Passover, Easter prompt concerns
L.A. officials urge caution as virus rebounds back East.
Los Angeles County public health authorities are urging people to remain vigilant in observing coronavirus protocols when traveling or socializing during the spring holidays, cautioning that other states are seeing a rise in cases.
The county reported 538 new coronavirus cases and one related death Sunday. There are 669 people in the county hospitalized with COVID-19; 25% of them are in intensive care.
The figures reflect an undercount due to delays in reporting over the weekend. There were 692 COVID-19 patients in hospitals Friday, a decline of about 30% from two weeks before, officials reported.
Passover began Saturday, and Easter is in one week, prompting health officials to urge the public to take precautions. Indoor gatherings of up to three households are permitted by public health rules, provided people are wearing masks and distancing if any aren’t fully vaccinated. But even small parties carry risk, officials said.
Although California’s numbers continue to decline, health officials are concerned about an uptick in COVID-19 cases in several states, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida.
“We are so close, perhaps only several months away from having enough people vaccinated to accelerate our reopening without adverse effects,” Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County’s public health director, said Saturday in a statement. “However, we remain quite concerned with reports of rising cases of COVID and hospitalizations in a growing number of states. We know the virus does not respect borders.”