March 2020 lockdown california12/18/2023 Nearly 388,000 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed across Los Angeles County to date, including more than 7,600 deaths, with 10% of all diagnostic tests coming back positive - twice the rate considered concerning by health authorities. Health officials around the country have warned that the holiday travel season and onset of colder weather - leading to greater social mixing and people congregating indoors - is fueling a COVID-19 surge that has sent infections, hospitalizations and deaths to record levels. The same applies to golf courses, tennis courts, skate parks and other outdoor recreational venues.Īll indoor and outdoor service at bars, restaurants, wineries and breweries remains prohibited under an earlier county order that restricted them to takeout and delivery only. It lowers the maximum occupancy levels for "essential" retail businesses, including grocery stores, to 35% of capacity, while non-essential retail locations such as indoor shopping malls and personal care services such as nail salons can remain open at 20% of capacity.īeaches, trails and parks remain open, too, so long as individuals keep their distance from others outside their households and wear a mask. The latest order still permits some measure of commercial activity, albeit at reduced levels. Visit the NCPC's website to learn more about the study and other research, and visit the Health Sciences Research Institute's site to learn more about all the public health research at UC Merced.But any social gatherings of people from more than one household are prohibited, whether in public or private, and whether indoors or outside. Smokers who would like help to quit smoking can contact the California Smokers' Helpline at 80. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be reached at 800- 273-8255. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a list of mental health resources on its website to help anyone who may be going through a difficult time. "Without these resources, these areas could become marginalized due to COVID-19 related increases in stress, mental health issues and substance use disorders." The pandemic has uprooted lives and increased stress and anxiety, but help is available. The State of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus, said Governor Newsom. "It is important to bolster mental health and smoking cessation resources in communities like the San Joaquin Valley, where there is already a pre-existing shortage of medical and mental health professionals," said lead-author Professor Mariaelena Gonzalez, whose research focuses on health disparities and tobacco control. While the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to decline and state mandates are lifted, public health and health care professionals worry that stress and isolation during the pandemic may lead to, or worsen, addictive behaviors throughout countless communities, including in Central California. This is important because smoke-free laws, such as those prohibiting smoking in the workplace, may be an important tool that not only protect people from toxic secondhand smoke, but that also can prompt smokers to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke, or quit altogether. Researchers on the project pointed out that when smokers stayed home during the lockdown, they were no longer covered by California smoke-free workplace laws, which prohibit smoking and vaping indoors. While the study did not ask smokers why their consumption patterns changed, researchers speculate that increased stress, other mental health issues and working from home were possible causes for the increase in cigarette use. They also found the opposite for e-cigarettes: Adults who responded to the survey post-lockdown had lower e-cigarette consumption rates compared with adults who responded to the survey before the stay-at-home order. A total of 1,510 adults were surveyed in early March 2020 and 1,061 in May 2020.Īccording to the report, as a group, adults who responded to the survey after the state-mandated stay-at-home order went into effect had higher cigarette consumption rates compared to cigarette users who were surveyed before the lockdown went into effect. UC Merced's Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center (NCPC) researchers looked at the habits of adult smokers in an 11-county region in Central California both before and after the California COVID-19 lockdown order was implemented. COVID-19's grip has affected people's mental health and sense of what was once normal, prompting them to turn to new and familiar behaviors to help cope.Īccording to a new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, smokers reported smoking more cigarettes following the COVID-19 lockdown order in California. The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has been felt around the world.
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