Mayor Eric Garcetti warned Monday evening that Los Angeles is on the cusp of a full shutdown as L.A. County saw more business shutdowns this week due to COVID-19.

He referred to a color-coded chart he often uses to illustrate the severity of virus response. On the chart, Los Angeles County is currently positioned at “orange” with the next, and highest, level of severity being red.

“Red is when everything shuts down again. Everything to our strictest level,” Garcetti said. “I do want to warn people that we are close to that.”

When the “Safer L.A.” shutdown was first instituted in March, only “essential workforces” such as hospitals, government operations, utilities, grocery stores and drive-thru restaurants were permitted to stay open.

Garcetti then added that he believed that level of shut down can be avoided as infection and death rates have declined, and there is still some “strength in our hospitals.”

As threats of stricter shut down orders loomed last week, Public Health director Barbara Ferrer told Fox 11 that she hopes those stay-at-home orders don’t come back and that “we’ll be more sensible about what we’re doing.”

On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered several businesses to shut down in 30 counties, including Los Angeles. Indoor operations from dining, to indoor church services have been shut down in these counties that make up 80 percent of California.

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