by Steven Felschundneff | steven@claremont-courier.com

On Wednesday the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced that the health officer order would be amended—allowing for limited on-campus instruction at LA County schools as well as limited indoor operations for barbershops and hair salons.

On Monday, September 14, elementary, middle and high schools may offer in-person services for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP), those enrolled in English as a Second Language classes or students needing assessments or specialized in-school services. Each school would be required to fully implement the health department’s re-opening protocols, with in-class populations at 12 or fewer students and two teachers or aides.

The waiver program, which would allow schools to open classes to a broader range of students, will not be offered until public health has ample opportunity to monitor this effort and ensure that students can return to in-person classes safely.

Beginning immediately, hair salons and barbershops can reopen for indoor services at 25 percent occupancy provided they are in full compliance with the strict protocols. The order encourages these businesses to continue to serve customers outdoors and restrict indoor activities to those that cannot be performed outside.

Claremont has 371 cumulative cases of COVID-19, including cases from all of its unincorporated areas. This represents a 3.5 percent increase from one week ago. Sadly, 11 Claremont residents have died.

There are no new institutional outbreaks in the city of Claremont, but public health is reporting cumulative case counts for Claremont Care Center at six staff and one resident; Claremont Manor, eight staff, four residents and one death; Claremont Place, two staff and one resident; Mountain View Center, two staff, 16 residents and one death; Sunrise of Claremont, five staff; Western Assemblies home, 13 staff, six residents and one death; Claremont Police Department, five employees; and Therapak, 19 employees.

In its daily news release Wednesday, public health reported 51 deaths and 1,457 new confirmed cases. 

The cumulative number of positive cases across all areas of L.A. County since the beginning of the pandemic is now 243,935, with 5,878 deaths. Currently 1,048 people are hospitalized, of which 31 percent are in the ICU. Upon further investigation, 43 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.