A man walks his dog along Bluff Park on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Photo by Bill Alkofer. Long Beach health officials on Tuesday reported one more person died of COVID-19, a man in his 70s, bringing the city’s death total to 235 people since the pandemic began in March. The city also reported 72 new cases since Monday for a total of 11,271. The city remains in the “widespread” tier designated by the state, which means most businesses must remain closed or under strict health orders. The city of Long Beach is considered as part of Los Angeles County when it comes to its ability to open, but it appears the city would meet the state standards to move to a stage with more relaxed restrictions—though no county may move to a different category unless it has sustained improved numbers for at least two weeks. The city’s positivity rate of 4% is lower than what the state requires, and it reported a seven-day average of 6.3 cases per 100,000 residents each day, and the state requires less than seven. Los Angeles County, meanwhile, reported 47 new deaths on Tuesday and 474 new cases of COVID-19. Officials said the lower […]