'Snitches Get Rewards': Garcetti Issues New Rules For Construction Sites, Encourages Community To Report 'Safer At Home' Violators
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced new guidelines for construction sites that continue to operate during the coronavirus pandemic while encouraging the community to report businesses that violate the city's "Safer at Home" order.
Garcetti said that since the stay-at-home order was put in place, the city has been told about constructions sites that have not been following the guidelines set out in that order.
In an effort to enforce safe practices, Garcetti said the Department of Building and Safety has developed new guidelines specifically for construction sites to ensure the safety of employers, workers and the community at large.
That includes having all construction sites submit a comprehensive COVID-19 exposure control plan that includes protocols for symptom checking, physical distancing, hygiene practices and decontamination procedures.
The city will also be sending inspectors to active construction sites every day to ensure they are complying with the new guidelines.
"We will not be shy about shutting down construction sites that do not comply, so comply," Garcetti said. "Continue the critical work that you are doing, but in the meantime make sure you are keeping your people and all of us safe."
RELATED: Union Rescue Mission Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus, First Reported Case On Skid Row
Garcetti also used the Tuesday briefing to encourage people in the community to report businesses that continue to violate the order.
"If any non-essential businesses continue to operate in violation of the stay-at-home order, we're going to act to enforce the safer at home order and ensure their compliance," he said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Garcetti said business ambassadors had visited 540 businesses that had not complied with the Safer at Home order. Of those, 144 were visited by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department to ensure compliance with the order.
Four businesses have been referred to the city attorney's office for misdemeanor filings.
"You know the old expression about snitches, well in this case snitches get rewards," Garcetti said. "We want to thank you for turning folks in and making sure we are all safe."
Violations of the Safer at Home order can be reported online.
RELATED: LA County Sees 548 Coronavirus Cases Tuesday, 10 New Deaths
Garcetti also announced that the city of Los Angeles saw an 18% increase in coronavirus cases — 215 additional cases for a total of 1,386 — and the county saw a 23% decrease in available hospital beds over the past two days.
"Your decision to stay home may mean that there's one less person who needs a ventilator we do not have," Garcetti said. "And bringing case and death numbers down won't just happen because of physical distancing and isolation, but also because of testing."
As of Tuesday afternoon, the city has conducted 10,027 coronavirus tests — including 1,623 on Tuesday alone — and expects to administer 13,000 tests by the end of the week.
He also announced that the city's online portal to schedule an appointment at a testing site will be open for all eligible Los Angeles County residents.
"Because a life is a life is a life," he said.