Broader stay-at-home order is likely for L.A. County - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles County officials said they are hoping a new set of restrictions can help slow the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases but warned that a tougher stay-at-home measure will be necessary if cases keep spiking.

County health director, on Saturday said officials hope the more narrowly tailored restrictions will be sufficient to slow the spread of the coronavirus without reverting to stricter stay-at-home orders like those put in place in March.

Her comments came a day after the county issued a new COVID-19 pandemic order that prohibits most gatherings and discourages crowds, the latest in a series of desperate moves aimed at slowing coronavirus infections.

County, average daily coronavirus cases have quadrupled in recent weeks, and hospitalizations have tripled.

As a region, Southern California has one of the highest average daily coronavirus rates in the state.

Over a seven-day period before Thanksgiving, Southern California counties reported an average of 40 daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, the highest on record so far in the pandemic.

That’s more than twice as many as in the Bay Area, which reported an average of 17 daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have tripled in the last month in California and in Los Angeles County.

County is nearing its all-time high of 2,232 COVID-19 hospitalizations, seen in July.