Stay-at-home order deals another blow to SoCal businesses

California’s stay-at-home order has kicked in for Los Angeles County, where the Department of Public Health reported 10,500 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday.

The state order takes effect in any region 24 hours after its intensive care unit bed availability falls below 15 percent. L.A. County reported 3,000 coronavirus-related hospitalizations alone on Sunday, according to the L.A. Times.

The measure further restricts business activity and targets in-person shopping.

Retail businesses are limited to 20 percent of indoor capacity and others — including hair and nail salons — must close altogether. Restaurants are limited to take-out.

Some of those measures were already in effect for most of the county. The city and county imposed identical stay-at-home orders last week.

Some owners of restaurants and other businesses have said they are being unfairly targeted.

Restrictions earlier this year forced businesses across L.A. County to close and some owners worry they won’t be able to make it through the latest round.

“We had the two closed already, and this one comes at the busiest time of the year,” Hilary Goldner, the co-owner of a hairdressing salon in Seal Beach, told the Times. “Everyone is trying to move forward with their lives, and we play a role in that. It’s unfortunate and disappointing.”

But many Covid victims are not moving forward with their lives, as the disease has killed more than 280,000 Americans and more than 2,000 on several days last week. California in the past seven days has reported more than 128,000 cases.

The state order is set to expire 21 days after it took effect on Saturday, although it could be in place longer. The state will roll back the order based on the four-week projection of ICU capacity in each region. [LAT] — Dennis Lynch