COUNTY FIRED UP FOR THE HOLIDAY
As celebrations return, officials urge caution with pyrotechnics and at gatherings
Private backyard barbecues, make way for raucous public gatherings.
Public celebrations are back on the calendar for today, with Los Angeles County residents eager for Fourth of July celebrations a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced most people to stay at home. As celebrations started Saturday, officials continued to raise concerns about a recent uptick in cases and the spread of the enduring delta variant.
Free of most pandemic-era restrictions, revelers packed parks and pools. They gathered with neighbors and family and strangers. They handed over cash for safe-and-sane fireworks, even as officials plead with the public not to shoot off pyrotechnics and to report people who do.
The coronavirus hasn’t disappeared, though, as county health officials reported 644 new cases of COVID-19 and seven additional deaths on Saturday.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 inched up from 275 on Friday to 278, with the number of COVID-19 patients in ICU units in the county dropping from 72 to 70, according to state figures.
County public officials didn’t tell residents not to celebrate in public, but they continued to urge “common sense” precautions.
“While the most important thing is to get vaccinated, it is sensible when you go indoors to a place and you don’t know everyone’s vaccination status, to put on a face covering to maximize protection for everyone. If you are not fully vaccinated, you must wear your mask in all indoor public settings,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement Friday.
Two weeks ago, state and local officials lifted most pandemic-era restrictions as COVID-19 levels dipped to their lowest levels of the 18-month outbreak. But L.A. County’s daily coronavirus count has inched upward over the past week, spurring more calls for residents to get vaccinated and exercise caution over the long weekend.
The numbers, while climbing, are still much lower than the levels of the summer and winter surges, the deadliest and most severe days of the pandemic.
While many people are returning to work, to shopping centers and to public gatherings, many are still wearing face coverings and engaging in social distancing when possible.
Many county residents attended an array of Saturday gatherings as the holiday weekend rolled in:
•The Hollywood Bowl returned to its full holiday glory, planning an aerial display after Kool & The Gang performed.
• In Long Beach, people filled local parks and showed up for the Big Bang on the Bay — snatching up all the tickets for the event at the Boathouse on the Bay that featured fireworks, a vintage aircraft flyover and a sailing regatta. The proceeds benefitted Children Today and other local charities.
• In the South Bay, events included the Village Runner Independence Day 5K run, which also featured the Firecracker Dash for the Gold for kids.
• In the San Gabriel Valley, Duarte planned a fireworks show, and Walnut hosted a drive-thru celebration with a twist: Those who decorated their cars for the holiday were entered in a contest. LaVerne rolled out its “United We Stand” parade.
• In the San Fernando Valley, Moorpark planned to unleash fireworks a day early as its annual show returned, accompanied by other local events.
Officials urge you to wear a face covering in public places if you are not vaccinated, indoors or out.
And public health experts recommend that everyone wear masks indoors in public places when you don’t know everyone’s vaccination status.
Officials also reaffirmed their concerns over illegal fireworks.
“With us facing another year of extreme drought conditions, we’re extremely concerned about the potential of large brush fires,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said on Friday. “Last year on the Fourth of July, the L.A. City Fire Department responded to 429 more emergency incidents than our daily average,” Terrazas said. “These calls were caused by fireworks and included a significant fire in an apartment building in Northridge that displaced more than 50 residents.”
Los Angeles County Acting Deputy Fire Chief Vince Pena said county firefighters responded to 39 incidents “directly-related and sparked by fireworks” during the week before and the week after the Fourth of July last year.
Pena said fire crews also responded to 14 injuries on Independence Day 2020, including hand injuries that caused amputations and disfigurement.
Along with the risk of fire and injury, officials warn of the impact on air quality throughout the region. The South Coast Air Quality Management District warned Friday of potentially poor air quality that could have negative health effects, and noted that the air quality on July 4-5 is typically among the worst of the year.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles held its first fireworks buyback program, which was initiated by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, which resulted in more than a quarter-ton of pyrotechnics being removed from the streets.
Department of Animal Services encourages pet owners to microchip their animals ahead of the Fourth of July weekend and make sure all pets wear ID tags, as animals commonly become lost while trying to escape the loud noises from fireworks. Along with the risk of burns and injuries, some pets may ingest fireworks. The department suggests keeping animals indoors and in an enclosed room if possible.