Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is optimistic that if Angelenos continue to abide by the county's "Safer-at-Home" order, small businesses may be able to reopen with certain restrictions within the next two to six weeks.
Mayor Garcetti said there will be some exceptions, however, he believes a majority of his city's residents are doing their part by abiding the stay at home rules. Garcetti said "99% of people have been really abiding by these and it shows in the numbers. The curve has really been flattening"
In a Good Day LA interview Tuesday, Mayor Garcetti reminded Angelenos to "stay strong because you have people's lives in your hands."
"It might not just be your life, but 50% of our households have somebody over 65, and/or somebody with a preexisting medical condition. They’re gonna be vulnerable until we have a vaccine."
Garcetti also said “It’s important to remember that 96% of us still have not gotten infected, according to the USC study. That means if we lifted everything up tomorrow, we could literally have 98% of us, they project, infected by August 1. That would be devastating. That would be the sorts of deaths we saw in Italy, in New York, so the next phase is about careful baby steps forward — take a couple of weeks and assess then, but really don’t jump out in front of anybody else.”
"After May 15, I'd like to see us take some of those baby steps, but in conjunction with public health," Garcetti said. "The more that we stick with it, the sooner we can take some steps forward. The more leakage we have before that order is amended, the longer it may last.”
As of right now, Los Angeles County's "Safer-at-Home" order is going until May 15. Do you think it should be lifted sooner?
Check out the full interview courtesy of Foxla.com below: