Los Angeles, May 1 (IANS): Los Angeles was offering free coronavirus tests to all residents, regardless of whether they were displaying any symptoms, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced shortly after Los Angeles County reported its largest daily increase in new COVID-19 cases.

Los Angeles County currently accounts for almost half of California's confirmed coronavirus cases. The state has so far reported over 48,000 cases and more than 1,900 deaths, the BBC reported.

On Thursday, Garcetti urged all of the city's residents to get swabbed after earlier tweeting that "LA is now the first major city in America to offer free COVID-19 testing".

Until now, only essential workers and those displaying symptoms could receive tests due to a scarcity of kits.

Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all beaches in Orange County to close until further notice, although he added that he hoped he would not have to maintain the order for too long, the BBC reported.

California was among the first US states to bring in blanket restrictions, issuing a "stay at home" order to residents last month in an effort to stem the march of the coronavirus.

Newsom recently said that he was still weeks away from lifting some restrictions.