Here is the latest information available on COVID-19 and local wildfires:
The Bobcat Fire continues to burn above Monrovia. As of Saturday, 29.000 acres ahd burned. Local firefighters had managed to protect Trask Boy Scout Camp, The fire had burned the area around Monrovia Falls. As of Saturday, the fire was 6% contained and moving toward the northeast. By Sunday monring it had begun a slow progression to the west and threatened parts of Santa Anita Canyon.
In Northern California, Oregon and Washington 35 people have been confirmed killed by wildfires. Many more are missing.
COVID-19 UPDATE:
Pasadena reported one new death this past week, though the decedent passed away prior to September. There have been no new deaths in Pasadena for the past three weeks.
Two new COVID-19 infections and no deaths were reported in Pasadena Thursday as local, county and state health officials were poised for a possible virus surge in the weeks following Labor Day weekend.
Pasadena’s total tallies since the start of the pandemic amounted to 2,455 cases of the novel coronavirus and 117 deaths, according to city data.
Public health agencies at all three levels reported relatively low rates of new infections over the long-holiday weekend, but cautioned that the figures were likely influence by fewer people getting tested, and fewer testing centers open. The nearly-24,000-acre Bobcat Fire burning in the forest north of the foothills may also have been suppressing testing.
The city’s overall positivity rate had dropped to 9..2%, compared with the county’s total rate of 10%.
Huntington Hospital saw 24 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, according to hospital data. A single test was pending.
Los Angeles County health officials reported 1,239 new infections and 42 additional fatalities. The county had recorded a total of 253,176 COVID-19 cases and 6,197 deaths in total as of Saturday.
County officials said 1,138 patients were being treated at hospitals, with 334 of them in intensive care units.
The State of California reported 3,338 new infections were detected Thursday and 137 new deaths were reported, according to the California Department of Public Health. The state had recorded a total of 754,501 COVID-19 cases and 14,297 fatalities altogether with 3,848 persons hospitalized statewide.
The state’s average positivity rate over the past seven days stood at 3.5%, and the 14-day rate was 4%, according to a CDPH statement.
This from the Wall Street Journal (this time):
Still, public health authorities and researchers are warning Americans not to let their guard down. The confluence of students mixing once again in classrooms, colder weather in places like the Northeast and fatigue from long-running pandemic isolation threatens to trigger more cases while driving the deaths back up, experts say.
Labor Day weekend brought with it end-of-summer gatherings, families embarking on modified summer travel and more fitness facilities and restaurants welcoming customers.
“As activity comes back and people are less cautious, and as seasonality rolls in, we’ll see it ticking up again,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which forecasts the U.S. Covid-19 death toll could more than double by Jan. 1 to around 410,000 from the current toll of about 190,000. The return of cold weather is a big factor.
Meantime, the recent peak in deaths was far below the highs seen in April, when the U.S. seven-day average briefly eclipsed 2,200 daily deaths and outbreaks hit hard in populous, cold-weather locations like New York City, parts of New Jersey and New England.
While known case counts in April were far lower then than they are even now, testing was also much more limited, and typically reserved for the sickest patients.
Since then, it is difficult to identify how much the virus and its capacity to harm those who are infected has changed, public health experts and epidemiologists say. Testing capacity in the U.S. has steadily expanded beyond the sickest patients, creating a fuller, but still incomplete, picture of the virus’s reach.
REOPENING AND GATHERING PROTOCOLS:
The Governor's color-coded reopening tiers provides some measure of predicability, though there are many elements of the plan we would like to see adjusted. The Pasadena Chamber continues to push for practical and reasonable protocols and timetables for reopening safely as part of the California Coalition for Safe Reopening.
If you are located in LA County and your sector has been allowed to reopen, chances are you've had a question or two about the process. Whether you're responsible for reopening a business or an office, LA County wants to help guide you through the reopening process. That is why the Department of Public Health (DPH) has created Reopening Toolkits to better guide you, and support safety for employees and customers, while on the path to recoveryCurrently, toolkits are available for the following sectors: Hair Salons & Barbershops; Gyms & Fitness Establishments; Hotels, Lodging and Short-Term Rentals; Music, Television and Production; Office Worksites; Personal Care; Restaurants nd Warehousing, Manufacturing and Logistic Establishments. LA County Reopening Toolkits can be found here. For more on LA County's Road to Recovery, or things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit DPH at publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus.
Protocols for Pasadena generally follow LA County. You can find Pasadena COVID-19 materials by clicking here.
LA County Launches COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program
LA County launched the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certificate Program(CSCCP) to further help educate and train business owners on the implementation of LA County's COVID-19 safety protocols. CSCCP is a no-cost online training course that educates business owners on the essentials of the County Health Officer’s Orders - including what they need to do to ensure business practices are aligned (and in compliance) with infection control and physical distancing requirements. After completing the training, businesses will receive a COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certificate that can be posted on storefronts. The window seal informs customers that your business has been trained in COVID-19 protocols, thereby offering businesses, employees, and consumers alike the added reassurance that essential training has been completed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. CSCCP training can be accessed online through DPH's COVID-19 website at publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/covid19cert.htm and will be available in 13 languages. Read these announcement for more on the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program. For the latest information on LA County's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit covid19.lacounty.gov or follow us @CountyofLA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Mobile App 'SafePass' is Now Available to County Residents
LA County and local city leaders recently announced a partnership with SafePass, a mobile app that provides contact tracing capabilities for individuals throughout LA County. SafePass will allow LA County users to self-report their symptoms for COVID-19 and receive notifications and alerts directly from the LA County Department of Public Health.
All contact tracing data is: anonymous, private, encrypted, and deleted after 30 days by Citizen. Additionally, SafePass:
- Tracks any close contacts with other users & alerts them to potential exposures.Any users who have meaningful contact with another user (who later tests positive for COVID-19) will receive a notification to get tested.
- Offers immediate access to eligible users for a free at-home testing kit for those who have been notified of exposure through the app; and
- Provides up-to-date information about all active testing sites in LA County (terms & conditions apply, see citizen.com/tracing/tests).
The Citizen SafePass mobile app complements existing local COVID-19 response efforts in LA County by introducing this innovative tool that ramps up the critical contact tracing process. LA County residents are encouraged to download SafePass to expand local efforts to track COVID-19 for L.A. County’s 10 million residents. To learn more about SafePass, visit citizen.com/safepass.
LA County first prohibited Halloween Trick or Treating, but later rescinded the ban in favor of warnings about social distancing, health and safety precautions and unnecessary contact with people outside immediate household members.
GRANTS and LOANS:
Many businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis will now be eligible to receive critical financial assistance! As a joint effort by the County of Los Angeles, 
The Recovery Fund, which has already awarded $3.2 million in grants to more than 300 Los Angeles County microentrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits, has now been reinforced with an additional $60 million in CARES Act funding from the County of Los Angeles along with an additional $40 million from City of Los Angeles. Los Angeles County businesses will be given grants in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.
Businesses will only need to apply once to be eligible for future rounds. Apply for the next round of Recovery Fund awards starting today by clicking HERE! (Look for new dates for the next round of applications)
The SBA Disaster Loan deadline is September 16, 2020! Don’t miss it! If your business was damaged during the recent civil unrest in Los Angeles County, you may be eligible for a disaster loan. The deadline to apply is September 16, 2020! Businesses of all sizes are eligible to borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent, or minimize similar disaster damage from occurring in the future. For more information, click HERE. Find other SBA resources, including FREE business mentoring, by clicking HERE.
OTHER RELATED EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES:
2020 SGV Economic Forecast Update is September 15, 2020, from 9:00 am - 11:00 am (Casual Mix-n-Mingle begins at 
The LA Law Library is offering FREE business courses to learn everything you need to know about building your business. Leading attorneys and financial professionals will present a multi-part series giving entrepreneurs and business owners the practical and comprehensive training needed to set up a business for long-term growth and success during challenging times.
Continuing on September 15, 2020 from 12pm to 2pm and following weekly through November 24, topics will include: Starting and Growing Your Business; Business Model Workshops ; How to Form a Corporation or LLC; Business Contracts or more details and to register for upcoming classes, click HERE!
The Los Angeles County Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is offering FREE one-on-one assistance and training to help businesses in LA County that are interested in local, state, and federal government contracting. PTAC counselors can help your business on matters such as: Becoming a registered vendor; Getting certified; Finding opportunities; and Marketing to the government. Connect with a small business counselor by emailing OSB@dcba.lacounty.gov to set-up your free one-on-one counseling session. Learn more about how PTAC can help your small business HERE.
Find the support you need during the COVID-19 pandemic at the L.A. County Disaster Help Center, a collaboration of DCBA, the Department of Workforce, Development, Aging, and Community Services (WDACS), and other County and State agencies. Counselors at the Center are available Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to help business owners navigate emergency loan applications and help individuals that were laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact the Disaster Help Center: Call (833) 238-4450; Visit LACountyHelpCenter.org ; Email DisasterHelpCenter@lacounty.gov
Stay updated with the latest news and information regarding COVID-19 in LA County at the Department of Public Health website and on their social media feeds: Twitter @lapublichealth https://twitter.com/lapublichealth; Facebook @lapublichealth https://www.facebook.com/lapublichealth; Instagram @lapublichealth https://www.instagram.com/lapublichealth/