The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an order on Dec. 28 requiring all residents who traveled outside of the county and recently returned to quarantine for 14 days.

The COVID-19 virus can take up to two weeks to incubate, and for many people, the virus causes no illness or symptoms, public health authorities said. If someone goes back to work, shopping or goes to gatherings, they could easily transmit the virus to others.

The county’s number of new COVID-19 cases now consistently exceeds 13,000 cases per day, with some days exceeding 15,000 cases, authorities said. When the current surge began more than 60 days ago, the average number of cases was approximately 1,200 cases a day.  On average, nine to 10 people in L.A. County test positive for COVID-19 every minute or, 540 to 600 people test positive every hour. Based on recent trends, a high number of COVID-19 cases will result in increased hospitalizations and deaths, authorities said.

Because of the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19 while traveling outside of L.A. County, everyone who has traveled or are planning to travel back into the county must quarantine for 14 days, according to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health press release. Anyone who experiences symptoms or had a positive test must isolate for 14 days and until they are fever-free for 24 hours.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recommends that people under quarantine not leave their homes or have any visitors. Find others who can help buy groceries and other essential items. Those seeking help during self-quarantine, such as assistance in getting groceries, can call 211 or visit publichealth.lacounty.gov.