Last week, Antigen testing arrived in Malibu. Malibu Urgent Care obtained a supply of what is supposed to be the most reliable approved test out there. The test requires a blood draw so they can run it through two separate tests. One of the tests is very reliable if the infection has been cured for at least 2 or 3 weeks and the other is better on active and very recent infections. The second test has a problem on older infections.
The City is also planning to host drive through testing for antigens in the next 2 weeks. Check the Citys website for the latest updates.
I went in on Thursday to have my blood drawn and am expecting an outcome on Monday the 4th. I’ve heard that the percentage of people tested who have antibodies is very small in Malibu. If the evidence bears this out, it will indicate that we did a great job of social distancing. The negative would be that we have a very small portion of the population who are immune (if anyone is).
Traffic in Malibu picked up this weekend and I was disssappointed by the people who have come to town and are not complying with the ordinance requiring a mask or face covering when entering the markets and the bank I went to. I fear that the County’s general population is not taking the situation seriously and we will see another surge of infections in Los Angeles County as we try to reopen the economy. Please wear a face covering to protect yourself and your family.
On Monday, the 4ththe State announced that we will be beginning the first phase of reopening our economy as early as Friday the 8th. It will be a scramble to see who is successful in meeting the requirements to open. I know we’re all tired of sheltering in place and antsy to get back towards normalcy. Let’s try not to open ourselves up to what we have been trying to avoid as the economy begins to reopen.
The rebuilds and the applications continue. I last commented on this about 5 weeks ago. Since that time the total approved by Planning went up by 10 to a total 234 houses. We can add the 7 applications currently being considered to come to a total of 241 applications submitted. We are now past the 50% mark in applications to rebuild. The number of single-family homes with active permits inched up to from 91 permits to 96. We also have seen the first permits granted for Multi-family replacement with a total of 12 units (Malibu Gardens) approved. The Building and Safety and Planning departments are now operating by appointment and will do just about anything to help you get your application in and approved. Do not be afraid to apply now.
LA County Waterworks District 29’s pipeline replacement in the lower Encinal are seems to be progressing and the rebuilds in that neighborhood have now been under construction for a little over 6 months. I hope to have an update on the progress of the Water Tank design process soon.
Stay safe.