The emergency declaration over COVID 19 officially came to an end in Los Angeles County last week, just over three years after it first went into effect in March 2020.
The announcement comes nearly a month after the City of Santa Monica’s local COVID 19 emergency order and California’s statewide emergency declaration expired on Feb. 28 of this year.
While the termination of the state of emergency at the county level will have few noticeable implications for many people for whom masks and regular testing already seem like things of the past, it marks a milestone for the LA county as COVID cases and deaths continue to decline.
According to data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH), the seven-day average number of reported cases decreased by 19% the last week of March to 501, compared to 615 the week prior. Average daily deaths decreased by 32.5% during the same time period.
The county has remained in the low community spread category according to Center for Disease Control (CDC) criteria for 11 consecutive weeks and officials have expressed hope that the situation will only continue to improve.
"With no new strains proliferating, I am optimistic we will remain in the Low Community Level this spring and my hope is that our hospitalization and death rates continue to decline," Director of LACDPH Brabara Ferrer said.
However, she cautioned that this will require "common sense measures" and precautions including staying up to date with vaccinations, testing when sick and isolating for at least five days if infected with the virus.
The Public Health Department stated it will continue providing free access to vaccinations, boosters, testing and treatment to Los Angeles County residents. Additionally, healthcare workers will still be required to wear protective face coverings in patient areas and when providing care as well as have completed their primary vaccine series and received one booster dose (unless exempted).
"I would love to see our lowest-ever numbers since the pandemic started," Ferrer said. "That has not happened yet and in order for it to happen, we will have to take advantage of all the tools and resources that helped us get to where we are today and to be aware of how our actions affect those in our community who are most vulnerable to severe illness."
Local officials are striking a similar tone. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Interim Superintendent Mark Kelly sent an update on COVID 19 guidance to staff, students, parents and guardians last month, encouraging students to stay home when sick, mask-up in public for at least ten days after testing positive and notify close contacts.
He also asked that students take a free at-home, district-provided COVID 19 test before returning from their two-week long spring break on April 17.
"This is extremely important to minimize risk of transmission and spread as families are traveling and gathering over break and for spring holidays," Kelly wrote.
"The ongoing health and wellness of our students and staff are our top priorities," he added. "Together, we continue to move forward in a positive manner, in-person, with our full array of academic, extracurricular, social emotional and wellness programs, to ensure the success of our students."
For more information on local COVID 19 guidelines and data visit: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/data/
