LOS ANGELES — Coronavirus deaths in California neared 600 this week as officials extended stay-at-home orders into May and residents entered Easter weekend with unprecedented limits on their movements.
As of Saturday morning, California had recorded 598 deaths and 21,448 confirmed cases. That’s significantly fewer than in other hot spots such as New York, but local officials have said more social distancing will be needed to keep the numbers manageable.
Los Angeles County health officials warned Friday that the region needs to significantly increase social distancing measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and that stay-at-home restrictions could remain into the summer.
Even with the dramatic social distancing the county is now seeing, officials forecast that up to 30% of residents could be infected by midsummer without more behavioral changes, such as reducing shopping trips.
As a result, Los Angeles County is extending the stay-at-home order through at least May 15.
In an attempt to prevent crowds from gathering for Easter observances, all L.A. County botanical gardens, lakes and parks will be closed on Sunday, the county Department of Parks and Recreation said in a statement.
“This was a difficult decision as we know Easter is (a) day of celebration for many park guests,” the statement said. “However, the anticipated high volume of visitors would make it impossible for the public to implement safe physical distancing practices or prevent group gathering.”
While the strict physical distancing measures in L.A. County, which have been in effect for three weeks, have clearly saved many lives, officials said, models presented by the county Friday show dire scenarios if the stay-at-home order were to be lifted now.
There are still too many people becoming infected with the coronavirus in the county, officials said. And there is more than a 50% chance that the current capacity of intensive care unit beds in L.A. County, roughly 750 now, could be filled by late April.
San Francisco Bay Area counties already extended their stay-at-home orders.
In Riverside County, officials reminded families to refrain from traveling during the Easter holiday, especially to relatively isolated resort areas like Idyllwild.
County Supervisor Chuck Washington said his office has had multiple inquiries from concerned residents of the town of 2,500, which he noted does not have enough resources or medical services for both residents and travelers.
“I understand that families who have been isolated for weeks want to entertain their kids, but we are in the middle of a public health crisis,” Washington said in a statement. “We can’t risk families exposing themselves and the residents of Idyllwild to COVID-19 just for a snow trip.”
Riverside County’s public health officer last week banned all public and private gatherings of any size and ordered residents to wear face coverings when leaving home. Violators could face a $1,000 fine.
Meanwhile, budget advisers to Gov. Gavin Newsom told California lawmakers on Friday that the price tag for state’s initial efforts to combat the coronavirus will total at least $7 billion, with additional costs expected before year’s end.
The estimate, contained in a letter to the Legislature’s joint budget committee, is the first comprehensive look at the fiscal significance of the state’s response to the pandemic. It does not include substantial costs already borne by city and county governments across the state.
“This impact is expected to be immediate, affecting fiscal year 2019-20, and will continue into fiscal year 2020-21 and additional years depending on the pace of recovery of local, state and national economies,” wrote Keely Bosler, the governor’s finance director, in the letter to lawmakers.
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