LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The mayor of Los Angeles on Tuesday back-pedaled from his health director’s assertion that stay-at-home orders in America’s second-largest city would be extended at least through July, after those comments touched off a furor among beleaguered residents.
The remarks by Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer, reported by the Los Angeles Times, came as other major U.S. cities and states begin to ease the sweeping restrictions imposed weeks ago in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I want to reassure people because I think there was a lot of panic suddenly when the headlines said we’re all going to stay exactly as we are for three more months when that’s not the case,” Mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN in an interview.
“I think, quite simply, she’s saying that we’re not going to fully reopen Los Angeles and probably anywhere in America, without any protections or any health orders in the next three months. I think we know it’s going to be even longer than three months,” Garcetti said.
Ferrer could not be reached by Reuters for comment on Tuesday. State health statistics show that the number of daily COVID-19 fatalities and new cases have risen in Los Angeles County since March.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday that restaurants in parts of the state could begin allowing diners again under modified condition and that outdoor shopping malls could open for curbside pickup.
Offices in parts of the state can also open with som