Indoor Operations Halted Again at Pasadena’s Gyms, Hair and Nail Salons and Churches as COVID-19 Cases Mount

The governor again imposed restrictions on businesses including gyms, churches, hair salons, personal care services, indoor malls, tattoo shops and offices for non-essential workers throughout all of Los Angeles County Monday as COVID-19 continued to spread through the county and the state at an alarming rate.

The governor’s order also bars “all events and gatherings… unless specifically allowed by the Order,” a county statement said.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 2,593 new detected infections and 13 new deaths on Monday. The county has seen 136,129 COVID-19 cases and 3,822 deaths, in all.

Officials said 2,056 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in L.A. County on Monday.

Twenty-eight percent of them were being treated in intensive care units, and 20 percent — or 411 patients — were on ventilators.

“We continue to see increased numbers of new cases and hospitalizations,”  L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said.

“We must take this opportunity to get back to slowing the spread, but to do so, we need everyone’s help,” Ferrer said. “Please find ways to enjoy and celebrate summer only with those from your household, wear your face covering when out and wash your hands frequently.”

In Pasadena, health officials reported 27 new infections and no new deaths on Monday, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

The city has recorded 1,544 COVID-19 cases in all, and 100 deaths. Fifty-four COVID-19 patients were being treated at Huntington Hospital, according to hospital data.

“New cases are occurring among people who are working and people who are socializing,” Derderian said. “The things we need to do as a community to stop the spread of COVID-19 now, are: Businesses must adhere to public health protocols to reduce risk in worksites, and workers must follow those protocols carefully, to stay protected.”

“Single people and families that are now getting together socially are putting themselves, their loved ones, and our communities at risk. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is still here, and spreading more than ever,” she said. “People must interact only with the people they live with, and not have parties with friends or even extended family, because we are seeing people get sick from these kinds of gatherings.”

Infection rates among patients under 40 have been on a sharp rise over recent weeks, according to local and county officials.

While younger people are at lesser risk of dying from the virus, “they can still become very ill and even hospitalized,” Derderian said. “If they have mild or asymptomatic illness, they can unknowingly spread the virus to others that they care about.”

County-wide, “Testing results are available for over 1,338,000 individuals with 9 percent of all people testing positive,” according to the county statement. Last week, officials reported that the seven-day average positivity rate had exceeded 10 percent.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced 8,358 new infections in the state on Monday. The seven-day average for new cases was 8,211. Twenty-three new deaths were reported by state officials.

The state’s total cases stood at 329,162, and the COVID-19 death toll in California had reached 7,040.

Los Angeles County accounted for 41 percent of all the COVID-19 cases detected in California and 54 percent of all the deaths in the state as of Monday, data showed.

The state’s positivity rate averaged 7.4 percent over the previous seven days, Newsom said.

Meanwhile, L.A. County Department of Public Health on Monday also announced a “roadmap” to help guide the reopening of K-12 schools.

“Developed in consultation with more than 500 stakeholders, the protocols are intended to serve as a roadmap for school districts as they plan how to reopen with as much safety as possible for students, teachers, staff and their families,” according to the county statement.

“The protocols do not authorize schools to reopen for in person classroom instruction. School re-openings will be guided by the state and by each school district’s decision on how to best configure learning opportunities during the pandemic, considering the levels of community transmission and what the science tells us about the risks,” the statement said. “For those schools that re-open their campuses, they will need to adhere to the public health and safety requirements detailed in the protocol released today.”

The Pasadena Unified School District recently confirmed it was readying an online-only curriculum plan in case the situation does not warrant reopening school physically by the targeted Aug. 17 reopening date. Previously, district officials had said they planned to move forward with a mixed approach, involving distance learning and in-person instruction. But that plan was announced just as COVID-19 cases throughout the region and the state began to surge.