As we approach Passover and Easter, Los Angeles County continues to remind all residents that the Health Officer’s Safer at Home order remains in full effect.

This week is Holy Week, and with Passover beginning Thursday night, it is a time when many want to be with their family and faith communities. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health, applauded the faith-based organizations that are finding ways to reach out to people online through virtual services and the people who are finding ways to practice their faith together — from afar.

Dr. Ferrer emphasized that people and faith-based organizations must honor LA County’s Safer at Home order and find ways to be together emotionally, but apart physically. She asked that any planned gatherings in person, as well as in cars, be canceled and sent a reminder that the order prohibits such physical gatherings.

The Safer at Home order directs all members of the public to help slow the spread of COVID-19 by practicing social distancing and taking common sense infection control precautions. County residents are required to stay at home or in their place of residence, except when they need to work at an essential business or healthcare operation, provide essential infrastructure, shop at an essential business, or engage in an essential activity.

Though the need to connect with friends and family is strong, group meals and social gatherings make social distancing difficult, and therefore, put everyone at risk. This is not the time for relatives and friends to come over and be in close proximity to each other. This is a time to physically distance yourself from others.

While family members and contacts living together within a household can go for a walk in the neighborhood, contact with individuals from outside of the household should occur only virtually. Use social media and digital tools to connect, because face-to-face interactions with individuals from other households are prohibited under the Safer at Home order.

Everyone must:

– Stay home (stay unexposed and do not expose others)

– Only go out for essential services or if they are an essential worker

– Stay six feet or more away from others

– Not gather in groups of any size

– Los Angeles County is relying on its residents to respect and follow these health orders. Residents’ cooperation with the health orders is critical as we work to flatten the curve and move beyond the pandemic. We’re in this together.

More information about the order can be found here.