LOS ANGELES — The nation's most populous county is aiming for a July 4 reopening as public health and policy experts say the coronavirus pandemic has stabilized enough to begin economic recovery.

Los Angeles County officials set the deadline this week to reopen restaurants, malls and retail stores by Independence Day as stay-at-home orders continue to take a toll on nearly every industry, from retail to TV and film production.

"We have the epidemic under control with these lockdown orders, and we can start thinking about relaxing those orders," said Neeraj Sood, a professor and vice dean for research at the University of Southern California's Price School of Public Policy.

that we could be discussing opening many of these sectors before the Fourth of July weekend," said Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Los Angeles County, which surpassed 2,000 COVID-19 deaths Thursday, accounts for nearly half of California's 86,000 confirmed cases and deaths, according to public health officials.

According to the ongoing serology research by USC and the county health department, about 3 percent of residents have contracted the coronavirus, Sood said.

Already, more than 1 million unemployment claims have been filed in Los Angeles County since stay-at-home orders were issued in mid-March, according to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.

Los Angeles County's positive rate was hovering around 9 percent Wednesday, public health officials said

"Whatever we do will be done very cautiously and with the data provided by our health outcomes," said Hilda Solis, a member of the county Board of Supervisors