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Los Angeles County passed another grim coronavirus milestone Tuesday with more than 1,000 deaths even as officials begin preparing for when stay-at-home rules could ease and the economy could restart.

A man relaxes next to caution tape at Griffith Observatory as Los Angeles remains locked down because of the coronavirus on April 28, 2020. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A man relaxes next to caution tape at Griffith Observatory as Los Angeles remains locked down because of the coronavirus on April 28, 2020. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The county continues to be the coronavirus epicenter of California, accounting for an outsized number of deaths and total cases. That has prompted officials to say the restrictions on movements must continue for now. The county represents about a quarter of California’s population but about half of all COVID-19 hospitalizations.

As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases surpassed 21,000. Residents in institutional settings account for 46% of all county deaths.

Still, officials are developing a plan to ease the Safer at Home order, which is set to expire May 15. Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said Tuesday that there were no plans to extend the current order, but that as the deadline approaches, officials will reevaluate what is best for the county.

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