latimes--2020-03-25--L.A. County tells healthcare workers to reuse masks and gowns amid shortage

A severe shortage of gear that can protect healthcare workers from COVID-19 has prompted Los Angeles County officials to advise doctors and nurses to reuse face masks and wear gowns and masks that are expired , a desperate attempt to conserve supplies amid the pandemic .
In an urgent alert sent to providers on Wednesday , officials from the L.A. County public health department said COVID-19 infections are rapidly rising in the county and that staff need to implement these measures now , before a massive wave of patients hits .
The county has ordered more protective gear , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks — both surgical masks and the more protective N95 respirators — and is running low on everything else , according to the advisory .
The news has heightened fears among providers .
“ I feel like I ’ m just going to end up using the same N95 mask and eventually it ’ ll get so tattered I ’ ll get exposed , ” said one doctor at a major L.A. hospital who , like others interviewed for this article , did not have permission from her institution to speak to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reflection of a global shortage of supplies that has pushed U.S. policymakers to slowly weaken safety precautions for health care providers treating COVID-19 patients .
“ We need to collectively prepare for a surge of newly infected patients including those who are critically ill ... and to try to avert severe shortages of medical supplies , ” said the advisory emailed to all health care providers in L.A. County by Dr. Sharon Balter , director of the county public health department ’ s division of communicable disease control and prevention .
Hospitals have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supply levels .
At a large hospital in L.A. County , nurses now have to sign out masks whenever they take one and are then subject to questioning by their supervisor to make sure they are being used for a valid reason , a hospital nurse said .
“ It almost feels like they think we ’ re going to steal these masks , ” she said .
“ We don ’ t really know what to do — we just know we can ’ t protect ourselves while we ’ re taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they are only allowed to wear masks once a patient has been tested for COVID-19 , not in any other circumstance when a patient is coughing and they are worried about infection .
The hospital has forbidden staff from bringing in and wearing their own cloth masks , she said .
“ It ’ s just a really terrible time to be working , ” she said .
“ It really is coming down to whether we want to go work and get a paycheck and support our families , or if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alert sent Wednesday , officials recommended that providers switch from using disposable supplies to reusable goggles and cloth gowns that can be washed .
They also said providers could consider wearing the same face mask for multiple patients , something that has not been previously recommended due to concerns about carrying infections from room to room .
Gabe Montoya , an emergency medical technician at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center , said his hospital is rapidly running out of protective gear and what remains has been locked up .
He said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for hours on end , even beyond manufacturers ’ recommendations.
” Montoya said that he and his coworkers feel unsafe and some have moved out of their homes to stay in hotels or had their loved ones move out to protect them from infection .
“ In my case , I ’ ve gone three weeks already without seeing my husband and my elderly mother , ” he said in a statement .
“ The shortage of personal protective equipment is a national disgrace.
” Healthcare workers tend to be more exposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sick people they interact with and the close contact required to do their jobs .
In New York , now the national epicenter of the outbreak , a number of healthcare workers have already fallen ill. A study found that in Italy , about 20 % of healthcare professionals working on the front lines of the outbreak have become infected with COVID-19 .
At St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood , the masks are currently “ under lock and key , ” and providers there have also been told to wear a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rooms , said a nurse who works there .
“ I never in my life have been told to keep using the same N95 mask ... they just changed their whole ideology because of the shortage , ” he said .
“ The nursing staff are afraid , the respiratory therapists are afraid , the housekeepers are afraid to clean the room.
” This week , local nurses union SEIU 721 filed a complaint with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health because of the reuse of face masks and lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals not assign suspected COVID-19 patients to their members until they were provided the appropriate gear .
“ It is utterly disappointing that L.A. County would put front-line healthcare workers like myself in this kind of danger when it ’ s precisely in times like these that we desperately need all medical staff in top condition , ” Cynthia Mitchel , a supervising registered nurse at LAC+USC Medical Center , said in a statement .
“ Instead of being proactive , the county is setting us up to become super spreaders.
” Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dramatically changed since the beginning of the outbreak .
Originally , officials said that medical staff should wear N95 masks , which are more protective than surgical masks , when interacting with suspected COVID-19 patients .
Now those masks are recommended only during certain high-risk procedures .
The changes in guidance are intended to stretch supplies so that no one is ever completely without gear , as has happened in other countries , officials say .
The national stockpile has only 1 % of the masks needed to respond to the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ good reason to put them at risk .
“ It concerns me that we ’ re changing our practice based on conservation of supplies , ” said UCLA nurse Marcia Santini .
“ If we get sick , and we have to be self-quarantined , we ’ re going to have a staffing crisis .
L.A. County officials this week also rescinded an order requiring all medical staff who aren ’ t vaccinated for the flu to wear masks at all times while at work .
They also asked doctors ’ offices to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gear that may have been used .
Additionally , officials advised doctors not to test all patients who are suspected of having COVID-19 , only those for whom the test result would change the treatment .
Officials said the recommendation was driven by a shortage of tests and backlogs in processing results , problems that have plagued the nation ’ s response to the outbreak for weeks .
At many L.A. County hospitals , the testing delays are also exacerbating the shortages of protective gear .
If a patient is suspected of having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interacting with them while waiting for the test results , said a nurse at a Westside hospital .
As of Wednesday , the results could take as long as six days to come back , he said .
“ We ’ re burning through tons of masks and gowns , ” he said .
“ If things become really bad , then we ’ re just wasting equipment before things even peak.
” Times staff writers Hailey Branson-Potts and Emily Baumgaertner contributed to this report .

In an urgent alert issued Wednesday, Los Angeles County officials advised doctors and nurses to reuse face masks and wear gowns and masks that are expired.
A severe shortage of gear that can protect healthcare workers from COVID-19 has prompted Los Angeles County officials to advise doctors and nurses to reuse face masks and wear gowns and masks that are expired, a desperate attempt to conserve supplies amid the pandemic.
In an urgent alert sent to providers on Wednesday, officials from the L.A. County public health department said COVID-19 infections are rapidly rising in the county and that staff need to implement these measures now, before a massive wave of patients hits.
The county has ordered more protective gear, but its stockpile is currently completely depleted of masks — both surgical masks and the more protective N95 respirators — and is running low on everything else, according to the advisory.
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The news has heightened fears among providers.
“I feel like I’m just going to end up using the same N95 mask and eventually it’ll get so tattered I’ll get exposed,” said one doctor at a major L.A. hospital who, like others interviewed for this article, did not have permission from her institution to speak to the media.
The local guidance is the reflection of a global shortage of supplies that has pushed U.S. policymakers to slowly weaken safety precautions for health care providers treating COVID-19 patients.
“We need to collectively prepare for a surge of newly infected patients including those who are critically ill ... and to try to avert severe shortages of medical supplies,” said the advisory emailed to all health care providers in L.A. County by Dr. Sharon Balter, director of the county public health department’s division of communicable disease control and prevention.
Hospitals have also been tightening rules to mitigate low supply levels. At a large hospital in L.A. County, nurses now have to sign out masks whenever they take one and are then subject to questioning by their supervisor to make sure they are being used for a valid reason, a hospital nurse said.
“It almost feels like they think we’re going to steal these masks,” she said. “We don’t really know what to do — we just know we can’t protect ourselves while we’re taking care of the patient.”
The nurse said they are only allowed to wear masks once a patient has been tested for COVID-19, not in any other circumstance when a patient is coughing and they are worried about infection. The hospital has forbidden staff from bringing in and wearing their own cloth masks, she said.
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“It’s just a really terrible time to be working,” she said. “It really is coming down to whether we want to go work and get a paycheck and support our families, or if we want to protect ourselves.”
In the alert sent Wednesday, officials recommended that providers switch from using disposable supplies to reusable goggles and cloth gowns that can be washed. They also said providers could consider wearing the same face mask for multiple patients, something that has not been previously recommended due to concerns about carrying infections from room to room.
Gabe Montoya, an emergency medical technician at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, said his hospital is rapidly running out of protective gear and what remains has been locked up. He said they are being asked to wear items “for hours on end, even beyond manufacturers’ recommendations.”
Montoya said that he and his coworkers feel unsafe and some have moved out of their homes to stay in hotels or had their loved ones move out to protect them from infection.
“In my case, I’ve gone three weeks already without seeing my husband and my elderly mother,” he said in a statement. “The shortage of personal protective equipment is a national disgrace.”
Healthcare workers tend to be more exposed to viruses than others because of the number of sick people they interact with and the close contact required to do their jobs.
In New York, now the national epicenter of the outbreak, a number of healthcare workers have already fallen ill. A study found that in Italy, about 20% of healthcare professionals working on the front lines of the outbreak have become infected with COVID-19.
At St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, the masks are currently “under lock and key,” and providers there have also been told to wear a single one while moving between multiple patient rooms, said a nurse who works there.
“I never in my life have been told to keep using the same N95 mask ... they just changed their whole ideology because of the shortage,” he said. “The nursing staff are afraid, the respiratory therapists are afraid, the housekeepers are afraid to clean the room.”
This week, local nurses union SEIU 721 filed a complaint with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health because of the reuse of face masks and lack of N95 respirators. Union leaders demanded that hospitals not assign suspected COVID-19 patients to their members until they were provided the appropriate gear.
“It is utterly disappointing that L.A. County would put front-line healthcare workers like myself in this kind of danger when it’s precisely in times like these that we desperately need all medical staff in top condition,” Cynthia Mitchel, a supervising registered nurse at LAC+USC Medical Center, said in a statement. “Instead of being proactive, the county is setting us up to become super spreaders.”
Federal recommendations for protecting health care workers have dramatically changed since the beginning of the outbreak.
Originally, officials said that medical staff should wear N95 masks, which are more protective than surgical masks, when interacting with suspected COVID-19 patients. Now those masks are recommended only during certain high-risk procedures.
The changes in guidance are intended to stretch supplies so that no one is ever completely without gear, as has happened in other countries, officials say. The national stockpile has only 1% of the masks needed to respond to the pandemic. But providers say that isn’t good reason to put them at risk.
“It concerns me that we’re changing our practice based on conservation of supplies,” said UCLA nurse Marcia Santini. “If we get sick, and we have to be self-quarantined, we’re going to have a staffing crisis.
L.A. County officials this week also rescinded an order requiring all medical staff who aren’t vaccinated for the flu to wear masks at all times while at work. They also asked doctors’ offices to cancel all non-urgent appointments to conserve protective gear that may have been used.
Additionally, officials advised doctors not to test all patients who are suspected of having COVID-19, only those for whom the test result would change the treatment. Officials said the recommendation was driven by a shortage of tests and backlogs in processing results, problems that have plagued the nation’s response to the outbreak for weeks.
At many L.A. County hospitals, the testing delays are also exacerbating the shortages of protective gear.
If a patient is suspected of having COVID-19, staff wear protective equipment when interacting with them while waiting for the test results, said a nurse at a Westside hospital. As of Wednesday, the results could take as long as six days to come back, he said.
“We’re burning through tons of masks and gowns,” he said. “If things become really bad, then we’re just wasting equipment before things even peak.”
Times staff writers Hailey Branson-Potts and Emily Baumgaertner contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-25--California coronavirus cases continue to grow, reaching rate on par with New York

California ’ s top medical advisor said Wednesday that coronavirus cases continue to double in the state every three to four days , a fast pace on par with New York ‘ s , where some hospitals are overwhelmed and the death toll stood at 366 on Thursday night .
If that rate holds , California hospitals could see a surge in patients in one to two weeks , said Dr. Mark Ghaly , the state ’ s secretary of Health and Human Services , during a Facebook news conference .
“ We originally thought that it would be doubling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see cases doubling every three to four days , ” Ghaly said .
`` [ We ’ re ] watching that trend very , very closely.
” Nicholas Jewell , a biostatistics researcher at UC Berkeley who has been tracking the pandemic , said the coronavirus is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. , at a rate quicker or on par with countries hit the hardest .
“ The U.S. is now at the top of the charts for doubling rates , ” Jewell said .
“ This is not the time to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward to going to church on Easter.
” President Trump said this week he hoped to remove social restrictions by the April 12 holiday , a proposal that received strong pushback from governors including Newsom and health experts across the U.S. Ghaly said the estimates on how fast the virus is spreading are based on a model created as the epidemic first broke in California and updated with new data on a daily basis , including information from hot spots such as Santa Clara and reports from large hospitals .
“ We take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
But even as Newsom announced that testing in the state had been conducted on more than 66,800 people , he acknowledged that , “ it ’ s not good enough , ” to predict an accurate picture of what is happening or meet medical needs .
It was not immediately clear if the new tests included in the updated number represented an increase in testing or tests that were done over past weeks since the start of the outbreak , and what information they would provide to researchers .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the state had tested positive , including 37 children under the age of 17 .
He declined to provide additional details about state models , saying data would be provided in coming days as better information becomes available .
“ Until I have that , we are going to hold the current [ numbers ] back , ” Newsom said when asked about hospitalization rates and other markers .
The increase in testing numbers is largely due to better reporting by the patchwork system of public hospitals , private vendors and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week , not all of those facilities were reporting results to the state .
Newsom acknowledged that the state was still working to ensure the various testing providers are “ on the same page ” when it comes to what they report .
Many labs have not been reporting data on negative cases , a vital statistic needed to understand what percentage of the tested population is infected — and ultimately to model projections for infections in the state .
Newsom also said mass testing is still stymied by slow results and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tens of thousands ” of people still waiting to receive word that they are positive or negative , which can take days .
He said that despite the new reporting , the state still needs broader testing to better plan for an expected surge of patients in hospitals , the first wave of which hit New York City this week .
That includes the need for more random testing , called “ community surveillance , ” to better understand how the virus is moving undetected in those who don ’ t become seriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s about what , where , when and why , ” Newsom said .
“ What ’ s the purpose , what ’ s the intent of the testing protocols ?
What are we trying to ultimately achieve beyond just diagnostics for critical care needs ?
...
The sum total of that data will be profoundly important.
” Earlier this week , Newsom increased estimates for how many additional hospital beds the state will need , now predicting 50,000 people may require in-patient medical care , nearly doubling initial projections .
In addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30,000 beds to meet that need , the state is attempting to cobble together 17,000 spots that could be used for less serious levels of care , using hotels , motels , assisted living facilities and repurposed fairgrounds and convention centers .
Many of those beds may ultimately end up serving not just those with medical needs , but homeless people in need of safe spaces or quarantine sites as well as frontline workers unable to return home due to exposure to the virus .
The Navy hospital ship Mercy is also expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , and the federal government has agreed to send eight field hospitals to California , for a total of about 2,000 beds .
Newsom said multiple sites are already mobilizing those facilities .
While the state continues to struggle to gain a clear picture of the outbreak , Jewell , the Berkeley professor , cautioned that the expected surge in coming weeks does not mean social distancing and shelter in place orders are not working .
“ We knew going in we will not see any impact of shelter in place for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ We have to be patient at this point and stay the course.
” Newsom echoed that message as well , and said the state had early data that the measures may be slowing the spread .
“ We know it ’ s had an impact on bending that curve and buying us time , ” Newsom said .
“ Every day , that is another day that we ’ re getting more assets , more physical and human resources , prepared for a worst-case scenario .
”

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in California is doubling every three to four days.
California’s top medical advisor said Wednesday that coronavirus cases continue to double in the state every three to four days, a fast pace on par with New York‘s, where some hospitals are overwhelmed and the death toll stood at 366 on Thursday night.
If that rate holds, California hospitals could see a surge in patients in one to two weeks, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary of Health and Human Services, during a Facebook news conference.
“We originally thought that it would be doubling every six to seven days; we see cases doubling every three to four days,” Ghaly said. “[We’re] watching that trend very, very closely.”
Nicholas Jewell, a biostatistics researcher at UC Berkeley who has been tracking the pandemic, said the coronavirus is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S., at a rate quicker or on par with countries hit the hardest.
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“The U.S. is now at the top of the charts for doubling rates,” Jewell said. “This is not the time to take your foot off the pedal and look forward to going to church on Easter.”
President Trump said this week he hoped to remove social restrictions by the April 12 holiday, a proposal that received strong pushback from governors including Newsom and health experts across the U.S.
Ghaly said the estimates on how fast the virus is spreading are based on a model created as the epidemic first broke in California and updated with new data on a daily basis, including information from hot spots such as Santa Clara and reports from large hospitals.
“We take that information every single day,” he said.
But even as Newsom announced that testing in the state had been conducted on more than 66,800 people, he acknowledged that, “it’s not good enough,” to predict an accurate picture of what is happening or meet medical needs.
It was not immediately clear if the new tests included in the updated number represented an increase in testing or tests that were done over past weeks since the start of the outbreak, and what information they would provide to researchers. As of Wednesday morning, Newsom said 2,535 people in the state had tested positive, including 37 children under the age of 17.
He declined to provide additional details about state models, saying data would be provided in coming days as better information becomes available.
“Until I have that, we are going to hold the current [numbers] back,” Newsom said when asked about hospitalization rates and other markers.
The increase in testing numbers is largely due to better reporting by the patchwork system of public hospitals, private vendors and academic institutions performing the tests. Until this week, not all of those facilities were reporting results to the state.
Newsom acknowledged that the state was still working to ensure the various testing providers are “on the same page” when it comes to what they report. Many labs have not been reporting data on negative cases, a vital statistic needed to understand what percentage of the tested population is infected — and ultimately to model projections for infections in the state.
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Newsom also said mass testing is still stymied by slow results and a lack of supplies, with “tens of thousands” of people still waiting to receive word that they are positive or negative, which can take days.
He said that despite the new reporting, the state still needs broader testing to better plan for an expected surge of patients in hospitals, the first wave of which hit New York City this week. That includes the need for more random testing, called “community surveillance,” to better understand how the virus is moving undetected in those who don’t become seriously ill with COVID-19.
“It’s about what, where, when and why,” Newsom said. “What’s the purpose, what’s the intent of the testing protocols? What are we trying to ultimately achieve beyond just diagnostics for critical care needs? ... The sum total of that data will be profoundly important.”
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
Earlier this week, Newsom increased estimates for how many additional hospital beds the state will need, now predicting 50,000 people may require in-patient medical care, nearly doubling initial projections.
In addition to asking hospitals to find an extra 30,000 beds to meet that need, the state is attempting to cobble together 17,000 spots that could be used for less serious levels of care, using hotels, motels, assisted living facilities and repurposed fairgrounds and convention centers. Many of those beds may ultimately end up serving not just those with medical needs, but homeless people in need of safe spaces or quarantine sites as well as frontline workers unable to return home due to exposure to the virus.
The Navy hospital ship Mercy is also expected to arrive in Los Angeles later this week, and the federal government has agreed to send eight field hospitals to California, for a total of about 2,000 beds. Newsom said multiple sites are already mobilizing those facilities.
While the state continues to struggle to gain a clear picture of the outbreak, Jewell, the Berkeley professor, cautioned that the expected surge in coming weeks does not mean social distancing and shelter in place orders are not working.
“We knew going in we will not see any impact of shelter in place for at least two to three weeks,” he said. “We have to be patient at this point and stay the course.”
Newsom echoed that message as well, and said the state had early data that the measures may be slowing the spread.
“We know it’s had an impact on bending that curve and buying us time,” Newsom said. “Every day, that is another day that we’re getting more assets, more physical and human resources, prepared for a worst-case scenario.”


latimes--2020-03-25--Ventura County judge censured for offensive remarks

A California judge has been publicly censured for making dozens of sexist , racially insensitive and dishonest remarks from the bench over a decade , the state Commission on Judicial Performance announced Wednesday .
The commission said Judge Jeffrey G. Bennett of Ventura County Superior Court consented to the discipline , which is a step below removal from office .
The commission said Bennett , who was elected in 2008 , committed 28 acts of misconduct that violated the state Code of Judicial Ethics .
Most involved remarks “ that are offensive , undignified , discourteous , dishonest , sexist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appearance of bias and retaliation , ” the commission said .
“ Such comments included remarks to an African American criminal defendant about ‘ shucking and jiving , ’ making crude references to his anatomy , commenting about ‘ chicks ’ liking a car and about not spending so much time with his telescope if he had a ’ 20-year-old smoking hot wife , ’ and using profanity in other remarks , ” according to a commission statement .
Bennett acknowledged nearly all of the misconduct , the commission said .
Earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Ventura County Star that the judge “ is known for his refreshing ‘ tell it like it is ’ approach to life and his sense of humor “ but that he had apologized to the commission and “ implemented a thoughtfully developed plan for improvement and change .
”

A California judge has been publicly censured for making dozens of sexist, racially insensitive and dishonest remarks from the bench over a decade, the state Commission on Judicial Performance announced Wednesday.
The commission said Judge Jeffrey G. Bennett of Ventura County Superior Court consented to the discipline, which is a step below removal from office.
The commission said Bennett, who was elected in 2008, committed 28 acts of misconduct that violated the state Code of Judicial Ethics.
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Most involved remarks “that are offensive, undignified, discourteous, dishonest, sexist and profane, and that created the appearance of bias and retaliation,” the commission said.
“Such comments included remarks to an African American criminal defendant about ‘shucking and jiving,’ making crude references to his anatomy, commenting about ‘chicks’ liking a car and about not spending so much time with his telescope if he had a ‘20-year-old smoking hot wife,’ and using profanity in other remarks,” according to a commission statement.
Bennett acknowledged nearly all of the misconduct, the commission said.
Earlier this month, Bennett’s attorneys told the Ventura County Star that the judge “is known for his refreshing ‘tell it like it is’ approach to life and his sense of humor“ but that he had apologized to the commission and “implemented a thoughtfully developed plan for improvement and change.”


latimes--2020-03-25--New coronavirus warning: Don't visit family; exercise only in your area

A health officer in California is urging people to exercise only in their own immediate neighborhoods , and to stop visiting family in other households , as local authorities across California urge people to avoid worsening the coronavirus outbreak .
In Los Angeles , trails in Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon Park were closed .
The state has also ordered parking lots closed in dozens of state beaches and parks , including the lots at Point Dume , Topanga and Will Rogers State Historic Park .
“ For families in different households , do not mix your households at this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , do not gather in any way outside of immediate households , ” Dr. Scott Morrow , health officer in San Mateo County , said in a statement .
“ As for outdoor exercise , people certainly need to get out , but do this in your own immediate neighborhoods , ” Morrow said .
“ Do not drive except to provide or obtain an essential service .
Do not go into other neighborhoods for recreation .
This increases the risk of virus spread.
” The spread of the new coronavirus continues its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 65 people in California have died from COVID-19 , and nearly 3,000 cases have been reported .
Santa Clara County has reported 17 deaths ; Los Angeles County , 13 ; Riverside County , seven ; and San Mateo County , five .
Hospitals in California have been rushing to prepare for the surge of COVID-19 patients expected to come .
San Francisco leaders said Wednesday that it was plausible the city could face a crisis similar to that of New York City and fall short of 1,500 ventilators and 5,000 hospital beds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we need to adhere to the letter and the spirit of the shelter-in-place order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect our communities .
When this is over , you will again be able to enjoy the beautiful and bountiful opportunities to be in the nature that surrounds us , ” Morrow said .
In a statement issued Monday night , Morrow chastised people who weren ’ t taking the statewide stay-at-home order seriously .
“ If you decide you want to do your own thing and follow your own rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spit in our face , and you will contribute to the death toll that will follow , ” Morrow said .
“ For those of you who say : ‘ nobody tells me what to do , ’ now is a time to make an exception .
You can go back to being ornery in the future.
” Parking lots at state beaches and parks were also ordered shut in the counties of San Diego , Marin , San Mateo and Sonoma , including at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve , Half Moon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park .
Several county parks in San Mateo County have also been closed .
East of San Francisco , the East Bay Regional Park District announced Wednesday that it would close several parks and parking lots as well as all picnic areas , sports fields , restrooms and playgrounds .

A health officer in California is urging people to exercise only in their own immediate neighborhoods, and to stop visiting family in other households, as local authorities across California urge people to avoid worsening the coronavirus outbreak.
In Los Angeles, trails in Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon Park were closed. The state has also ordered parking lots closed in dozens of state beaches and parks, including the lots at Point Dume, Topanga and Will Rogers State Historic Park.
“For families in different households, do not mix your households at this time. As hard as this is, do not gather in any way outside of immediate households,” Dr. Scott Morrow, health officer in San Mateo County, said in a statement.
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“As for outdoor exercise, people certainly need to get out, but do this in your own immediate neighborhoods,” Morrow said. “Do not drive except to provide or obtain an essential service. Do not go into other neighborhoods for recreation. This increases the risk of virus spread.”
The spread of the new coronavirus continues its exponential growth. By Wednesday afternoon, 65 people in California have died from COVID-19, and nearly 3,000 cases have been reported. Santa Clara County has reported 17 deaths; Los Angeles County, 13; Riverside County, seven; and San Mateo County, five.
Hospitals in California have been rushing to prepare for the surge of COVID-19 patients expected to come. San Francisco leaders said Wednesday that it was plausible the city could face a crisis similar to that of New York City and fall short of 1,500 ventilators and 5,000 hospital beds.
“Our world has changed, and we need to adhere to the letter and the spirit of the shelter-in-place order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect our communities. When this is over, you will again be able to enjoy the beautiful and bountiful opportunities to be in the nature that surrounds us,” Morrow said.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
In a statement issued Monday night, Morrow chastised people who weren’t taking the statewide stay-at-home order seriously.
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“If you decide you want to do your own thing and follow your own rules, you disrespect us all. You spit in our face, and you will contribute to the death toll that will follow,” Morrow said. “For those of you who say: ‘nobody tells me what to do,’ now is a time to make an exception. You can go back to being ornery in the future.”
Parking lots at state beaches and parks were also ordered shut in the counties of San Diego, Marin, San Mateo and Sonoma, including at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, Half Moon Bay State Beach and Mount Tamalpais State Park.
Several county parks in San Mateo County have also been closed. East of San Francisco, the East Bay Regional Park District announced Wednesday that it would close several parks and parking lots as well as all picnic areas, sports fields, restrooms and playgrounds.


latimes--2020-03-25--San Francisco's mayor fears city could face coronavirus crisis as big as New York's

San Francisco leaders said Wednesday that it was plausible the city could face a crisis similar to that of New York City ’ s and fall short 1,500 ventilators and a 5,000 hospital beds .
“ It is not even a question as to whether we will need more , ” Mayor London Breed said during an hourlong news conference .
She said she sent a letter to state and federal government officials “ making it clear what we need.
” “ This is not the first time , ” she said .
“ I hope that they will deliver.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was forced to lock down Laguna Honda Hospital , a skilled nursing facility with elderly patients , after four nurses and a staff member tested positive for the novel coronavirus .
Hours earlier , Breed used her news conference to repeatedly ask the public to remain at home and engage in social distancing .
If people fail to do that , she said , authorities may need to turn them or their sick relatives away from hospitals because of shortages , she said .
San Francisco now has confirmed 172 cases of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who spoke at the news conference said social distancing appears to be helping , but the number of cases rises every single day .
“ Sadly , things are going to get worse , ” Breed said .
The news conference appeared aimed at countering President Trump and others who contend the stay-home orders are excessive .
“ I know there are people out there who will lead you to believe our efforts are too aggressive , but I can not stress enough just how vital they are , ” said Dr. Grant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Francisco .
A day earlier , Breed used even stronger language in response to Trump .
“ Why are we still listening to the president ?
” Breed said Tuesday on KGO-TV .
“ I mean , the fact is , we here in our city , throughout states in the United States of America , we have demonstrated , sadly , that we have had to jump into action and make this work without federal government support.
” Colfax said the city expects to see a surge of virus cases in less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he could not estimate how long it would last .
Based on modeling by epidemiologists and infectious-disease experts , “ it is plausible that we could have a scenario similar to what is playing out in New York this very day , ” Colfax said .
“ If that happens , our surge capacity will be far exceeded .
We will require federal and state assistance .
We can not manage that alone.
” The city has been ramping up for the crisis , securing new hospital beds , postponing elective surgeries and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isolate .
San Francisco now has 1,300 medical beds and 200 staffed intensive care unit beds , enough for the “ initial surge , ” Colfax said .
The city also is preparing to open a new floor at St. Francis Memorial Hospital for coronavirus patients only , with 40 medical beds and eight critical care beds .
Plans are afoot to add another 50 to 60 beds by May 1 at another hospital , officials said .
They noted the city is now testing about 400 people a day for the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So far , the city has leased more than 300 hotel rooms , said Trent Rhorer , executive director of the city ’ s human services agency .
Infected homeless patients now in hospitals for isolation will be moved into some of those rooms , he said .
Leasing also is underway for another 920 rooms .
Rhorer said the city also has ordered enhanced cleaning of single room occupancy hotels and was setting up sanitary stations on the streets for homeless people .
The homeless who are most at risk — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have underlying medical conditions — will be given priority for hotel rooms , Rhorer said .
Those who are unable to provide self-care will be moved into a staffed medical shelter , he said .
At Laguna Honda Hospital , operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health , patients will still have access to the 62-acre campus but will be barred from the hospital .
Only 15 of about 750 patients at the facility have been tested for the virus .
None was positive .
The lockdown will remain in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @

A man looks toward the skyline from Bernal Heights Hill in San Francisco on March 16. The city’s mayor said Wednesday that the coronavirus crisis could escalate in San Francisco to the degree it has in New York City.
San Francisco leaders said Wednesday that it was plausible the city could face a crisis similar to that of New York City’s and fall short 1,500 ventilators and a 5,000 hospital beds.
“It is not even a question as to whether we will need more,” Mayor London Breed said during an hourlong news conference.
She said she sent a letter to state and federal government officials “making it clear what we need.”
“This is not the first time,” she said. “I hope that they will deliver.”
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On Wedesday evening, the city was forced to lock down Laguna Honda Hospital, a skilled nursing facility with elderly patients, after four nurses and a staff member tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Hours earlier, Breed used her news conference to repeatedly ask the public to remain at home and engage in social distancing.
If people fail to do that, she said, authorities may need to turn them or their sick relatives away from hospitals because of shortages, she said.
San Francisco now has confirmed 172 cases of the virus and one death. City officials who spoke at the news conference said social distancing appears to be helping, but the number of cases rises every single day.
“Sadly, things are going to get worse,” Breed said.
The news conference appeared aimed at countering President Trump and others who contend the stay-home orders are excessive.
“I know there are people out there who will lead you to believe our efforts are too aggressive, but I cannot stress enough just how vital they are,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of health for San Francisco.
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A day earlier, Breed used even stronger language in response to Trump.
“Why are we still listening to the president?” Breed said Tuesday on KGO-TV. “I mean, the fact is, we here in our city, throughout states in the United States of America, we have demonstrated, sadly, that we have had to jump into action and make this work without federal government support.”
California How Silicon Valley became California’s epicenter of the coronavirus The drivers of Santa Clara County’s economy — tech companies, foreign travel and close human interaction — made it a ripe target for the coronavirus.
Colfax said the city expects to see a surge of virus cases in less than two weeks. He added that he could not estimate how long it would last.
Based on modeling by epidemiologists and infectious-disease experts, “it is plausible that we could have a scenario similar to what is playing out in New York this very day,” Colfax said. “If that happens, our surge capacity will be far exceeded. We will require federal and state assistance. We cannot manage that alone.”
California How Silicon Valley became California’s epicenter of the coronavirus The drivers of Santa Clara County’s economy — tech companies, foreign travel and close human interaction — made it a ripe target for the coronavirus.
The city has been ramping up for the crisis, securing new hospital beds, postponing elective surgeries and acquiring hotel rooms where infected people can isolate.
San Francisco now has 1,300 medical beds and 200 staffed intensive care unit beds, enough for the “initial surge,” Colfax said.
The city also is preparing to open a new floor at St. Francis Memorial Hospital for coronavirus patients only, with 40 medical beds and eight critical care beds. Plans are afoot to add another 50 to 60 beds by May 1 at another hospital, officials said.
They noted the city is now testing about 400 people a day for the virus with kits aimed at getting 24-hour results.
So far, the city has leased more than 300 hotel rooms, said Trent Rhorer, executive director of the city’s human services agency. Infected homeless patients now in hospitals for isolation will be moved into some of those rooms, he said. Leasing also is underway for another 920 rooms.
Rhorer said the city also has ordered enhanced cleaning of single room occupancy hotels and was setting up sanitary stations on the streets for homeless people.
The homeless who are most at risk — those 60 or older and those who have underlying medical conditions — will be given priority for hotel rooms, Rhorer said.
Those who are unable to provide self-care will be moved into a staffed medical shelter, he said.
At Laguna Honda Hospital, operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, patients will still have access to the 62-acre campus but will be barred from the hospital.
Only 15 of about 750 patients at the facility have been tested for the virus. None was positive.
The lockdown will remain in place until California lifts its stay-at-home order.


latimes--2020-03-25--USC, school districts getting 'Zoom-bombed' with racists taunts, porn as they transition to online m

USC, school districts getting 'Zoom-bombed' with racists taunts, porn as they transition to online meetings

Jordan Scott , a high school student in Conejo Valley , logged on to the Zoom video-conferencing platform Tuesday evening hoping for some sense of normalcy after all the overwhelming changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic .
Her school district was about to hold its first public meeting online , and Scott , the student board trustee , was just catching her breath after a week of helping classmates grapple with school closures , canceled events and the switch to stay-at-home learning .
Familiar faces popped up on the screen — fellow board members and district staff .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start , a number of unrecognized users jumped into the group meeting and began chanting the N-word repeatedly .
Close-up pornographic images suddenly took over the center screen .
The horrifying images and voices continued as the ugliest corners of the internet crashed this public online gathering .
At least one unknown user cackled .
School board members were sexually harassed and threatened .
One voice said if someone could hack into a Zoom meeting , home addresses could be discovered as well .
“ I immediately closed my laptop , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks .
She then paused her comments , collected her thoughts and recalled the experience : “ I was uncomfortable — being a female , and 17 years old , and African American , hearing the N-word , watching sexual intercourse knowing that my male colleagues were watching the same thing that I was looking at , hearing sexual harassment directed at my female colleagues … I felt like it would be best to just remove myself from the meeting.
” With millions of people now turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay connected while physically apart , “ Zoom-bombing ” has also piled on to the many stresses overwhelming schools , companies and community groups transitioning to online lessons and meetings .
A Zoom spokesperson said in a statement that “ we take the security of Zoom meetings seriously and we are deeply upset to hear about the incidents involving this type of attack.
” The company urged users to report misuse .
A relatively new frontier of internet trolling , Zoom-bombing has taken over video conferences and “ work from home happy hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Local groups just trying to provide a virtual hangout for their communities have had to terminate online events .
Last week , Chipotle tried to host a public Zoom event with the popular musician Lauv — but had to shut down after someone started broadcasting hardcore porn to the hundreds of people tuning in .
As more and more colleges and school districts scramble to set up Zoom classrooms as a stand-in for canceled in-person classes , these internet bullies have found another vulnerable space .
Some grade-school teachers have already shied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this platform .
Teachers in at least one Los Angeles public school stopped using the platform at the end of last week .
Districtwide , Los Angeles Unified officials said that Zoom was one of several approved platforms that teachers could utilize , but they acknowledged that the potential security problem has been flagged .
“ We are encouraging people to use what they need to get up and running with distance learning .
But regardless of whether that ’ s Zoom or other online resources , folks still have to take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board member Nick Melvoin .
“ That ’ s also why the training component for teachers and families is so important.
” At USC , top administrators on Tuesday apologized to the school community after some virtual lectures fell prey to people crashing in with “ racist and vile language.
” “ We are deeply saddened that our students and faculty have had to witness such despicable acts , ” USC President Carol L. Folt and Provost Charles Zukoski wrote in a universitywide letter .
“ You have all worked tirelessly to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning and have done so quickly to maintain our academic progress and continuity.
” Officials at USC and other universities across the nation are working quickly to implement safeguards and new protocols .
Memos by information security offices like the ones at USC and UC Berkeley have been circulating this week to students and faculty .
Many warned about Zoom-bombing and laid out steps to manage screen-sharing and turning off public settings .
There is a default setting on Zoom that permits any meeting participant to share their screen .
Meeting hosts should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ link to a public meeting can jump in .
These links are often shared on social media and easy to dig up on public event pages .
Platforms like Zoom were built mainly to serve as a business tool — not a social tool used by the millions of people suddenly stuck at home .
Moderating user behavior ( and online trolls ) at such a large scale was not necessarily as well-established at Zoom as companies such as Facebook and Twitter .
In a post titled “ How to Keep the Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Zoom representatives offered detailed tips on how to adjust security settings .
Meeting hosts , for example , can change the platform ’ s default administrative settings and make sure the screen-sharing option is disabled for everyone but the host .
Meeting hosts can also mute participants , and those hosting private meetings or virtual classrooms can set up password protections that prevent uninvited users from joining .
For Conejo Valley school officials , the agenda and log-in information for Tuesday ’ s meeting had been posted days earlier .
When the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended the session and notified the community of “ technical difficulties.
” They called the police , who are now investigating the matter .
In a letter to the community , school officials said “ the District is doing all it can to determine who was responsible , and to prevent something like this from occurring again.
” They assured parents and students that “ there are clear differences as to how these Zoom teacher hosted meetings will be set up for children , and a set number of invited participants , versus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ established for the public , and an unlimited number of participants.
” Balancing the need to keep their meetings open to the public , while also protecting the community that they serve , clearly will be an ongoing priority and challenge , officials said .
In preparation for Tuesday ’ s meeting , the district had done several mock meetings and went through what they thought was due diligence in training and tutorials .
“ When public officials gather to conduct official business , there is a trust that it is a safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and work together for the best interest of the community , ” the letter said .
“ This trust was breached by a person or people intentionally trying to cause great harm at a time when our entire community is trying to cope with a global health crisis .
”

Lamar Elementary School principal Erin Honeycutt sets up a “Zoom” class for first through fifth graders in Meridian, Miss. With millions of people now turning to Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms to stay connected while physically apart, “Zoom-bombing” has also piled on to the many stresses overwhelming schools.
Jordan Scott, a high school student in Conejo Valley, logged on to the Zoom video-conferencing platform Tuesday evening hoping for some sense of normalcy after all the overwhelming changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Her school district was about to hold its first public meeting online, and Scott, the student board trustee, was just catching her breath after a week of helping classmates grapple with school closures, canceled events and the switch to stay-at-home learning.
Familiar faces popped up on the screen — fellow board members and district staff. But minutes before the meeting was about to start, a number of unrecognized users jumped into the group meeting and began chanting the N-word repeatedly. Close-up pornographic images suddenly took over the center screen.
Advertisement
The horrifying images and voices continued as the ugliest corners of the internet crashed this public online gathering. At least one unknown user cackled. School board members were sexually harassed and threatened. One voice said if someone could hack into a Zoom meeting, home addresses could be discovered as well.
“I immediately closed my laptop,” said Scott, a senior and AP-Honors student at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks. She then paused her comments, collected her thoughts and recalled the experience:
“I was uncomfortable — being a female, and 17 years old, and African American, hearing the N-word, watching sexual intercourse knowing that my male colleagues were watching the same thing that I was looking at, hearing sexual harassment directed at my female colleagues … I felt like it would be best to just remove myself from the meeting.”
With millions of people now turning to Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms to stay connected while physically apart, “Zoom-bombing” has also piled on to the many stresses overwhelming schools, companies and community groups transitioning to online lessons and meetings.
A Zoom spokesperson said in a statement that “we take the security of Zoom meetings seriously and we are deeply upset to hear about the incidents involving this type of attack.” The company urged users to report misuse.
A relatively new frontier of internet trolling, Zoom-bombing has taken over video conferences and “work from home happy hours” with hateful images and vulgar screen-shares.
Local groups just trying to provide a virtual hangout for their communities have had to terminate online events. Last week, Chipotle tried to host a public Zoom event with the popular musician Lauv — but had to shut down after someone started broadcasting hardcore porn to the hundreds of people tuning in.
As more and more colleges and school districts scramble to set up Zoom classrooms as a stand-in for canceled in-person classes, these internet bullies have found another vulnerable space.
Advertisement
Some grade-school teachers have already shied away from teaching their youngest students on this platform. Teachers in at least one Los Angeles public school stopped using the platform at the end of last week. Districtwide, Los Angeles Unified officials said that Zoom was one of several approved platforms that teachers could utilize, but they acknowledged that the potential security problem has been flagged.
“We are encouraging people to use what they need to get up and running with distance learning. But regardless of whether that’s Zoom or other online resources, folks still have to take the appropriate security precautions,” said LAUSD board member Nick Melvoin. “That’s also why the training component for teachers and families is so important.”
At USC, top administrators on Tuesday apologized to the school community after some virtual lectures fell prey to people crashing in with “racist and vile language.”
“We are deeply saddened that our students and faculty have had to witness such despicable acts,” USC President Carol L. Folt and Provost Charles Zukoski wrote in a universitywide letter. “You have all worked tirelessly to make the transition from in-class learning to remote learning and have done so quickly to maintain our academic progress and continuity.”
Officials at USC and other universities across the nation are working quickly to implement safeguards and new protocols. Memos by information security offices like the ones at USC and UC Berkeley have been circulating this week to students and faculty. Many warned about Zoom-bombing and laid out steps to manage screen-sharing and turning off public settings.
There is a default setting on Zoom that permits any meeting participant to share their screen. Meeting hosts should be aware that anyone who has the link to a public meeting can jump in. These links are often shared on social media and easy to dig up on public event pages.
Platforms like Zoom were built mainly to serve as a business tool — not a social tool used by the millions of people suddenly stuck at home. Moderating user behavior (and online trolls) at such a large scale was not necessarily as well-established at Zoom as companies such as Facebook and Twitter.
In a post titled “How to Keep the Party Crashers from Crashing Your Zoom Event,” Zoom representatives offered detailed tips on how to adjust security settings. Meeting hosts, for example, can change the platform’s default administrative settings and make sure the screen-sharing option is disabled for everyone but the host.
Meeting hosts can also mute participants, and those hosting private meetings or virtual classrooms can set up password protections that prevent uninvited users from joining.
For Conejo Valley school officials, the agenda and log-in information for Tuesday’s meeting had been posted days earlier. When the Zoom crashers took over, officials quickly ended the session and notified the community of “technical difficulties.” They called the police, who are now investigating the matter.
In a letter to the community, school officials said “the District is doing all it can to determine who was responsible, and to prevent something like this from occurring again.” They assured parents and students that “there are clear differences as to how these Zoom teacher hosted meetings will be set up for children, and a set number of invited participants, versus how the Board of Education Meeting was established for the public, and an unlimited number of participants.”
Balancing the need to keep their meetings open to the public, while also protecting the community that they serve, clearly will be an ongoing priority and challenge, officials said. In preparation for Tuesday’s meeting, the district had done several mock meetings and went through what they thought was due diligence in training and tutorials.
“When public officials gather to conduct official business, there is a trust that it is a safe place to meet, respectfully share concerns, and work together for the best interest of the community,” the letter said. “This trust was breached by a person or people intentionally trying to cause great harm at a time when our entire community is trying to cope with a global health crisis.”


latimes--2020-03-25--County issues new quarantine order, Garcetti says L.A. agencies could get $1 billion in federal aid

As COVID-19 cases surge across Southern California , Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday evening that area agencies could receive more than $ 1 billion in aid as part of a massive emergency relief package under consideration in Washington .
“ I can hardly look at this as a stimulus package ; it ’ s a survival package , ” Garcetti told reporters .
Based on a draft of the bill working its way through Congress , Garcetti said he was hopeful that the $ 2.2-trillion package would include $ 400 million for Los Angeles International Airport , $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Metropolitan Transportation Authority and tens of millions of dollars in community block grants to help the city ’ s homeless population .
Like other regions of the country experiencing the outbreak of a new coronavirus , public life in Southern California has ground to a halt amid state and local calls to stay at home as officials seek to slow the spread of illness .
Although President Trump has suggested parts of the country could return to life as usual by Easter , Garcetti said Los Angeles would probably not be one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still ahead , ” he said .
“ We ’ ve taken actions earlier and swifter [ than other cities ] , but no one is immune from this virus.
” Earlier in the day , a Los Angeles County health officer issued an order requiring all individuals who are presumed positive or have tested positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate , and for all close contacts of such individuals to self-quarantine .
L.A. County confirmed three additional deaths linked to the coronavirus Wednesday but is no longer including a Lancaster teenager whose death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ ve asked the CDC to complete an investigation on that case , '' said Barbara Ferrer , director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health .
Officials Wednesday confirmed 138 new cases of the virus .
That brings the county ’ s total to 812 .
So far , more than 6,300 people have been tested in the county for the virus , Ferrer said .
Of those , 11 % have tested positive .
Ferrer said 160 people who tested positive have been hospitalized at some point .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ including four who are in their 30s .
The total death count in the county , excluding the Lancaster teen , is 13 .
Ferrer said that 1 % of those who have tested positive in the county have died .
The United States ’ mortality rate for COVID-19 is 1.5 % , a rate higher than that of the flu .
Officials are also working to find additional hospital beds for non-COVID-19 patients , including the use of the Navy ship Mercy , which will provide more than 1,000 spaces .
Pentagon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will arrive in Los Angeles on Friday — earlier than expected .
With coronavirus-related deaths in California now over 60 , state officials are warning that the worst is still to come as the virus continues to spread .
San Mateo County reported three more deaths Wednesday , bringing the total there to five .
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned Tuesday that residents should be prepared for more loss of life as the pandemic expands .
Garcetti said L.A. could be six to 12 days from seeing similar numbers to the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death toll has dramatically increased in recent days .
“ It ’ s coming , ” Garcetti said .
“ The peak is not here yet .
The peak will be bad .
People will lose their lives.
” The mayor also rebuffed President Trump ’ s earlier comments that he wanted to quickly ease restrictions and said Angelenos should be “ prepared for a couple months like this.
” “ I know that everybody is hopeful , and some are putting out that hope of us being back in churches by Easter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy in a couple weeks , ” Garcetti said .
“ I think we owe it to everybody to be straightforward and honest .
We will not be back to … that level of normal in that short period of time.
” Ferrer reiterated that message Wednesday , pointing to the rapid growth in cases in New York and in Italy .
“ We would be foolish to not prepare for a similar scenario in L.A. County , ” she said .
“ We talk about numbers , but these aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives.
” Even now , police and fire agencies are scrambling to adapt to the crisis .
On Wednesday , Los Angeles Police Department officials said they ’ ve set up two facilities , one in an auditorium downtown and another at the police academy , where officers can sleep between shifts so they don ’ t have to travel home .
The department also sought to dispel rumors on social media that its officers were stopping individuals for violating the stay-at-home order .
“ No , the LAPD is not stopping or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the department tweeted .
“ Spreading false rumors during this time does no good.
” Also , officers will not launch any DUI checkpoints or tow vehicles for parking violations — among other infractions — during the outbreak , department officials said .
City and county firefighters are also continuing their work as usual , with some exceptions .
Two Los Angeles city firefighters who tested positive for COVID-19 are resting at home .
The pair were among 79 department employees tested for the coronavirus since Friday .
Though no Los Angeles County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that causes COVID-19 , it ’ s a dramatically different story on the southern edge of the county in Long Beach , where city officials announced Wednesday that eight firefighters from the same station have tested positive .
Officials believe the firefighters , who worked at Station 11 in North Long Beach , were exposed to the virus while on the job performing their regular duties .
“ As you can imagine , this has been devastating news , ” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia .
Additional firefighters are being tested , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could go up.
” The firefighters are in stable condition , resting while in self-isolation at home and in good spirits , Fire Chief Xavier Espino said .
“ The contraction of COVID-19 among multiple firefighters highlights the ease with which this virus can spread , ” Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis said .
“ We know that this virus is in our community .
What ’ s key now is that we take timely and active action to interrupt new infections.
” Four of the firefighters live in Long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s count of 41 confirmed coronavirus cases .
Four others live elsewhere and are included in the counts in their respective communities .
Garcia urged residents to adhere to the city ’ s orders for residents to stay at home except for essential tasks such as going to the grocery store , and to keep at least six feet away from other people when outside the home .
He also said residents should behave as if anyone around them could have the virus .
The number of cases confirmed in the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will probably continue to grow rapidly , Garcia said .
A day earlier , Tuesday , the city updated its “ Safer at Home ” order to prohibit gatherings of any size and closed parking lots at parks , beaches and the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier .
“ We had to do that because too many individuals are still outside congregating in groups and being quite frankly not just unhealthy , quite frankly also irresponsible , ” Garcia said .
“ This is a serious public health emergency and people need to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The next two , three , four weeks are the critical weeks in making sure that we ’ re prepared for the hospital and medical emergency that could be in front of us.
” But as public officials Wednesday urged people to stay at home , reports of the virus ’ spread among Southern California continued to trickle in .
Shortly after L.A. County initiated its quarantine order , Rep. Katie Porter ( D-Irvine ) announced she was awaiting test results after developing a fever over the weekend .
“ I will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test results back and until directed by my doctor that it is safe for me to leave my home , ” she said .
Not long after Porter ’ s announcement , 2018 Republican gubernatorial nominee John Cox announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19 .
“ My symptoms were relatively mild and I am slowly feeling much better , ” he said in a statement .
“ I decided to go public with this diagnosis to muster support for defeating this without destroying our way of life.
” Coronavirus infection cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But that number is expected to dramatically rise as more testing occurs .
New York state has recorded more than 280 deaths and 30,000 confirmed cases .
California officials think they also will see major increases in the coming days and weeks .
San Francisco officials said this week that a surge in coronavirus infections is expected to come within a week or two .
“ The worst is yet to come , ” San Francisco Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said at a news conference Monday .
“ Every community where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surge in the number of coronavirus patients who need to be hospitalized .
We expect that to happen in San Francisco soon , in a week or two , or perhaps even less.
” On Tuesday , San Francisco reported its first death linked to the coronavirus .
The man who died was in his 40s and had multiple underlying health conditions .
The city has confirmed at least 178 cases of COVID-19 , roughly three weeks after reporting its first .
On Wednesday , officials described how the virus has spread among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department employees have tested positive for COVID-19 , Police Chief William Scott said at a news briefing .
The department has quarantined 27 employees , including two dozen sworn officers at the Thomas J. Cahill Hall of Justice , where the employees who tested positive worked , Scott said .
A day earlier , the department had announced that a sergeant assigned to the Special Victims Unit at the Hall of Justice had tested positive for the virus and that the sergeant ’ s work partner was also feeling unwell .
Both were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the department has broken up investigative units to rotate officers between telecommuting , working in the field and in the office only as needed .
San Francisco ’ s case total continues to rise each day , Mayor London Breed said at Wednesday ’ s briefing .
Among those is an employee in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency , which oversees the city ’ s transit , streets and taxi services .
The news followed confirmation from the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority that three employees connected to the agency had also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Francisco city leaders said Wednesday that it was “ plausible ” San Francisco could face the health crisis now occurring in New York City and needed 1,500 more ventilators and 5,000 more hospital beds .
“ It is not even a question as to whether we will need more , ” Breed said .
She called on the state and federal government for more assistance and repeatedly asked the public to remain at home and engage in social distancing .
If people fail to do that , she said , they or their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from hospitals because of shortages .
“ Sadly , things are going to get worse , ” Breed said .
The news conference appeared aimed at disputing comments by Trump and others who contend the stay-at-home orders are excessive .
“ I know there are people out there who will lead you to believe our efforts are too aggressive , but I can not stress enough just how vital they are , ” said Colfax , the health director .
He said the city expects the initial surge to start within two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how long it would last .
“ It is plausible that we could have a scenario similar to what is playing out in New York this very day , ” he said .
“ If that happens , our surge capacity will be far exceeded.
” He said epidemiologists and infectious-disease experts have done modeling , and “ a plausible ” model suggests San Francisco could experience what New York City is now suffering .
If that happens , “ we will require federal and state assistance , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The city has been ramping up for the crisis , securing new hospital beds , postponing elective surgeries and acquiring hotel rooms where infected people can isolate .
Just south of San Francisco in Daly City , officials with Seton Medical Center said they will begin accepting up to 220 coronavirus patients after reaching a lease agreement with the state .
The agreement lasts for three months during which time Verity Health System will operate the center on behalf of California , according to a statement from the California Health and Human Services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement with Verity for St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles , where workers are preparing the facility to accept up to 366 infected patients .
A hospital in Long Beach opened for coronavirus patients last weekend and has capacity for more than 150 patients .
As confirmed cases continue to grow throughout the state , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Trump ’ s remarks about easing restrictions did not reflect reality in California .
“ April for California would be sooner than any of the experts that I talked to believe is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now expects California will need 50,000 hospital beds to deal with COVID-19 patients , more than double what his administration forecast last week .
He said the state ’ s 416 hospitals will execute “ surge plans ” to create 30,000 new beds .
Newsom also ordered a halt to the intake and transfer of inmates at the state ’ s 35 prisons and four youth correctional facilities .
He said British billionaire Richard Branson will donate medical gear to help healthcare workers , joining efforts by Tesla and Apple executives .
Officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the life of a Lancaster teenager , possibly the nation ’ s first death of a person under 18 related to the virus .
Ferrer called it “ a devastating reminder that COVID-19 affects people of all ages.
” But in a statement late Tuesday , public health officials noted that although “ early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19 , the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation ” besides the coronavirus for the death .
As officials try to determine the exact cause of death for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus and bacterial infection are correlated , one expert said .
Ferrer said Wednesday the county has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the case .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Taryn Luna, Tony Barboza, Maura Dolan

As COVID-19 cases surge across Southern California, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday evening that area agencies could receive more than $1 billion in aid as part of a massive emergency relief package under consideration in Washington.
“I can hardly look at this as a stimulus package; it’s a survival package,” Garcetti told reporters.
Based on a draft of the bill working its way through Congress, Garcetti said he was hopeful that the $2.2-trillion package would include $400 million for Los Angeles International Airport, $700 million for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and tens of millions of dollars in community block grants to help the city’s homeless population.
Like other regions of the country experiencing the outbreak of a new coronavirus, public life in Southern California has ground to a halt amid state and local calls to stay at home as officials seek to slow the spread of illness.
Although President Trump has suggested parts of the country could return to life as usual by Easter, Garcetti said Los Angeles would probably not be one of them.
“The worst days are still ahead,” he said. “We’ve taken actions earlier and swifter [than other cities], but no one is immune from this virus.”
Earlier in the day, a Los Angeles County health officer issued an order requiring all individuals who are presumed positive or have tested positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate, and for all close contacts of such individuals to self-quarantine.
L.A. County confirmed three additional deaths linked to the coronavirus Wednesday but is no longer including a Lancaster teenager whose death was reported Tuesday in its count.
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“We’ve asked the CDC to complete an investigation on that case,”said Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
Officials Wednesday confirmed 138 new cases of the virus. That brings the county’s total to 812.
So far, more than 6,300 people have been tested in the county for the virus, Ferrer said. Of those, 11% have tested positive.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
Ferrer said 160 people who tested positive have been hospitalized at some point. There are currently 44 hospitalized individuals, including four who are in their 30s.
The total death count in the county, excluding the Lancaster teen, is 13.
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Ferrer said that 1% of those who have tested positive in the county have died. The United States’ mortality rate for COVID-19 is 1.5%, a rate higher than that of the flu.
Officials are also working to find additional hospital beds for non-COVID-19 patients, including the use of the Navy ship Mercy, which will provide more than 1,000 spaces. Pentagon Press Secretary Alyssa Farah said the Mercy will arrive in Los Angeles on Friday — earlier than expected.
With coronavirus-related deaths in California now over 60, state officials are warning that the worst is still to come as the virus continues to spread.
San Mateo County reported three more deaths Wednesday, bringing the total there to five.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned Tuesday that residents should be prepared for more loss of life as the pandemic expands.
Garcetti said L.A. could be six to 12 days from seeing similar numbers to the outbreak in New York City, where the death toll has dramatically increased in recent days.
California The latest list of L.A. County communities with coronavirus infection cases This is the latest list of L.A. County communities with coronavirus infection cases
“It’s coming,” Garcetti said. “The peak is not here yet. The peak will be bad. People will lose their lives.”
The mayor also rebuffed President Trump’s earlier comments that he wanted to quickly ease restrictions and said Angelenos should be “prepared for a couple months like this.”
“I know that everybody is hopeful, and some are putting out that hope of us being back in churches by Easter or synagogues by Passover or restarting the economy in a couple weeks,” Garcetti said. “I think we owe it to everybody to be straightforward and honest. We will not be back to … that level of normal in that short period of time.”
Ferrer reiterated that message Wednesday, pointing to the rapid growth in cases in New York and in Italy.
“We would be foolish to not prepare for a similar scenario in L.A. County,” she said. “We talk about numbers, but these aren’t numbers — these are people’s lives.”
Even now, police and fire agencies are scrambling to adapt to the crisis.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles Police Department officials said they’ve set up two facilities, one in an auditorium downtown and another at the police academy, where officers can sleep between shifts so they don’t have to travel home.
The department also sought to dispel rumors on social media that its officers were stopping individuals for violating the stay-at-home order. “No, the LAPD is not stopping or ticketing people for exercising outdoors,” the department tweeted. “Spreading false rumors during this time does no good.”
Also, officers will not launch any DUI checkpoints or tow vehicles for parking violations — among other infractions — during the outbreak, department officials said.
City and county firefighters are also continuing their work as usual, with some exceptions. Two Los Angeles city firefighters who tested positive for COVID-19 are resting at home. The pair were among 79 department employees tested for the coronavirus since Friday.
Though no Los Angeles County firefighters have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, it’s a dramatically different story on the southern edge of the county in Long Beach, where city officials announced Wednesday that eight firefighters from the same station have tested positive.
Officials believe the firefighters, who worked at Station 11 in North Long Beach, were exposed to the virus while on the job performing their regular duties.
“As you can imagine, this has been devastating news,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. Additional firefighters are being tested, he added, “so that number could go up.”
The firefighters are in stable condition, resting while in self-isolation at home and in good spirits, Fire Chief Xavier Espino said.
“The contraction of COVID-19 among multiple firefighters highlights the ease with which this virus can spread,” Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis said. “We know that this virus is in our community. What’s key now is that we take timely and active action to interrupt new infections.”
Four of the firefighters live in Long Beach and are included in the city’s count of 41 confirmed coronavirus cases. Four others live elsewhere and are included in the counts in their respective communities.
Garcia urged residents to adhere to the city’s orders for residents to stay at home except for essential tasks such as going to the grocery store, and to keep at least six feet away from other people when outside the home. He also said residents should behave as if anyone around them could have the virus.
The number of cases confirmed in the city has risen exponentially in recent days and will probably continue to grow rapidly, Garcia said.
A day earlier, Tuesday, the city updated its “Safer at Home” order to prohibit gatherings of any size and closed parking lots at parks, beaches and the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier.
“We had to do that because too many individuals are still outside congregating in groups and being quite frankly not just unhealthy, quite frankly also irresponsible,” Garcia said.
“This is a serious public health emergency and people need to take it seriously,” Garcia said. “The next two, three, four weeks are the critical weeks in making sure that we’re prepared for the hospital and medical emergency that could be in front of us.”
But as public officials Wednesday urged people to stay at home, reports of the virus’ spread among Southern California continued to trickle in.
Shortly after L.A. County initiated its quarantine order, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) announced she was awaiting test results after developing a fever over the weekend.
“I will remain in self-quarantine until I have the test results back and until directed by my doctor that it is safe for me to leave my home,” she said.
Not long after Porter’s announcement, 2018 Republican gubernatorial nominee John Cox announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
“My symptoms were relatively mild and I am slowly feeling much better,” he said in a statement. “I decided to go public with this diagnosis to muster support for defeating this without destroying our way of life.”
Coronavirus infection cases in the state have surpassed 2,800. But that number is expected to dramatically rise as more testing occurs. New York state has recorded more than 280 deaths and 30,000 confirmed cases.
California officials think they also will see major increases in the coming days and weeks.
San Francisco officials said this week that a surge in coronavirus infections is expected to come within a week or two.
“The worst is yet to come,” San Francisco Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said at a news conference Monday. “Every community where the virus has taken hold has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus patients who need to be hospitalized. We expect that to happen in San Francisco soon, in a week or two, or perhaps even less.”
On Tuesday, San Francisco reported its first death linked to the coronavirus. The man who died was in his 40s and had multiple underlying health conditions. The city has confirmed at least 178 cases of COVID-19, roughly three weeks after reporting its first.
On Wednesday, officials described how the virus has spread among city workers.
Two San Francisco Police Department employees have tested positive for COVID-19, Police Chief William Scott said at a news briefing.
The department has quarantined 27 employees, including two dozen sworn officers at the Thomas J. Cahill Hall of Justice, where the employees who tested positive worked, Scott said. A day earlier, the department had announced that a sergeant assigned to the Special Victims Unit at the Hall of Justice had tested positive for the virus and that the sergeant’s work partner was also feeling unwell.
California San Diego-based Navy ship confines crew amid soaring COVID-19 cases Without notice, sailors on board the amphibious transport dock Somerset were told upon arriving to work Wednesday they were not allowed to leave
Both were self-quarantined at their homes.
Scott said the department has broken up investigative units to rotate officers between telecommuting, working in the field and in the office only as needed.
San Francisco’s case total continues to rise each day, Mayor London Breed said at Wednesday’s briefing.
Among those is an employee in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees the city’s transit, streets and taxi services.
The news followed confirmation from the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority that three employees connected to the agency had also been infected with the coronavirus.
San Francisco city leaders said Wednesday that it was “plausible” San Francisco could face the health crisis now occurring in New York City and needed 1,500 more ventilators and 5,000 more hospital beds.
“It is not even a question as to whether we will need more,” Breed said.
She called on the state and federal government for more assistance and repeatedly asked the public to remain at home and engage in social distancing.
If people fail to do that, she said, they or their sick relatives may have to be turned away from hospitals because of shortages.
“Sadly, things are going to get worse,” Breed said.
The news conference appeared aimed at disputing comments by Trump and others who contend the stay-at-home orders are excessive.
“I know there are people out there who will lead you to believe our efforts are too aggressive, but I cannot stress enough just how vital they are,” said Colfax, the health director.
He said the city expects the initial surge to start within two weeks, but he could not estimate how long it would last.
“It is plausible that we could have a scenario similar to what is playing out in New York this very day,” he said. “If that happens, our surge capacity will be far exceeded.”
He said epidemiologists and infectious-disease experts have done modeling, and “a plausible” model suggests San Francisco could experience what New York City is now suffering.
If that happens, “we will require federal and state assistance,” he said. “We cannot manage that alone.”
The city has been ramping up for the crisis, securing new hospital beds, postponing elective surgeries and acquiring hotel rooms where infected people can isolate.
Just south of San Francisco in Daly City, officials with Seton Medical Center said they will begin accepting up to 220 coronavirus patients after reaching a lease agreement with the state. The agreement lasts for three months during which time Verity Health System will operate the center on behalf of California, according to a statement from the California Health and Human Services Agency.
The state has a similar agreement with Verity for St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, where workers are preparing the facility to accept up to 366 infected patients. A hospital in Long Beach opened for coronavirus patients last weekend and has capacity for more than 150 patients.
As confirmed cases continue to grow throughout the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Trump’s remarks about easing restrictions did not reflect reality in California.
“April for California would be sooner than any of the experts that I talked to believe is possible,” Newsom said.
Newsom now expects California will need 50,000 hospital beds to deal with COVID-19 patients, more than double what his administration forecast last week. He said the state’s 416 hospitals will execute “surge plans” to create 30,000 new beds.
Newsom also ordered a halt to the intake and transfer of inmates at the state’s 35 prisons and four youth correctional facilities. He said British billionaire Richard Branson will donate medical gear to help healthcare workers, joining efforts by Tesla and Apple executives.
Officials on Tuesday said coronavirus may have claimed the life of a Lancaster teenager, possibly the nation’s first death of a person under 18 related to the virus.
Ferrer called it “a devastating reminder that COVID-19 affects people of all ages.” But in a statement late Tuesday, public health officials noted that although “early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19, the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation” besides the coronavirus for the death.
As officials try to determine the exact cause of death for the youth, it’s possible that the coronavirus and bacterial infection are correlated, one expert said. Ferrer said Wednesday the county has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the case.