Health officials cite high COVID-19 infection rate
By Sam Catanzaro
Los Angeles County health officials have announced that they will not yet be issuing waivers for elementary schools to reopen for in-person instruction.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health (Public Health) said it will adhere to new guidance from the California Department of Public Health which recommends that Counties with case rates at or above 200 cases per 100,000 residents do not extend waivers for the re-opening of classroom instruction for students in grades TK- 6. Los Angeles County’s case rate currently is around 355 per 100,000, according to Public Health.
“We know that to many families, this is a disappointing announcement, but it’s based on the existing science and data that is guiding all of our decision-making. We need to ensure the health and safety of our children, school teachers and staff and all of their families,” reads the statement. “This decision will be reconsidered once the case rate falls to the levels recommended by the State.”
As of Wednesday, Public Health has identified 197,912 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,825 deaths. In Venice there have been 211 cases and two deaths.
