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All bars, nightclubs, movie theaters and gyms in Los Angeles have been closed till March 31 in order to curb the spread of COVID-19, according to new restrictions that went into effect at midnight Sunday.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the latest measure against the pandemic in a video news conference on Sunday night.
The restrictions will apply to all bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, gyms and fitness centers, while restaurants will remain open but will only provide takeout and delivery. Grocery stores, food banks and pharmacies will also remain open.
Garcetti said the measures were necessary to protect public health but acknowledged the economic consequences they may pose for small businesses.
"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.
"These are the emergency steps we are taking to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 protect people across LA, effective at midnight tonight. This isn't easy I don't make this decision lightly. We will do everything we can to help businesses workers impacted during this time," Garcetti later tweeted.
The mayor also stressed in the video conference that local people need to help each other, saying residents are all first responders at this time.
"What we do in the next couple of weeks -- of listening to that social distancing, of saying no to that trip, of that gathering, of just putting things off -- means the difference between whether this is weeks or months," he said.
The number of cases in Los Angeles County had increased to 69 by Sunday night, while the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States had topped 3,774, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University.
