As Los Angeles County continues to see an unprecedented wave of coronavirus cases, travelers returning to the region must be quarantined.
Anyone traveling outside the county is expected to be quarantined for 10 days after their return, the LA County Department of Public Health announced in a press release on Monday. If a person begins to show symptoms of the virus or the test is positive, they should isolate for 10 days and until they have a fever for 24 hours.
Quarantined individuals should not leave their homes or receive visitors, but should find others who can buy groceries or other essential items for them, according to the department.
“For those who have traveled outside of LA County and recently returned, you may have had contact with COVID-19,” officials said. “The virus can take up to 14 days to incubate and, for many people, it does not cause disease or symptoms. If you go back to work, go shopping or go to any meeting at any time during the next 10 days, you can easily pass the virus on to others. “
The announcement does not indicate whether people who violate the requirement will be penalized.
Last month, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that out-of-state travelers arriving in the city by plane or train must sign a form recognizing the state’s 14-day quarantine notice.
The form, available at travel.lacity.org, recognizes that anyone traveling to California from other states or countries must be quarantined for 14 days and limit interactions with their immediate family. All travelers over 16 years old must complete the form before or upon arrival, sending their name and contact information.
San Francisco also issued its own travel order this month, requiring anyone visiting the city from outside the bay area to be quarantined for 10 days. Violating the order is a misdemeanor.
The number of COVID-19 patients in LA County hospitals has been growing since the end of October. For the first time, the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized on any given day exceeded 7,000, a milestone that occurred on Sunday – and was 10 times greater than the number in early October, when fewer than 700 people were hospitalized.
As of Monday morning, there were only 54 ICU beds available across LA County, and half of them were for pediatric patients. Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services for LA County, said that two-thirds of the ICU beds with staff in LA County are occupied by COVID-19 patients.
“All hospitals are experiencing this tension, but it is especially more pronounced and more serious for some of the smaller hospitals,” said Ghaly. “Many hospitals have reached a critical point and are having to make many difficult decisions about patient care.”
Virtually every county hospital is being forced to divert ambulances with certain types of patients for most of the day because they are full. On Sunday, 94% of county hospitals receiving calls to 911 were diverting certain types of patients in ambulances.
“But soon, there will be nowhere for these ambulances to go,” said Ghaly. “If every hospital is on diversion, then no hospital is on diversion.”