At least 1,000 L.A. County restaurants not following coronavirus safety rules, inspections show

[Ken555]

At least 1,000 L.A. County restaurants not following coronavirus safety rules, inspections show

Officials visited roughly 2,000 restaurants over the weekend and found that half of them were not in compliance with the county’s guidelines.

Health officials expressed alarm at the findings, stressing it is essential that both customers and merchants follow safety guidelines to avoid new coronavirus outbreaks as the economy reopens. California has allowed businesses to reopen at a rapid clip, leading to concerns from some that this could cause the virus to spread more. Although the number of cases continues to rise, officials have said they think it is safe to reopen as long as everyone obeys the rules.

Restaurants that violated the orders will be revisited, and patrons who notice potential risks at eateries can lodge a complaint via a public health department hotline.

The findings come amid a continued rise in coronavirus cases in California, which reported record tallies on consecutive days last week.

At least 1,000 L.A. County restaurants not following coronavirus safety rules, inspections show

Officials visited roughly 2,000 restaurants over the weekend and found that half of them were not in compliance with the county's guidelines.

www.latimes.com

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[PamMo]

Sadly, this doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[bbodb1]

So the first thought that came to my mind - how many inspectors do they have?
That is a LOT of inspections!
I wanted to read the article, but it is behind a paywall. I did find (what appears to be) the same story at:

Half of Inspected LA Restaurants Aren’t Following Coronavirus Rules, County Says

The shocking stat comes as the county continues with plans to soon open bars and wineries as well

la.eater.com

 

[Ken555]

Sadly, this doesn't surprise me at all.

That was exactly my comment to friends earlier when I first saw this article. And some question my plans to just stay home. I’ve got many restaurants I’d like to visit, but I’m not going to support them over my concerns for my (and others) health.


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[klpca]

We are still limiting ourselves a lot, not eating at restaurants and staying home as much as possible (difficult to do when you are trying to help someone move) but when we do go out it is like Covid never happened. In my head I am thinking, all of that work for nothing. If the restaurants aren't trying you can bet that the customers aren't either.

 

[Luanne]

Take out only for us, for probably quite awhile.

 

[SteelerGal]

Take out only here.

 

[PcflEZFlng]

Take out only for us, for probably quite awhile.

^^This. Same for us.

 

[TravelTime]

In my head I am thinking, all of that work for nothing.

I agree.

 

[pedro47]

We are still limiting ourselves a lot, not eating at restaurants and staying home as much as possible (difficult to do when you are trying to help someone move) but when we do go out it is like Covid never happened. In my head I am thinking, all of that work for nothing. If the restaurants aren't trying you can bet that the customers aren't either.

I agree, it is liked nothing is happening all over the world. Liked Covid-19 is a myth and liked, I cannot contact this Covid-19 virus. IMHO.

 

[Yellowfin]

maybe they read this:

Two-metre rule has NO basis in science, leading scientists say

Professors at the University of Oxford said there is little evidence to support the restriction after reviewing a World Health Organisation paper on the contentious topic.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Country Roads]

Should we expect anything else when even those referred to as experts can't seem to agree on what's safe?

Do what you believe will protect you and your family. Don't expect or demand that others do that for you. As you can see, you'll be sorely disappointed.

 

[klpca]

Should we expect anything else when even those referred to as experts can't seem to agree on what's safe?

Do what you believe will protect you and your family. Don't expect or demand that others do that for you. As you can see, you'll be sorely disappointed.

My husband and I can work from home indefinitely. We realize how nice that it for us - we can stay as safe as we need to, for as long as we need to. Not everyone has that option. Some have to work in places where transmission is a very real possibility, such as firemen/EMT's or staff in a restaurant. Their safety depends on the thoughtfulness of others. Being kind never hurt anyone.

 

[Cornell]

I'm interested in perception by some that it seems as if "covid never happened". My perceptions are completely different. My life & society around me is completely different than precovid: capacity limits practically everywhere (stores, gym - there is still no indoor dining in Chicago), school seems uncertain this fall, zero organized sports, no concerts , no 4th of July community fireworks, social distancing everywhere, all summer recreation GONE (pools, camps, outdoor rec), complex protocols to go the doctor. In all honesty, I am having a hard time finding an area of my life that seems similar to pre-covid.

 

[am1]

Were they inspected for other things as well which I am sure a lot would fail.

 

[Country Roads]

My husband and I can work from home indefinitely. We realize how nice that it for us - we can stay as safe as we need to, for as long as we need to. Not everyone has that option. Some have to work in places where transmission is a very real possibility, such as firemen/EMT's or staff in a restaurant. Their safety depends on the thoughtfulness of others. Being kind never hurt anyone.

I certainly agree that everyone should be thoughtful however, with that being said, I'll never blindly trust or be dependent on the kindness of strangers when it comes to my health or that of my family. To me, that's simply too precious a part of my life that I'll leave in the hands of people to whom I'm just a blip on the radar screen of their life. These people owe me nothing. While I can expect them to respect my concerns, I can never guarantee that they will.

Even with all the laws and rules surrounding this virus, there all those that will simply choose to ignore them. I can't make unthoughtful people thoughtful. I wish I could but, life doesn't work that way. When all is said and done, that person I see in the mirror everyday is my responsibility and part of that responsability includes my loved ones. I'll never expect others to do that for me.

 

[klpca]

I certainly agree that everyone should be thoughtful however, with that being said, I'll never blindly trust or be dependent on the kindness of strangers when it comes to my health or that of my family. To me, that's simply too precious a part of my life that I'll leave in the hands of people to whom I'm just a blip on the radar screen of their life. These people owe me nothing. While I can expect them to respect my concerns, I can never guarantee that they will.

Even with all the laws and rules surrounding this virus, there all those that will simply choose to ignore them. I can't make unthoughtful people thoughtful. I wish I could but, life doesn't work that way. When all is said and done, that person I see in the mirror everyday is my responsibility and part of that responsability includes my loved ones. I'll never expect others to do that for me.

How do you square that with people who don't have that choice? Those people deserve to have their needs be part of the conversation.

 

[Sea Six]

I don't think I see compliance ANYWHERE. People have the mindset not to bother.

 

[Ken555]

On a similar topic, California is now mandating wearing a mask. Check your news source for the info.


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[bbodb1]

I don't think I see compliance ANYWHERE. People have the mindset not to bother.

On a similar topic, California is now mandating wearing a mask. Check your news source for the info.

Along these lines, the lack of a consistent standard (whatever it may or should be) certainly does not help the situation anywhere. It seems to be the most common that masks are required for some employees in certain establishments while it is recommended that patrons wear masks. I found a website that indicates the latest status of mask requirements at:

Facing Your Face Mask Duties – A List of Statewide Orders

********************************************************NOTE: Given the reduction in activity on this topic,THIS POST WILL NO LONGER BE UPDATED, as of November 10, 2022.********************************************************Governors and public health officials across the country implemented...

www.littler.com

 

[Ken555]

Along these lines, the lack of a consistent standard (whatever it may or should be) certainly does not help the situation anywhere. It seems to be the most common that masks are required for some employees in certain establishments while it is recommended that patrons wear masks. I found a website that indicates the latest status of mask requirements at:

Facing Your Face Mask Duties – A List of Statewide Orders

********************************************************NOTE: Given the reduction in activity on this topic,THIS POST WILL NO LONGER BE UPDATED, as of November 10, 2022.********************************************************Governors and public health officials across the country implemented...

www.littler.com

Sorry to state the obvious but this should be expected since there are no consistent federal guidelines. Some state governors are not even making the hard choices and leaving it up to each city mayor (talk about passing the hot potato...).


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[Luanne]

I don't think I see compliance ANYWHERE. People have the mindset not to bother.

I'm on the phone with my bff who lives in Florida right now. She was telling me how very few people are wearing masks. Come to New Mexico, Our governor has a mandate in place for masks and most people are complying.

 

[bbodb1]

Taking this one step further, let me parse the requirements in my current home state of Arkansas - from the above cited article:

• Required for restaurants reopening for dine-in. All staff who come in contact with patrons must wear a face mask that completely covers their nose and mouth. Staff in the back of house are encouraged to wear a face mask. All staff are required to wear gloves. Gloves shall be changed out between each customer, customer group, or task. Patrons must wear a face covering upon entrance and while in the restaurant until the food or drink is served, and may be refused service if not wearing a mask.
• Required for reopening gyms and fitness centers. Employees must wear a face mask at all times. Patrons must wear a mask except when actively exercising.
• Residents are encouraged to wear a cloth mask when in public and unable to maintain a 6-foot distance from others.
• NOTE: In Arkansas, at least one locality has provisions concerning face coverings for employees and/or customers. Please check with your Littler attorney for additional information about your particular jurisdiction.

Observations:
With respect to restaurants, why are staff in the back of the house not required to wear masks as they prepare food?
With respect to gyms and fitness centers, those exercising are likely moving the most air, thus are most likely to spread the virus (should they be infected). It would seem more logical to require those working out especially in an indoor space with less air circulation and little or no UV rays to wear masks.
But the third point is a biggie - depending on how you read it, you may NOT need to wear a mask - as long as you can maintain a 6-foot distance from others. This is exactly my plan with every trip out I take since March. By making my trips at times when low volume crowds are more likely, I am making a reasonable effort to avoid crowds and should be able to maintain a 6 foot distance minimum. As a result of that, I am not required to wear a mask per state law. For that matter, current state law does not require me to wear a mask unless I enter a restaurant, gym or fitness club - and even then, only under certain conditions.

I am not using the above to say what is right or wrong when it comes to masks, only the confusion caused by trying to define the requirements.

Government needs to employ the KISS principle here.

 

[klpca]

I'm interested in perception by some that it seems as if "covid never happened". My perceptions are completely different. My life & society around me is completely different than precovid: capacity limits practically everywhere (stores, gym - there is still no indoor dining in Chicago), school seems uncertain this fall, zero organized sports, no concerts , no 4th of July community fireworks, social distancing everywhere, all summer recreation GONE (pools, camps, outdoor rec), complex protocols to go the doctor. In all honesty, I am having a hard time finding an area of my life that seems similar to pre-covid.

Have you spent any time at Home Depot? Unfortunately we have, lol. As in probably 20 trips in the past two weeks. Two weeks ago there was a line to get in and social distancing once inside. This weekend we just walked right in and it was so crowded that you could hardly pass in the aisles. It was just as busy as any weekend afternoon. I feel like the retailers and restaurants have given up and are tired of telling people what to do only to get push back. Sure there are places that are different but I think that people are feeling comfortable going back to the old ways.

We went camping a few weeks ago. They asked that each site only be occupied by one household (as in, the same people that you have been SIP with). It took about 15 minutes to see that there were a lot of families who all rented their own campsites then freely hung out in a single site. Once people have decided to do their own thing, there's no getting the genie back in the bottle.

I absolutely believe that we are ALL going to get this (covid). It will just be a matter of when and how bad.

Edit to add this: perception surely depends on which phase your area is in. I can't even keep things straight any more, but in our city I believe that we are well into phase three, although we are having "community breakouts" that they say will trigger and fallback to an earlier stage. To which I say lolol. Some people are just going to do whatever they feel like doing. There will be no turning back the clock.

 

[amycurl]

I thought this was interesting because in one of the Hawaii threads, someone commented that it seemed like there was high compliance re: mask wearing in So Cal. I guess not.

VA and NC had very similar case counts for most of April and May (excluding the nearest DC areas, where their count was higher.) We "re-opened" around the same time. They instituted a mandatory mask requirement at the end of May. Now, NC has *way higher* case rates and hospitalization rates (really, a much more crucial stat to track) than VA. That's a pretty compelling difference.

People were predicting that the mass protests would mean case spikes, but, as it has been two plus weeks since the first protests, that's not come to fruition. Researchers have examined the footage and determined that the high percentage of mask wearing + being outside were high mitigating factors against spread.

It seems the US chose the "worst of all worlds" scenarios--high economic disruption and a high morbidity rate. *sigh*