By Kathryn Dunn | editor@claremont-courier.com

Coronavirus cases in the city of Claremont jumped by nine yesterday, bringing the total to 54 from the city’s first reported case on March 24.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 46 new deaths and 1,155 new cases countywide in since Tuesday. Of the 46 deaths, 32 were over the age 65, six were between the ages of 41 and 65 and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Twelve of the 46 people who died had underlying health conditions; 11 of those were over the age of 65.

To date, the public health department has identified 58,234 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 2,489 deaths. Ninety-two percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. 

The current “Safer at Work and in the Community Health Officer Order” allows for in-person dining at restaurants once owners can show they are able to safely implement the six-foot distancing requirement. Similarly, hair salons can reopen with proper infection control procedures in place.

Some Claremont restaurants opened for dining-in on Friday evening; however, the county implemented a 6 p.m. curfew for most of this week after some protests in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer erupted in violence. Protests in Claremont have continued regularly this week. We’ll have more on local demonstrations in this Friday’s paper.