Lakers title celebrations likely added to California's Covid-19 spike, agency says
With Los Angeles hoping to celebrate another major sports title in a matter of days, the city might be paying a price for one earlier in the month.
As the Lakers progressed through four rounds of playoffs, culminating in the NBA title on 11 October, the Los Angeles county department of health says it’s highly that fans gathering to watch the games – and then taking to the streets to celebrate – played a role in the county’s surge of Covid-19 cases.
The Dodgers, who lead the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the best-of-seven World Series, have two chances to clinch their own title, the first coming Tuesday night in Game 6. If the Rays win, Game 7 would be Wednesday night.
Going back to early October, Los Angeles county has seen its average number of new daily confirmed cases of Covid-19 rise from 900 to 1,200.
“It is impossible to determine the exact exposures that contributed to this increase,” the agency said Monday in a statement published by USA Today. “However, it is highly likely that gatherings to watch and/or celebrate the Lakers, along with any other gatherings that occurred 2-3 weeks ago where people weren’t wearing face coverings and were in close contact with each other, contributed to the rise in LA County cases.”
The traditional victory parade and organized public celebrations were not held because of the pandemic, although more than 1,000 people swarmed the area around Staples Center to celebrate the Lakers’ clinching win in Game 6.
“As fans continue to watch and celebrate the mighty LA sport teams, we are mindful that if individuals are not adhering to the health officer order requirements of distancing, infection control and masking, cases will continue to rise which, unfortunately, not only leads to increased illness and deaths, but also slows down our recovery journey,” the agency added in the statement.
The Dodgers have held drive-in events with a capacity of about 1,000 cars this postseason after Major League Baseball opted for neutral sites for the majority of the playoffs. Security has enforced social distancing during the events, with cars parked in adjoining parking lots and the game telecast projected on 60-foot screens.
A parking space between each car is left empty and people are asked to stay in their cars unless they need to use the bathroom. There are no concessions, and alcohol is prohibited.
California’s overall number of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 900,000 on Saturday, with total related deaths topping more than 17,300, according to public health officials.
Across the state’s 58 counties, Los Angeles county remains the hardest hit, with nearly 300,000 cases and 6,989 deaths.