As of this Thursday, Los Angeles County officially advances to the yellow level of the state plan after showing a significant reduction in COVID infections – 19.
This means that capacity limits will increase significantly in many businesses, stadiums and allow venues such as bars and saunas to open in the
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced that the infection rate fell from 1.9 to 1.6 for every , 000 inhabitants in a period of two weeks, which is required by the state for the reopening of a safe economy.
The news has been received with great eagerness, especially for people who want to return to their favorite places after more than a year of being absent.
Among them are baseball fans who already have the opportunity to enjoy the game outdoors with more people; For example, Dodger Stadium has been allowed to increase its capacity from 33% to 67% below the yellow level.
Tony Meza Jr. has two young children who have instilled a love of baseball. Meza indicated that the last time they went to a Dodgers game was in October 2019 for the playoffs.
“It was exciting and spectacular, so my family and I are very excited to be back at the stadium soon,” Meza said. “We miss the excitement of the game and the experience.”
Meza said he feels very comfortable with the approved capacity, adding that he has no doubt that the Dodgers organization will take appropriate protective measures to protect to her fans.
Another fan is Evelyn Zamora-Gaona who already has her tickets to attend a game against the Mariners next week at Dodger Stadium.
“They just opened a ‘vaccination zone’ that my husband and I are going to make the most of! “, She indicated excited.
Zamora-Gaona said she is a little nervous to know that capacity is increasing in businesses and large places such as stadiums, but understands that it is part of the new” normal “After having been sheltered for so long.
” As summer approaches and the children are on vacation, there is nothing like going to see a ball game, “said Zamora- Gaona.
He added that they also hope to see their relatives more often after 15 months of separation to spend quality time.
The reopening plan under the yellow level will allow gyms, game rooms, warehouses and breweries increase indoor capacity by 50%, compared to 25% that had low orange level; bars may open indoors at 25% and amusement parks may allow 35%.
Meza said that among other plans he has after the reopening It is to be able to travel by land within the country, perhaps visit other cities, go on a picnic and discover new places with the family.
We must not lower our guard
Although portends a better future due to the low rate of infections, hospitalizations and mortality, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said residents need to continue to adhere to basic infection control measures.
These include wearing mouth covers, social distancing, and vaccinations.
“These standard public health practices remain essential until we have many more people vaccinated.” Ferrer said before the jun Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday.
Supervisor Hilda Solís indicated that although the yellow level is encouraging, precautions remain in place and there is still much work to be done.
On Tuesday 18 new deaths from COVID – 19, after two consecutive days without deaths. The health authorities indicated that those two days were attributed to delays in the weekend reports.
The latest data reports that for the 30 As of April, just over 8 million doses of vaccine had been administered in Los Angeles County, including approximately 5 million first doses and 3 million of second doses.
So far it is estimated that the 37% of the Los Angeles County population is fully vaccinated. This includes the 65% of residents of 65 years or older.
However, people like Meza and his wife, who have not been vaccinated, said they were concerned about the vaccine due to the rapidity with the that was created.
“We believe this vaccine was rushed and there have been several problems so far,” Meza said. “We will wait until the end of this year and then make an intelligent decision.”
On the other hand, Zamora-Gaona said that she and her husband Adrián Gaona were vaccinated in March, mainly because her husband is immunosuppressed and to protect both of them.
“Now that we are fully vaccinated, we can spend more time with more family and friends who are also fully vaccinated,” said Zamora-Gaona.
It is estimated that to obtain herd immunity around 80% of Los Angeles County residents would have to be vaccinated.
Ferrer explained that there is a small group of people who really do not want to be vaccinated and asked that they take their time to make the best decision. He asserted that the urgency is because the more people are vaccinated, the lower the risks of the variants of the covid – 19 can attack.
“But we are not here to force people to get vaccinated,” said Ferrer. “We are here to present a wealth of information that will help you see and understand how powerful these vaccines are and how much difference they make.”