latimes--2020-03-31--Ventura County to close parks, push social distancing as coronavirus cases rise

Ventura County officials on Tuesday raised concern that residents were not taking social distancing efforts seriously , as health leaders warned the spread of the coronavirus would continue without such measures .
The county ’ s latest numbers show 126 confirmed cases , 17 more than the previous count and double what was reported late last week .
The total includes 16 people who have recovered , 28 who were hospitalized and 106 instances of those actively quarantined .
The death toll remains at four , all of whom people who were in their 70s or 80s with preexisting conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting Tuesday morning , Public Health Director Rigoberto Vargas said that while it ’ s unlikely the region will face a massive death toll like New York , he warned that at least two cases could become fatal , and that number is likely to increase .
“ There ’ s probably going to be more — a lot more , in fact , ” he said .
County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin warned that the 17-case daily increase may seem small compared to what the county could see in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths are possible if social distancing measures aren ’ t taken seriously , he warned .
Ventura County has tested 2,213 people for the coronavirus , adding hundreds of new tests through multiple efforts , including drive-through sites , private labs and a public health lab .
Residents need a referral from a doctor before being tested .
It also is releasing information on how the infections occurred .
While 67 cases are still under investigation , 27 people were infected by someone in the community , and seven were travel-related .
Twenty-five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had already tested positive .
County officials are looking for ways to enforce social distancing , which may be helping the state slow the spread of the virus .
The county has secured four motels to house as many as 300 people who are homeless and at high risk because of their age or preexisiting health problems , said Tara Carruth , manager of the Ventura County Continuum of Care .
At Tuesday ’ s meeting , officials said county parks would close by the end of the day .
People at campgrounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but authorities said they would consider situations where mobile homes are permanent residences .
“ There ’ s still a lot of clustering in the parks , ” County Executive Officer Michael Powers said .
“ We have to do everything we can .
These next four to five weeks are critical.
” The board also brought up a letter authored by three Ventura County doctors who urged the public to stay at home and maintain social distancing .
In a worst-case scenario , without taking measures to stop the spread , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18,000 ventilators for critically ill patients .
Currently , there are only 180 across eight hospitals .
But if residents stay home , healthcare officials said , the risk of overwhelming the county ’ s health system will be greatly reduced .
“ After weeks of sheltering in place , ” they wrote , “ if we see that nothing much has happened , that ’ s when we ’ ll know that our sacrifice made all the difference .
”

Ventura County officials on Tuesday raised concern that residents were not taking social distancing efforts seriously, as health leaders warned the spread of the coronavirus would continue without such measures.
The county’s latest numbers show 126 confirmed cases, 17 more than the previous count and double what was reported late last week. The total includes 16 people who have recovered, 28 who were hospitalized and 106 instances of those actively quarantined.
The death toll remains at four, all of whom people who were in their 70s or 80s with preexisting conditions.
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At a county Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday morning, Public Health Director Rigoberto Vargas said that while it’s unlikely the region will face a massive death toll like New York, he warned that at least two cases could become fatal, and that number is likely to increase.
“There’s probably going to be more — a lot more, in fact,” he said.
County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin warned that the 17-case daily increase may seem small compared to what the county could see in the coming weeks. As many as 1,000 deaths are possible if social distancing measures aren’t taken seriously, he warned.
Ventura County has tested 2,213 people for the coronavirus, adding hundreds of new tests through multiple efforts, including drive-through sites, private labs and a public health lab. Residents need a referral from a doctor before being tested.
It also is releasing information on how the infections occurred. While 67 cases are still under investigation, 27 people were infected by someone in the community, and seven were travel-related. Twenty-five people acquired the virus from someone who had already tested positive.
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County officials are looking for ways to enforce social distancing, which may be helping the state slow the spread of the virus. The county has secured four motels to house as many as 300 people who are homeless and at high risk because of their age or preexisiting health problems, said Tara Carruth, manager of the Ventura County Continuum of Care.
At Tuesday’s meeting, officials said county parks would close by the end of the day. People at campgrounds will have until Friday to clear out, but authorities said they would consider situations where mobile homes are permanent residences.
“There’s still a lot of clustering in the parks,” County Executive Officer Michael Powers said. “We have to do everything we can. These next four to five weeks are critical.”
The board also brought up a letter authored by three Ventura County doctors who urged the public to stay at home and maintain social distancing.
In a worst-case scenario, without taking measures to stop the spread, the doctors said the county could need 18,000 ventilators for critically ill patients. Currently, there are only 180 across eight hospitals.
But if residents stay home, healthcare officials said, the risk of overwhelming the county’s health system will be greatly reduced.
“After weeks of sheltering in place,” they wrote, “if we see that nothing much has happened, that’s when we’ll know that our sacrifice made all the difference.”


latimes--2020-03-31--L.A. coronavirus stay-at-home order could last well into May, LAPD chief says

Los Angeles ’ strict stay-at-home order designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus could remain in place well into May , Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said .
His statement underscores that residents should expect the social distancing rules to remain in place for weeks as coronavirus cases and deaths keep rising .
Both Los Angeles city and county officials have shut down all but essential businesses and told residents to stay inside except for shopping , medical appointments and short outdoor activities .
Most beaches , trails , recreation areas and other points of interest , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also ordered parking lots closed at dozens of state beaches and parks .
But L.A. officials said it ’ s fine to walk or jog in your neighborhood or through neighborhood parks as long as you maintain Local orders allow essential businesses such as groceries and drugstores , medical offices , healthcare companies , gas stations , auto repair and warehouse stores to remain open .
Here is the basic breakdown : • Grocery stores , food banks , convenience stores , takeout and delivery restaurants .
Some farmers markets outside the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Essential state and local government functions including law enforcement and offices that provide government programs and services .
Los Angeles County officials listed seven additional deaths from the virus Monday , bringing the total to 44 .
Six of the seven new victims were 65 or older ; the other was between 41 and 65 .
County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer tallied an additional 342 cases of the virus , bringing the total to 2,474 in the county , including people who have recovered .
She said more than 15,500 people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county , with 12 % showing positive .

The Strand walking path and the beach at Hermosa Beach are closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Los Angeles’ strict stay-at-home order designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus could remain in place well into May, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said.
His statement underscores that residents should expect the social distancing rules to remain in place for weeks as coronavirus cases and deaths keep rising.
Both Los Angeles city and county officials have shut down all but essential businesses and told residents to stay inside except for shopping, medical appointments and short outdoor activities.
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Most beaches, trails, recreation areas and other points of interest are closed , including trails in Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles. The state has also ordered parking lots closed at dozens of state beaches and parks.
But L.A. officials said it’s fine to walk or jog in your neighborhood or through neighborhood parks as long as you maintain social distance.
Local orders allow essential businesses such as groceries and drugstores, medical offices, healthcare companies, gas stations, auto repair and warehouse stores to remain open. Here is the basic breakdown:
What’s open:
Pharmacies
Grocery stores, food banks, convenience stores, takeout and delivery restaurants. Some farmers markets outside the city of Los Angeles remain open.
Banks
Gas stations
Laundromats/laundry services
Essential state and local government functions including law enforcement and offices that provide government programs and services.
What is closed:
Bars and nightclubs
Entertainment venues
Gyms and fitness studios
Public events and gatherings
Convention centers
Dine-in restaurants
Los Angeles County officials listed seven additional deaths from the virus Monday, bringing the total to 44. Six of the seven new victims were 65 or older; the other was between 41 and 65.
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County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer tallied an additional 342 cases of the virus, bringing the total to 2,474 in the county, including people who have recovered. She said more than 15,500 people have been tested for the coronavirus in the county, with 12% showing positive.


latimes--2020-03-31--L.A. supervisors remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva as head of emergency operations

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva as the head of the county ’ s emergency operations center , citing a need to centralize disaster operations after shortcomings in the response to the deadly Woolsey fire .
Villanueva called the move irresponsible , criticizing the timing during a global coronavirus pandemic as “ a brazen attempt to consolidate power ” within the board .
“ It ’ s not gon na add more ventilators , it ’ s not gon na add more masks out there to first responders , it definitely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said at Tuesday ’ s virtual meeting .
“ When it comes to life and death matters , I don ’ t take it lightly.
” Supervisors said the change was months in the making and stemmed from an audit that revealed the county was unprepared for the deadly Woolsey fire , which killed three people and burned nearly 97,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in 2018 .
Supervisor Kathryn Barger pointed to a November board motion that sought the change .
The change will place the county ’ s chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as the activation and operation of the emergency center .
“ This is not about him , ” Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said at the virtual meeting .
“ It ’ s really about the safety of the 10 million people in L.A. County .
...
He was not really elected to represent county residents .
The five of us were.
” After the vote , Villanueva released a statement saying he was waiting for a transition plan from the county , and in the meantime , would continue staffing the emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suitable replacements.
” He provided no additional details on which sheriff ’ s personnel would be replaced .
Tuesday ’ s action highlighted a long-running power struggle between board members and the sheriff .
They have clashed over a variety of issues since he took office in December 2018 .
Villanueva said last week that the timing suggests retaliation for his decision to close gun shops during the pandemic , viewing them as nonessential businesses .
He has since reneged on that decision , pointing on Monday to an advisory from the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The federal memorandum is persuasive given its national scope , ” Villanueva said in a statement .
“ Based on this further input from the federal government , the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department will not order or recommend closure of businesses that sell or repair firearms or sell ammunition .
”

When the deadly Woolsey fire erupted in 2018, Los Angeles County officials were unprepared for mass evacuations and other disruptions. Calls for mutual aid went unanswered. An audit last fall identified those shortcomings and recommended that in the future, the county should centralize coordination of its crisis response.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to put the county’s chief executive in charge of disaster preparedness and response. In doing so, the board removed Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who took office after the blaze, as head of the emergency operations center.
But the action, taken at the height of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, has raised questions about its timing and motive, and has once again highlighted the long-running power struggle between board members and the sheriff, who have clashed over a variety of issues, including hiring and spending, since Villanueva took office in December 2018.
Supervisors said the change was months in the making, proposed in a board motion in November, and is consistent with how many other counties in the state already operate.
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But Villanueva called the move irresponsible, criticizing the timing during a global pandemic as “a brazen attempt to consolidate power” within the board. He said the change would only cloud the lines of communication and add an “unneeded layer of bureaucracy to life-or-death matters.”
“It’s not gonna add more ventilators, it’s not gonna add more masks out there to first responders, it definitely does not improve functions,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting, which was conducted via an audio broadcast. “When it comes to life-and-death matters, I don’t take it lightly.”
He told the board that its opposition to his candidacy for sheriff (several supervisors endorsed the incumbent former Sheriff Jim McDonnell) and his tenure in office “casts doubt on any decision made” that affects the Sheriff’s Department.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said it would be inappropriate for the sheriff to be wholly in charge of anything but law enforcement.
“This is not about him,” Kuehl said at the meeting. “It’s really about the safety of the 10 million people in L.A. County. So let me say that though the sheriff feels he is the only one speaking on behalf of county residents, he was not really elected to represent county residents. The five of us were.”
Some supervisors said the gesture would have little real practical impact, as the Office of Emergency Management is already running the overall pandemic response, which includes public health, housing, courts, parks and other services.
A county spokeswoman said the Sheriff’s Department staffs about 10 of the 150 people assigned to the emergency operations center.
After the vote, Villanueva released a statement saying he was waiting for a transition plan from the county, and in the meantime, would continue staffing the emergency operations center “until the county provides suitable replacements.” He provided no additional details on which sheriff’s personnel would be replaced.
The county’s chief executive, Sachi Hamai, postponed her plans to retire earlier this year to ensure “continuity of leadership” during the public health crisis, according to a letter she sent to supervisors.
“I will continue to serve in my current capacity until further notice,” she wrote in the March 18 letter.
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The Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs opposed the supervisors’ change in November, with President Ron Hernandez calling it a “power grab to put the sheriff in check.”
On Tuesday, the union said in a statement that the sheriff and the board “need to stop squabbling when deputies, without the proper equipment, are risking their own health while serving the community.”
Michael Grossman, a former Sheriff’s Department chief who oversaw emergency operations before retiring seven years ago, said the law enforcement agency has a much larger staff and brings more resources to the table than the Office of Emergency Management.
Even so, the person at the helm need not have a law enforcement background, he said, as long as the structure is consistent. But he said the timing of the move is telling.
“In the middle of an operation, it would be difficult to change leaders, I think, not impossible,” he said. “Obviously there’s some dissatisfaction and lack of trust.”
In an interview last week, Villanueva said the idea that the move stems from the Woolsey fire audit is “absolute hogwash.” The fire took three lives and charred 97,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
“They purchased that opinion that supported what they wanted to achieve,” he said. “They want more power.”
Villanueva said that the timing suggests retaliation for his decision to close gun shops during the pandemic, viewing them as nonessential businesses.
He went back-and-forth on the order and ultimately decided Monday to keep gun shops open, citing an advisory from the federal government classifying them as essential businesses.
“The federal memorandum is persuasive given its national scope,” Villanueva said in a statement. “Based on this further input from the federal government, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will not order or recommend closure of businesses that sell or repair firearms or sell ammunition.”
Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-31--Admissions scandal: Overriding coronavirus concerns, judge sentences Bay Area mom to 7 months in pri

Admissions scandal: Overriding coronavirus concerns, judge sentences Bay Area mom to 7 months in prison

Elizabeth Henriquez , a Bay Area mother who conspired to fix her daughters ’ college test scores and buy a Georgetown tennis coach ’ s fraudulent endorsement , was sentenced Tuesday to seven months in prison .
Henriquez pleaded guilty last year alongside her husband , Manuel , to conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering with William “ Rick ” Singer , the Newport Beach consultant at the center of the college admissions scandal .
On five occasions , the couple acknowledged , Singer ’ s accomplices fed their two daughters the answers to their SAT and ACT exams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The couple also paid $ 400,000 for a Georgetown tennis coach to endorse their older daughter as a talented tennis player , which she was not .
In addition to the seven-month prison term , U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton ordered Henriquez to pay a $ 200,000 fine .
To protect the participants from the coronavirus , the sentencing hearing was conducted by video-conference .
Prosecutors from the U.S. attorney ’ s office in Boston , who charged the Henriquezes and 51 others in Singer ’ s scheme , had asked Gorton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 26 months — the longest sentence they ’ d requested in the case to date .
Aaron Katz , Henriquez ’ s lead attorney , had proposed a sentence of home confinement and probation .
Katz cited the coronavirus pandemic as a factor weighing in favor of house arrest , rather than incarceration .
Eric Rosen , the lead prosecutor in the case , said Henriquez should be allowed to delay her surrender to serve her term , but her crimes nevertheless demanded “ a meaningful sentence of imprisonment.
” Manuel Henriquez , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ venture capital company , will be sentenced next week ; prosecutors have asked Gorton to put him behind bars for 18 months .
In court papers filed before sentencing , Katz portrayed Elizabeth Henriquez as a down-to-earth New England native who , as a close friend put it in a letter to the court , lived “ in Silicon Valley but not of it.
” Henriquez feels most comfortable “ wearing a Patriots hoodie , listening to Boston sports radio , ” the friend wrote .
Katz said his client “ was always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so popular among the wives of the Silicon Valley elite.
” Henriquez sought Singer out in June 2014 not as a conspirator to a fraud and bribery scheme , Katz wrote , but as a legitimate tutor to her daughter .
“ We are very low key and not into high pressure on our kids , ” she wrote in an introductory email to Singer .
Singer showed up to their Atherton home wearing Iron Man triathlon gear and , ever the salesman , won over Henriquez ’ s daughter with talk of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crust and a “ high-octane , energetic , ‘ can do ’ sales pitch , ” Katz wrote .
He portrayed Henriquez as a victim of Singer , who , upon meeting this “ lonely , insecure , over-protective , stay at home mother with access to money , ” sensed blood in the water .
Singer told her of a surefire way into Georgetown , Katz wrote : In exchange for a $ 400,000 donation to the school ’ s tennis program , the coach , Gordon Ernst , would give her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his team .
“ A large , ostensibly legitimate donation to the Georgetown tennis program seemed to be a small price for [ her daughter ’ s ] happiness , ” Katz wrote .
The Henriquezes wired $ 400,000 to Singer ’ s foundation .
While its stated mission was to help poor children pursue an education , Singer has admitted that the foundation did little more than pass money from his clients to university coaches they wanted to bribe , furnishing them a charitable deduction in the process .
The Henriquezes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Her essay said she practiced tennis three to four hours a day , and her application described her as among the top 50 girls tennis players in the country , as ranked by the United States Tennis Association .
“ At her best , ” an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit supporting charges against her parents , “ she appears to have ranked 207th in Northern California in the under-12 girls division , with an overall win/loss record of 2-8.
” Henriquez “ knew that what she was doing was wrong , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ was not a true , let along legal , way of expressing her deep , unconditional , abiding parental love.
” Yet she and her husband engaged again in fraud .
Telling Singer in an email she was “ over the moon happy ” with her daughter ’ s acceptance to Georgetown , Henriquez wrote in an email , “ Now on to daughter number 2 !
” Singer arranged for the girl to take her ACT exam at a public high school in Houston where , prosecutors allege , he bribed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eye to cheating .
Mark Riddell , a Harvard-educated private school administrator , provided the Henriquezes ’ daughter with the answers to her exam , and she scored 30 points out of 36 possible .
Instead of paying Singer the agreed-upon $ 75,000 fee for fixing the score , Manuel Henriquez used his clout as a prominent alumnus of Northeastern University to help ensure another of Singer ’ s students was admitted to the school , prosecutors said .
The student ’ s family paid Singer $ 250,000 .
In October 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line .
Federal authorities had convinced him a month earlier to cooperate .
He told Henriquez the IRS was auditing his foundation , and “ they asked me about the large sums of money that came in from you guys.
” “ So , ” she asked at one point , “ what ’ s your story ?
” “ So my story is , essentially , that you gave your money to our foundation to help underserved kids , ” Singer said .
The Henriquezes had deducted from their tax bill the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s admission to Georgetown .
“ Of course , ” she replied .
“ Those kids have to go to school .
”

Elizabeth Henriquez, left, and her husband, Manuel, leave the federal courthouse in Boston last year. Elizabeth Henriquez was sentenced Tuesday; her husband will appear before a judge next week.
Elizabeth Henriquez, a Bay Area mother who conspired to fix her daughters’ college test scores and buy a Georgetown tennis coach’s fraudulent endorsement, was sentenced Tuesday to seven months in prison.
Henriquez pleaded guilty last year alongside her husband, Manuel, to conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering with William “Rick” Singer, the Newport Beach consultant at the center of the college admissions scandal. On five occasions, the couple acknowledged, Singer’s accomplices fed their two daughters the answers to their SAT and ACT exams while pretending to proctor the tests. The couple also paid $400,000 for a Georgetown tennis coach to endorse their older daughter as a talented tennis player, which she was not.
In addition to the seven-month prison term, U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton ordered Henriquez to pay a $200,000 fine. To protect the participants from the coronavirus, the sentencing hearing was conducted by video-conference.
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Prosecutors from the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston, who charged the Henriquezes and 51 others in Singer’s scheme, had asked Gorton to send Elizabeth Henriquez to prison for 26 months — the longest sentence they’d requested in the case to date. Aaron Katz, Henriquez’s lead attorney, had proposed a sentence of home confinement and probation. Katz cited the coronavirus pandemic as a factor weighing in favor of house arrest, rather than incarceration.
Eric Rosen, the lead prosecutor in the case, said Henriquez should be allowed to delay her surrender to serve her term, but her crimes nevertheless demanded “a meaningful sentence of imprisonment.”
Manuel Henriquez, the former chairman of a publicly traded venture capital company, will be sentenced next week; prosecutors have asked Gorton to put him behind bars for 18 months.
In court papers filed before sentencing, Katz portrayed Elizabeth Henriquez as a down-to-earth New England native who, as a close friend put it in a letter to the court, lived “in Silicon Valley but not of it.”
Henriquez feels most comfortable “wearing a Patriots hoodie, listening to Boston sports radio,” the friend wrote. Katz said his client “was always uncomfortable participating in the cocktail-party charity circuit so popular among the wives of the Silicon Valley elite.”
Henriquez sought Singer out in June 2014 not as a conspirator to a fraud and bribery scheme, Katz wrote, but as a legitimate tutor to her daughter. “We are very low key and not into high pressure on our kids,” she wrote in an introductory email to Singer.
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Singer showed up to their Atherton home wearing Iron Man triathlon gear and, ever the salesman, won over Henriquez’s daughter with talk of tutoring the Silicon Valley’s upper crust and a “high-octane, energetic, ‘can do’ sales pitch,” Katz wrote.
He portrayed Henriquez as a victim of Singer, who, upon meeting this “lonely, insecure, over-protective, stay at home mother with access to money,” sensed blood in the water. Singer told her of a surefire way into Georgetown, Katz wrote: In exchange for a $400,000 donation to the school’s tennis program, the coach, Gordon Ernst, would give her daughter one of the admissions slots allocated to his team.
“A large, ostensibly legitimate donation to the Georgetown tennis program seemed to be a small price for [her daughter’s] happiness,” Katz wrote. The Henriquezes wired $400,000 to Singer’s foundation. While its stated mission was to help poor children pursue an education, Singer has admitted that the foundation did little more than pass money from his clients to university coaches they wanted to bribe, furnishing them a charitable deduction in the process.
The Henriquezes’ daughter was admitted to Georgetown. Her essay said she practiced tennis three to four hours a day, and her application described her as among the top 50 girls tennis players in the country, as ranked by the United States Tennis Association.
“At her best,” an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit supporting charges against her parents, “she appears to have ranked 207th in Northern California in the under-12 girls division, with an overall win/loss record of 2-8.”
Henriquez “knew that what she was doing was wrong,” her attorney wrote, that this “was not a true, let along legal, way of expressing her deep, unconditional, abiding parental love.”
Yet she and her husband engaged again in fraud. Telling Singer in an email she was “over the moon happy” with her daughter’s acceptance to Georgetown, Henriquez wrote in an email, “Now on to daughter number 2!”
Singer arranged for the girl to take her ACT exam at a public high school in Houston where, prosecutors allege, he bribed a test proctor to turn a blind eye to cheating. Mark Riddell, a Harvard-educated private school administrator, provided the Henriquezes’ daughter with the answers to her exam, and she scored 30 points out of 36 possible.
Instead of paying Singer the agreed-upon $75,000 fee for fixing the score, Manuel Henriquez used his clout as a prominent alumnus of Northeastern University to help ensure another of Singer’s students was admitted to the school, prosecutors said. The student’s family paid Singer $250,000.
In October 2018, Singer called Elizabeth Henriquez on a recorded line. Federal authorities had convinced him a month earlier to cooperate. He told Henriquez the IRS was auditing his foundation, and “they asked me about the large sums of money that came in from you guys.”
“So,” she asked at one point, “what’s your story?”
“So my story is, essentially, that you gave your money to our foundation to help underserved kids,” Singer said. The Henriquezes had deducted from their tax bill the $400,000 that secured their daughter’s admission to Georgetown.
“Of course,” she replied. “Those kids have to go to school.”


latimes--2020-03-31--Pasadena schools resume grab-and-go meals after coronavirus test upends service

The Pasadena Unified School District is again offering grab-and-go meals for students , one day after the service was suspended because a kitchen employee was tested for the coronavirus .
“ Using social distancing and public health guidelines , meals will be provided by an outside vendor with the assistance of city of Pasadena volunteers , ” district Supt .
Brian McDonald wrote in a message announcing Tuesday ’ s restart .
Meal service will be offered from 9 to 11 a.m. weekdays at seven schools .
A list of sites is available on the district ’ s website .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ step back in on April 14 , according to McDonald .
The district temporarily suspended the meal service Monday after learning of a possible , but as yet unconfirmed , COVID-19 case involving a worker in one of its kitchens .
As of Tuesday , there were 25 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Pasadena , according to city health officials .
McDonald said the district will deep-clean and sanitize its kitchens and other facilities and has advised the employee ’ s coworkers they may have been exposed .
“ Although we regret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we are fully committed to the health and safety of our students , staff and community , ” he said .
School districts throughout the state have offered wider to-go meal service since the coronavirus outbreak began to ensure they can still feed students in need even while schools are closed .
Pasadena district schools are shuttered until at least May 5 .
“ I am so grateful for the strength and commitment demonstrated every day by the employees of PUSD , ” McDonald said .
“ In times of crises such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , it ’ s clear that heroes don ’ t always wear capes .
Instead , they use computers and telephones to teach , answer phones and emails to keep our operations functioning , and prepare meals so that our students and their families continue to receive the essential services they rely on to get through this crisis .
”

Samuel Brounston delivers food through a grab-and-go meal program for Pasadena Unified School District students at Field Elementary School in Pasadena. The program resumed using an outside food vendor, a day after service was suspended due to a district kitchen employee possibly being diagnosed with COVID-19.
The Pasadena Unified School District is again offering grab-and-go meals for students, one day after the service was suspended because a kitchen employee was tested for the coronavirus.
“Using social distancing and public health guidelines, meals will be provided by an outside vendor with the assistance of city of Pasadena volunteers,” district Supt. Brian McDonald wrote in a message announcing Tuesday’s restart.
Meal service will be offered from 9 to 11 a.m. weekdays at seven schools. A list of sites is available on the district’s website.
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The plan is for district staff to step back in on April 14, according to McDonald.
Prepared meals are delivered through a grab-and-go meal program for Pasadena Unified School District students at Field Elementary School in Pasadena. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
After a temporary suspension, PUSD to resume student meal service starting Tuesday, March 31 from 9 -11 a.m. https://t.co/0Oh93tjQEd pic.twitter.com/GgWuhDZicx — @PasadenaUSD (@PasadenaUnified) March 30, 2020
The district temporarily suspended the meal service Monday after learning of a possible, but as yet unconfirmed, COVID-19 case involving a worker in one of its kitchens.
As of Tuesday, there were 25 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Pasadena, according to city health officials.
McDonald said the district will deep-clean and sanitize its kitchens and other facilities and has advised the employee’s coworkers they may have been exposed.
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“Although we regret the hardship involved with the temporary suspension, we are fully committed to the health and safety of our students, staff and community,” he said.
School districts throughout the state have offered wider to-go meal service since the coronavirus outbreak began to ensure they can still feed students in need even while schools are closed.
Pasadena district schools are shuttered until at least May 5.
“I am so grateful for the strength and commitment demonstrated every day by the employees of PUSD,” McDonald said.
“In times of crises such as the one we are living through now, it’s clear that heroes don’t always wear capes. Instead, they use computers and telephones to teach, answer phones and emails to keep our operations functioning, and prepare meals so that our students and their families continue to receive the essential services they rely on to get through this crisis.”


latimes--2020-03-31--Coronavirus-caused LAUSD school shutdown worsens inequities as many students go AWOL

New data showing large numbers of Los Angeles Unified School District students failing to keep up with at-home work amid the coronavirus shutdown underscore how the crisis could be worsening already deep inequities , experts said .
When school shut down last month , the district began distributing computers and arranged for free internet access — moves that have helped many .
But the swift transition to online learning has presented massive challenges in the nation ’ s largest school district , which serves mainly students from low-income families .
About 15,000 Los Angeles high school students are absent online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while more than 40,000 have not been in daily contact with their teachers since March 16 , when the coronavirus forced campus shutdowns , district officials disclosed Monday .
Those figures , the first official data on student online participation , illustrate the massive challenge confronting the nation ’ s second-largest school district , which is attempting an overnight for half a million students .
The 15,000 unaccounted-for students are an especially serious source of concern , said Supt .
Austin Beutner , who released the figures Monday .
The 40,000 who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represents about a third of all Los Angeles high school students .
However , some of them may be doing assigned work that does not require a daily check-in .
“ Some kids will figure it was a time off , other kids don ’ t have the infrastructure , other kids are watching younger siblings , other kids are trying to find a job to help their family out , ” said UCLA education professor Tyrone Howard .
“ We have long lamented chronic absenteeism as one of the big contributors to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
During regular school days , students who are at a higher risk for chronic absenteeism may be low-income , disabled , language learners or homeless .
“ If we had 12.5 % of kids who just were not showing up at school that ’ d be a major issue ” on a regular campus , he said .
But more data are needed to understand which students are not showing up to virtual school and target outreach to those students , he said .
“ There ’ s got to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the data that we can have real customized types of responses , ” Howard said .
Teachers ’ relationships before the closures could also affect whether kids are showing up , Howard said .
In talking to his former students who now teach in L.A. , the ones who have been able to get kids online already have strong relationships with them and their parents , know who their friends are and how to get in touch , he said .
“ Teachers who are able to stay connected with students probably do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to them during times of crisis , ” Howard said .
And in the meanwhile , Howard fears that students who are missing school will fall more behind than their potentially better-resourced peers .
While he gives L.A. Unified credit for trying to reach families quickly , “ To try to go completely online ... that ’ s a hard thing to do without some really careful , thoughtful planning , ” he said .
It would be unfair to characterize students who have not yet connected to virtual school as ditching or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education and African American studies professor Janelle Scott .
“ I think you ... can make some sort of logical assumptions that there would be a relationship between kids who are chronically absent under non-pandemic times and current times , ” Scott said .
“ Certainly there are kids that are just disengaged from school ... but a lot of it has to do with hunger , and housing insecurity , ” as well as potentially a lack of adult connection or health issues , among a myriad of other possible distractions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we always knew — how equitable opportunities are so dependent on parental background and wealth and access to resources , ” she said , and that kids without those resources tend to be concentrated in the schools with the least ability to meet their needs .
Even before the coronavirus , there were inequities between schools and students in terms of resources and achievement .
Still , even in the more under-resourced campuses , families rely on schools for support , including meals and mental health , she said .
“ These inequities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time… having a physical school does really matter and having caring adults around who can support children and family is vital , ” Scott said .
“ Just trying to figure out who these 15,000 kids are ... is really important.
” It ’ s also too early to know how educational outcomes will be affected , she said .
“ I think it ’ s possible that things could change .
It ’ s not like we went to virtual schooling because we thought virtual schooling was better , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because it was a crisis.
” Melissa Ponce , 16 , agreed that lessons at the Maywood Center for Enriched Studies are inconsistent , depending on the teacher .
And sometimes because of online training sessions that teachers must take , classes can ’ t be offered on the same school-day schedule , which could be affecting attendance .
But the school did a good job preparing students for distance learning by providing Chromebooks and WiFi hotspots , she said .
And teachers use multiple apps to try to keep students on track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are students that just don ’ t want to log in ... some students don ’ t want to be in school when we ’ re like , in school , so now that we ’ re online they don ’ t have the teachers right there to tell them , ‘ Oh , do your work , ’ ” Melissa said.
“ I think the school has done a good job of making sure we have the resources , ” she said .

Students wait to pick up computers at Linda Esperanza Marquez High School in Huntington Park as the L.A. school district transitioned to online learning in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
New data showing large numbers of Los Angeles Unified School District students failing to keep up with at-home work amid the coronavirus shutdown underscore how the crisis could be worsening already deep inequities, experts said.
When school shut down last month, the district began distributing computers and arranged for free internet access — moves that have helped many. But the swift transition to online learning has presented massive challenges in the nation’s second largest school district, which serves mainly students from low-income families.
Missed schoolwork
About 15,000 Los Angeles high school students are absent online and have failed to do any schoolwork while more than 40,000 have not been in daily contact with their teachers since March 16, when the coronavirus forced campus shutdowns, district officials disclosed Monday.
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Those figures, the first official data on student online participation, illustrate the massive challenge confronting the nation’s second-largest school district, which is attempting an overnight transition to “distance learning” for half a million students.
The 15,000 unaccounted-for students are an especially serious source of concern, said Supt. Austin Beutner, who released the figures Monday.
The 40,000 who are not in daily contact with their teachers represents about a third of all Los Angeles high school students. However, some of them may be doing assigned work that does not require a daily check-in.
Falling further behind?
“Some kids will figure it was a time off, other kids don’t have the infrastructure, other kids are watching younger siblings, other kids are trying to find a job to help their family out,” said UCLA education professor Tyrone Howard.
“We have long lamented chronic absenteeism as one of the big contributors to these ... achievement gaps,” Howard said.
During regular school days, students who are at a higher risk for chronic absenteeism may be low-income, disabled, language learners or homeless.
“If we had 12.5% of kids who just were not showing up at school that’d be a major issue” on a regular campus, he said. But more data are needed to understand which students are not showing up to virtual school and target outreach to those students, he said. “There’s got to be some ways to ... drill down on the data that we can have real customized types of responses,” Howard said.
Teachers’ relationships before the closures could also affect whether kids are showing up, Howard said. In talking to his former students who now teach in L.A., the ones who have been able to get kids online already have strong relationships with them and their parents, know who their friends are and how to get in touch, he said.
“Teachers who are able to stay connected with students probably do a much better job of staying connected to them during times of crisis,” Howard said.
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And in the meanwhile, Howard fears that students who are missing school will fall more behind than their potentially better-resourced peers.
While he gives L.A. Unified credit for trying to reach families quickly, “To try to go completely online... that’s a hard thing to do without some really careful, thoughtful planning,” he said.
Schools and support
It would be unfair to characterize students who have not yet connected to virtual school as ditching or blowing off class, said UC Berkeley education and African American studies professor Janelle Scott.
“I think you ... can make some sort of logical assumptions that there would be a relationship between kids who are chronically absent under non-pandemic times and current times,” Scott said. “Certainly there are kids that are just disengaged from school... but a lot of it has to do with hunger, and housing insecurity,” as well as potentially a lack of adult connection or health issues, among a myriad of other possible distractions.
“This crisis has laid bare what we always knew — how equitable opportunities are so dependent on parental background and wealth and access to resources,” she said, and that kids without those resources tend to be concentrated in the schools with the least ability to meet their needs.
Even before the coronavirus, there were inequities between schools and students in terms of resources and achievement. Still, even in the more under-resourced campuses, families rely on schools for support, including meals and mental health, she said.
LAUSD Supt. Austin Beutner shows food kits being distributed at Dorsey High School. The district said it would have 400,000 “grab-and-go” meals for students and families. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
“These inequities do become deeper and broader during this time… having a physical school does really matter and having caring adults around who can support children and family is vital,” Scott said. “Just trying to figure out who these 15,000 kids are... is really important.”
It’s also too early to know how educational outcomes will be affected, she said.
“I think it’s possible that things could change. It’s not like we went to virtual schooling because we thought virtual schooling was better,” she said. “We went to virtual schooling because it was a crisis.”
A student’s view
Melissa Ponce, 16, agreed that lessons at the Maywood Center for Enriched Studies are inconsistent, depending on the teacher. And sometimes because of online training sessions that teachers must take, classes can’t be offered on the same school-day schedule, which could be affecting attendance.
Science & Medicine Coronavirus FAQ: Your top questions answered How does the coronavirus spread? Should you wear a mask? What are the symptoms of COVID-19? How can you treat it? In this special edition of Coronavirus Today, we bring you comprehensive answers to some of your most pressing questions.
But the school did a good job preparing students for distance learning by providing Chromebooks and WiFi hotspots, she said. And teachers use multiple apps to try to keep students on track.
“I’m pretty sure there are students that just don’t want to log in ... some students don’t want to be in school when we’re like, in school, so now that we’re online they don’t have the teachers right there to tell them, ‘Oh, do your work,’” Melissa said.“I think the school has done a good job of making sure we have the resources,” she said.


latimes--2020-03-31--NYPD has been devastated by the coronavirus. Can LAPD avoid that fate?

As the coronavirus ravages New York , its Police Department has been hard hit .
More than 800 officers there have tested positive for the virus , and more than 4,700 officers — about 12 % of the force — have been calling in sick daily .
Five NYPD employees have died , and John Miller , chief of intelligence and counter-terrorism , is among those who have been hospitalized .
In each case in which an officer has tested positive , those who work alongside the individual have been forced to self-quarantine in an effort to stop the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department officials are now trying to avoid a similar fate .
Here is what we know : Q : How bad is coronavirus at the LAPD ?
The LAPD continues to test more of its 13,000 employees , and 26 have tested positive for COVID-19 so far .
Four are department leaders .
But some officers expressed frustration with commanders in the LAPD ’ s Central Division after , sources told the Los Angeles Times , an officer who later tested positive was exhibiting symptoms at work for two days before being sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently returned from a vacation out of the country , was “ coughing and sweating ” during roll call in Central Division , which patrols areas that include downtown L.A. , sources said .
The officer , according to the LAPD , was sent home once supervisors became aware of his illness .
According to the sources , six officers in Central , however , have since tested positive for the virus .
The source of the infection isn ’ t known for sure .
Q : What is the LAPD doing ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its officers as they arrive for their shifts to try to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus inside the department .
Anyone with a temperature will be sent home immediately and directed to get medical treatment .
“ We are taking every step to ensure officers ’ health , ” Assistant Chief Horace Frank said .
Department roll calls are now conducted with officers spaced far apart to ensure social distancing as part of efforts to get as many officers as possible working .
Those with even slight signs of illness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frank said .
Workspaces are now frequently sanitized , and officers are equipped with N-95 masks and gloves and goggles to use in the field if needed .
Q : Are there scenarios if coronavirus spreads at the department ?
Police Chief Michel Moore and his commanders have planned out scenarios in which up to 30 % and perhaps even half the department calls in sick .
These are worst-case scenarios , and officials do not think it will get that bad .
Officers in many locations this week began switching to 12-hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to provide security at eight homeless shelters .
The department has already transferred hundreds of detectives to patrol functions .
Moore said that in the last few weeks the department had entirely mobilized .
Vacation days have been canceled , unnecessary assignments and operations have been put aside , and everyone has been assigned to concentrate on essential public safety functions .

As the coronavirus ravages New York, its Police Department has been hard hit.
More than 800 officers there have tested positive for the virus, and more than 4,700 officers — about 12% of the force — have been calling in sick daily. Five NYPD employees have died, and John Miller, chief of intelligence and counter-terrorism, is among those who have been hospitalized. In each case in which an officer has tested positive, those who work alongside the individual have been forced to self-quarantine in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
Los Angeles Police Department officials are now trying to avoid a similar fate. Here is what we know:
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Q: How bad is coronavirus at the LAPD?
The LAPD continues to test more of its 13,000 employees, and 26 have tested positive for COVID-19 so far. Four are department leaders.
But some officers expressed frustration with commanders in the LAPD’s Central Division after, sources told the Los Angeles Times, an officer who later tested positive was exhibiting symptoms at work for two days before being sent home. The officer, who had recently returned from a vacation out of the country, was “coughing and sweating” during roll call in Central Division, which patrols areas that include downtown L.A., sources said.
The officer, according to the LAPD, was sent home once supervisors became aware of his illness. According to the sources, six officers in Central, however, have since tested positive for the virus.
The source of the infection isn’t known for sure.
Q: What is the LAPD doing?
The LAPD is now taking the temperatures of its officers as they arrive for their shifts to try to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus inside the department.
Anyone with a temperature will be sent home immediately and directed to get medical treatment. “We are taking every step to ensure officers’ health,” Assistant Chief Horace Frank said.
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Department roll calls are now conducted with officers spaced far apart to ensure social distancing as part of efforts to get as many officers as possible working. Those with even slight signs of illness have been ordered to stay home, Frank said.
Workspaces are now frequently sanitized, and officers are equipped with N-95 masks and gloves and goggles to use in the field if needed.
Q: Are there scenarios if coronavirus spreads at the department?
Police Chief Michel Moore and his commanders have planned out scenarios in which up to 30% and perhaps even half the department calls in sick. These are worst-case scenarios, and officials do not think it will get that bad.
Officers in many locations this week began switching to 12-hour shifts to bolster the number on patrol and to provide security at eight homeless shelters. The department has already transferred hundreds of detectives to patrol functions.
Moore said that in the last few weeks the department had entirely mobilized. Vacation days have been canceled, unnecessary assignments and operations have been put aside, and everyone has been assigned to concentrate on essential public safety functions.


latimes--2020-03-31--Coronavirus and seniors: How to stay safe, and how to help

The United States is home to roughly 49 million people who are 65 years or older , including 5.3 million in California .
Many are at risk for severe illness with COVID-19 , meaning that they must be extra vigilant to prevent being exposed to the coronavirus .
Their families and caregivers must also be especially careful .
Seniors wrestle with numerous questions each day , including how to safely access essential services and cope with store hoarding , isolation and other challenges .
Here are some answers to many of these questions .
What precautions should seniors take to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same precautions as everyone else .
That means staying inside , avoiding contact with sick people , limiting contact with others and ensuring that people you live with do the same .
People should wash their hands regularly , clean indoor surfaces and wear gloves if they are handling anything outside their residence .
What can people do to support seniors ?
Regular communication with seniors — from a distance — is extremely important .
Family and caregivers need to know what medications seniors are taking , and make sure they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as food and cleaning supplies .
As for seniors , the AARP and other groups recommend seeking out a “ buddy ” — someone who will check on you , help you prepare and stock up on supplies , and help care for you if needed .
Numerous neighborhood groups and nonprofits are working to organize efforts for seniors , and deliver services and essential goods safely .
How can I help my older friends and family deal with loneliness ?
Take time each day to call an older person you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living alone , as do 28 % of seniors nationwide , according to a 2017 federal report .
If they ’ re tech savvy , use Facetime , Skype , Zoom or another app to do a video call .
AARP : How to stay connected , entertained while you are home alone As the writer Pearl Buck said during an earlier age , “ Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them.
” How can I care for an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Caregivers , friends and family must follow all the precautions listed above .
Be aware that you could be a “ silent spreader ” unknowingly infecting other people .
Nancy McPherson , California state director of the AARP , recommends that neighbors help with the networking needed to support seniors .
“ If you have an elderly neighbor who lives alone , offer to give your phone number to their children who live out of town , so they can have another contact on the same street as their parent , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have to also need to exercise “ tough love , ” discouraging elders from unnecessary visits to markets and other crowded spaces .
These can be difficult conversations , but until the contagion ebbs , they can ’ t be avoided .
Why are seniors at high risk from COVID-19 ?
Not all seniors are at high risk , but older Americans tend to have weakened immune systems , and most have at least one risk factor , such as diabetes , hypertension or a previous bout of pneumonia , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at UC San Francisco School of Medicine .
Because of these risk factors , “ old people are more likely to get very sick , need hospitalization , require breathing support and to die , ” Aronson recently told Times columnist George Skelton .
Last week , the CDC released a report examining U.S. coronavirus cases through March 16 .
The report found that 80 % of deaths associated with COVID-19 were among adults 65 and older , with the highest fatality rates involving persons 85 and older .
How can I tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus ?
How can I spot it in a loved one ?
COVID-19 symptoms include fever , cough and trouble breathing .
New research adds to the evidence that those infected can lose their sense of smell .
Apple and the CDC recently released an app to help identify symptoms .
If you think you are infected , call your doctor .
Physicians can schedule telephone and “ telehealth visits ” to reduce the potential spread of the virus to other patients and health care workers .
AARP : This is a what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shopping for essentials ?
Numerous grocery stores have set “ senior hours ” to help the elderly assess stores without long lines .
In Los Angeles , the city approved an ordinance requiring stores to dedicate the first hour of business to seniors , the disabled and those who care for them .
What will the stimulus bill mean for seniors ?
The $ 2-trillion economic stimulus package passed by Congress contains several important relief provisions for retirees .
People now receiving Social Security retirement and disability benefits will be getting the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being sent to most adults , subject to the same income limitations ( $ 75,000 in adjusted gross income for single filers and $ 150,000 for joint filers ) .
Reuters offers more details here : How the $ 2 trillion U.S. coronavirus relief bill impacts retirement savers

Antonia Jandres, 87, and her daughter Marta Jandres, wait in a line of cars to receive a test for COVID-19 at the Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles.
The United States is home to roughly 49 million people who are 65 years or older, including 5.3 million in California. Many are at risk for severe illness with COVID-19, meaning that they must be extra vigilant to prevent being exposed to the coronavirus. Their families and caregivers must also be especially careful.
Seniors wrestle with numerous questions each day, including how to safely access essential services and cope with store hoarding, isolation and other challenges. Here are some answers to many of these questions.
What precautions should seniors take to prevent being infected?
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Seniors should take the same precautions as everyone else. That means staying inside, avoiding contact with sick people, limiting contact with others and ensuring that people you live with do the same.
People should wash their hands regularly, clean indoor surfaces and wear gloves if they are handling anything outside their residence.
What risk do seniors face from being stigmatized?
There are concerns worldwide that seniors will increasingly bear the brunt of hasty government decisions on the virus. As Bethany Brown, a research at Human Rights Watch, stated Monday: “Older people face risks to their rights...if governments do not take their specific experiences into account.”
One concern is government officials discounting the lives of elders in efforts to prop up the economy. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recently fueled such fears, saying: “Those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the economy.”
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What can people do to support seniors?
Regular communication with seniors — from a distance — is extremely important. Family and caregivers need to know what medications seniors are taking, and make sure they have an adequate supply of other essentials, such as food and cleaning supplies.
As for seniors, the AARP and other groups recommend seeking out a “buddy” — someone who will check on you, help you prepare and stock up on supplies, and help care for you if needed.
Numerous neighborhood groups and nonprofits are working to organize efforts for seniors, and deliver services and essential goods safely.
How can I help my older friends and family deal with loneliness?
Take time each day to call an older person you know, especially if he or she is living alone, as do 28% of seniors nationwide, according to a 2017 federal report. If they’re tech savvy, use Facetime, Skype, Zoom or another app to do a video call.
AARP: How to stay connected, entertained while you are home alone
As the writer Pearl Buck said during an earlier age, “Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them.”
How can I care for an elderly person without putting them at risk?
Caregivers, friends and family must follow all the precautions listed above. Be aware that you could be a “silent spreader” unknowingly infecting other people.
Nancy McPherson, California state director of the AARP, recommends that neighbors help with the networking needed to support seniors.
“If you have an elderly neighbor who lives alone, offer to give your phone number to their children who live out of town, so they can have another contact on the same street as their parent,” said McPherson.
At times, caregivers may have to also need to exercise “tough love,” discouraging elders from unnecessary visits to markets and other crowded spaces. These can be difficult conversations, but until the contagion ebbs, they can’t be avoided.
Why are seniors at high risk from COVID-19?
Not all seniors are at high risk, but older Americans tend to have weakened immune systems, and most have at least one risk factor, such as diabetes, hypertension or a previous bout of pneumonia, according to Dr. Louise Aronson, a geriatrics professor at UC San Francisco School of Medicine.
Because of these risk factors, “old people are more likely to get very sick, need hospitalization, require breathing support and to die,” Aronson recently told Times columnist George Skelton.
Last week, the CDC released a report examining U.S. coronavirus cases through March 16. The report found that 80% of deaths associated with COVID-19 were among adults 65 and older, with the highest fatality rates involving persons 85 and older.
How can I tell if I might be infected with the coronavirus? How can I spot it in a loved one?
COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough and trouble breathing. New research adds to the evidence that those infected can lose their sense of smell.
Apple and the CDC recently released an app to help identify symptoms.
If you think you are infected, call your doctor. Physicians can schedule telephone and “telehealth visits” to reduce the potential spread of the virus to other patients and health care workers.
AARP: This is a what a coronavirus infection feels like
What about shopping for essentials?
Numerous grocery stores have set “senior hours” to help the elderly assess stores without long lines.
In Los Angeles, the city approved an ordinance requiring stores to dedicate the first hour of business to seniors, the disabled and those who care for them.
What will the stimulus bill mean for seniors?
The $2-trillion economic stimulus package passed by Congress contains several important relief provisions for retirees.
People now receiving Social Security retirement and disability benefits will be getting the same one-time $1,200 stimulus payments that are being sent to most adults, subject to the same income limitations ($75,000 in adjusted gross income for single filers and $150,000 for joint filers).
Reuters offers more details here: How the $2 trillion U.S. coronavirus relief bill impacts retirement savers


latimes--2020-03-31--Healthcare worker among coronavirus victims as L.A. County death toll surpasses 50

Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday confirmed 10 new coronavirus-linked deaths and reported the first such fatality of a healthcare worker in the county .
During their daily briefing , officials reported an additional 548 confirmed cases of the virus , bringing the total to more than 3,000 .
That number has tripled over the past week , Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said .
The number of deaths in the county is at least 54 .
The healthcare worker who died was over 60 , Ferrer said , and was included in Monday ’ s count .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died was under 41 .
“ These aren ’ t just numbers .
These are real people being mourned by their families and friends , ” she said .
To date , more than 19,000 people have been tested for the virus in the county .
Ferrer said that of those who have tested positive , 594 have been hospitalized , including 267 currently in treatment .
Also Tuesday , L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said 10 firefighters have tested positive for the coronavirus .
Seven have recovered and are back at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hospitals and nursing homes have emerged as the front lines in the battle against the coronavirus in California as the number of cases and deaths continues to rise .
In the last four days , the number of intensive care patients in the state has tripled — from 200 to 597 — and the number of hospitalizations has nearly doubled , from 746 to 1,432 .
By Tuesday , the number of confirmed cases had climbed to nearly 7,600 and deaths topped 150 .
Alameda County reported 283 confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Monday .
The city of Berkeley , which has its own public health division , recorded 19 infected people .
The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that of the more than 1,300 tests the city conducted , 123 people tested positive for coronavirus .
The health department is operating a drive-through testing center for at-risk populations that includes healthcare workers and first responders .
Between 25 to 30 tests are conducted there each day , officials said .
In Marin County , the death toll jumped to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week .
Two men in their 60s and a woman in her 90s died , county spokeswoman Laine Hendricks said .
The county has reported at least 99 cases , the bulk of which are among people ages 50-64 .
Orange County announced three new deaths Tuesday as the number of confirmed infections surged to 502 .
Seven people have died as a result of COVID-19 in the county , and 94 have been hospitalized .
As cases continue to rise , seven Bay Area jurisdictions announced Tuesday that they would extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of May .
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said Los Angeles may do the same .
Dr. Mark Ghaly , California ’ s secretary of health and human services , said modeling suggests the state will need 50,000 new hospital beds by mid-May .
“ We project that we will need that toward the second half of the month of May , ” Ghaly said .
“ So we are very busy trying to build toward that.
” On Monday , Gov .
Gavin Newsom issued an urgent call for retired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ join in caring for an expected surge of coronavirus patients .
He said he believes the state can add 37,000 healthcare workers by asking recently retired providers , those in the process of getting a medical license in the state and students enrolled in medical or nursing schools to apply to the newly created .
Newsom ’ s message to anyone with healthcare experience was clear : “ We need you.
” Recent data suggest that social distancing practices could be working to slow the spread in California .
Still , the epidemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes and skilled nursing facilities across the state , including one San Francisco facility with more than 700 beds , are being monitored as potential hot spots of the virus .
Los Angeles County officials are investigating outbreaks at 11 area nursing homes — including Kensington Assisted Living in Redondo Beach , Alameda Care Center in Burbank and Silverado Beverly Place in Los Angeles — where elderly residents with underlying health conditions are among the most vulnerable to the pathogen .
That ’ s nearly quadruple the number of nursing home outbreaks county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defines an outbreak as three or more cases involving residents or staff at a facility .
The county ’ s Department of Public Health also was investigating reports of at least one suspected coronavirus infection at seven additional nursing homes as of Monday afternoon .
Of the county ’ s 44 deaths from coronavirus , six have been nursing home residents .
“ Our investigation teams work with managers at each site to review implementation of infection control , quarantine and isolation protocols , ” a Health Department representative said in an email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus are occurring in nursing homes across the country with alarming speed and catastrophic potential .
One of the first hot spots in the U.S. was at the Life Care Center nursing home in Kirkland , Wash. , where two-thirds of the residents and 47 workers fell ill and 37 people died .
Families with loved ones in nursing homes should seriously consider bringing them home if feasible , said Charlene Harrington , a professor emeritus at UC San Francisco ’ s School of Nursing .
“ The risk of exposure is so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has studied nursing homes since the 1980s .
“ It ’ s a terrible concern.
” Conditions are deteriorating at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center , a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center facility in San Francisco , amid a there , city officials said Monday .
Mayor London Breed said nine employees of the large facility had as well as two patients .
Infection control nurses from the state and infectious disease physicians and epidemiologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been sent to San Francisco to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saddened to report to the San Francisco community the Laguna Honda hospital has a growing outbreak of coronavirus , ” said Dr. Grant Colfax , director of public health for San Francisco .
Because long-term care facilities around the world have been at greater risk in the COVID-19 pandemic , “ we expect the situation to unfortunately get worse , ” Colfax said .
In San Mateo County , the National Guard was preparing to set up medical cots and equipment at the San Mateo Event Center .
The federal treatment site will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mild COVID-19 symptoms .
“ The latest projections estimate that a medical surge could push the hospitals in our county to capacity and we ’ ll need another location to house patients requiring particular levels of care , ” County Manager Mike Callagy said .
“ We can ’ t just wait to see if this will happen.
” On Tuesday , the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva as the director of emergency operations .
The board said the move was months in the making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the current crisis .
But the sheriff countered that the board was retaliating against him for his decision to close gun shops after the county issued its stay-at-home order .
Times staff writers Priseclla Vega , Alene Tcheckmedyian , Richard Winton , Sarah Parvini and Luke Money contributed to this report .

Melody Gutierrez, Colleen Shalby, Hannah Fry, Rong-Gong Lin II, Marisa Gerber

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday tours the Bloom Energy company in Sunnyvale that has converted part of its factory from making fuel cells to refurbishing ventilators.
Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday confirmed 10 new coronavirus-linked deaths and reported the first such fatality of a healthcare worker in the county.
During their daily briefing, officials reported an additional 548 confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the total to more than 3,000. That number has tripled over the last week, Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said.
The number of deaths in the county is at least 54.
The healthcare worker who died was older than 60, Ferrer said, and was included in Monday’s count. One of the 10 most recent patients who died was younger than 41.
“These aren’t just numbers. These are real people being mourned by their families and friends,” she said.
To date, more than 19,000 people have been tested for the virus in the county. Ferrer said that of those who have tested positive, 594 have been hospitalized, including 267 currently in treatment.
Also Tuesday, L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said 10 firefighters have tested positive for the coronavirus. Seven have recovered and are back at work, while three remain isolated.
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1 / 83 Socially distanced bikers and walkers, against a backdrop of the Queen Mary, make their way along pedestrian and beach bike path on the first day that Long Beach reopened the path on Monday May 11, 2020. The city of Long Beach eased a few of its public health restrictions, allowing under certain guidelines the reopening of pedestrian and beach bike paths, tennis centers and courts. Beach bathrooms are also reopening, but the parking lots and beaches still remain closed. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 83 Traffic remains light on the southbound 110 Freeway headed toward downtown Los Angeles on April 28. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 83 Dominique Barrett, center, known as “King Vader” to his 2.4 million TikTok followers, prepares to shoot a video on April 30 in Glendora. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 83 Cody Purcell of Redondo Beach rides a wave, glowing from the bioluminescence, in Hermosa Beach, CA, after midnight Friday morning, May 8. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 83 Friends play spikeball, a game perfect for social distancing on an open but restricted San Buenaventura State Beach. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 83 The majority of golfers are wearing masks while hitting balls on the driving range at Van Buren Executive Golf Course in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 83 Beaches including Harbor Cove Beach were open but beachgoers were not supposed to be sitting on the sand. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 83 Tango instructor Yelizaveta Nersesova leads a Zoom tango event from her Los Angeles home April 27 that brought together hundreds of dancers from around the world. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 83 Grocery store workers, joined by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 770 representatives and community members, hold a rally in support of strict social distancing on May 1 at a Ralphs store in Hollywood where 19 employees have tested positive for COVID-19. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 83 Mostly masked commuters keep their distance from one another on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles on April 29. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 83 Gregory Kuhl, 69, heads home after a shopping trip in Hollywood on April 28. Big cracks in the street, cars parked in driveways blocking sidewalks and uneven pavement levels make navigating his route difficult. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 83 Tenants and their supporters from across Los Angeles gather at city hall to call on L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the L.A. City Council and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to cancel rent and mortgage payments during the COVID-19 crisis. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 83 Aerial view of over 100 vehicles lined up at the West Valley COVID-19 testing center at Warner Center in Woodland Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 83 Senior Mason Wise, left, helps his sister, Mackenzie, a sophomore, clean out her PE locker at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. School officials were allowing no more than five students at a time on campus to take home their belongings. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 83 Shuttered storefront businesses in the garment district of Los Angeles. California’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed since the statewide coronavirus shutdown took effect. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 83 Healthcare workers celebrate as Claudia Martinez is discharged from the ICU after she recovered from COVID-19 at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 83 Carson residents Kaeli Burks, 3, left, and her cousin Bailey Watson, 5, look out the window of their car after their mothers helped them with self-testing at a new drive-up testing site for COVID-19 in Carson. Free COVID-19 testing is available to all city residents thanks to a partnership between the city and US Health Fairs. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 83 Norm and Tracy Kahn enjoy eating dinner outside on a small cafe table sitting in blue chairs on their side yard during the coronavirus pandemic on April 27 in Riverside. “During this pandemic, eating outside offers us an opportunity to change surrounding and appreciate the calmness of being outdoors among trees, scents from nature and the sounds of birds,” she said. Also adding, “Mixing up where we eat puts variety into our days and takes away the sameness of feeling trapped at home.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 83 Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center nurses carry supplies outside the hospital. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 83 Tom Sean Foley pauses on a walk with his kids, Cathelen Claire, “C.C.,” 3, and Timothy Joseph, 4, to take a photo in front of the “Love Wall,” mural by artist Curtis Kulig, outside of Smashbox Studios in Culver City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 83 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on April 26. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 83 People make orders at a food truck along Shoreline Avenue in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 83 Medical staff, wearing protective gear, work inside a COVID-19 isolation area inside the emergency department at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where patients with the virus are being treated. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 83 Neighbors practice social distancing while enjoying the nice weather near The Strand in Hermosa Beach. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 83 Counter-protesters attend a protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 83 A group of protesters cheer on cars during a vehicle caravan protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 83 Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation staff member Navi Cavaltera waters a flower pot put up by the community to show their support for the nursing staff of the facility in Yucaipa. Eighteen of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Yucaipa were residents of the skilled nursing facility. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 83 A pedestrian wearing a protective mask passes a mural on a store on Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 83 Jonte Florence, a freestyle dancer, does a handstand on a mostly empty Hollywood Walk of Fame. Florence said he normally performs for hundreds of tourists along the busy street. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 83 The Tyrannosaurus rex overlooking the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue wears a protective mask while practicing social distancing. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 83 Businesses are shuttered and pedestrians are few and far between on Hollywood Boulevard. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 83 Daniel Rogerson wears a vintage military gas mask while riding a bike along the beach path in Santa Monica, which is closed to enforce social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 83 A face mask seller in colorful dress appears to be part of a mural behind a bus stop on Soto Street in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 83 Life around Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Soto Street has slowed down as California officials extended stay-at-home orders into May and residents entered Easter weekend with unprecedented limits on their movements. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 83 UC Irvine Medical Center health care workers return their gratitude as about 25 Orange County first responder vehicles participate in a drive-by parade of gratitude as they battle COVID-19 at the hospital. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 83 Billy Budd, 55, of Hollywood, walks along Hollywood Boulevard with a protective face covering. Budd is a scenic artist for movies and television who is currently out of work due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 83 Stuart Reyes and his sister, Stephanie, sell masks for $5 each on the 3000 block of West Century Boulevard in Inglewood. Stuart Reyes said he is selling masks to support his mother. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 83 A jogger runs on a closed trail past dozens of pieces of caution tape, torn off by hikers and mountain bikers at El Escorpion Canyon Park in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 83 Alex Herron and nurse Mercy Pineda at a blood drive sponsored by USC athletics and the American Red Cross at USC’s Galen Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 83 Los Angeles City Hall displays blue lights to show support for healthcare workers and first responders. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 83 After being indoors for several days because of rainy weather and coronavirus stay-at-home orders, Olivia Jacobs, 4, and her mom, Cia Jacobs, enjoy a warm and sunny afternoon making chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their home in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 83 An Oceanview Plaza security guard sports a whimsical mask while on patrol. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 83 Jacob De Wilde, left, and Lesli Lytle load a car with food during a food distribution organized to mark Good Friday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 83 As a late season storm continues to make its way across the Southland, a young basketball player dribbles along an alley through an Elysian Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 83 People are silhouetted in a window of an apartment building in Hollywood, where a stay-at-home order remains in effect to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 83 The Wilshire Grand Center display blue lights and a heart to show support for healthcare workers and first responders. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 83 Women wear masks as they stroll along Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Wearing masks while outdoors is mandatory in the city of Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 83 Patients are removed from Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after 39 tested positive for the coronavirus and nursing staff was not showing up to work. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 83 A specimen is turned in at the new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 83 Hippie Kitchen in Los Angeles hands out food, water and toiletries to homeless people and residents of skid row. Additionally, masks were offered to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 83 Nurses pose for a fun photo during a break in drive-through public testing for the coronavirus at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 83 A woman shows a notice from her doctor that allows her to obtain a test for coronavirus at a new drive-up testing site in a parking lot at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 83 A person who wishes to remain anonymous strikes from her car to support McDonald’s employees who are demanding the company cover healthcare costs of any worker or immediate family member who gets sick from COVID-19 in Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 83 Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All in This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 83 Juliann Hartman, center, and her husband, Butch, wave signs they created to cheer up people on Calabasas Road in Calabasas during the pandemic. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 83 Grace Carter, 15, of Riverside, practices a dance routine at home after dance classes and school were canceled. She has to use the Zoom app on her iPhone to practice with her dance group. “It’s hard,” she said. “My bedroom is a smaller space. I miss all my friends at the studio.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 83 A man works from his home in Long Beach. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 83 A San Bernardino County healthcare worker takes a sample at a coronavirus drive-through testing site at the county fairgrounds in Victorville. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 83 A Metro general service employee disinfects a bench in Boyle Heights. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 83 A runner jogs past the Pottery Barn in Pasadena. Some businesses in the area have boarded up their stores. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 83 Raquel Lezama and daughter Monica Ramos collect meals for their family at Manual Arts High School. Lezama was laid off from her $17.76-an-hour job at a Beverly Hills hotel. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 83 The Iron City Tavern in San Pedro tries an incentive to lure takeout customers. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 83 Healthcare workers gather outside UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center to call for further action from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 83 Kristen Edgerle, of Victorville, collects information from a blood donor before drawing blood at The Richard Nixon Presidential Library blood drive during the coronavirus pandemic in Yorba Linda. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 83 Shauna Jin, of Los Angeles, with her dog, Bodhi, practices social distancing with John Kiss, of Los Angeles, at the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 83 A lending library had some additional useful items, including a roll of toilet paper and cans of beans and corn, in a Hermosa Beach neighborhood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 83 Protesters drive by the Getty House, the home of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, in Hancock Park. Tenant advocates are demanding a total moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus crisis. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 83 Venice residents Emily Berry and Gavin Kelley take a break at Venice Beach. Berry, a cocktail waitress at Enterprise Fish Co., lost her job due to the coronavirus outbreak. Kelley, a manager at a performing arts school with a focus on music, said that he still has a job and that classes at the school will resume online this coming Monday. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 83 The JW Marriott at L.A. Live is sharing a message of hope with red lights in 34 windows, creating a 19-story display on the hotel’s north side. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 83 Juan Diaz Jr., a lifelong Dodgers fan, prays that the season will start by May in front of Dodger Stadium on what would have been opening day. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 83 Hayley, CEO and founder of Love My Neighbor Foundation, right, dances with Crystal Armster, 51, while she and her colleagues continue to feed the homeless on skid row amid the pandemic. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 83 A masked passenger on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 83 Dede Oneal waits for a coronavirus test at the Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 83 A man in a mask passes a closed restaurant along Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 83 Artist Corie Mattie paints a mural on the side of a pop-up store as a man takes a picture in West Hollywood. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 76 / 83 Medical assistant Zoila Villalta works with Rosie Boston, 32, of Glendale, who is donating blood for her first time at L.A. Care Health Plan downtown. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 77 / 83 A couple wait for a bus outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 78 / 83 With all Los Angeles schools closed until further notice, LAUSD buses sit idle in Gardena. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 79 / 83 A lone traveler makes his way to catch a flight in Tom Bradley International Terminal. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 80 / 83 Denise Young looks on as her daughter, Allison, 9, a fourth-grader at EARThS (Environmental Academy of Research Technology and Earth Sciences) Magnet School in Newbury Park, receives a Chromebook. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 81 / 83 Hollywood Boulevard is devoid of the usual crowds. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 82 / 83 Michael Ray, 11, plays before a movie at the Paramount Drive-In. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 83 / 83 Isabella Leader, 15, counts how many flags have been left for World War II veteran Lt. Col. Sam Sachs who was celebrating his 105th birthday at the Mom & Dad’s House, an assisted living facility, in Lakewood. Lt. Col. Sachs appealed to the public for birthday cards after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of a big celebration and wound up receiving thousands, including a letter and photo from President Trump. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Hospitals and nursing homes have emerged as the front lines in the battle against the coronavirus in California as the number of cases and deaths continues to rise.
In the last four days, the number of intensive care patients in the state has tripled — from 200 to 597 — and the number of hospitalizations has nearly doubled, from 746 to 1,432. By Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases had climbed to nearly 7,600 and deaths topped 150.
Alameda County reported 283 confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven deaths linked to the virus, as of Monday. The city of Berkeley, which has its own public health division, recorded 19 infected people.
The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that of the more than 1,300 tests the city conducted, 123 people tested positive for the coronavirus.
The health department is operating a drive-through testing center for at-risk populations that includes healthcare workers and first responders. Between 25 to 30 tests are conducted there each day, officials said.
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In Marin County, the death toll jumped to four after three additional victims were reported this week. Two men in their 60s and a woman in her 90s died, county spokeswoman Laine Hendricks said. The county has reported at least 99 cases, the bulk of which are among people ages 50 to 64.
Orange County announced three new deaths Tuesday as the number of confirmed infections surged to 502. Seven people have died as a result of COVID-19 in the county, and 94 have been hospitalized.
As cases continue to rise, seven Bay Area jurisdictions announced Tuesday that they would extend a previous stay-at-home order through the beginning of May. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said Los Angeles may do the same.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services, said modeling suggests the state will need 50,000 new hospital beds by mid-May.
“We project that we will need that toward the second half of the month of May,” Ghaly said. “So we are very busy trying to build toward that.”
In an online address Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the city will have doubled its testing capacity by Thursday. Testing will also be opened up to the entire county Wednesday, he said.
Amid concerns that construction workers are being exposed to the virus, the mayor also announced new construction guidelines that will require all construction sites to create a “COVID-19 exposure control plan.” Plans should include protocols for symptom checking, physical distancing, hygiene and decontamination, Garcetti said.
“As most of our city has stayed home or changed the way of doing business, much of our construction program has continued” he said, adding that it is important to continue critical infrastructure, but “never at the risk of anyone’s life.”
City inspectors will visit sites to enforce safety procedures, he added.
“We will not be shy about shutting down construction sites that do not comply,” he said. “So comply.”
Garcetti acknowledged that staying at home and social distancing has been “tough” for Angelenos, and that “life feels fundamentally changed.”
“The deeper we abide by these rules, the quicker this can be over,” he said. “These are not ordinary times. Everyone has to keep making these temporary sacrifices for the common good.”
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an urgent call for retired healthcare workers and students nearing graduation to join in caring for an expected surge of coronavirus patients.
He said he believes the state can add 37,000 healthcare workers by asking recently retired providers, those in the process of getting a medical license in the state and students enrolled in medical or nursing schools to apply to the newly created California Health Corps .
Newsom’s message to anyone with healthcare experience was clear: “We need you.”
Recent data suggest that social distancing practices could be working to slow the spread in California. Still, the epidemic could get dramatically worse. Several nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities across the state, including one San Francisco facility with more than 700 beds, are being monitored as potential hot spots of the virus.
Los Angeles County officials are investigating outbreaks at 11 area nursing homes — including Kensington Assisted Living in Redondo Beach, Alameda Care Center in Burbank and Silverado Beverly Place in Los Angeles — where elderly residents with underlying health conditions are among the most vulnerable to the pathogen.
That’s nearly quadruple the number of nursing home outbreaks county officials had announced Friday. The county defines an outbreak as three or more cases involving residents or staff at a facility.
The county’s Department of Public Health also was investigating reports of at least one suspected coronavirus infection at seven additional nursing homes as of Monday afternoon. Of the county’s 44 deaths from coronavirus, six have been nursing home residents.
“Our investigation teams work with managers at each site to review implementation of infection control, quarantine and isolation protocols,” a Health Department representative said in an email to The Times.
Outbreaks of the virus are occurring in nursing homes across the country with alarming speed and catastrophic potential. One of the first hot spots in the U.S. was at the Life Care Center nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., where two-thirds of the residents and 47 workers fell ill and 37 people died.
Families with loved ones in nursing homes should seriously consider bringing them home if feasible, said Charlene Harrington, a professor emeritus at UC San Francisco’s School of Nursing.
“The risk of exposure is so overwhelming,” said Harrington, who has studied nursing homes since the 1980s. “It’s a terrible concern.”
Conditions are deteriorating at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center facility in San Francisco, amid a coronavirus outbreak there, city officials said Monday.
Mayor London Breed said nine employees of the large facility had tested positive as well as two patients. Infection control nurses from the state and infectious disease physicians and epidemiologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been sent to San Francisco to help, officials said.
“I am saddened to report to the San Francisco community the Laguna Honda hospital has a growing outbreak of coronavirus,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of public health for San Francisco. Because long-term care facilities around the world have been at greater risk in the COVID-19 pandemic, “we expect the situation to unfortunately get worse,” Colfax said.
In San Mateo County, the National Guard was preparing to set up medical cots and equipment at the San Mateo Event Center. The federal treatment site will be able to house 250 patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms.
“The latest projections estimate that a medical surge could push the hospitals in our county to capacity and we’ll need another location to house patients requiring particular levels of care,” County Manager Mike Callagy said. “We can’t just wait to see if this will happen.”
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva as the director of emergency operations.
The board said the move was months in the making and unrelated to Villanueva’s handling of the current crisis. But the sheriff countered that the board was retaliating against him for his decision to close gun shops after the county issued its stay-at-home order.
Times staff writers Priseclla Vega, Alene Tcheckmedyian, Richard Winton and Luke Money contributed to this report.