As Los Angeles continues to see fewer new cases of COVID-19, the county will move into the less restrictive orange tier on Monday, April 5, as part of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The move comes as the county’s case rate dropped from 3.7 new cases per 100,000 residents to 3.1 new cases per 100,000 residents since moving into the red tier on March 8. As of April 1, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 53 new deaths and 757 new cases of COVID-19. In Beverly Hills, there have been 2,599 cases of COVID-19 and 32 deaths. To date, the agency has identified 1,220,246 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 23,189 deaths.
Under the orange tier, additional business in Beverly Hills and throughout the county will be able to reopen. Examples include bars without meal service, which can reopen for outdoor operations. Breweries and wineries may now reopen indoor operations with modifications in place. Cardrooms, gyms, fitness centers and yoga studios may open indoor operations with a maximum occupancy to 25 percent, and museums, zoos and aquariums may increase indoor occupancy to 50 percent. Hair salons, barbershops and personal care services can increase to 75 percent occupancy–with red tier modifications for indoor and outdoor operations still in place across all sectors, such as masking requirements and social distance. Grocery and retail stores can increase maximum occupancy to 75 percent, and restaurants, movie theaters and places of worship may increase indoor maximum occupancy to 50 percent or 200 people, whichever is fewer. Additionally, family entertainment centers can reopen indoor operations with a maximum occupancy of 25 percent.
On March 31, Public Health reported more than 4,000,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of those vaccinated, 1,323,686 people received second doses. This week, a total of 378,400 vaccine doses were allocated to the County. Last week, the county received 279,000 doses, and only 6,000 of those were the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This week, the county received 54,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
On March 31, Mickey Fine Pharmacy on N. Roxbury Drive announced the first receipt of a weekly shipment of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, Mickey Fine is scheduling appointments for April 1, April 2, April 7, April 8 and April 9.
Beginning April 1, any resident between the ages of 50 through 64 is eligible for the vaccine, even if they don’t have a qualifying medical condition, disability or work in an eligible sector. Public Health estimates that of the two million people within this age group living in Los Angeles County, 631,000 have already received at least one dose of vaccine as of March 27. This week, an additional 1.4 million LA County residents became eligible to be vaccinated.
Starting April 15, any resident of Los Angeles County who is 16 or older will be eligible to receive the vaccine. Of the five million residents who fall in this age group, Public Health estimates that one million have already been vaccinated with at least one dose.
This will be the largest number of people becoming eligible at once since the vaccination efforts began in mid-December.
To learn more or make an appointment, visit www.VaccinateLACounty.com. As a reminder, vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.
To stay informed on the latest COVID-19 news, visit beverlyhills.org/coronavirus or call the city’s COVID-19 hotline Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 310-550-4680.
