Los Angeles County has given the green light for several more businesses to reopen Friday.
The list includes bars, wineries, breweries and tasting rooms, personal care services — including esthetician, skin care and cosmetology, electrology, nail salons, body art, tattoo parlors, microblading, piercing shops and massage therapy businesses — card rooms, satellite wagering facilities and racetracks without spectators.
All will be allowed to reopen if they implement the county’s requirements.
The news came as L.A. County officials announced 1,051 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to more than 78,200. Additionally, 36 more coronavirus-linked deaths were reported, sending the county’s death toll past 3,000.
As with other businesses that have recently been allowed to reopen under California’s Stage 3, including gyms, museums and zoos as of last week, face coverings will be required by staff and visitors when around other people, and social distancing practices will be mandated. In some instances, employees may be required to wear face shields.
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Jair Guido, 36, a veterinarian visiting from Durango, Mexico, right, wearing a sombrero with an American flag draped over his shoulders, walks with other pedestrians along Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. Guido said that he wore this outfit to show people that he is proud to be a Mexican and that he loves America. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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A mask-wearing skateboarder and her dog make their way along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Californians must wear face masks in public under a coronavirus order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Pedestrians, some with face coverings, some without, walk past musicians Brent Kendell, background left, and Sam Jones, background right, as they perform at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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People wear masks while walking along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Californians must wear face masks in public under a coronavirus order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Pedestrians cross the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public, following growing concerns that an increase in coronavirus cases has been caused by residents failing to voluntarily take that precaution. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Sophia Strauss, left, and Sarah Hoffmeister celebrate after their drive-through graduation from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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A man wears a mask at the Orange Circle on Thursday in Orange. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public or high-risk settings due to the coronavirus. Orange County recently eased the requirement. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Pedestrians walk along 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles Thursday. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to wear face coverings while in public or high-risk settings. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Shoppers stroll near the Orange Circle on Thursday in Orange. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public or high-risk settings due to the coronavirus. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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New West Charter School vice principal Mark Herrera shouts at graduate Joe Reid to come and receive his diploma during a drive-up graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 at the charter school in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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A worker directs drivers at a drive-up testing site for COVID-19 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium at UCLA.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Destiny VanSciner is tested for COVID-19 with an oral swab by family nurse practitioner Anniesatu Newland at a walk-in site at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center in South Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Melissa Gomes fixes the tassel on the mortarboard of Sarah Anggraini as the new graduate gets ready for a photo at Chaffey College, which held a drive-through graduation, in Rancho Cucamonga. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Maricela Moreno, manager at El Tarasco in Marina del Rey, disinfects cash at the restaurant. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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Mildred “Millie” Stratton waves to a caravan of cars led by Alhambra police officers and firefighters. The parade past her home celebrated Stratton’s 102nd birthday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Eric Larkin hands an order to Brittany Wright as she fastens her face covering outside the Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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“I would rather fend for myself than rely on the government for shelter,” says Kenny Welch, standing beneath a 110 Freeway overpass in Los Angeles. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Ed Hassan, the owner of Mr. Frost Ice Cream truck, makes his rounds in Tustin. Hassan had been on lockdown for about six weeks and took the time to repaint and reorganize his cargo van. “I thought they wanted me at home so I was at home. But there are huge demands,” he says. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
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A jogger passes Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles as local stay-at-home orders are increasingly relaxed months into the coronavirus outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Hikers and bikers traverse the Santa Fe Dam trail as county parks officially reopen to the public. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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A woman, masked against COVID-19, walks past a building that features the image of Britney Spears at a shopping center in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Manon Guijarro, a new graduate of Pierce College, has her photo taken by friend Paige Johnson at Chris Burden’s outdoor work “Urban Light” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Mary Perez, a salesperson at High Class Jewels on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, helps a customer as he tries on a gold rope chain inside the recently reopened store. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Professional dog walker Lindsay Rojas takes golden retrievers Gomez, left, and Nikki for a stroll along Le Bourget Avenue in Culver City. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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The Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team banks over downtown Los Angeles in formation to salute healthcare workers and first responders on May 15. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Maria Morales, center, a member of the USC class of 2020, participates in virtual graduation via Zoom with her brother Manny Morales, left, mom Pilar Morales and stepdad Victor Ramos from her home in Orange. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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On a recent day, there’s not a face mask in sight as a roller skater and others share the reopened walking path on the Strand in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Lorena Jimenez joins coworkers, family and friends at a candlelight vigil for Rosa Luna outside Riverside Community Hospital. Luna, 68, was a housekeeper at the hospital for 25 years before she died recently of COVID-19. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Old friends who share Iranian heritage and the Assyrian language play backgammon while enjoying one another’s company at Reseda Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Ross Curtis, right, says, “You gotta make it fun,” as he and Saul Osorio place food in vehicles at the Banc of California Stadium. The Salvation Army was distributing 2,000 boxes of food to pre-registered local Angelenos struggling due to the pandemic. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Bell Vasquez takes her son Israel, 4, for a spin while visiting the boardwalk in Venice Beach. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Olivia Craig, left, Rani Mathew, Kathy Trigueiro and Christina Moore, members of the healthcare staff of the Los Robles Health System, applaud as one of two C-130s flies over Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks in honor of healthcare providers and first responders throughout Ventura County. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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The Pasadena City Council opened the Rose Bowl Loop, allowing visitors to enjoy the popular 3-mile trail around the stadium. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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Crew members of a Hainan Airlines flight walk through the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a shuttered business in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Thousands of rental cars are stored at Dodger Stadium as the coronavirus crisis has caused rentals to nosedive. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
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Salt women’s clothing store owner Holly Boies looks out her front door at an empty Abbott Kinney Boulevard in Venice. Boies was planning to open her store for curbside pickup. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Ben, left, Julia, Luke and Ethan Brenier help their mom prepare to open the Wishing Well store in Whittier after being closed due to health restrictions. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
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A security guard gets some exercise while keeping watch on the Apple Store at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Boats pass through a channel on a hot day in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. The city was crowded by an influx of Californians amid the pandemic. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Some beachgoers actively use the beach while others relax on the sand, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s active-use-only order, in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Christine Gamez of Fullerton returns her fostered dog, Tyson, to the South L.A. animal shelter. Gamez was emotional because she could no longer continue to foster Tyson due to her current living situation. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Customers defy social distancing and the wearing of masks to stand in line at the recently opened Nomads Canteen in San Clemente. The restaurant opened its doors to dine-in services in defiance of California’s stay-at-home order. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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After making a finger prick to draw blood from a patient, Hannah Veal places the blood on an antibody testing device at a drive-through testing site behind the Westside Walk-in Clinic in Los Angeles. (Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
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Fiona Sellers, 16, makes a stew for herself and her mom at Elysian Park in Los Angeles. Sellers and her mom, who live in an RV, were using the outdoor grills to cook. She brought her laptop with her to the cooking area so that she could do online schoolwork. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones/Los Angeles Times)
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Traveling nurse Gail Cunningham waves thanks outside the emergency room entrance to Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley as residents pay tribute to her and other medical personnel with a drive-by rally. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Jaime Miranda creates an arrangement at Lupita’s Flowers in downtown Los Angeles ahead of Mother’s Day weekend. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
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From left, Calabasas residents and friends Diana Villena, with her dog, Muca; Jason Tiba; Tali Nadjar; Justin Siegal; and Hanson Dickman practice social distancing while spending time together at a park in Calabasas. They are all graduates of Calabasas High School. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Scene from the Donut Hole, the historic drive-through doughnut shop in La Puente. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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A scene from “Knives Out,” with actor Don Johnson, seen at the Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre in Montclair. Opened with one screen in 1956, the Mission Tiki expanded to four screens in 1975 and began renovation in 2006, updating to FM transmitters and digital projectors. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Amid all of the reopening plans, the number of confirmed infections continues to hit new highs in the state.
California reported 4,291 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, a new single-day record and the first time the state has broken the 4,000 barrier since the pandemic began, according to The Times’ coronavirus tracker.
Most of those — 2,129 — were in Los Angeles County, which continues to be the epicenter of the Golden State’s outbreak. Health officials said the total, a single-day high for the county, was fueled by a backlog of test results that accounted for roughly 600 of the new cases.
In the face of the growing case counts, Gov. Gavin Newsom took the dramatic step Thursday of ordering all Californians to wear face coverings while in public or high-risk settings.
“Simply put, we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered — putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the disease,” he said in a statement.
“California’s strategy to restart the economy and get people back to work will only be successful if people act safely and follow health recommendations.”
State and county health officials have consistently said they expect coronavirus case counts to rise as they lift provisions of the stay-at-home order. Since the disease spreads from person to person, any contact inherently presents some risk of transmission.
Officials have instead pointed to other metrics — such as the number of COVID-19 patients who get so sick that they need to be hospitalized.
Though some parts of California are holding up well in that respect, and coronavirus hospitalizations have been relatively flat for the last six weeks statewide, other areas have seen concerning upticks.
A recent Times analysis found an average of 91 people hospitalized in Ventura County with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections last week — the highest such number since early April and a 75% increase from each of the previous two weeks.
Orange County has experienced a 76% jump in coronavirus intensive care unit hospitalizations in the last six weeks, and the eight-county San Joaquin Valley has seen a 45% rise over that same period, data show.
State officials are monitoring particular areas of concern in 10 counties: Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Stanislaus and Tulare.
In Riverside County, the state says one of the factors fueling elevated disease transmission is “potential transmission at public protests with large numbers of people in close proximity without face coverings.”
Such demonstrations sprang up throughout Southern California and the nation in recent weeks to protest the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned his neck down with his knee.
Though a number of health officials have come out in support of the protests — saying racism is the root cause of public health disparities that date to the nation’s founding — they also urged participants to get tested for coronavirus infection.
The state also cited masks, or the lack thereof, as one of the drivers behind increasing coronavirus hospitalizations in Stanislaus County.
Specifically, state officials pointed to “decreased attention to personal protection measures such as face coverings and social distancing.”
The use of masks to stem the spread of the coronavirus has emerged as an increasingly charged topic as the state reopens. Rules regarding face coverings differ from county to county, with some requiring residents to wear them in public and others only recommending the practice.
While the state’s new requirement would seem to provide some consistency, the Newsom administration did not address how it will be enforced or whether Californians who violate the order will be subject to citations or other penalties.
The ideological battle has been particularly heated in Orange County, where the health officer resigned after weeks of attacks over her mandatory mask rules. Her replacement walked that back to a strong recommendation last week.
That hasn’t put an end to the dispute, though.
About 25 Orange County union leaders gathered on the steps of the county administration building Tuesday to urge health officials to reinstate the mask order. Their calls were largely drowned out by protesters, who crowded around them holding signs and shouting, “Hey hey, ho ho, these masks have got to go.”
Areas that have mask requirements have also seen issues with compliance. A public health warning was issued Monday after unmasked revelers packed into bars and clubs in San Diego County’s Gaslamp Quarter over the weekend.
Times staff writers Phil Willon, Hannah Fry, Rong-Gong Lin II, Stephanie Lai, Colleen Shalby and Iris Lee contributed to this report.
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