After the recent re-openings of nail salons and malls for indoor operations, public health officials are encouraging businesses to follow coronavirus worksite safety protocols.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health continues to see COVID-19 outbreaks in businesses and workplaces. In the last two weeks, 118 outbreak investigations were opened, according to the department. 

“Because of the possibility of asymptomatic and presymptomatic infection, it only takes one person to contract and become infectious with COVID-19 and unknowingly bring the virus home and expose their household and or go to work and expose their coworkers and start an outbreak,” said public health officials on Friday.

Due to the significant potential for transmission of COVID-19 at worksites, it remains important that businesses adhere to workplace protocols that require infection control, distancing, masking and appropriate PPE that protect employees, customers and residents from COVID-19 as much as possible, according to the department. 

As a result of inspections conducted since Oct. 4, a total of 125 citations have been issued. In some cases, establishments were also closed because there were significant health and safety concerns or violations of the Health Officer Orders, including operating indoors in violation of the State and County Health Officer Orders, according to public health. 

34 additional Santa Clarita Valley coronavirus cases have been reported which are a part of the total 1,256 new cases on Friday across Los Angeles County, according to the department. 

The Santa Clarita Valley coronavirus total is now 6,378 with the Los Angeles County total reaching 279,909, according to public health. 

An additional 13 deaths have been reported Friday, bringing the cumulative total in L.A. County to 6,741, according to the department.

A total of 2,770,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted as of Friday, with about 9 percent of those tests returning positive, according to Ferrer.

Although Los Angeles County met the State’s metric thresholds for Tier 2 last month, L.A. County remains in Tier 1 due to the current adjusted daily case rate of 7.3 cases per 100,000 residents.

Per the State guidelines, to move to Tier 2, the County’s case rate needs to be 7 or fewer new cases a day per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks. The County’s test positivity rate is 2.9 percent which places the County in Tier 3 for this metric, according to public health.

There are 724 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday and 26 percent of these people are in the ICU.

As of Friday, a total of 6,378 cumulative cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Santa Clarita Valley since testing began in March. These include:

• 3,743 in the City of Santa Clarita*
• 151 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country
• 2,103 in Castaic*
• 28 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus
• 180 in Stevenson Ranch
• 48 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia
• 88 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde
• 14 in the unincorporated areas of Newhall
• 10 in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
• Six in the unincorporated areas of Saugus/Canyon Country
• Seven in unincorporated Sand Canyon

As of Thursday, Oct. 8, officials had recorded 1355 cumulative cases among prisoners at the North County Correctional Facility, and 505 at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center. Those cases are counted in both the City of Santa Clarita and Castaic totals.

Additionally, 74 cumulative cases were confirmed in nearby Acton as well as 28 in Agua Dulce.

An analysis of available data indicates that as of Friday, Oct. 8, approximately 29.3 percent of all cumulative cases in and around the Santa Clarita Valley can be attributed to the inmate population at the North County Correctional Facility and the Pitchess Detention Center.

As of Wednesday, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has conducted 8,845 COVID-19 tests. Of those, 927 have tested positive, and 17 tests are still pending with Henry Mayo, according to Patrick Moody, spokesperson for the hospital.

There are nine patients in the hospital as of Friday, while 273 patients have been discharged since the hospital’s first case was reported in March, according to Moody.

A total of 25 COVID-19 deaths have been reported at Henry Mayo, with the Santa Clarita Valley’s total standing at 62, according to public health officials.

See All Coronavirus Coverage: Coronavirus Coverage – COVID-19 Map

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