Gyms, zoos, museums, day camps and more reopen in LA County
By Sam Catanzaro
On the same day gyms, museums, day camps and more reopen, Los Angeles County leaders reported one of the highest daily counts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)–over 1,500 cases.
On Friday, June 12 the following opened in Los Angeles County for use: Gyms and fitness facilities; pro-league arenas without live audiences; day camps, museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums; campgrounds, RV parks and outdoor recreation; music, film and television production; hotels for leisure travel. Employees and visitors to these businesses will need to wear a cloth face covering when around other people and practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet at all times.
Also on June 12, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reported 20 new deaths and 1,633 new cases of COVID-19, one of the highest single-day tallies.
“We continue to watch the indicators on our recovery dashboard to understand how COVID-19 is affecting our communities and our capacity to treat people who may become seriously ill. Our day-to-day actions have a huge impact on our progress and our recovery journey, so please continue to practice physical distancing and wearing cloth face coverings when you are out and around others. As more businesses reopen, these continue to be the tools we have for slowing the spread of the virus and preventing serious illness and deaths,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
To date, Public Health has identified 70,476 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 2,832 deaths. 322 cases have been reported among Santa Monica residents.
In a June 11 interview with KCRW’s Madeleine Brand, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger acknowledged that COVID-19 is a concern but also cited residents’ mental health as an issue that needs to be balanced as well.
“Obviously, COVID is of great concern, but I’m also seeing it hit people as it relates to mental health — not knowing if they’re going to have a job when they come back,” Barger said. “So we need to balance both. We need to get the county up and open again, recognizing that people are going to have to continue to practice social distancing.”
