Suzanne Guldimann is the editor of the Topanga New Times, and also TNT’s resident naturalist. She was recently asked to give a talk on being…
Topanga New Times, May 22, 2020
Welcome to the second issue of the Topanga New Times! We welcome ideas, suggestions, comments. Please email us at hello@topanganewtimes.com.
Most Topanga-area beaches and trails have reopened for active recreation only—no sunbathing or picnicking allowed. Parking facilities and restroom access remain limited.
At Topanga State Park parking and restrooms are available only at the Trippet Ranch parking lot. Dead Horse trailhead remains closed. Beaches are open, but parking is restricted at many locations, including Topanga Beach. PCH commuters should watch for parked cars and surfers and other beachgoers crossing the highway.
The County Department of Public Health requires people to wear cloth face coverings while outside the home whenever nearby or passing other people, and inside any business or facility that has been allowed to open under the county order. Only surfers and swimmers are exempt, and only while they are in the water.
Despite some loosening of restrictions, COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Los Angeles County, and stay-at-home orders are expected to be extended through the summer.
“Los Angeles County’s stay-at-home orders will with all certainty be extended for the next three months,” County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer acknowledged during a Board of Supervisors meeting on May 12. The California State University system isn’t taking any chances. Classes will remain primarily online during the fall term throughout the California State University system, Chancellor Timothy White announced, stating that the decision was based on predictions that there will be new waves of COVID-19 cases later this year.
More than a quarter of a million individuals in L.A. County have now been tested for the virus, and more than 32,000, or almost 12 percent have been infected. County officials continue to encourage all residents, even those without symptoms, to get tested.
The newest test site in the vicinity of Topanga is at Santa Monica College’s Airport Arts Campus, 2800 Airport Ave., in Santa Monica. Testing is open five days a week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., by appointment only. No drop-in appointments will be taken. Appointments are available for the following day only. Sign up at covid19.lacounty.gov/testing. L.A. County residents without digital access can call (888) 634-1123.
Test results may take up to 2-3 days. Individuals with positive test results will be notified by a phone call. Negative test results will be accessed by logging into a secure website.
Stay safe, be well!
