdoor dining, at restaurants, brewpubs, breweries, bars, pubs, craft distilleries and wineries. The new order prohibits any service of food or beverages, including alcoholic beverages, where a customer remains on site to consume the food or beveragesa. It allows restaurants (which include brewpubs, breweries, bars, pubs, craft distilleries and wineries) to operate for drive-thru, curbside, doorside or other outdoor pickup and delivery under certain conditions. The order takes effect at 10 p.m. tonight (Nov. 25.) To view the new LB Health Order in full, click here [Scroll down for further.] |
    |
On Nov. 23, Mayor Garcia acknowledged in a City webcast briefing that the restaurant outdoor dining ban will hurt some of his friends and cause workers seriou personal and economic damage but said an important aspect of his job is to ensure available hospital beds/vebntilators and discourage gathers that can spread the virus. (LBREPORT.com coverage here.
LA County (except Pasadena and Long Beach) On Nov. 24, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted 2-3 to defeat a motion by Supervisors Barger and Hahn that sought to continue outdoor restaurant dining. During Supervisors' discussion prior to the vote, Supervisor Hila Solis volunteered that LB Mayor Robert Garcia had sent her a text message urging her to "do the right thing" (but didn't say what that was or provide other details.) To hear exactly what Supervisor Solis said and didn't say (audio), click here. Supervisor Solis went on to join the Board of Supervisors majority in voting down the Barger-Hahn motion and, like other Supervisors, signaled support (at least non-opposition) to new targeted restrictions recommended by LA County Health Officer Barbara Ferrer Ph.D. that allow multiple activities at specified low levels. To hear details of County Health Dept. staff (audio), click here. Pasadena (which has an independent Health Dept. like Long Beach) has discussed but taken no voted Council action thus far to curtail its outdoor restaurant dining.
Additional background In a November 22 release, LB Health Officer Davis said that "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." During a 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). The Nov. 23 media event was designed to show unity among Mayors with the incoming Biden administration on a number of issues including COVID-19.
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." 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..."
blog comments powered by Disqus Recommend LBREPORT.com to your Facebook friends:
Follow LBReport.com with:
Contact us: mail@LBReport.com |
  
 |
