L.A. County Finally Ends COVID-19 State Of Emergency

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced Friday that they would be ending the county COVID-19 state of emergency, becoming one of the last in the nation to do so.

The state of emergency was in effect since March 2020, when both the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the L.A. County Department of Public Health declared it. While attempts were made to end it in 2021 and 2022, it took both the state and the few other remaining counties that had states of emergency ending them at the end of February to spur LA to end their this month.

“As the longest emergency in LA County history draws to a close after 1,122 days, we honor the 36,000 who lost their lives and reflect on the opportunity to serve the public during this challenging time,” tweeted LA Public Health on Friday.

As the longest emergency in LA County history draws to a close after 1,122 days, we honor the 36,000 who lost their lives and reflect on the opportunity to serve the public during this challenging time. pic.twitter.com/qNyIOy7ktH

— Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) March 31, 2023

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly added that, along with the end of the emergency, they would be closing PCR testing centers throughout the county, as demand for COVID tests has plummeted since the summer of 2022.

“The COVID-19 testing centers were established to provide residents with free and easy access to Covid-19 PCR tests, at the early stages of the pandemic when testing supplies were extremely limited,” Dr. Ghaly said. “Today, Covid tests are widely available. Rapid antigen tests are available at most pharmacies, through primary care providers and urgent care locations, and in a variety of other community locations. Health care providers also have the ability to perform PCR tests for patients when needed. While the worst of the pandemic is behind us, we do ask that you continue to take simple and effective preventive measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.”

Other health experts noted that the end of the emergency was a long time coming for many health care workers.

“Health care workers will still be very careful, as COVID is now going to be with us much like how the flu is now, but we’re just at that point now,” explained COVID-19 policy researcher Doug Zahn to the Globe on Friday. “This isn’t a celebration of the end of COVID. It will still be here.”

“But the bad days of outbreaks are over. We have vaccines now, researchers are keeping an eye out for new strains, and we are much better prepared in case of a future outbreak. It both is and isn’t surprising that LA County took this long to end the emergency, but they have a larger population than other counties, so you can’t say that you blame them.”

“Now the County can focus more on other pressing matters. Water, flooding, and drought are up there now, as have the longer mainstays of housing affordability, homelessness and other issues. COVID is no longer there though as an emergency.”

Final COVID-19 restrictions in niche areas are expected to end in the coming months, including the end of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers Hollywood protocols coming on May 12th.