Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered bars in Los Angeles County and six other counties to close on Sunday, citing rising COVID-19 cases. It advised leaders in eight others to close bars.
L.A. County bars were only allowed to re-open a week ago last Friday. The county cleared them along with tattoo parlors, nail salons, and a handful of other businesses.
Newsom said that COVID-19 was “growing stronger,” in some parts of the state,” and said it was “critical we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in the counties that are seeing the biggest increases,” according to the L.A. Times.
The order affects bars that sell alcohol but do not serve food. Those that do serve food are subject to either dine-in rules or limited to takeout and outdoor dining, according to the Times.
L.A. County and the other counties ordered to shutter bars were a state watchlist for growing case numbers for more than 14 days. The state only advised counties to close bars if they were on the watchlist for three to 14 days.
The 2,542 new cases of COVID-19 reported in L.A. County on Sunday was the second-highest total of new cases since the pandemic began in March. The county’s Department of Public Health also reported 20 deaths on Sunday.
Meanwhile, New York City was on track to restart indoor dining on July 6, but both Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have suggested they could push that date further. [LAT] — Dennis Lynch