Dr. William Kim has been a physician in the South Bay for 35 years and serves as Chief Medical Advisor for Beach Cities Health District. We asked him a few questions about COVID-19:
Q:
My friend just tested positive for COVID-19. What should I do now?
Dr. Kim:
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends that anyone who has been in close contact (see below) with someone who has COVID-19 should quarantine themselves for 14 days.
If you begin to experience fever, shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell or other symptoms of COVID-19, keep track of the days. Some private practitioners are only testing patients who have been symptomatic for five days or more. This is particularly important for people aged 65 or older and those with underlying health conditions...
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Thank You to Our Donors
Thank you to the following in-kind donors who provided cloth face coverings, N95 masks, hand sanitizers, face shields and gowns. Their generous donations were provided
to First Responders, staff who are working as Disaster Service Workers and also to vulnerable Beach Cities residents, allowing them to feel and be safer when engaging in the community.
Dr. Katie Clark and The Altadena Mask Project
Karen Heck
Saadet Kermanji
Mask Making Mavens
Dr. Erik Singer
Molly Surazhsky
Nahal Sharifi and Shield Our Heroes
Surfrider Foundation and REN Clean Skincare
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Pictured above on left: Karen Heck donated homemade cloth face coverings for Beach Cities residents. On right: Surfrider Foundation and REN Clean Skincare donated thousands of hand sanitizers to BCHD.
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The “Safe in the South Bay” program has been created for restaurants and businesses in El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. The Chambers of Commerce from those cities have partnered with Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) to provide health guidance and a self-certification process related to Los Angeles County’s Safer at Work and in the Community Health Officer Order.
The Safe in the South Bay program is open to all businesses in the four participating cities. To participate, businesses will need to self-certify that they are following the Los Angeles County reopening protocols.
Learn more here.
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Schools Cannot Resume In-Person Learning as Directed by New Health Officer Order
On July 18, to slow the spread of the COVID-19 and protect students, teachers and the school community, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a new Health Officer Order that adheres to California Department of Public Health’s directive that schools in Los Angeles County and 31 other counties on the State’s monitoring list,
cannot resume in-person learning next month
.
Read the Health Officer Order here.
The state order allows superintendents to submit school district waiver requests to re-open elementary schools for approval by the local health officer only after review of local epidemiological data and intervention strategies, and in consultation with CDPH.
In order for schools to re-open their campuses, Los Angeles County will have to remain off the monitoring list for 14 consecutive days. Counties are on the monitoring list because they have not achieved more than 150 tests per day per 100,000 people, or have more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents, or have case positivity rates greater than 8%, or have a 10% or more increase in hospitalizations over the past 3 days compared to the prior three days, or less than 20% of ICU beds are open, or less than 25% of ventilators are available.
Here's the latest information from our local school districts:
As a reminder, the Health Officer Order requires the
closure of additional indoor operations for certain sectors
which promote the mixing of populations beyond households and make adherence to physical distancing with face coverings difficult:
- Gyms and Fitness Centers
- Places of Worship
- Indoor Protests
- Offices for Non-Critical Infrastructure Sectors as identified at covid19.ca.gov
- Personal Care Services (including nail salons, massage parlors, and tattoo parlors)
- Hair Salons and Barbershops
- Indoor Malls
On July 8, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a new Health Officer Order: Access to Diagnostic Testing through Healthcare Facilities.
Healthcare facilities must provide diagnostic testing
to symptomatic persons regardless of age, hospitalization status, co-morbidities or other risk factors for COVID-19 and persons with or without symptoms who were a close contact of a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19. The Health Officer Order is effective July 31.
Read the Health Officer Order here.
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You Are Safer at Home
Please stay home as much as possible and avoid all non-essential interactions with the public. Only gather with members of your household.
If you must leave your home, avoid the three C's and wear your cloth face covering and stay at least 6 feet apart from others who are not part of your household.
CONFINED SPACES
Especially with poor ventilation. Outdoors is better than indoors.
CROWDED PLACES
The more people the higher the risk.
CLOSE CONTACT
Staying further apart is safer than being close together.
The more C's, the higher the risk!
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Over 52% of all cases in Los Angeles County have occurred in people under the age of 41 years old. We are all vulnerable to the virus, no matter our age.
The only way for us to move forward in recovery is to change our behavior now.
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COVID-19 Testing at BCHD Campus 514 N. Prospect
As cases and hospitalizations rise in Los Angeles County, many residents believe they need to get tested for COVID-19. However,
Los Angeles County health officials stress that not everyone needs to be tested.
A COVID-19 test does not protect you from the virus, and a negative result should not be seen as a reason to engage in risky social behavior.
Even when you test negative today, you could still test positive tomorrow.
For more information, click here.
Los Angeles County's
testing criteria
includes:
- Those who have COVID-19 symptoms: Fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea
- Those who have a known exposure to COVID-19, including those who were in close contact with someone with COVID-19
- Those who live or work in a high-risk setting (such as skilled nursing facilities, group homes, residential care facilities and persons experiencing homelessness)
- In accordance with California Department of Health Testing Guidance, testing is also available when there is additional testing capacity if you do not have symptoms and you are an essential worker with frequent contacts with the public in these sectors: health care, emergency services, food and grocery, retail or manufacturing, public transportation, and education. To view a complete list of essential worker groups from the California Department of Public Health, click here.
If you're unsure if you need a test, check with your health care provider.
Unless you have specific symptoms, live in a high-risk setting or have had close contact with someone who has a confirmed positive case of COVID-19, you may not need to be tested, and your health care provider can talk with you about your concerns.
If you don’t have a doctor, call 211 to get a referral. Essential workers should also consider their risk exposure history in consultation with their provider, their occupational health advisor and public health department.
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If you are unable to receive testing through your provider, please continue to check the site for availability at Los Angeles County sites, or make an appointment at a Los Angeles City, state-operated or community testing site such as CVS by visiting
covid19.lacounty.gov/testing
. Tests are free of charge and are by
appointment only.
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What to expect after you've been tested for COVID-19
If you are awaiting testing results, you should stay home and act as if you are positive.
This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside, or until you receive a negative result. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a contact tracer to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.
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Virtual Beach Cities Summer Free Fitness Series
Grab your computer, break a sweat and de-stress at home!
Mondays in July
Family Yoga, 6 - 6:30 p.m.
Mindful Yoga, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Mondays in August
Zumba, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
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Virtual BCHD Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday, July 22
6:30 p.m.
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Virtual Blue Zones Project Cooking Show
Learn about Blue Zones Project inspired food from registered dietitian, Marissa Martorana, and get a taste of how to live longer, better. Enjoy this month's cooking show that will highlight summer dishes that will keep you nourished and hydrated as the weather is warming up!
Thursday, July 30
4 - 5 p.m.
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Virtual Mindfulness Drop-In
Take 30 minutes to downshift and practice mindfulness techniques the first Wednesday of each month.
Wednesday, August 5
4 - 4:30 p.m.
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Virtual Blue Zones Project Social Hour
Enjoy good company and practice a few Power 9 Principles of Longevity, including Down Shift and Right Tribe.
Tuesday, August 11
4 - 5 p.m.
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Virtual Families Connected Parent Chat
A free parent support group led by a licensed professional from the Thelma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment at Torrance Memorial Medical Center held in partnership with South Bay Families Connected. Open to all parents.
Mondays
10 – 11 a.m.
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Virtual Happiness Chat
Support your well-being with casual discussions focused on connection and resilience.
Tuesdays
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
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Summer Wellness Challenge: Nutrition
Summer is in full swing and we’re enjoying longer days, beautiful weather and for kids… no school! This leaves us with more time for outdoor fun, a crucial commodity when remaining safer at home these days. While taking extra precautions
to stay healthy, it’s important to remember the basics, such as staying hydrated. Find tips on hydration in this week's activities!
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Get unlimited access to all
Center for Health & Fitness
live virtual exercise classes for a monthly fee.
Small Group Training is also available virtually for $12 per class.
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Healthy Living Campus
BCHD has refined the Master Plan for its proposed Healthy Living Campus in Redondo Beach and presented the updated concept to the BCHD Board of Directors June 17.
The pared-down project features many changes based on community input, including fewer units, reduced square footage, re-positioned buildings and less construction time.
The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process will continue — originally started in June 2019 — with the more compact Healthy Living Campus Master plan as the basis of the project description, which will inform the public and project decision-makers about significant environmental effects and identify possible ways to minimize or avoid those effects.
We are currently in the midst of the EIR process, so no decisions regarding the proposed campus have been made. The concept phase is complete and we are now heading into the environmental analysis. The Draft EIR is expected to be released late 2020.
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What to do if you have been in a crowded setting
If you are out and about in a crowded setting,
where people are congregating who are not using face coverings or distancing, or if you had close contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) with non-household members who were not wearing face coverings please consider the following:
Remain in your residence, away from others, in self-quarantine for 14 days
If you live with persons who are elderly or have high-risk conditions,
you should:
- Maintain at least a 6 ft. distance and wear a face covering when you are with them at home
- Avoid preparing food for others
- Avoid sharing utensils, bedding and towels
- Increase cleaning and disinfecting of common surfaces
Consider getting tested for COVID-19 if you have been exposed to someone that is positive or likely positive
- If the test result is positive, you need to self-isolate for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside
- Even if the test result is negative, you still need to remain at home and self-quarantine for 14 days to prevent spreading illness to others
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This is especially important if you live with high-risk individuals such as older adults and those with serious underlying health conditions. These vulnerable individuals are still at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
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We Can All Be Health Leaders
In addition to physical distancing and wearing cloth face coverings when we are around others,
we all still need to take the same precautions that we were taking earlier on in the pandemic
- wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands and self-isolate if you are sick. These actions combined are the best defense against COVID-19.
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Need help?
If you or someone you know in the Beach Cities needs help with health-related information and referrals, Covered California or errand assistance and meal delivery, please call our Assistance, Information & Referral line at
310-374-3426, ext. 256
, seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. or visit us online at
bchd.org/resources
.
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For more information about COVID-19, visit:
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