latimes--2020-03-25--Older patients stranded in hospitals as nursing homes turn them away over coronavirus

Carl Schoen ’ s 99-year-old mother has lived in a nursing home for five years .
On March 13 , she was taken to the emergency room at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena with pneumonia .
She got better quickly , within a few days , but now the nursing home won ’ t take her back because she can ’ t prove she doesn ’ t have the coronavirus .
She was tested 12 days ago , but the results aren ’ t back yet .
“ They are being very steadfast in saying that until she gets the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t return , ” said Schoen , who asked that his mother ’ s name and the name of the care facility in northeast L.A. not be published for fear of alienating her caregivers .
Across the country , hospitals and nursing homes are stuck in similar high-stakes battles over the fate of older patients amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Hospitals are desperately trying to discharge patients to clear space for an expected wave of COVID-19 victims .
But nursing homes are reluctant to accept any new patients — or even returning residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are virus-free .
Dr. Michael Wasserman , medical director at a nursing home in Reseda , said he won ’ t accept any patient returning from a hospital until they have two negative coronavirus tests performed 24 hours apart .
The extreme vulnerability of elderly residents to the novel virus makes taking a patient who might have the highly contagious pathogen “ akin to premeditated murder , ” he said .
Wasserman pointed to the devastation at the Life Care Center nursing home in Kirkland , Wash. , site of one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two-thirds of the residents and 47 workers fell ill , and 35 people died .
“ I ’ m afraid there will be a minimum of 50 more Kirklands in California before this is done , ” Wasserman said .
Wasserman , a geriatrician for more than 30 years and president of the California Assn .
of Long Term Medicine , has been in touch with state public health officials regarding advice to nursing homes .
Their message , he said , has been unclear and shifting .
“ First , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from hospitals , then they were telling us not to take patients , now there ’ s conflicting guidance saying be prepared to take them , ” Wasserman said .
But Wasserman agrees with doctors who say nursing homes should not send residents to hospitals , even if they have COVID-19 symptoms , unless they are in dire need of care .
“ We ’ ve got a whole strategy on how to deal with this in the skilled nursing facilities , ” he said .
“ If you think someone has it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We don ’ t want to send someone to the hospital unless they really need the ICU.
” Once a patient has gone to the hospital , he said , nursing homes have a moral duty to be sure they are not carrying the virus when they return , especially to a facility with no sign of contamination .
“ If I knew someone was trying to send a COVID patient into my nursing home , ” Wasserman said , “ I would stand in front of the door and say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to let you do this.
’ ” The nationwide shortage of tests , and long waits for results , are exacerbating the problem because it can be difficult to prove that a patient who has been in a hospital is completely free of the virus .
Officials at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services , the second-largest municipal health system in the country , confirmed they are running into this problem .
“ DHS has encountered resistance from some skilled nursing facilities in accepting patients who have not definitely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Charmaine Dorsey , director of the department ’ s Patient & Social Support Services .
“ This has complicated our efforts to reduce hospital census as we prepare for a surge in patients.
” The health services department cares for more than 2 million people , many of them the poorest and most vulnerable in the county .
The situation is “ particularly challenging for DHS as we have many patients with multiple medical and psycho-social comorbidities that make it difficult for us to place our patients in such facilities even in normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointed to a letter the California Department of Public Health sent to all nursing homes on March 20 instructing them to “ prepare to care for residents with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
” That guidance is a “ recipe for disaster , ” said Michael Conners , of the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform .
“ It could expose every resident to infection and death.
” Kristen Knapp , a spokeswoman for the Florida Health Care Assn.
, which represents the vast majority of nursing homes in the state , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But her organization is advising members to be “ adamant ” about the need for tests for returning residents .
“ We care for a very vulnerable population , and so our goal is to do everything we can to keep the virus out of the building .
We ’ re really focused on that , ” Knapp said .
“ If they go out , we ’ re asking that they ’ re tested before they come back.
” Not every nursing home in Los Angeles is being so strict .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital on Friday for a blood transfusion .
She came back on Saturday .
The home did not require a negative test , said Halem Crowe , director of nurses , but made sure the woman had no coronavirus symptoms .
Since Monday , the home hasn ’ t sent anyone to the hospital .
If a resident needs an IV or an X-ray , they ’ re getting it at the nursing home , a change made to limit exposure to the coronavirus .
“ We don ’ t want our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it here , ” Crowe said .
One veteran ER doctor at a community hospital in the Sacramento area , speaking on the condition that his name not be used , said his hospital is being inundated with nursing home residents with minor cold symptoms .
“ They cough a few times and they get sent , ” he said .
And then administrators at the homes refuse to let the patients return without a negative coronavirus test , a process that can take about a week at his hospital , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to need to be in a hospital , ” said the doctor , who called the patients “ a massive drain ” at a time when hospital staff are girding for a wave of life-and-death coronavirus cases .
Over the weekend , he said , a nursing home sent an elderly woman to the emergency room by ambulance for low-level flu symptoms .
Doctors ordered several tests , including coronavirus , and dispatched her back to the home .
The next day , administrators sent her back and said to keep her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have the virus .
The doctor said he had no choice but to admit her .
“ That ’ s six days of nursing care and a bed for somebody who just really needed to be separated from others , ” he said .
“ If [ the woman ] lived at home , I would say , ‘ Go home and put yourself in the bedroom and have some chicken soup.
’ ” He said that even if some of the patients ended up testing positive , the hospital should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breathing and other severe conditions .
“ There ’ s no downside for these facilities to call 911 .
They get a person out of their facility for five hours minimum and lighten staffing , ” he said .
Nearly two weeks after she took the coronavirus test , Carl Schoen ‘ s mother — who is blind and suffers from hearing loss — remains trapped at the hospital , in a negative-pressure isolation room reserved for COVID patients .
He said she can ’ t have visitors and has to be restrained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nurse told the family Wednesday that she clearly does not have COVID , Schoen said .
That afternoon , a doctor informed Schoen ’ s family that the specimen sent to the lab had been lost .
Results from a new test would take at least three days .
The situation is “ crazy , ” Schoen said : “ I ’ ve got a hospital room they can put a real coronavirus patient in .
”

Carl Schoen’s 99-year-old mother has not been able to return to her nursing home after being taken to the emergency room at Huntington Memorial Hospital with pneumonia.
Carl Schoen’s 99-year-old mother has lived in a nursing home for five years. On March 13, she was taken to the emergency room at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena with pneumonia.
She got better quickly, within a few days, but now the nursing home won’t take her back because she can’t prove she doesn’t have the coronavirus. She was tested 12 days ago, but the results aren’t back yet.
“They are being very steadfast in saying that until she gets the test result back, she can’t return,” said Schoen, who asked that his mother’s name and the name of the care facility in northeast L.A. not be published for fear of alienating her caregivers.
Across the country, hospitals and nursing homes are stuck in similar high-stakes battles over the fate of older patients amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Hospitals are desperately trying to discharge patients to clear space for an expected wave of COVID-19 victims. But nursing homes are reluctant to accept any new patients — or even returning residents — until it is proved that they are virus-free.
Dr. Michael R. Wasserman, Geriatrician, and President of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Dr. Michael Wasserman, medical director at a nursing home in Reseda, said he won’t accept any patient returning from a hospital until they have two negative coronavirus tests performed 24 hours apart.
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The extreme vulnerability of elderly residents to the novel virus makes taking a patient who might have the highly contagious pathogen “akin to premeditated murder,” he said.
Wasserman pointed to the devastation at the Life Care Center nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., site of one of the first COVID-19 outbreaks in the United States. Two-thirds of the residents and 47 workers fell ill, and 35 people died.
“I’m afraid there will be a minimum of 50 more Kirklands in California before this is done,” Wasserman said.
Wasserman, a geriatrician for more than 30 years and president of the California Assn. of Long Term Medicine, has been in touch with state public health officials regarding advice to nursing homes. Their message, he said, has been unclear and shifting.
People walk past Eisenberg Village nursing home where they are screening all incoming for symptoms of the coronavirus in Reseda. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
“First, they were telling nursing homes to take patients from hospitals, then they were telling us not to take patients, now there’s conflicting guidance saying be prepared to take them,” Wasserman said.
But Wasserman agrees with doctors who say nursing homes should not send residents to hospitals, even if they have COVID-19 symptoms, unless they are in dire need of care.
“We’ve got a whole strategy on how to deal with this in the skilled nursing facilities,” he said. “If you think someone has it, you have to contain it there. We don’t want to send someone to the hospital unless they really need the ICU.”
Once a patient has gone to the hospital, he said, nursing homes have a moral duty to be sure they are not carrying the virus when they return, especially to a facility with no sign of contamination.
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“If I knew someone was trying to send a COVID patient into my nursing home,” Wasserman said, “I would stand in front of the door and say, ‘Hell no, I’m not going to let you do this.’”
The nationwide shortage of tests, and long waits for results, are exacerbating the problem because it can be difficult to prove that a patient who has been in a hospital is completely free of the virus.
Officials at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, the second-largest municipal health system in the country, confirmed they are running into this problem.
“DHS has encountered resistance from some skilled nursing facilities in accepting patients who have not definitely tested negative for COVID-19,” said Charmaine Dorsey, director of the department’s Patient & Social Support Services. “This has complicated our efforts to reduce hospital census as we prepare for a surge in patients.”
The health services department cares for more than 2 million people, many of them the poorest and most vulnerable in the county.
The situation is “particularly challenging for DHS as we have many patients with multiple medical and psycho-social comorbidities that make it difficult for us to place our patients in such facilities even in normal circumstances,” Dorsey said.
Dorsey pointed to a letter the California Department of Public Health sent to all nursing homes on March 20 instructing them to “prepare to care for residents with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.”
That guidance is a “recipe for disaster,” said Michael Conners, of the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. “It could expose every resident to infection and death.”
Kristen Knapp, a spokeswoman for the Florida Health Care Assn., which represents the vast majority of nursing homes in the state, said hospitals are in a tough spot. But her organization is advising members to be “adamant” about the need for tests for returning residents.
“We care for a very vulnerable population, and so our goal is to do everything we can to keep the virus out of the building. We’re really focused on that,” Knapp said. “If they go out, we’re asking that they’re tested before they come back.”
Not every nursing home in Los Angeles is being so strict.
The Crenshaw Nursing Home sent a resident to the hospital on Friday for a blood transfusion. She came back on Saturday. The home did not require a negative test, said Halem Crowe, director of nurses, but made sure the woman had no coronavirus symptoms.
Since Monday, the home hasn’t sent anyone to the hospital. If a resident needs an IV or an X-ray, they’re getting it at the nursing home, a change made to limit exposure to the coronavirus. “We don’t want our residents to get something outside and bring it here,” Crowe said.
One veteran ER doctor at a community hospital in the Sacramento area, speaking on the condition that his name not be used, said his hospital is being inundated with nursing home residents with minor cold symptoms.
“They cough a few times and they get sent,” he said. And then administrators at the homes refuse to let the patients return without a negative coronavirus test, a process that can take about a week at his hospital, he said.
“They aren’t ill enough to need to be in a hospital,” said the doctor, who called the patients “a massive drain” at a time when hospital staff are girding for a wave of life-and-death coronavirus cases.
Over the weekend, he said, a nursing home sent an elderly woman to the emergency room by ambulance for low-level flu symptoms. Doctors ordered several tests, including coronavirus, and dispatched her back to the home.
The next day, administrators sent her back and said to keep her until the hospital could prove she didn’t have the virus. The doctor said he had no choice but to admit her.
“That’s six days of nursing care and a bed for somebody who just really needed to be separated from others,” he said. “If [the woman] lived at home, I would say, ‘Go home and put yourself in the bedroom and have some chicken soup.’”
He said that even if some of the patients ended up testing positive, the hospital should be reserved only for those with trouble breathing and other severe conditions.
“There’s no downside for these facilities to call 911. They get a person out of their facility for five hours minimum and lighten staffing,” he said.
Nearly two weeks after she took the coronavirus test, Carl Schoen‘s mother — who is blind and suffers from hearing loss — remains trapped at the hospital, in a negative-pressure isolation room reserved for COVID patients. He said she can’t have visitors and has to be restrained at times to prevent falls.
A nurse told the family Wednesday that she clearly does not have COVID, Schoen said. That afternoon, a doctor informed Schoen’s family that the specimen sent to the lab had been lost. Results from a new test would take at least three days.
The situation is “crazy,” Schoen said: “I’ve got a hospital room they can put a real coronavirus patient in.”


latimes--2020-03-25--Leading lung expert John F. Murray dies of coronavirus-related complications at 92

John F. Murray , a leading figure in the field of pulmonary medicine and an expert on lung disease , has died of coronavirus-related complication at a hospital in Paris .
Murray , who led the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at UC San Francisco for 23 years , died Tuesday after being diagnosed with the disease on March 18 , said Douglas Murray , his son .
He was 92 .
As a researcher , professor and physician , Murray dedicated his career to pulmonary medicine and helped establish the study of the lung and lung diseases as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He co-authored “ Murray and Nadel ’ s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine , ” now in its 6th edition , edited the American Review of Respiratory Disease , and helped develop the standards for training pulmonary doctors .
Murray and a team of researchers also developed a scoring system to expand the definition and help measure the severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome , the condition from which he ultimately died .
“ In many ways he helped set the foundation for what has become pulmonary medicine , ” said Courtney Broaddus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pulmonary division from 1998 to 2018 and worked under him as a fellow .
Both worked at what is now the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital .
Murray led the pulmonary division from 1966 to 1989 and created the hospital ’ s first intensive care unit .
He stayed on as a physician until his retirement in 1994 , but continued to practice medicine and work as a consultant in San Francisco and in Paris for several years .
As a professor he stressed the importance of doctors working with nurses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treat patients at San Francisco General , many of whom are low-income .
The hospital is staffed by UCSF doctors but run by the city and county of San Francisco .
The week before his death , nurses at San Francisco General wore clip-on bow ties in his honor .
“ In all his dealings in the ICU , John treated every person with respect and held them to high standards , whether it was the intern just starting in the ICU or the fellow who was a much more senior trainee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Broaddus said .
“ Everybody had something to offer and was treated as a member of this team.
” Later in his career , Murray researched the pulmonary complications caused by HIV infection and the relationship between lung disease and tuberculosis , both in the U.S. and across Africa .
Since 2003 , high-performing UCSF Department of Medicine faculty members have received the John Murray Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine .
The award highlights “ excellence in academic medicine and dedication to the humanitarian mission.
” The department has also named @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was born June 8 , 1927 , in Mineola , N.Y. , and grew up in Los Angeles , where his father worked as a cartoonist and befriended Walt Disney , according to Douglas Murray .
Murray received both his undergraduate degree and his medical training at Stanford University and completed his postdoctoral training at San Francisco General and King County Hospital in Brooklyn .
Before joining the UCSF staff , Murray spent nine years teaching medicine at UCLA .
Family and friends said Murray was a warm and gregarious person , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ felt people weren ’ t pulling their weight .
His son Douglas described him as a hard worker , who would continue working in his home office after dinner every night and who sometimes took him to the office to see his research .
The younger Murray said that as a child he understood that his father won awards , traveled to give lectures , wrote articles and edited journals , but “ I sort of assumed that that ’ s what doctors do , but they don ’ t. ” Murray enjoyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Sierra Nevada mountains with his family during the summers .
He also liked to read novels , attend the opera , and listen to Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong .
In recent years , he lived in Paris .
He is survived by his wife , novelist Diane Johnson ; two children ; four stepchildren and 14 grandchildren .

Dr. John F. Murray at his apartment in Paris, where he lived in recent years.
John F. Murray, a leading figure in the field of pulmonary medicine and an expert on lung disease, has died of coronavirus-related complication at a hospital in Paris.
Murray, who led the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at UC San Francisco for 23 years, died Tuesday after being diagnosed with the disease on March 18, said Douglas Murray, his son. He was 92.
As a researcher, professor and physician, Murray dedicated his career to pulmonary medicine and helped establish the study of the lung and lung diseases as a distinct field, separate from cardiology. He co-authored “Murray and Nadel’s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine,” now in its 6th edition, edited the American Review of Respiratory Disease, and helped develop the standards for training pulmonary doctors.
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Murray and a team of researchers also developed a scoring system to expand the definition and help measure the severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome, the condition from which he ultimately died.
“In many ways he helped set the foundation for what has become pulmonary medicine,” said Courtney Broaddus, a professor emeritus at UCSF who led the pulmonary division from 1998 to 2018 and worked under him as a fellow. Both worked at what is now the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
Murray led the pulmonary division from 1966 to 1989 and created the hospital’s first intensive care unit. He stayed on as a physician until his retirement in 1994, but continued to practice medicine and work as a consultant in San Francisco and in Paris for several years.
As a professor he stressed the importance of doctors working with nurses and social workers as a team to help treat patients at San Francisco General, many of whom are low-income. The hospital is staffed by UCSF doctors but run by the city and county of San Francisco.
The week before his death, nurses at San Francisco General wore clip-on bow ties in his honor.
“In all his dealings in the ICU, John treated every person with respect and held them to high standards, whether it was the intern just starting in the ICU or the fellow who was a much more senior trainee, or the nurses or the therapists,” Broaddus said. “Everybody had something to offer and was treated as a member of this team.”
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Later in his career, Murray researched the pulmonary complications caused by HIV infection and the relationship between lung disease and tuberculosis, both in the U.S. and across Africa.
Since 2003, high-performing UCSF Department of Medicine faculty members have received the John Murray Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine. The award highlights “excellence in academic medicine and dedication to the humanitarian mission.” The department has also named a distinguished professorship after Murray.
Murray was born June 8, 1927, in Mineola, N.Y., and grew up in Los Angeles, where his father worked as a cartoonist and befriended Walt Disney, according to Douglas Murray.
Murray received both his undergraduate degree and his medical training at Stanford University and completed his postdoctoral training at San Francisco General and King County Hospital in Brooklyn. Before joining the UCSF staff, Murray spent nine years teaching medicine at UCLA.
Family and friends said Murray was a warm and gregarious person, who could be stern or impatient if he felt people weren’t pulling their weight.
His son Douglas described him as a hard worker, who would continue working in his home office after dinner every night and who sometimes took him to the office to see his research. The younger Murray said that as a child he understood that his father won awards, traveled to give lectures, wrote articles and edited journals, but “I sort of assumed that that’s what doctors do, but they don’t.”
Murray enjoyed hiking, fly fishing, and visiting the Sierra Nevada mountains with his family during the summers. He also liked to read novels, attend the opera, and listen to Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. In recent years, he lived in Paris.
He is survived by his wife, novelist Diane Johnson; two children; four stepchildren and 14 grandchildren.


latimes--2020-03-25--'Zoombombing' hits USC as classes are interrupted with racist remarks

USC ’ s top administrators apologized to the school community after some online classes fell prey to “ Zoombombing , ” disrupted by people making racist remarks .
“ Zoombombing ” is a relatively new frontier in internet trolling in which someone takes advantage of features of the Zoom video-conferencing platform to interrupt meetings and lectures .
Many colleges and school districts have made greater use of Zoom following the cancellation of in-person classes amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak .
In a letter to the university community , USC President Carol Folt and Provost Charles Zukoski wrote that they learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were disrupted by people who used racist and vile language that interrupted lectures and learning.
” The two said they were “ deeply saddened that our students and faculty have had to witness such despicable acts ” and that they “ should never have to endure behavior that is simply not tolerated in our community.
” “ When students and faculty gather , there is a trust that it is a safe environment , ” Folt and Zukoski wrote .
“ This trust has been breached by people intentionally trying to cause great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community is trying to cope with a global health crisis.
” USC ’ s information technology team is working to implement safeguards , Folt and Zukoski added , and new protocols will be put in place “ to prevent this type of disruption .
“ We will be vigilant in determining who was responsible for these actions , and we are doing everything in our power to stop it right away , ” they wrote .
“ We want to personally tell our students and faculty how deeply sorry we are for these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

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


latimes--2020-03-25--A search for answers in 17-year-old boy's death that may be linked to coronavirus

Officials are trying to determine whether a teenager in Lancaster died of coronavirus and are awaiting the results of more testing .
The boy ’ s father , an Uber driver , is suspected of having the virus , but it remains unclear how the boy may have contracted it .
Q : What do we know about the boy ?
The Lancaster 17-year-old died of septic shock , according to Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris .
Officials initially had said he died of coronavirus but later said more tests were needed .
“ The juvenile fatality that the Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today will require further evaluation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , ” a county statement read .
“ Though early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19 , the case is complex , and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality .
Patient privacy prevents our offering further details at this time.
” It ’ s possible the boy had coronavirus but that it was not the cause of death .
Parris said the boy died last week and that his family wasn ’ t aware of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funeral already .
His family has no idea he was the boy in the news , ” Parris said .
“ The family didn ’ t know about COVID-19 .
They were shaking hands at the funeral.
” The father has been trying to get tested but to no avail , the mayor said .
“ He has just been told to self-quarantine , ” Parris said .
The family told Parris the teen was complaining of respiratory distress when he first went to an HMO facility , but officials there declined to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have health insurance .
A few days later , the boy was taken to Antelope Valley Regional Medical Center , he said .
Q : What are the next steps ?
The CDC will review his case , and eventually county officials will determine a cause of death .
Q : Does this suggest children are more at risk than we originally believed ?
Not necessarily .
If confirmed , this appears to be the first death of a teenager from coronavirus in the United States .
But overall , children are less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups .
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released last week , there had been no coronavirus fatalities in the United States of people under 18 .
The report also said there had been no reported ICU admissions for people under 19 .
Of the more than 600 cases in L.A. County , only 10 involve people under 17 .
One possible reason why babies , toddlers and young children have not been critically threatened is that their immature immune systems may not trigger inflammation severe enough to result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failure .

Officials are trying to determine whether a teenager in Lancaster died of coronavirus and are awaiting the results of more testing.
The boy’s father, an Uber driver, is suspected of having the virus, but it remains unclear how the boy may have contracted it.
Q: What do we know about the boy?
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The Lancaster 17-year-old died of septic shock, according to Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. Officials initially had said he died of coronavirus but later said more tests were needed.
“The juvenile fatality that the Los Angeles County Department Public Health reported earlier today will require further evaluation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” a county statement read. “Though early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19, the case is complex, and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality. Patient privacy prevents our offering further details at this time.”
It’s possible the boy had coronavirus but that it was not the cause of death.
Parris said the boy died last week and that his family wasn’t aware of the coronavirus suspicion.
“They had the funeral already. His family has no idea he was the boy in the news,” Parris said. “The family didn’t know about COVID-19. They were shaking hands at the funeral.”
The father has been trying to get tested but to no avail, the mayor said. “He has just been told to self-quarantine,” Parris said.
The family told Parris the teen was complaining of respiratory distress when he first went to an HMO facility, but officials there declined to treat him. The family does not have health insurance. A few days later, the boy was taken to Antelope Valley Regional Medical Center, he said.
Q: What are the next steps?
The CDC will review his case, and eventually county officials will determine a cause of death.
Q: Does this suggest children are more at risk than we originally believed?
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Not necessarily. If confirmed, this appears to be the first death of a teenager from coronavirus in the United States.
But overall, children are less likey to die of COVID-19 than other groups.
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released last week, there had been no coronavirus fatalities in the United States of people under 18. The report also said there had been no reported ICU admissions for people under 19.
Of the more than 600 cases in L.A. County, only 10 involve people under 17.
One possible reason why babies, toddlers and young children have not been critically threatened is that their immature immune systems may not trigger inflammation severe enough to result in pneumonia, septic shock or organ failure.


latimes--2020-03-25--No quarantine for this bear as it wanders Arcadia neighborhood in search of breakfast

A black bear was seen wandering around an Arcadia neighborhood about 5 a.m .
It was spotted by a television crew roaming the streets in the 300 block of Topaz Place , knocking over a trash can .
About 7 a.m. , the lumbering interloper was spotted again on nearby Canyon Road before it trundled back toward the Angeles National Forest .
The bear , presumably looking for breakfast , left a trail of knocked-over trash cans in its wake .
Tim Daly , a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife , said he was checking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the report .
“ That tends to happen when there ’ s a threat to public safety , or we ’ ve been called for assistance , ” Daly said .
“ Keep in mind , it ’ s not unusual for bears to appear in that area — and it ’ s not unusual for the visits to happen on garbage day , ” he said .
Indeed , bear sightings are nothing new in the communities that back up to the forest and the San Gabriel Mountains .
Just last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an “ old lady ” was tranquilized after going on a morning stroll in Monrovia .
Fish and Wildlife officials “ encourage people to do everything they can to discourage animal visits , ” such as securing trash cans and not leaving food outside , Daly said in February .
The department ’ s website also offers tips about “ bear-proofing ” homes and campsites .

A large California resident was spotted Wednesday blatantly flouting the state’s stay-at-home order.
A black bear was seen wandering around an Arcadia neighborhood about 5 a.m. It was spotted by a television crew roaming the streets in the 300 block of Topaz Place, knocking over a trash can.
About 7 a.m., the lumbering interloper was spotted again on nearby Canyon Road before it trundled back toward the Angeles National Forest.
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The bear, presumably looking for breakfast, left a trail of knocked-over trash cans in its wake.
The bear knocked over trash cans in a neighborhood before heading back toward the Angeles National Forest. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Tim Daly, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said he was checking to see whether the agency had responded to the report.
“That tends to happen when there’s a threat to public safety, or we’ve been called for assistance,” Daly said. “Keep in mind, it’s not unusual for bears to appear in that area — and it’s not unusual for the visits to happen on garbage day,” he said.
Indeed, bear sightings are nothing new in the communities that back up to the forest and the San Gabriel Mountains.
Just last month, a bear wildlife officials described as an “old lady” was tranquilized after going on a morning stroll in Monrovia.
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California ‘Old lady’ bear tranquilized after walkabout in Monrovia neighborhood An approximately 400-pound bear that was seen near North Mayflower Avenue and Highland Place in Monrovia will be returned to nearby habitat.
Fish and Wildlife officials “encourage people to do everything they can to discourage animal visits,” such as securing trash cans and not leaving food outside, Daly said in February. The department’s website also offers tips about “bear-proofing” homes and campsites.


latimes--2020-03-25--As coronavirus deaths rise in L.A. County, officials issue new quarantine order

As the number of coronavirus cases continued to surge across Los Angeles County , the county health officer issued an order Wednesday requiring all individuals who are presumed positive or have tested positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate , and for all close contacts of such individuals to self-quarantine .
L.A. County confirmed three additional deaths linked to the coronavirus Wednesday but is no longer including a Lancaster teenager whose death was reported Tuesday in its count .
“ We ’ ve asked the CDC to complete an investigation on that case , ” said Barbara Ferrer , director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officials Wednesday confirmed 138 new cases of the virus .
That brings the county ’ s total to 812 .
So far , more than 6,300 people have been tested in the county for the virus , Ferrer said .
Of those , 11 % have tested positive .
Ferrer said 160 people who tested positive have been hospitalized at some point .
There are currently 44 hospitalized individuals , including four who are in their 30s .
The total death count in the county , excluding the Lancaster teen , is 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who have tested positive in the county have died .
The United States ’ mortality rate for COVID-19 is 1.5 % , a rate higher than that of the flu .
Officials are also working to find additional hospital beds for non-COVID-19 patients , including the use of the Navy ship Mercy , which will provide more than 1,000 spaces .
Pentagon Press Secretary Alyssa Farah said the Mercy will arrive in Los Angeles on Friday — earlier than expected .
With coronavirus-related deaths in California now over 60 , state officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come as the virus continues to spread .
San Mateo County reported three more deaths Wednesday , bringing the total there to five .
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned Tuesday that residents should be prepared for more loss of life as the pandemic expands .
Garcetti said L.A. could be six to 12 days from seeing similar numbers to the outbreak in New York City , where the death toll has dramatically increased in recent days .
“ It ’ s coming , ” Garcetti said .
“ The peak is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be bad .
People will lose their lives.
” The mayor also rebuffed President Trump ’ s earlier comments that he wanted to quickly ease restrictions and said Angelenos should be “ prepared for a couple months like this.
” “ I know that everybody is hopeful , and some are putting out that hope of us being back in churches by Easter or synagogues by Passover or restarting the economy in a couple weeks , ” Garcetti said .
“ I think we owe it to everybody to be straightforward and honest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … that level of normal in that short period of time.
” Ferrer reiterated that message Wednesday , pointing to the rapid growth in cases in New York and in Italy .
“ We would be foolish to not prepare for a similar scenario in L.A. County , ” she said .
“ We talk about numbers , but these aren ’ t numbers — these are people ’ s lives.
” Shortly after L.A. County initiated its quarantine order , Rep. Katie Porter ( D-Irvine ) announced she was awaiting test results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the weekend .
“ I will remain in self-quarantine until I have the test results back and until directed by my doctor that it is safe for me to leave my home , ” she said .
Coronavirus infection cases in the state have surpassed 2,800 .
But that number is expected to dramatically rise as more testing occurs .
New York state has recorded more than 280 deaths and 30,000 confirmed cases .
California officials think they also will see major increases in the coming days and weeks .
San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in coronavirus infections is expected to come within a week or two .
“ The worst is yet to come , ” San Francisco Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said at a news conference Monday .
“ Every community where the virus has taken hold has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus patients who need to be hospitalized .
We expect that to happen in San Francisco soon , in a week or two , or perhaps even less.
” On Tuesday , San Francisco reported its first death linked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in his 40s and had multiple underlying health conditions .
The city has confirmed at least 178 cases of COVID-19 , roughly three weeks after reporting its first .
On Wednesday , officials described how the virus has spread among city workers .
Two San Francisco Police Department employees have tested positive for COVID-19 , Police Chief William Scott said at a news briefing .
The department has quarantined 27 employees , including two dozen sworn officers at the Thomas J. Cahill Hall of Justice , where the employees who tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier , the department had announced that a sergeant assigned to the Special Victims Unit at the Hall of Justice had tested positive for the virus and that the sergeant ’ s work partner was also feeling unwell .
Both were self-quarantined at their homes .
Scott said the department has broken up investigative units to rotate officers between telecommuting , working in the field and in the office only as needed .
San Francisco ’ s case total continues to rise each day , Mayor London Breed said at Wednesday ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency , which oversees the city ’ s transit , streets and taxi services .
The news followed confirmation from the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority that three employees connected to the agency had also been infected with the coronavirus .
As confirmed cases continue to grow throughout the state , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Trump ’ s remarks about easing restrictions did not reflect reality in California .
“ April for California would be sooner than any of the experts that I talked to believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsom now expects California will need 50,000 hospital beds to deal with COVID-19 patients , more than double what his administration forecast last week .
He said the state ’ s 416 hospitals will execute “ surge plans ” to create 30,000 new beds .
Newsom also ordered a halt to the intake and transfer of inmates at the state ’ s 35 prisons and four youth correctional facilities .
He said British billionaire Richard Branson will donate medical gear to help healthcare workers , joining efforts by Tesla and Apple executives .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed the life of a Lancaster teenager , possibly the nation ’ s first death of a person under 18 related to the virus .
Ferrer called it “ a devastating reminder that COVID-19 affects people of all ages.
” But in a statement late Tuesday , public health officials noted that although “ early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19 , the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation ” besides the coronavirus for the death .
As officials try to determine the exact cause of death for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the coronavirus and bacterial infection are correlated , one expert said .
Ferrer said Wednesday the county has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the case .

Sarah Parvini, Rong-Gong Lin II, Taryn Luna, Colleen Shalby

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


latimes--2020-03-25--L.A. threatens to shut off water, power of businesses breaking coronavirus rules

Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed frustration and outrage that some nonessential businesses remained open despite coronavirus restrictions and vowed Los Angeles would take action against them .
Garcetti said his office was still receiving daily reports of nonessential businesses that continued to operate as normal — behavior he called “ irresponsible and selfish.
” He also announced a “ Safer at Home ” business-ambassadors initiative that aims to bring about greater compliance from businesses that are ignoring the city ’ s order to close .
Such businesses should also expect to get a warning call from local prosecutors before the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off their water and power , he said .
• Requires all Los Angeles businesses that demand in-person attendance to cease operations , with exceptions ; • Orders Los Angeles residents to remain in their homes , with exceptions ; • Bans all gatherings outside a home , with exceptions .
On Sunday , Los Angeles and other jurisdictions ordered many beach parking lots , hiking trials , recreation areas and sports fields closed after they were jammed over the weekend .
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Tuesday said were nonessential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close their doors , they would be cited and face the loss of their business licenses .
“ Gun shops , strip clubs , nightclubs are nonessential businesses .
We are trying to get them to close their doors , ” he said .
“ If they don ’ t close their doors , they will be cited , ” which could mean the loss of a business license .
On Wednesday morning , however , the sheriff walked back that statement .
Villanueva said “ efforts to close nonessential businesses have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsom would “ determine what qualifies ” as one .

Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed frustration and outrage that some nonessential businesses remained open despite coronavirus restrictions and vowed Los Angeles would take action against them.
Garcetti said his office was still receiving daily reports of nonessential businesses that continued to operate as normal — behavior he called “irresponsible and selfish.”
He also announced a “Safer at Home” business-ambassadors initiative that aims to bring about greater compliance from businesses that are ignoring the city’s order to close.
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Such businesses should also expect to get a warning call from local prosecutors before the city takes more aggressive action, including turning off their water and power, he said.
The rule:
Requires all Los Angeles businesses that demand in-person attendance to cease operations, with exceptions;
Orders Los Angeles residents to remain in their homes, with exceptions;
Bans all gatherings outside a home, with exceptions.
On Sunday, Los Angeles and other jurisdictions ordered many beach parking lots, hiking trials, recreation areas and sports fields closed after they were jammed over the weekend.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Tuesday said gun shops were nonessential businesses and if they didn’t close their doors, they would be cited and face the loss of their business licenses.
“Gun shops, strip clubs, nightclubs are nonessential businesses. We are trying to get them to close their doors,” he said. “If they don’t close their doors, they will be cited,” which could mean the loss of a business license.
On Wednesday morning, however, the sheriff walked back that statement. Villanueva said “efforts to close nonessential businesses have been suspended” and that Gov. Gavin Newsom would “determine what qualifies” as one.


latimes--2020-03-25--The latest list of L.A. County communities with coronavirus infection cases

Los Angeles County now has recorded 11 deaths from the coronavirus .
The county confirmed an additional 128 cases of @ @ @ @ @ the county ’ s total to 662 .
Officials said 119 people have been hospitalized @ @ @ @ @ Department said 11 officers have tested positive , two of them members of its senior @ @ @ @ @ may have taken the life of a Lancaster teenager , possibly the nation ’ s @ @ @ @ @ under 18 related to the virus .
L.A. County Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer @ @ @ @ @ reminder that COVID-19 affects people of all ages.
” But in a statement late Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ that although “ early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19 , the case is @ @ @ @ @ an alternate explanation ” besides COVID-19 for the death .
Here is a breakdown by @ @

Los Angeles County now has recorded 11 deaths from the coronavirus.
The county confirmed an additional 128 cases of coronavirus infection Tuesday, pushing the county’s total to 662. Officials said 119 people have been hospitalized.
The Los Angeles Police Department said 11 officers have tested positive, two of them members of its senior command staff.
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The coronavirus may have taken the life of a Lancaster teenager, possibly the nation’s first death of a person under 18 related to the virus.
L.A. County Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer called it “a devastating reminder that COVID-19 affects people of all ages.” But in a statement late Tuesday, public health officials noted that although “early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19, the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation” besides COVID-19 for the death.
Here is a breakdown by community:


latimes--2020-03-25--Will California's coronavirus crisis look like Italy's soon?

It begins each day in the early afternoon : Patients stream into hospitals with fevers , shakes , chills and breathing problems .
In Italy , the latest country hardest hit by the new coronavirus , it ’ s been happening seemingly like clockwork .
“ It ’ s really hard to see so many people sick at the same time , ” Dr. Roberto Cosentini , a doctor in the northern city of Bergamo near Milan , said in a podcast for emergency room physicians .
“ It ’ s like a regular daily earthquake.
” Is this what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ More than 2,600 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Golden State and 55 people have died of the respiratory disease .
That ’ s a far cry from the 69,000 cases and 6,820 deaths reported in Italy .
But health officials here have hinted that it ’ s possible .
“ We are in a grave crisis , ” warned Dr. Scott Morrow , San Mateo County ’ s health officer .
“ Unless everyone does their part and follows the county ’ s shelter-in-place order and the governor ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be facing an Italy-type catastrophe very soon , ” he said in a statement released Monday night .
In nearby San Francisco , Dr. Grant Colfax , director of the Department of Public Health , is bracing for a surge in hospitalized patients within the next week or two .
“ The worst is yet to come , ” he said .
California ’ s first coronavirus infection was confirmed in late January , and COVID-19 cases and deaths have been climbing exponentially since the beginning of March .
On Tuesday , county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of coronavirus infection ; the previous Tuesday , there were only 158 new cases .
Likewise , on Tuesday , 11 new deaths were reported across the state ; the previous Tuesday , there were three new deaths .
No one can be sure what the future holds for California .
If residents respect Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s order to stay home as much as possible , illnesses and deaths may be avoided or delayed .
On the other hand , if a single asymptomatic person enters the state and becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large number of people — he or she could ignite a new outbreak .
Either way , there ’ s good reason to expect that the worst can come suddenly , as it has in Italy .
For weeks , King County in Washington state and the San Francisco Bay Area were the hardest-hit areas in the U.S. Then , seemingly out of nowhere , New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo announced 5,707 new coronavirus cases on Monday night .
The next day there were an additional 4,790 cases , bringing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s happening right now in New York , ” said Dr. George Rutherford , an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco .
“ They ’ re up against it.
” In Italy , the sudden rise in the death toll was probably due to a combination of bad luck and a failure to act quickly , Rutherford said .
In fact , Italy ’ s death toll is more than double that of China , the birthplace of the pandemic , despite the fact that China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The first sign of problems came on Feb. 20 in the form of a previously healthy man in his 30s with an unusual case of pneumonia that required intensive care .
Although he had no history of travel to China , he tested positive for the coronavirus at Codogno Hospital in the province of Lodi , about 30 miles southeast of Milan , according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Assn .
Within the next day , 36 additional coronavirus cases were identified .
Even worse , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s medical staff , said Dr. Maurizio Cecconi , president-elect of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and a coauthor of the JAMA report .
“ Don ’ t underestimate this .
This is not a normal flu .
This is serious , ” Cecconi said in an interview with the medical journal ’ s editor in chief .
“ The percentage of patients that require intensive care admission is high.
” An uneven public health response worsened matters .
The Codogno area quickly closed businesses and many stayed at home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act so decisively .
It wasn ’ t until March 8 — more than two weeks later — that a stay-in-place directive was ordered for some 16 million people in Italy ’ s north , an area that included Venice and Milan .
The delays proved deadly .
Bergamo was hit hard ; the chapel at the city cemetery had to be converted into a morgue to handle the dead .
Italy was particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because its population skews older , Rutherford said .
According to the World Bank , 23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least 65 .
Only Japan ’ s population is older .
( In the United States , 16 % of the population is 65 or older ; in China , it ’ s just 11 % . )
In a study of 803 people who died in Italy , about 88 % of them were at least 70 years old , according to data Cecconi shared .
The elderly and those with preexisting health conditions face the highest risk for critical illness and death if they become infected with the coronavirus officially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ settles deep in the lungs , it can leave victims unable to breathe on their own and cause septic shock and multiple organ failure .
The immune system ’ s response to infection can make matters worse by drowning the tiny air sacs in the lungs that deliver oxygen to the bloodstream .
Furthermore , Italy was stymied by a problem familiar to the U.S. — the inability to carry out widespread testing .
That impacted doctors ’ “ ability to make accurate diagnoses and allocate patients appropriately , ” Cecconi and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding more ICU hospital beds isn ’ t enough , the authors said .
Stay-at-home measures “ may be the only possible way to contain the spread of infection and allow resources to be developed for the time-dependent disease , ” they wrote .
Health workers in California have been paying attention to the podcasts from Italy as they brace for an expected onslaught of COVID-19 patients .
The podcast featuring Cosentini described conditions so intense that the medical staff needed the help of a staff psychologist .
On one particularly bad day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 80 patients with pneumonia .
With no available beds inside the 800-bed hospital , patients had to wait all over the emergency department , Cosentini said .
Treating COVID-19 patients takes time .
A patient who can ’ t breathe on his or her own may need to be on a ventilator for three to 20 days .
A study of patients in Wuhan , China , reported that the median time between the onset of illness to discharge from a hospital was 22 days .
( Those who died lasted 18.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) “ We not only fill up the beds with people with this disease and those who are suspected of having it , but we can ’ t move [ them ] out until we ’ re sure they ’ re negative , ” Rutherford said .
Times staff writers Harriet Ryan and Sean Greene contributed to this report .

A worker carries out sanitation operations for the coronavirus emergency near the Tower of Pisa amid a devastating coronavirus outbreak.
It begins each day in the early afternoon: Patients stream into hospitals with fevers, shakes, chills and breathing problems. In Italy, the country hardest hit by the new coronavirus, it’s been happening seemingly like clockwork.
“It’s really hard to see so many people sick at the same time,” Dr. Roberto Cosentini, a doctor in the northern city of Bergamo near Milan, said in a podcast for emergency room physicians. “It’s like a regular daily earthquake.”
Is this what’s in store for California?
More than 3,100 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Golden State and 67 people have died of the respiratory disease. That’s a far cry from the 74,000 cases and 7,500 deaths reported in Italy.
But health officials here have hinted that it’s possible.
“We are in a grave crisis,” warned Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County’s health officer. “Unless everyone does their part and follows the county’s shelter-in-place order and the governor’s Safer at Home order, we will be facing an Italy-type catastrophe very soon,” he said in a statement released Monday night.
In nearby San Francisco, Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the Department of Public Health, is bracing for a surge in hospitalized patients within the next week or two. “The worst is yet to come,” he said.
California’s first coronavirus infection was confirmed in late January, and COVID-19 cases and deaths have been climbing exponentially since the beginning of March.
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On Wednesday, county officials across California announced 537 new cases of coronavirus infection; the previous Wednesday, there were only 140 new cases. Likewise, on Wednesday, 13 new deaths were reported across the state; the previous Wednesday, there were three new deaths.
No one can be sure what the future holds for California. If residents respect Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to stay home as much as possible, illnesses and deaths may be avoided or delayed. On the other hand, if a single asymptomatic person enters the state and becomes a superspreader — transmitting the virus to a large number of people — he or she could ignite a new outbreak.
Either way, there’s good reason to expect that the worst can come suddenly, as it has in Italy.
For weeks, King County in Washington state and the San Francisco Bay Area were the hardest-hit areas in the U.S. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced 5,707 new coronavirus cases on Monday night. Over the next two days, there were an additional 9,936 cases, bringing the Empire State’s total to 30,811.
“It’s happening right now in New York,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco. “They’re up against it.”
In Italy, the sudden rise in the death toll was probably due to a combination of bad luck and a failure to act quickly, Rutherford said.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
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In fact, Italy’s death toll is more than double that of China, the birthplace of the pandemic, despite the fact that China’s population is 23 times larger.
The first sign of problems came on Feb. 20 in the form of a previously healthy man in his 30s with an unusual case of pneumonia that required intensive care. Although he had no history of travel to China, he tested positive for the coronavirus at Codogno Hospital in the province of Lodi, about 30 miles southeast of Milan, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
Within the next day, 36 additional coronavirus cases were identified. Even worse, the virus quickly spread among the hospital’s medical staff, said Dr. Maurizio Cecconi, president-elect of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and a coauthor of the JAMA report.
“Don’t underestimate this. This is not a normal flu. This is serious,” Cecconi said in an interview with the medical journal’s editor in chief. “The percentage of patients that require intensive care admission is high.”
An uneven public health response worsened matters. The Codogno area quickly closed businesses and many stayed at home, but other communities nearby didn’t act so decisively. It wasn’t until March 8 — more than two weeks later — that a stay-in-place directive was ordered for some 16 million people in Italy’s north, an area that included Venice and Milan.
The delays proved deadly. Bergamo was hit hard; the chapel at the city cemetery had to be converted into a morgue to handle the dead.
Italy was particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because its population skews older, Rutherford said. According to the World Bank, 23% of Italy’s population is at least 65. Only Japan’s population is older. (In the United States, 16% of the population is 65 or older; in China, it’s just 11%.)
In a study of 803 people who died in Italy, about 88% of them were at least 70 years old, according to data Cecconi shared.
The elderly and those with preexisting health conditions face the highest risk for critical illness and death if they become infected with the coronavirus officially known as SARS-CoV-2. If the virus settles deep in the lungs, it can leave victims unable to breathe on their own and cause septic shock and multiple organ failure. The immune system’s response to infection can make matters worse by drowning the tiny air sacs in the lungs that deliver oxygen to the bloodstream.
A medical worker in protective gear tends to a COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit of a hospital near Rome. (Alberto Pizzoli / AFP/Getty Images)
Furthermore, Italy was stymied by a problem familiar to the U.S. — the inability to carry out widespread testing. That impacted doctors’ “ability to make accurate diagnoses and allocate patients appropriately,” Cecconi and his colleagues wrote.
Under those circumstances, adding more ICU hospital beds isn’t enough, the authors said. Stay-at-home measures “may be the only possible way to contain the spread of infection and allow resources to be developed for the time-dependent disease,” they wrote.
Health workers in California have been paying attention to the podcasts from Italy as they brace for an expected onslaught of COVID-19 patients. The podcast featuring Cosentini described conditions so intense that the medical staff needed the help of a staff psychologist.
On one particularly bad day, Cosentini’s emergency department took in 80 patients with pneumonia. With no available beds inside the 800-bed hospital, patients had to wait all over the emergency department, Cosentini said.
Treating COVID-19 patients takes time. A patient who can’t breathe on his or her own may need to be on a ventilator for three to 20 days. A study of patients in Wuhan, China, reported that the median time between the onset of illness to discharge from a hospital was 22 days. (Those who died lasted 18.5 days after their symptoms first appeared.)
“We not only fill up the beds with people with this disease and those who are suspected of having it, but we can’t move [them] out until we’re sure they’re negative,” Rutherford said.
Times staff writers Harriet Ryan and Sean Greene contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-25--Storm will bring snow to L.A. mountains, may close 5 Freeway over the Grapevine

A cold Pacific storm is chugging toward Southern California , bringing relatively limited moisture expected but dropping snow levels into mountain passes , including the 5 Freeway over the Grapevine , the National Weather Service said .
The upper-level trough pushing down from the Pacific Northwest will continue to drift south Wednesday before moving into the Southland on Thursday .
“ We ’ re expecting snow down to 3,000 feet , ” said Kathy Hoxsie of the National Weather Service in Oxnard .
“ There ’ s not a lot of precipitation with this system , but we definitely expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major passes , with a dusting in the Antelope Valley.
” Snow showers in the Antelope Valley foothills could affect Highway 138 , and winter driving conditions in the mountains may result in travel delays and road closures .
The storm may bring scattered showers to the coastal and valley areas , with precipitation more likely in the mountains , especially on north-facing slopes .
Because of the cold air , there ’ s also a chance of thunderstorms Thursday evening as the coldest , most unstable part of the low-pressure trough moves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During thunderstorms , there is a chance of brief , heavy downpours , small hail , gusty winds and lightning .
Rainfall amounts are expected to vary across the region , with only about 0.15 inches for the coast and valleys and about a third of an inch in the mountains , although up to half an inch is possible with thunderstorms .
Snow levels will start at 4,500 feet Wednesday and lower to 2,500 to 3,000 feet overnight .
Accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are possible above 6,000 feet , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inches of snow is forecast through 3,000- to 3,500-foot elevations , causing potentially hazardous driving conditions on the 5 corridor in the Tehachapi Mountains , where the Tejon Pass sits at 4,144 feet .
The storm follows a low-pressure system that originated in the Gulf of Alaska earlier this week that brought record-breaking rain to parts of Southern California and triggered a mudslide in Sherman Oaks .
Spring officially began almost a week ago , but “ March is a transitional month , and this is not that rare , ” Hoxsie said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared it to the way hot days can linger into the fall after summer ends .
Temperatures are forecast to hover well below normal in many areas Wednesday and Thursday , with the warmest valleys and coastal areas reaching only the mid-50s and low 60s .
After the front moves out of the region Thursday night into Friday , clearing skies and dry conditions with milder , more springlike temperatures are expected to prevail .
The series of March storms has helped keep parts of Southern California from sinking deeper into drought conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , roughly 75 % of the state was considered to be , down from 78 % a week earlier .
The portion of the state considered to be in moderate drought conditions dropped slightly as well , down to about 47 % , according to the .

Snow levels are expected to drop to 3,000 feet by early Thursday, potentially interrupting traffic on the 5 Freeway through the Grapevine.
A cold Pacific storm is chugging toward Southern California, bringing relatively limited moisture expected but dropping snow levels into mountain passes, including the 5 Freeway over the Grapevine, the National Weather Service said.
The upper-level trough pushing down from the Pacific Northwest will continue to drift south Wednesday before moving into the Southland on Thursday.
Low pressure off the Pacific Northwest seen in a satellite photo taken at 4:50 p.m. March 24. (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere & Los Angeles Times)
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“We’re expecting snow down to 3,000 feet,” said Kathy Hoxsie of the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “There’s not a lot of precipitation with this system, but we definitely expect snow down to the level of the major passes, with a dusting in the Antelope Valley.”
Snow showers in the Antelope Valley foothills could affect Highway 138, and winter driving conditions in the mountains may result in travel delays and road closures.
(Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
The storm may bring scattered showers to the coastal and valley areas, with precipitation more likely in the mountains, especially on north-facing slopes. Because of the cold air, there’s also a chance of thunderstorms Thursday evening as the coldest, most unstable part of the low-pressure trough moves over the region, forecasters said. During thunderstorms, there is a chance of brief, heavy downpours, small hail, gusty winds and lightning.
Rainfall amounts are expected to vary across the region, with only about 0.15 inches for the coast and valleys and about a third of an inch in the mountains, although up to half an inch is possible with thunderstorms.
Snow levels will start at 4,500 feet Wednesday and lower to 2,500 to 3,000 feet overnight.
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Accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are possible above 6,000 feet, especially on north-facing slopes. One to 3 inches of snow is forecast through 3,000- to 3,500-foot elevations, causing potentially hazardous driving conditions on the 5 corridor in the Tehachapi Mountains, where the Tejon Pass sits at 4,144 feet.
(Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
The storm follows a low-pressure system that originated in the Gulf of Alaska earlier this week that brought record-breaking rain to parts of Southern California and triggered a mudslide in Sherman Oaks.
Spring officially began almost a week ago, but “March is a transitional month, and this is not that rare,” Hoxsie said in explaining the wintry forecast. She compared it to the way hot days can linger into the fall after summer ends.
Temperatures are forecast to hover well below normal in many areas Wednesday and Thursday, with the warmest valleys and coastal areas reaching only the mid-50s and low 60s. After the front moves out of the region Thursday night into Friday, clearing skies and dry conditions with milder, more springlike temperatures are expected to prevail.
The series of March storms has helped keep parts of Southern California from sinking deeper into drought conditions following a bone-dry start to 2020 .
As of last week, roughly 75% of the state was considered to be abnormally dry , down from 78% a week earlier. The portion of the state considered to be in moderate drought conditions dropped slightly as well, down to about 47%, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor .
Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-25--Sheriff suspends efforts to close L.A. gun stores amid coronavirus restrictions

One day after announcing that gun shops were nonessential businesses that needed to close their doors amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak , the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department has shelved efforts to shut them down .
Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed the development on Twitter early Wednesday morning , writing that department “ efforts to close nonessential businesses have been suspended ” and that Gov .
Gavin Newsom would “ determine what qualifies ” as one .
Villanueva didn ’ t explain the rationale for the about-face in his post but linked to a Fox 11 news segment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told him in a phone call that “ the county ’ s top lawyer put out a legal opinion that she believes gun stores are essential businesses and should remain open.
” The sheriff on Wednesday morning blamed the confusion on unclear language in the state and county orders .
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has infected more than 600 people in Los Angeles County , officials have strengthened rules ordering all businesses considered nonessential to cease in-person operations and close to the public .
Exceptions include food and medical services , transportation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other facilities .
“ We have received complaints from particular businesses that have not been adhering to the social distancing .
Chief among them [ are ] gun shops , nightclubs , bars and strip clubs , so we have fanned out and are making sure these business are complying , ” Villanueva said Tuesday in explaining the department ’ s original thinking .
“ We are trying to get them to close their doors .
If they don ’ t close their doors , they will be cited , ” which could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We aren ’ t going to haul people off to jail , ” he added , saying that the department had begun asking gun stores to close Tuesday and some owners had already closed their doors or were making accommodations for scheduled appointments .
Villanueva , a gun owner , noted that he supported the 2nd Amendment but said , given the spread of the coronavirus in Los Angeles County , only essential businesses should be open .
“ It ’ s not an issue of banning the sales of guns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... the problem is there was a little bit of lack of inclusive planning process in the development of the local order from [ the ] health officer , ” he said .
“ That had created somewhat of a conflict with order [ s ] coming from the governor ’ s office that were more broad-stroked .
We have identified a loophole that needs to be addressed.
” Gun sales are surging in many U.S. states , especially in those hit hardest by the coronavirus , such as California .
Among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first-time gun buyers who fear an unraveling of the social order and those who worry that the government might use its emergency powers to restrict gun purchases .

One day after announcing that gun shops were nonessential businesses that needed to close their doors amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has shelved efforts to shut them down.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed the development on Twitter early Wednesday morning, writing that department “efforts to close nonessential businesses have been suspended” and that Gov. Gavin Newsom would “determine what qualifies” as one.
Villanueva didn’t explain the rationale for the about-face in his post but linked to a Fox 11 news segment in which reporter Bill Melugin said the sheriff told him in a phone call that “the county’s top lawyer put out a legal opinion that she believes gun stores are essential businesses and should remain open.”
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LA County Sheriff’s Dept. Enforcement efforts to close non-essential businesses have been suspended. CA Gov. Gavin Newsom to determine what qualifies as a non-essential business. Please click to view story https://t.co/HrRD8VKcUG — Alex Villanueva (@LACoSheriff) March 25, 2020
The sheriff on Wednesday morning blamed the confusion on unclear language in the state and county orders.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has infected more than 600 people in Los Angeles County, officials have strengthened rules ordering all businesses considered nonessential to cease in-person operations and close to the public. Exceptions include food and medical services, transportation, social services and a number of other facilities.
“We have received complaints from particular businesses that have not been adhering to the social distancing. Chief among them [are] gun shops, nightclubs, bars and strip clubs, so we have fanned out and are making sure these business are complying,” Villanueva said Tuesday in explaining the department’s original thinking. “We are trying to get them to close their doors. If they don’t close their doors, they will be cited,” which could mean the loss of a business license.
“We aren’t going to haul people off to jail,” he added, saying that the department had begun asking gun stores to close Tuesday and some owners had already closed their doors or were making accommodations for scheduled appointments.
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Villanueva, a gun owner, noted that he supported the 2nd Amendment but said, given the spread of the coronavirus in Los Angeles County, only essential businesses should be open.
“It’s not an issue of banning the sales of guns, which the 2nd Amendment is about ... the problem is there was a little bit of lack of inclusive planning process in the development of the local order from [the] health officer,” he said. “That had created somewhat of a conflict with order[s] coming from the governor’s office that were more broad-stroked. We have identified a loophole that needs to be addressed.”
Gun sales are surging in many U.S. states, especially in those hit hardest by the coronavirus, such as California. Among the factors fueling the increase are concerns from first-time gun buyers who fear an unraveling of the social order and those who worry that the government might use its emergency powers to restrict gun purchases.