Residents in Orange County seem more relaxed and less worried compared to people in Los Angles County who are scared and taking extra precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since moving to Orange County a little over 6 months ago, the differences between both counties were a little less noticeable than they are now during the stay at home order.
There are fewer cars once you cross into LA County while driving up the 5 freeway.
Fewer grocery markets are open and are making people wait in line before entering, letting only a few customers in at a time to practice social distancing.
In Orange County people are still going to hiking trails that haven’t been blocked off by the county or city and going to parks with their children.
Children get restless with being indoors all day but now is not the time to take risks.
Orange County is known to be a wealthier area compared to Los Angeles County and you can’t help but wonder if the fact that some people who are better off money-wise think they are safer than others who live paycheck to paycheck.
Another reason for the different approaches to the crisis can also be related to the fact that Orange County is way smaller in size to Los Angeles County. It doesn’t have to only be about the money.
By being a bigger county, Los Angeles has more cases and more people who can get infected. Therefore increasing the chances of spreading and increasing the need for enforcing stricter stay at home orders for them is a must.
Driving around my apartment complex and others surrounding my neighborhood you see children still playing with each other outside and running around.
A few days ago a neighbor shouted to a mother for being outside with her children in the middle of the parking lot. He told her that she shouldn’t be outside because of the pandemic and she’s putting her children at risk.
If you don’t have the luxury of owning a home with a backyard to let your children play there are other things like board games, card games and other activities to spend time with your children indoors.
In Los Angeles County people take turns with other adult family members for going to the store to buy essentials. They are taking a more cautious approach by limiting exposure to any unnecessary people.
Panic buying in Orange County isn’t as big an issue as it is in LA County.
People don’t rush to the store to stock up on necessities like toilet paper and water. Almost everyone is just out gathering enough groceries for a week at a time, or stick to their normal pace.
These are scary times we are living in and we must all do our part to flatten the curve.
We must follow the governor’s advice and stay at home order. Regardless of where we live.
It is the only way we will be able to get back to what we know as normal or what our new normal will be after this pandemic.
Andrea • Apr 17, 2020 at 7:19 pm
I agree with the responses. I think maybe everyone in OC did they’re “hoard shopping” before the Stay at home order went into effect. I think people are outside because life goes on. This pandemic will not destroy mankind. We should be cautious, but we can’t live in fear over something that is out of our control.
I have a newborn, so we walk out to patio of our apartment and watch the kids riding their bikes through the complex. We’re not hiding in our homes…. yet. Once the zombie apocalypse arrives, we might be singing a different tune. But until then, Orange County seems to have their stuff together when you look at the difference in new cases reported.
Newport Beach résident • Apr 13, 2020 at 6:02 am
Oh and I forgot to mention that everyone at the supermarket yesterday was wearing a mask .. everyone !!!!
Newport Beach résident • Apr 13, 2020 at 5:57 am
Yes hiking trails by my house in the back-bay are open , however yesterday they closed all the parks to avoid Easter egg hunts . Every supermarket Trader Joe’s , Cosco Ralph’s etc has a long line outside . Trader Joe’s does not accept bagging your groceries in customers cloth reusable bags and they stopped charging fir their paper ones . They have blue tapes in about every supermarket with signs enforcing social distancing .
Easter Day there were fewer people outside , and more younger families with small kids on their bikes .
I rode my bike around 17 th street which is usually super crowded with cars , there was barely anyone and seemed like a ghost town .
I think the problem is that CNN , Fox News and NPR all focus on larger cities , and we never hear anything about the OC which is pretty large . I had to call few doctor Friends at Hoag to get some answers about guidelines and news.
But I think in my area people are educated enough to u understand the seriousness of this world catastrophe .
They even made a one way pedestrian side walk on top of the Corona Del Mar beach with huge signs and if you don’t know , the locals walking will make sure to let you know .. so no OC is not that relaxed anymore .
Elizabeth • Apr 12, 2020 at 10:44 pm
I don’t think it is good to try to pit counties against each other. We are all in this together through the duration. Stay healthy everyone and follow given guidelines so we can get through this quicker.
Jessica • Apr 12, 2020 at 9:45 pm
I live in south county and I feel the same as the person above. OC is not taking this seriously at all. There are way toany people at parks and the harbor walking, biking and running without masks or social distancing. Yes the stores are bear and we have lines outside too. People here are being selfish. We have the smallest county with the 3rd highest cases. That should tell you something about how well we are handling this. Not very well.
Trisha • Apr 12, 2020 at 4:06 pm
The grocery store shelves in Orange Co. are empty. People are hoarding here. I haven’t been able to buy paper towels or toilet paper in weeks. I am running out of both. people are not having the common decency to social distance or wear masks and I think that is rude. If they don’t care if they get get sick, we do, so put on your flipping mask Orange Co. I live in Huntington Beach and we don’t hear anything from our mayors, we don’t get updates, nothing. We have several infected people, at one time, more than you, and we don’t even test 1/2 as much.
Brian Casey • Apr 12, 2020 at 12:52 pm
Welp, OC has about 1200 cases and only 18 fatalities. Considering the magnitude if the situation, id say we are doing pretty good comparatively speaking. If what you are saying has any truth to it, maybe L.A should try relaxing a little, just takes a little common sense and general common courtesy and we can get through this without going crazy.
Randall • Apr 12, 2020 at 11:45 am
As anyone looked into the fact there hasnt been any reports of disneyland cadt memebers or downtown disney employees catching this covid. We ve been exposed to a world wide population to this as early as Decemeber…the store i worked for we never caught it….seems odd and no one reports that issue.
JulieT • Apr 12, 2020 at 9:47 am
As a resident of South Orange County, I have to disagree with most of your “assumptions” on how we are handling this pandemic. From firsthand experience, residents in Aliso Viejo and surrounding cities have been doing their part with social distancing and wearing protective face masks and /or gloves. And to say that the wealthier people in Orange County think they’re better off in the situation because they have money and don’t live “paycheck to paycheck”, is just plain ignorant. My husband and I live paycheck to paycheck and so do many other families we know in the area. And don’t forget how many people have lost their jobs or have taken major pay cuts, putting many of us, wealthy or not, in the same boat of worrying about how to provide for our families.
As a mother of 3 young children, I do let my kids play outside and ride their bikes and enjoy fresh air, keeping social distancing from other neighbors our number one priority. The grass fields at the parks are still OPEN and it’s perfectly fine to let your children run around in the great outdoors for small amounts of time, as long as the parents are making sure they do it safely and responsibly.
We’re all in this together., regardless what county or state were living in. We’re all doing the best we can. It’s our responsibility to do our part to educate ourselves and stay up to date on what’s happening, which changes say by day.
David C • Apr 12, 2020 at 8:45 am
Not sure where the author is getting her facts. The grocery stores in Orange County are filling the same CDC guidelines as those in Los Angeles. The news has shown many places in LA and OC where people are ignoring the stay at home orders. LA county has issued 100’s of desist orders to non-essential businesses
Deborah Thompson • Apr 12, 2020 at 8:40 am
I think common sense also needs to prevail during these times to calm panic and prevent irrational behavior. We are blessed in Orange County with space. Space between homes, greenbelts , parks, some walking and hiking trails. Please take your kids outside, it is the safest place for them to be. Your risk of getting COVID outside in the fresh massively diluted air with just your immediate quarantine group is zero. COVID transmits in enclosed spaces, with persons close to each other by coughing within 3-6 feet or through contact on surfaces with droplets. Let’s please stop the craziness. Be mindful of social distancing, wash our hands and surfaces, mask when in public enclosed spaces. (Masking outside is just ridiculous) Get folks outside periodically particularly children for much needed fresh air and exercise. This will help us all do this for the long haul with our sanity intact, and be much healthier mentally for all.
Please people, really….think about it!