LA County indoor nail salons clear to open; but not til Monday in Long Beach

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Following through on efforts to reopen more sectors of the economy while still combating the Coronavirus, Los Angeles County health officials said Thursday nail salons can resume indoor operations right away at 25% of capacity.

Card rooms can reopen with outdoor operations only beginning Monday, minus food and beverage service. Indoor shopping malls can open their doors Wednesday, also at 25% of capacity, but food courts must remain closed. Nail salons that reopen indoors were encouraged to continue offering outdoor service as much as possible.

Health officials said they are still working with county attorneys to finalize plans for the reopening outdoor beverage service — with food sold by third-party providers — at breweries and wineries. That process is expected to be “completed in a week,” according to the county.

Outdoor playgrounds can open at the discretion of individual cities, but visitors over age two must wear face coverings and adult supervision and physical distancing will be required.

Schools that want to provide in-person instruction for students in pre-kindergarten through second-grade can submit applications to the county for waivers beginning Monday. Waivers will be limited to 30 schools per week, with priority given to campuses in the generally lowest-income areas.

Schools that are granted waivers will have to limit groups of students to no more than 12, and no more than two supervising adults in each classroom. Those teacher-student groups must remain together for the entire day “for all activities,” according to the county.

Complete safety protocols for all reopening businesses will be posted on the county’s website. Public health director Barbara Ferrer said Wednesday strict adherence to the protocols is essential to ensuring infection control and the continues operations of the businesses.

Ferrer noted Wednesday that the county was moving ahead with the openings despite seeing a recent uptick in daily COVID-19 case numbers and the local transmission rate. She warned in a statement Thursday that if health officials see a sudden rise in virus case numbers, “our recovery journey may need to slow down.”

The city of Long Beach, which has its own health department separate from the county, announced its own reopening protocols, varying slightly from the county. The revised Long Beach health order will allow nail salons to reopen indoors at 25% capacity, but not until Monday.

Long Beach will reopen playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment beginning Monday.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Thursday announced 35 new Coronavirus-related deaths, while Long Beach reported three more fatalities. The new deaths lifted the countywide cumulative total to 6,613.

The county announced another 1,148 Coronavirus cases, while Long Beach reported 53 and Pasadena health officials announced 19. The cumulative countywide number of cases confirmed since the pandemic began rose to 271,443.

There were 746 people hospitalized due to the virus as of Thursday in Los Angeles County, excluding Long Beach and Pasadena. The hospitalization figure, which is down dramatically from the roughly 2,200-patient average in July, has been rising steadily this week.

As of Thursday, the following areas reported COVID-19 cases and deaths:

• Palmdale: 4,188 cases and 75 deaths.

•Lancaster: 3,499 cases and 58 deaths (includes cases associated with correctional facility outbreaks).

• Lake Los Angeles: 239 cases and four deaths.

• Quartz Hill: 182 cases and 11 deaths.

•Sun Village: 166 cases and two deaths.

• Littlerock/Pearblossom: 94 cases and no deaths.

• Littlerock: 85 cases and one death.

• Acton: 72 cases and two deaths.

• Agua Dulce: 28 cases and no deaths.

• Pearblossom/Llano: 24 cases and one death.

• Leona Valley: 19 cases and no deaths.

• Littlerock/Juniper Hills: Nine cases and no deaths.

•Llano: Three cases and no deaths.