LA County Stay-At-Home Order Extended Until August As Coronavirus US Deaths Hit 83,377

Amid news lockdown fatigue is fueling the growth of what's being jokingly called a "Lockdown Liberation Movement," Los Angelinos now have to contend with more agonizing stay-at-home time for at least three more months or until August.

Los Angeles County, still the epicenter of California's COVID-19 outbreak, on Tuesday said it will “with all certainty” extend its stay-at-home order in place since March 19. It was the first county in California to order a lockdown, its order preceding the state's own lockdown by one day.

County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer admitted to the possibility of a three month extension during a Board of Supervisors meeting. The official extension, however, will be issued by county health officer Dr. Muntu Davis, who hasn't done so yet. Dr. Ferrer said that the timeline could shorten only if there is a “dramatic change to the virus and tools at hand.”

“Our hope is that by using the data, we’d be able to slowly lift restrictions over the next three months,” she said, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Lifting restrictions, however, will depend on widespread testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus, which still isn't currently available. Some commentators noted without widespread testing, it seems unlikely the county's social distancing directives and stay-at-home orders will be completely eased.

Of the county's 10 million residents, only 240,000 have been tested for the coronavirus thus far. Out of this total, 12% came back positive for the coronavirus. There were 32,258 confirmed cases and 1,569 deaths from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, as of Tuesday afternoon. By comparison, the nine-county Bay Area has only 360 deaths.

"It’s safer to stay at home. COVID-19 has not changed," said Dr. Ferrer in light of this data.

California remains the fifth most COVID-19-infected state in the country. It had 70,723 confirmed cases and 2,855 deaths as of 8:22 p.m. ET Tuesday, according to Worldometer. The U.S. reported 1.4 million cases and 83,377 deaths at this same time. New York remains the hardest-hit state with 348,655 cases and 27,175 deaths.

The news of a probable three month-long lockdown extension should be galling for many Los Angelinos amid news other parts of the state are reopening piecemeal. Beaches in Los Angeles county will open Wednesday, but with distancing rules in place. No sitting or lying in the sand is allowed, and residents must practice physical distancing and wear face coverings. It's now uncertain how long these beaches will stay open.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's four-stage plan to reopen the state is now at stage two, which is seeing the loosening of restrictions in shopping, going to work and eating out.

Last week, most California counties began allowing non-essential businesses to do curbside pickup. Not so in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties that still haven't allowed non-essential businesses to operate.