The July 4 holiday could be a return to relative normalcy for the millions of residents in California's largest county

Los Angeles County Expects to Reopen July 4

Los Angeles plans to reopen on July 4.

Photo:
VALERIE MACON / AFP / Getty Images

The most recent goal of Los Angeles County authorities is reopen the economy more fully by July 4, Government officials said Tuesday during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

The mission is to safely reopen retail businesses, restaurants, and shopping malls. But to reach that goal, the process will be slow.

The date was revealed Tuesday in a press release issued by the president of the Board of Supervisors, Kathryn Barger, following the second meeting of the Los Angeles County Economic Resilience Task Force, a group comprised of the Board of Supervisors and leaders from different industries throughout the county.

"We have to do a lot of things right so we can get to that date," said the Los Angeles County director of public health. Barbara Ferrer. "I think the reality is that we are really going to work together to get there as quickly as possible, but we are going to pay attention to the data and the science."

Several business leaders lamented the cost that the coronavirus pandemic has placed on the economy, burdening business owners and employees with loss of work and wages, during the Board of Supervisors meeting.

Los Angeles County is the epicenter of coronavirus cases in California, with more than 1,900 deaths.

As a result, officials have long said that Reopening the economy will be more difficult here than in other less affected parts of the state. The idea is to prevent a reopening that happens too quickly and causes more people to become ill with COVID-19.

While deaths remain a major problem, authorities have said other important measurements to decide on reopening, such as hospitalizations, have decreased.

The news of the possible economic reopening coincides with the announcement by county health officials. Another bleak milestone in the coronavirus pandemic: 76 new deaths and 1,183 new confirmed cases.

Los Angeles County is currently in phase two of its economic reopening plan.

Currently, most retail stores and restaurants allow for sidewalk pickup, trails and parks have been reopened and active recreation on beaches is allowed. Facial masks are still required, maintaining social detachment, and even gatherings are not allowed in the county.

With information from the Los Angeles Times and The Hollywood Reporter

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