Los Angeles County meets the coronavirus criteria for the next tier of reopening and is able to move onto Tier 2 if the numbers hold for two weeks, officials said Tuesday. 

Los Angeles County has met the metric thresholds for Tier 2, which is the substantial risk level, according to California’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy.”

Per state guidelines, Los Angeles County must continue to meet these metric thresholds for two consecutive weeks before moving into Tier 2, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“Public Health is heartened that Los Angeles County has met the thresholds that may allow us in the near future to move into Tier 2 of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. “We plan to closely monitor our data to understand how effectively we are slowing the spread of COVID-19 after the Labor Day holiday and the impact of re-opening schools for high need students and re-opening hair salons for indoor operations.” 

The state also announced that counties may now make their own determination to allow nail salons to resume indoor operations. 

“Public Health will be consulting with the Board of Supervisors to determine the timing of adopting changes to the County Health Officer Order that would allow nail salons to resume under modified indoor operations,” a statement from the department issued Tuesday reads.

See Related: Indoor Operations For Nail Salons Allowed To Reopen In California

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is closely monitoring the number of daily hospitalizations related to COVID-19. 

“Unlike the daily number of cases, which reflects the number of people tested in L.A. County, the number of hospitalizations is a stable indicator representing the number of people who are seriously ill from COVID-19,” said Public Health officials. “During the pandemic we have seen increases in the numbers of hospitalizations three to four weeks after an event where there was widespread transmission of COVID-19, including after holiday weekends or sector reopenings.”

17 Santa Clarita Valley coronavirus cases have been reported on Tuesday, along with 810 additional Los Angeles County COVID-19 cases, according to Public Health. 

This brings the Santa Clarita Valley total to 5,742 cases and the Los Angeles County total to 262,133, according to officials. 

Cases reported at the beginning of the week are usually lower due to a lag in testing from over the weekend, according to the department. 

As of Tuesday, Los Angeles County remains in Tier 1 of the state’s coronavirus criteria, the highest, most restrictive category.

See Related: California Business Reopening List By Coronavirus Criteria Tiers

There are currently 745 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, with 38 percent of those patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to the department.

Testing results are available for 2,563,000 individuals as of Tuesday, with a positivity rate of 9 percent, according to public health officials.

40 additional deaths have been reported within the county Tuesday, for a total of 6,401 recorded people who have died due to coronavirus in Los Angeles County since March.

As of Tuesday, a total of 5,742 cumulative cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Santa Clarita Valley since testing began in March. These include:

• 3,349 in the City of Santa Clarita*
• 132 in the unincorporated areas of Canyon Country
• 1,943 in Castaic*
• 27 in the unincorporated areas of Saugus
• 159 in Stevenson Ranch
• 42 in the unincorporated areas of Valencia
• 69 in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde
• Seven in the unincorporated areas of Newhall
• Seven in the unincorporated areas of Bouquet Canyon
• One in the unincorporated areas of Saugus/Canyon Country
• Six in unincorporated Sand Canyon

*As of Monday, Sept. 21, officials had recorded 1,335 cumulative cases among prisoners at the North County Correctional Facility, and 498 at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center. Those cases are distributed between both the City of Santa Clarita and Castaic totals.

Additionally, 69 cumulative cases have been confirmed in nearby Acton as well as 26 in Agua Dulce.

An analysis of available data indicates that as of Monday, Sept. 21, approximately 32.0 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 Friday, Sept. 18, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has conducted 7,763 COVID-19 tests. Of those, 843 have tested positive, and 19 tests are still pending with Henry Mayo, according to Patrick Moody, spokesperson for the hospital.

On Friday, Henry Mayo reported an additional COVID-19 death, bringing the hospital total to 23.

There are 11 patients in the hospital as of Wednesday, while 246 patients have been discharged since the hospital’s first case was reported in March, according to Moody.

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

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