Los Angeles County's stay-at-home orders will continue, in some form, into the summer, Barbara Ferrer, who heads the public health department, confirmed to county leaders today. She told the Board of Supervisors at Tuesday's meeting:
“We know with all certainty that we would be extending health officer orders for the next three months."
Ferrer said her department hopes to ease the current restrictions over the next three months, but said the recovery process "will be months long, based on the tools we have at-hand today."
The state and regional stay-at-home orders had an initial end date of May 15. Judging by Ferrer's comments, the order will likely extend into July or August.
In an interview with Nick Roman, who hosts our newsroom's "All Things Considered" afternoon show on 89.3 KPCC, Ferrer said extending the orders:
"Allow us to have really limitations on what opens how it opens most safely for both workers and customers, and how we can all continue to do our part. It was never meant to suggest that the order as it exists today is in effect for the next three months. We've been modifying the order since the very beginning of the time we issued the orders back in March."
Listen to the full interview:
As of Monday, there were more than 32,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in L.A. County. More than 1,500 people have died countywide.
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