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As the Lakers progressed through four rounds of
playoffs, culminating in the NBA title on Oct. 11, the Los
Angeles County Department of Health says it's highly that fans
gathering to watch the games -- and then taking to the streets
to celebrate -- played a role in the county's surge of COVID-19
cases.
The Dodgers, who lead the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the
best-of-seven World Series, have two chances to clinch their own
title, the first coming Tuesday night in Game 6. If the Rays
win, Game 7 would be Wednesday night.
Going back to early October, Los Angeles County has seen its
average number of new daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 rise
from 900 to 1,200.
"It is impossible to determine the exact exposures that
contributed to this increase," the agency said Monday in a
statement published by USA Today. "However, it is highly likely
that gatherings to watch and/or celebrate the Lakers, along with
any other gatherings that occurred 2-3 weeks ago where people
weren't wearing face coverings and were in close contact with
each other, contributed to the rise in LA County cases."
The traditional victory parade and organized public celebrations
were not held because of the pandemic, although more than 1,000
people swarmed the area around Staples Center to celebrate the
Lakers' clinching win in Game 6.
"As fans continue to watch and celebrate the mighty LA sport
teams, we are mindful that if individuals are not adhering to
the health officer order requirements of distancing, infection
control and masking, cases will continue to rise which,
unfortunately, not only leads to increased illness and deaths,
but also slows down our recovery journey," the agency added in
the statement.
--Field Level Media
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