City Coronavirus Enforcement Won’t Focus Only on Restaurants

City officials will take a number of steps in their efforts to lower the city’s rising daily COVID-19 case rate. 

According to Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian, the city will increase its enforcement throughout the city regarding large gatherings and continue to track and monitor transmissions.

“We recognize the dramatic increase in cases looking at various contributors,” Derderian said on Tuesday.

The city’s increased enforcement will not just focus on local restaurants, which are at the center of an unrelated health order in Los Angeles County. 

Locally, the City Council has approved appropriations for outdoor in-person dining, including money for barriers.

Beleaguered restaurateurs have been forced to invest in plexiglass barriers, tents and other items to allow in-door dining to continue.

LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Pasadena and Altadena, said on Monday that according to estimates by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. approximately 700,000 food industry jobs could be lost, with 75 percent of those losses affecting workers earning $50,000 or less annually.

“Public Health has reported that only between 10 to 15 percent of positive cases reported dining out with someone who tested positive, while more than 50 percent reported being at a private social gathering with someone who tested positive,” a news release from Barger stated.

Pasadena’s enforcement will also center on large gatherings. In one recent case, three households held a block party which resulted in spreading the virus. 

Despite local media reports linking Pasadena to the L.A. County health order, the city has its own Health Department and is not bound to health orders issued by the county. 

According to Derderian, the city Health Department allows more leverage in health orders, although the city maintains relationships with the L.A. County Health Department and regularly communicates and coordinates with officials there. 

Pasadena became the second city to incorporate in L.A. County in 1886. In 1892, the city started its own Health Department, Manual Carmona, Pasadena deputy health director, told Pasadena Now earlier this year.

Soon after that, just about every city had some type of health department. Most of the cities eventually ceded to the county as its Health Department grew and took control.

Pasadena, Long Beach, Berkeley, and Vernon have all maintained their own health departments.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, City Manager Steve Mermell said he has received inquiries about the city closing restaurants after a TV report incorrectly linked Pasadena restaurants to the pending L.A. County order.

“We are not defying L.A. County health,” Derderian said. “Our Health Department is following the data and science, and that’s what is guiding Pasadena.”

On Monday, the city reported 31 new infections and one new death. To date, 3,405 local residents have been infected by the virus and 132 people have died. 

City officials said on Monday that as of now there are no plans to return to the Safer-At-Home order that placed everything on lockdown in March, except for local businesses. 

“Right now, we don’t expect any new orders, but we are concerned about this trend, that the trend is going up and it’s going up really fast,’’ said Dr. Ying Ying Goh, who leads the city’s Health Department. 

“We are going to keep following the data very closely. We’re going to be coordinating with the state and with the other jurisdictions in L.A. County, and we’re going to do what we have to do to protect our whole community.

“[But] at this time, there are no additional orders, including no order for the closure of on-site restaurant dining,” Goh said.

Derderian said the city will review its health orders and continue to enforce the business curfew, which prohibits local businesses from operating between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. until Dec.21. 

“The city of Pasadena will continue to assess our COVID numbers and work closely with Huntington Hospital and give as much advance notice as possible if the city’s order is going to change in any respect,” Derderian said.

A statement released by the city Tuesday afternoon listed some of the rules already in place for Pasadena businesses:

• Retail store occupancy may not exceed 25% of maximum capacity (as defined by the Fire Code). This capacity limit was previously established by the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy for local health jurisdictions in counties in Purple Tier 1.

• Limitations on gatherings are still in place: people are permitted to gather outdoors with no more than 2 other households, for 2 hours or less, with all attendees wearing face coverings and maintaining a physical distance of 6 feet or more between households.

• Sports competitions, such as softball and soccer games, are still not permitted.

• Non-essential offices must remain closed for in-person operations and only conduct work remotely, as previously established by the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

The new restrictions in Pasadena as of November 20 are as follows:

• Personal care services that require either the customer or the staff to remove their face covering, such as facials, shaves, and threading are not permitted. All public health protocols must continue to be followed for other personal care services, including a requirement for services to be offered by appointment only, and as many services as possible provided outdoors.

• Personal care services are now limited to 25% maximum capacity (as defined by the Fire Code).

• Gatherings must meet the limitations stated above (outdoor, 2 hours or less, with face coverings worn and physical distancing between households) and may not exceed a total of 15 people from 3 or fewer households.

• Restaurants, breweries and bars must cease service in their on-site, outdoor dining areas as of 10 p.m. and close their on-site dining areas thereafter until 5 a.m.

For additional information please call the Citizen Service Center, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at (626) 744-7311.