Los Angeles authorities are now allowed to request for cutting off power and water supplies of those residential and business establishments that would entertain huge crowd parties.
‘Super-spreader’
On Wednesday evening last week, mayor of LA city, Eric Garcetti, announced the decision, as the mandate began Friday. The LA Department of Water and Power will be shutting off utility services of properties where large parties would occur. Mass gatherings are still not allowed in the city as part of public health orders as the country tries to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak.
Garcetti said in the news conference that he intends to finally stop those who are violating safety guidelines more than once. “By turning off that power, shutting off that water, we feel we can close these places down, which are usually are not one-time offenders but multiple-offenders,” the mayor said. He also referred to those who engage in large parties as “super-spreader people.”
Red-zone
The state of California also remains to be among the top in the US with the most COVID-19 cases. This move is intended to further discourage citizens from conducting events or parties while the pandemic is still on going. According to the federal coronavirus task force, the state remains to be in “the red zone.” It means over 10 percent of those being tested are positive cases.
LA authorities can soon request to shut off water and power from homes and businesses that host large gatherings.
The order is meant to deter repeat offenders from hosting parties or events as California continues to lead the country in coronavirus cases. https://t.co/7IFbVW5W7x
— CNN (@CNN) August 6, 2020
Supply-shutoff
The city mayor said that their law enforcement is finding it difficult to deal with such violations amounting to hundred people. If there is large gathering reported to the LA Police Department, the cops will respond. Once confirmed, they can then notify the Water and Power department for a request to cutoff utility supply for that property for a couple of days.
“This enforcement is not focused on small and ordinary gatherings in people’s homes. These are focused on the people determined to break the rules, posing significant public dangers and a threat to all of us,” Garcetti told the press.
Earlier, councilmember for the city David Ryu launched a motion that would raise penalization of those who would violate city mandates regrading health protocols. Ryu wrote in the motion that property owners who throw huge events and create large gatherings are violating COVID-19 public health orders.