A new announcement has just been made regarding when L.A County will officially be reopening. It appears that L.A. County is now looking to lift restrictions sooner, despite previously stating that lockdown orders would last through all of July, as it is now being reported that opening the economy could arrive just in time for the 4th of July.
Los Angeles County officially targets the busiest holiday of the summer, the 4th of July, for a “safe reopening” of all businesses and the economy. Kathryn Barger, Board of Supervisors chairwoman, reveals the announcement via press release following a recent meeting of the L.A. County Economic Resiliency Task Force. By July 4th, the goal is to successfully implement a “full or staged” reopening of all businesses, such as retail, restaurants and malls, and other areas of the local economy that have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus outbreak.
Barger explained the new reopening goal, saying:
“The economic and sociological impacts created by the COVID-19 shutdown have hurt our vulnerable populations the most. The County, in partnership with our Task Force members and key stakeholders, is prepared to move forward with recommendations that ensure the safety and well-being of employees and customers while safeguarding public health.”
Upon hearing Barger’s reopening plans, L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer offered her honest opinion about how reopening cans safely be achieved. Ferrer stated that “we’re all aiming for that date but in order to get there safely, we have to do a lot of things right. It’s always helpful for us to have a target date in mind. If we all do our part, that’s certainly a goal we can reach.”
To date, L.A. County has seen 1 million unemployment claims filed and that 75% of projected job losses are from individuals who make less than $50,000 per year in areas such as restaurants and retail companies.
