https://ktla.com/news/leaving-home-considered-high-risk-as-l-a-countys-coronavirus-deaths-surpass-11000-officials-say/ -

Officials are warning that simply leaving home is a high-risk activity in Los Angeles County as coronavirus deaths surpassed 11,000 for the first time Tuesday amid a dire holiday-season surge.

L.A. County reached the staggering new death toll after more than 1,000 new COVID-19 fatalities were reported in less than a week. Just before New Year’s Eve, 10,056 deaths had been confirmed countywide.

“Our actions over the next couple of weeks are a matter of life and death for many,” the county public health department said in a tweet Tuesday. “Community transmission rates are high and any activity outside your home is high-risk.”

Risk of infection is expected to only increase in the coming weeks as the toll of holiday celebrations piles onto the existing surge.

“Assume that this deadly invisible virus is everywhere, looking for a willing host,” county public health director Barbara Ferrer said in a Monday briefing. “Don’t let that be you or someone you care about.”

Ferrer urged Angelenos to take the utmost precautions on even routine errands, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy.