Los Angeles residents ordered to stay home, avoid gatherings: ‘Cancel everything’

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) is calling on residents to stay home for all but essential activities as the city saw its worst coronavirus numbers since the first wave of the pandemic in spring.

“My message couldn’t be simpler. It’s time to hunker down. It’s time to cancel everything. And if it isn’t essential, don’t do it,” Garcetti said in a briefing Wednesday afternoon.

“Don’t meet up with others outside your household. Don’t host a gathering. Don’t attend a gathering,” he added. “And following our targeted safer at home order, if you’re able to stay home, stay home.”

The new year brings hope –– for vaccines and for stopping this pandemic.

But here’s the truth: we’re in for a long, hard winter.

As the worst hits us, stay home as much as you can. Cancel any non-essential activities.

Hunker down, L.A. We’ll get through this together. pic.twitter.com/6TkVsTfPzP

— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) December 2, 2020

The city revised the order Wednesday to comport with Los Angeles County’s equivalent stay-at-home order, according to ABC7, a Los Angeles-area TV station.

The city’s public golf courses, parks and beaches are still open and Angelenos remain free to buy food and seek medical care in person.

Under the order, nearly all inessential social gatherings involving people from more than one household are banned, with exceptions for activities like religious services and protests.

The county reported 5,987 new cases of the virus Wednesday, down from the record high of 7,593 the previous day. The county said Wednesday that 2,439 people are currently hospitalized.

COVID-19 Daily Update:
December 2, 2020
New Cases: 5,987 (414,185 to date)
New Deaths: 40 (7,740 to date)
Current Hospitalizations: 2,439 pic.twitter.com/wQBT0j5pFm

— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 2, 2020

Garcetti warned that at the current pace of new infections, the county expects to run out of beds between this week and Christmas.

“Our city is now close to a devastating tipping point, beyond which the number of hospitalized patients would start to overwhelm our hospital system, in turn risking needless suffering and death,” Garcetti said.