LOS ANGELES, – MARCH 12: Visitors view the city skyline at dusk from a terrace at the Griffith Observatory, which will be closed starting tomorrow due to the spread of the coronavirus, on March 12, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called for public events and meetings with 50 or more people to be banned on city-owned properties in an effort to contain COVID-19. California has now recorded 198 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered all bars, restaurants and other venues to be closed down until March 31 to help combat the coronavirus.
Garcetti announced March 16 on a live televised address and through a livestream that the closure would extend to gyms and nightclubs, that restaurants are allowed to sell food only for delivery and takeout, and that grocery stores can remain open.
“I encourage all Angelenos to help support these critical small businesses — the restaurants we love in our neighborhoods — by continuing to order from them or getting takeout or delivery,” Garcetti said.
According to the Los Angeles Eater food blog, other cities in the Los Angeles area including Santa Monica and Pasadena will likely follow suit even if Garcetti’s jurisdiction doesn’t extend to them. Other closures due to coronavirus in the Los Angeles area include city buildings in Burbank, the Santa Monica Pier and Beverly Hills City Hall.
States have also started instituting similar shutdowns, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
There are currently 335 reported cases of coronavirus in California and six deaths. At least two of the cases in Los Angeles County attended the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., earlier in the month.
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