Los Angeles was one of the first U.S. cities to implement a stay-at-home order when the coronavirus pandemic hit the country. Now, L.A. is coming close to a grim distinction as it experiences a virus surge.

L.A. may be the biggest U.S. city with a second stay-at-home order as cases on the virus surge, and hospitalizations show few signs of decreasing.

For weeks, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti has warned the city that they are close to going back to some stay-at-home order due to the new virus surge, which became worse by businesses reopening in May. Garcetti had held off the order so far, Los Angeles Times reported.

A Fox News report pointed out that when Garcetti appeared on CNN Sunday, he blamed state and county officials for reopening "too quickly" in May. He said people who stayed at home since the middle of March fell into old habits and socializing as if the virus vanished.

He said authorities were "on the verge" of closing down all but essential businesses.

Garcetti told CNN's Jake Tapper that the surge is also about how people act individually and is not just limited to businesses. He also added that people have to stay alert when it comes to the virus. "They might think because they got a test two weeks ago that it's okay, but it's not," he said.

Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America
(Photo : Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 19: A pedestrian walks past a shuttered movie theater, with the message 'Stay Safe and Healthy' displayed on the marquee, on March 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide ‘stay at home’ order for California’s 40 million residents except for ‘necessary activities’ in the hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19.

On Sunday, Garcetti said a decision would most likely come in the two weeks as officials try to find out if restrictions put in place in late June and July like closing bars and indoor restaurants helped slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

L.A. County Sees Record Coronavirus Hospitalizations

L.A. had been one of the hardest-hit counties in California for some time, recording an uneven share of the total cases and deaths in the entire country.
The wave has also hit nearby counties like Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside. California sees more coronavirus cases, but some very populated areas did not get hit as hard by the virus so far, like the Bay Area.
When compared to L.A., Bay Area has seen less than half as many new cases over the last two weeks on a per capita basis.

Health Conditions Need Improving

But health experts say a new stay-at-home order isn't far off for Los Angeles if the conditions don't improve soon.
Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of U.C. San Francisco's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, is one of the many professionals who wish California is not in its current situation.
"We are in a situation where we did so well at the beginning of this pandemic. And I believe we could get back there," she said, but also added that residents would have to make sure the virus "has no place to go" for some period of time.
Even if the new stay-at-home order is less strict than the one imposed last spring, it will still have a hard hit on Los Angeles. Its economy is battered, and the unemployment rate in the county is around 19.5% in June.
Garcetti and other leaders believe the day can still be saved with changes in behavior. 

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