L.A. County Enters Stage 3 of Economic Re-Opening
Faced with a staggering $54 billion budget deficit and a 25 percent unemployment rate due to the COVID-19 shutdown, the Sunshine State is taking steps to gradually reopen and reinvigorate a struggling economy.
As businesses within the recreation, travel, and entertainment sectors open, the attorneys of Ellis Injury Law would like to remind everyone that our collective recovery depends on the individual actions of all of us. We encourage you to practice social distancing, wear a face covering when outside, and drive safely even with fewer cars on the road. Over the past couple of months, there has been a disturbing uptick in traffic fatalities and wrongful death cases caused by the excessive speed of drivers traveling on roads that are much emptier than usual.
Counties must meet “public health metrics” to open
Some counties will open faster than others, says Governor Gavin Newsom, who has made face masks mandatory and encourages all residents to continue social distancing.
Many California counties are in Stage 2 or 3 expansion, which allows manufacturing, retail, office workplaces, outdoor museums, some personal services, child care, and other essential businesses to open with certain modifications.
As counties meet key “public health metrics” that address the spread of coronavirus, additional sectors will be allowed to open. Those that can show fewer than 25 novel coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents over the last 2 weeks, or that fewer than 8 percent of residents over the previous 7-day period tested positive for COVID-19 can advance on the “Roadmap to Recovery.”
Los Angeles County in Stage 3 Expansion
The county of Los Angeles, originally at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, has pushed on to Stage 3 of the recovery plan, as stay-at-home orders have relaxed. While health regulators say the danger of coronavirus is still present, and safety protocols should be followed, business owners are relieved to be in the third stage of the Resilience Roadmap.
Under this framework, a number of sectors have been opened, including:
- Hotels
- Fitness facilities
- Drive-in movie theaters
- Nail salons
- Beaches and piers
- Outdoor recreation areas
- Museums
- Galleries
- Day camps
- Golf courses
- Public trails
- Campgrounds
- Zoos
- RV parks
- Libraries
- Horseback riding areas
- Professional spectator-free sports
As popular tourist destinations like Disney Land announce plans to re-open in mid-July, Los Angeles is now resuming with TV, film, and music production, which is another huge boon to the economy.
These non-essential businesses are allowed to remain open only if they engage in rigorous protocols for sanitizing, infection control, and social distancing.
As of June 24, 2020, public hot tubs, bars and nightclubs, festivals, bowling alleys, sports stadiums, and casinos are still closed in Los Angeles County.
The threat of COVID-19 is far from over, but the state of California is monitoring the pandemic closely. Thanks to its proactive stay-at-home orders, the Sunshine State was able to lessen the spike in early COVID-19 cases and extend the curve.
We Offer Free Case Reviews
If you are in need of expert personal injury representation, call Ellis Injury Law for a free, no-obligation case review. We are headquartered in Los Angeles, and have offices throughout Southern California.
Additional Resources:
- LAist, Reopening California’s Economy Was Inevitable https://laist.com/latest/post/20200615/gov-newsom-coronavirus-california-updates-covid-19
- California Government COVID 19, Resilience Roadmap https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap/
- Los Angeles Times, California is rapidly speeding up the reopening of the economy. Here’s what it means https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-19/coronavirus-california-reopening-economy-whats-next