Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told Business Insider on March 25 that the county’s shelter-in-place order to combat the coronavirus pandemic could last until at least May.
Garcetti said, “I think this is at least two months, and be prepared for longer.”
He added that he was concerned that Los Angeles is 6-12 days away from facing the shortages in hospital beds and ventilators that New York City is experiencing. Garcetti said that the county may have to use venues such as Staples Center to house hospital beds.
“Will we have hundreds of thousands of deaths or tens of thousands of deaths?” Garcetti asked. “That’s what keeps us up.”
On March 24, Garcetti said that non-essential businesses that remained open during the shelter-in-place order would have their water and power shut off.
As of March 25, the Los Angeles County Department of Health has recorded 799 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 13 deaths from the virus. The department’s director, Barbara Ferrer, said that authorities removed the March 24 death of a 17-year-old boy in Lancaster from the total because the boy may have had a different cause of death despite testing positive for coronavirus.
The department published a list of the number of cases per county:
**#COVID19 Update (3/25/20)**@lapublichealth
announced 138 new cases and 3 deaths.Total cases in LA County=799
Total deaths=13**Don't assume one area is safer than another. Cases are occurring across LA County. Stay home & practice social distancing if you must go out.** pic.twitter.com/oBDexTJYoJ
— Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) March 25, 2020
