California counties are blocked due to an increase in COVID-19 cases

Los Angeles—California’s coronavirus surge has caused so many hospitalizations and deaths that normally stoic public health officials in metropolitan areas urge, plead, and weep people to pay attention to safety rules. did.

Los Angeles County has a population of up to 10 million, with a “catastrophic increase in deaths” from about 12 per day in mid-November to an average of 43 per day this week, county health said. Barbara Ferrer, director general, said Wednesday. ..

“More than 8,000 people who were the beloved members of the family haven’t returned,” Feller said in a choking voice. She called the death “an immense loss to their friends, family and community.”

The county reported that as of Wednesday, 3,299 people were hospitalized for the virus, 23% of whom were in the intensive care unit. Hospitalization for the new COVID-19 is approaching 500 a day, and health officials estimate that it could jump to 700 a day by next week.

The county, along with the San Joaquin Valley, is part of a huge Southern California region that includes more than 60% of the state’s 40 million inhabitants. Last week, the two regions ordered to comply with the strictest anti-COVID-19 rules under a new state stay-at-home order aimed at preventing hospitals from being overwhelmed by limiting infectious contact. Was done.

In counties in the San Joaquin Valley region, intensive care units became full this week, and hospitals needed to consider alternatives to treat patients in need of the most care.

In Santa Clara County, San Francisco Bay Area, about 50 ICU beds were available for a population of about 2 million.

As of 11:59 pm on Thursday, 13 other counties in Northern California are subject to restrictions such as closing meals in outdoor restaurants alongside hair and nail salons and reducing the number of retail customers. I will. More than 85% of ICU beds in the Greater Sacramento area are full, the State Public Health Service announced Wednesday. The limit lasts until at least January 1st.

Public health officials have accused the surge of people ignoring safety rules and social distances for wearing masks, except for people in their households. They expressed concern that COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations would continue to skyrocket as people ignore the curfew to get together for vacations.

One says that the strictest restrictions since the spring blockade will ruin them after seeing customers avoiding public places for nearly a year due to the fear of COVID-19 and the restrictions of repetitive repetition. Faced with rebellion from the department’s business owner. ..

Some small counties have highlighted the idea of ​​breaking away from the five huge areas they were located in. Officials in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County in northwestern Los Angeles sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday seeking permission to form a new Central Coast area if ICU beds remain above 15%. I did.

They argued that less populated counties should not be grouped together with metropolitan areas.

Placer County is located in the Sacramento metropolitan area, including the state capital and the ski slopes of Lake Tahoe. However, the county itself has about 20% ICU capacity while their area is heading for blockade.

“Companies are not a major contributor to the COVID-19 epidemic in Placer County,” said Bonnie Gore, chairman of the Supervisory Board, in a statement. “Companies and restaurants are innovative and aggressive, but again we face another blockade …. The lives of our friends and neighbors are not barter tips to force people into compliance. . “

The state apparently paid attention to the backlash against some of the state’s orders to close the outdoor playground. Critics argued that it would harm the children who cooperated and said there was little evidence that the virus had spread to the structure of the playground.

The state on Wednesday said the playground could remain open to “promote the health and wellness of physically separated individuals through outdoor exercise.”

The city was also dealing with an overflowing ICU. Dr. Grant Corfax, San Francisco’s chief health official, urged people to follow health guidelines by staying home when possible, or to face the potential for as many as 1,500 deaths by spring.

“Frankly, we have one chance to turn around this serious surge, and this is now,” Corfax pleaded Wednesday. “The window is getting narrower and closing faster.”

Some counties in the San Francisco Bay Area have chosen to implement their own state-independent voluntary orders. Monterey County joined the group on Wednesday and carried out its own blockade until January 11, the latest end date for current orders.

__

Thompson reported from Sacramento. Associated Press writers Johnny Har and Daisy Nguyen of San Francisco and John Anchak of Los Angeles contributed to this report.