latimes--2020-03-27--Coronavirus surges in L.A. with 5 new deaths

The number of coronavirus cases continued to surge in Los Angeles County , with officials on Friday reporting 257 new cases and five more deaths , bringing the county ’ s total to 26 .
“ These numbers that I report every day represent the lives of real people , and they are people that are mourned by their families and their friends , ” said Barbara Ferrer , director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health .
Of the four men and one woman who died , all were over the age of 60 , Ferrer said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , bringing the total to 1,481 .
Of the total , 678 cases were reported over the last 48 hours .
“ In less than a week ... we ’ ve more than tripled the number of people here in L.A. County who are positive for COVID-19 , ” Ferrer said .
She warned that if the county did not slow the spread of the virus , the region ’ s healthcare system would be overwhelmed .
The mortality rate in L.A. County is about 1.8 % , which is higher than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the U.S. overall , Ferrer said .
One factor in that is that Los Angeles County has tested far few people than New York , meaning it does not have as good a sense of the number of people with the virus .
Almost 11,000 people had been tested in L.A. County as of Thursday , Ferrer said .
By contrast , New York City had reported 25,000 confirmed positive cases , she said .
Still , Ferrer said , access to testing in L.A. County is improving .
Los Angeles Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with UPS , which will pay for , deliver and pick up COVID-19 test kits to those who qualify as early as next week .
The partnership could allow the city to test thousands more daily , Garcetti said .
While the increase in cases partly reflects that improved access , “ we also have to assume that these numbers represent the very real fact that we have a lot more people infected in the county who are capable of infecting others , ” Ferrer said .
In the latest effort to curb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L.A. County beaches , as well as public trails and trailheads , are closed to the public effective immediately , officials announced Friday .
“ The crowds we saw at our beaches last weekend were unacceptable , ” County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement .
“ In order to save lives , beaches in L.A. County will be temporarily closed.
” The county ’ s public health officer , Dr. Muntu Davis , signed a public health order shutting down the beaches on Friday .
The order also applies to beach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promenades .
Officials say that social distancing is one of the few tools currently available to fight the spread of the virus .
Ferrer said it is not unreasonable to expect another couple of weeks , possibly three weeks , of increasing coronavirus numbers in L.A. County .
“ I think we ’ re going to continue to see a doubling , at least a doubling , of cases every four to six days , ” she said .
The Department of Public Health is monitoring three institutional facilities that have reported three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among residents and staff , Ferrer said .
They are assisted living facility Kensington Redondo Beach , Belmont Village senior living in Hollywood and Alameda Care Center , a skilled nursing facility in Burbank , she said .
Staff , residents and their families have been notified of the outbreaks , and the Department of Public Health has identified no deficiencies at any of the facilities , Ferrer said .
Public health officials are also monitoring a homeless person who might have COVID-19 and is now in isolation .
The health officials are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been in contact with , Garcetti said .
“ For those who might hesitate to help our homeless brothers and sisters , lets be clear that those of us who were housed contracted the virus first , ” Garcetti said .
Garcetti said that Los Angeles County COVID-19 cases account for 31 % of the state ’ s cases .
Of those who have tested positive in L.A. County , 317 have been hospitalized at some point , Ferrer said Friday .
About 70 people are currently hospitalized , and 70 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Meanwhile , the Navy hospital ship Mercy arrived at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday to assist with the expected surge in patients stricken by the coronavirus .
With a capacity of 1,000 beds , the ship will become Los Angeles ’ largest hospital and will house patients who do not have COVID-19 in an attempt to free up regional hospital beds for those who do .
Some patients who are already hospitalized in Los Angeles County will be transferred to the ship for ongoing treatment , port officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 free bubble , ” said Mayor Garcetti .
“ Every bed not taken in Los Angeles ... will mean one more bed for the surge the governor spoke about .
This truly is mercy in the waters.
” Gov .
Gavin Newsom said strict protocols will be followed to ensure the ship stays COVID-19 free , and patients and staff coming into the ship will have to be screened for the virus .
Newsom said earlier this week that hospital beds for coronavirus patients , a significant increase from the 20,000 beds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Democratic governor said the state ’ s 416 hospitals were doubling so-called surge plans to 40 % of their capacity , which includes providing 30,000 new beds across the system .
Garcetti said only 1,500 beds in Los Angeles and about 900 ventilators in the county are available today .
Garcetti added that the city is sifting through the resumes of more than 2,700 medical workers who have signed up to volunteer their services .
Newsom said last week that the state had asked the Department of Defense to deploy the Mercy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to California .
Newsom on Friday issued an executive order banning enforcement of evictions through May 31 to assist residents affected by the pandemic .
Under the order , which takes effect immediately , landlords are prohibited from evicting tenants who are unable to pay all or part of their rent , and law enforcement and courts are barred from enforcing evictions .
That came as officials were faced with a major jump in both coronavirus deaths and cases in the state over the last two days and warned of significantly worsening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each person who has tested positive for the virus infected two others , more than a million LA County residents would be infected within a few weeks , Ferrer said .
Los Angeles officials have ordered all those who have tested positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate , along with those in close contact with the infected .
“ These are not numbers , these are neighbors , ” Garcetti said .
“ There is no projection in which a couple weeks from now , we ’ re doing fine .
This will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next few weeks are going to be challenging .
“ A week or two from now , we will have images like we ’ re seeing in New York here in Los Angeles.
” New York , the national epicenter of the coronavirus crisis , has had 385 deaths , more than four times as many as California .
Hospitals there need thousands more ventilators to keep the most seriously ill COVID-19 patients breathing .
The number of coronavirus cases in California topped 4,000 , but that number is expected to skyrocket @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died .
The most recent deaths were reported in San Francisco , which had recorded 279 cases as of Friday morning and in San Mateo County , which reported 239 cases .
Orange County reported two additional deaths Friday for a total of three , as well as 321 confirmed cases total .
A death was also reported in Kern County , which has recorded 34 cases so far .
In Riverside County , one of the people who died earlier in the week was a 25-year-old pharmacy technician with no underlying health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ La Quinta home Wednesday , county public health officials said in a news release .
The person was a San Diego resident and had been self-quarantined inside the home after being exposed to the coronavirus outside Riverside County , officials said .
“ This is a deeply saddening reminder that COVID-19 kills the young and healthy too , ” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser , the Riverside County public health officer , in a statement .
Sacramento County also reported a death , its sixth , and said it had 164 confirmed cases as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspector who performed work for the Santa Clarita water agency tested positive for the coronavirus after entering 67 apartments in a townhome complex on March 12 .
The person worked for WaterWise , a contractor for SCV Water ’ s water efficiency program , conducting inspections to install faucet aerators and water-efficient showerheads , and to determine the flush rate of toilets , SCV Water said in a news release .
The inspector began experiencing symptoms the evening of March 12 and began the process to get tested , then learned of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The inspector told SCV Water on Tuesday , the water agency consulted with the county Department of Public Health , and residents of the apartment building were informed beginning Thursday , the release said .
The number of Los Angeles Police Department employees testing positive for the coronavirus reached 15 as of Thursday evening , officials said .
At present , according to sources , four members of the command staff that lead the department are among those sickened .
And a Long Beach Police officer tested positive for the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The officer was assigned to the West Patrol Division and was directed to self-isolate after receiving the test result .
The officer ’ s partner was told to self-quarantine for 14 days , the police department said .
The city has deep-cleaned the West Division facility and some police cars , and has initiated a contact investigation to identify others who might have been exposed , the department said .
Long Beach had reported 70 cases of the virus , as of Friday morning .
Farther north , Silicon Valley could see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16,000 by the end of May , depending on how seriously people take the order to stay at home , according to projections presented at a San Jose City Council meeting this week .
The thinking behind the rough estimates illustrates why health and elected officials across California have sounded the alarm about the exponential rise in coronavirus cases reported since the beginning of March .
Multiple officials in the state , including San Francisco ’ s director of public health , Dr. Grant Colfax , have warned about a needing hospitalization in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even in the best-case scenario , we were looking at the order — in the next 12 weeks — of 2,000 potential deaths directly from COVID-19 , ” San Jose Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness said Tuesday of an estimate of the projected death toll for Santa Clara County , California ’ s sixth most populous county .
Harkness emphasized the projections he presented are rough and the county is working on a more detailed and robust estimate .
“ But given the urgency of the situation , we have decided to share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the public today , in order to derive the action that is needed to save lives.
” Nicholas Jewell , a biostatistics researcher at UC Berkeley who has been tracking the pandemic , said COVID-19 is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. , at a rate quicker than or on par with countries hit the hardest .
While California continues to try to gain a clear picture of the outbreak , Jewell said , the expected surge does not mean physical distancing and shelter-in-place orders aren ’ t working .
There is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imposed across the state could make a difference .
“ We knew going in we will not see any impact of shelter in place for at least two to three weeks , ” he said .
“ We have to be patient at this point and stay the course .
”

Alex Wigglesworth, Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II, Richard Winton

Isabella Leader, 15, counts how many flags have been left for World War II veteran Lt. Col. Sam Sachs who was celebrating his 105th birthday at the Mom & Dad’s House, an assisted living facility, in Lakewood. Lt. Col. Sachs appealed to the public for birthday cards after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of a big celebration and wound up receiving thousands, including a letter and photo from President Trump. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Denise Young looks on as her daughter, Allison, 9, a fourth-grader at EARThS (Environmental Academy of Research Technology and Earth Sciences) Magnet School in Newbury Park, receives a Chromebook. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Medical assistant Zoila Villalta works with Rosie Boston, 32, of Glendale, who is donating blood for her first time at L.A. Care Health Plan downtown. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Hayley, CEO and founder of Love My Neighbor Foundation, right, dances with Crystal Armster, 51, while she and her colleagues continue to feed the homeless on skid row amid the pandemic. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Juan Diaz Jr., a lifelong Dodgers fan, prays that the season will start by May in front of Dodger Stadium on what would have been opening day. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
The JW Marriott at L.A. Live is sharing a message of hope with red lights in 34 windows, creating a 19-story display on the hotel’s north side. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Venice residents Emily Berry and Gavin Kelley take a break at Venice Beach. Berry, a cocktail waitress at Enterprise Fish Co., lost her job due to the coronavirus outbreak. Kelley, a manager at a performing arts school with a focus on music, said that he still has a job and that classes at the school will resume online this coming Monday. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters drive by the Getty House, the home of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, in Hancock Park. Tenant advocates are demanding a total moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus crisis. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A lending library had some additional useful items, including a roll of toilet paper and cans of beans and corn, in a Hermosa Beach neighborhood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Shauna Jin, of Los Angeles, with her dog, Bodhi, practices social distancing with John Kiss, of Los Angeles, at the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Kristen Edgerle, of Victorville, collects information from a blood donor before drawing blood at The Richard Nixon Presidential Library blood drive during the coronavirus pandemic in Yorba Linda. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Healthcare workers gather outside UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center to call for further action from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Raquel Lezama and daughter Monica Ramos collect meals for their family at Manual Arts High School. Lezama was laid off from her $17.76-an-hour job at a Beverly Hills hotel. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
A runner jogs past the Pottery Barn in Pasadena. Some businesses in the area have boarded up their stores. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Grace Carter, 15, of Riverside, practices a dance routine at home after dance classes and school were canceled. She has to use the Zoom app on her iPhone to practice with her dance group. “It’s hard,” she said. “My bedroom is a smaller space. I miss all my friends at the studio.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Juliann Hartman, center, and her husband, Butch, wave signs they created to cheer up people on Calabasas Road in Calabasas during the pandemic. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All in This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
A person who wishes to remain anonymous strikes from her car to support McDonald’s employees who are demanding the company cover healthcare costs of any worker or immediate family member who gets sick from COVID-19 in Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
A woman shows a notice from her doctor that allows her to obtain a test for coronavirus at a new drive-up testing site in a parking lot at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Nurses pose for a fun photo during a break in drive-through public testing for the coronavirus at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Hippie Kitchen in Los Angeles hands out food, water and toiletries to homeless people and residents of skid row. Additionally, masks were offered to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A specimen is turned in at the new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Patients are removed from Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after 39 tested positive for the coronavirus and nursing staff was not showing up to work. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Women wear masks as they stroll along Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Wearing masks while outdoors is mandatory in the city of Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The Wilshire Grand Center display blue lights and a heart to show support for healthcare workers and first responders. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
People are silhouetted in a window of an apartment building in Hollywood, where a stay-at-home order remains in effect to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
As a late season storm continues to make its way across the Southland, a young basketball player dribbles along an alley through an Elysian Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
After being indoors for several days because of rainy weather and coronavirus stay-at-home orders, Olivia Jacobs, 4, and her mom, Cia Jacobs, enjoy a warm and sunny afternoon making chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their home in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Alex Herron and nurse Mercy Pineda at a blood drive sponsored by USC athletics and the American Red Cross at USC’s Galen Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A jogger runs on a closed trail past dozens of pieces of caution tape, torn off by hikers and mountain bikers at El Escorpion Canyon Park in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Stuart Reyes and his sister, Stephanie, sell masks for $5 each on the 3000 block of West Century Boulevard in Inglewood. Stuart Reyes said he is selling masks to support his mother. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Billy Budd, 55, of Hollywood, walks along Hollywood Boulevard with a protective face covering. Budd is a scenic artist for movies and television who is currently out of work due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
UC Irvine Medical Center health care workers return their gratitude as about 25 Orange County first responder vehicles participate in a drive-by parade of gratitude as they battle COVID-19 at the hospital. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Life around Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Soto Street has slowed down as California officials extended stay-at-home orders into May and residents entered Easter weekend with unprecedented limits on their movements. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A face mask seller in colorful dress appears to be part of a mural behind a bus stop on Soto Street in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Daniel Rogerson wears a vintage military gas mask while riding a bike along the beach path in Santa Monica, which is closed to enforce social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Businesses are shuttered and pedestrians are few and far between on Hollywood Boulevard. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Jonte Florence, a freestyle dancer, does a handstand on a mostly empty Hollywood Walk of Fame. Florence said he normally performs for hundreds of tourists along the busy street. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation staff member Navi Cavaltera waters a flower pot put up by the community to show their support for the nursing staff of the facility in Yucaipa. Eighteen of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Yucaipa were residents of the skilled nursing facility. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A group of protesters cheer on cars during a vehicle caravan protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Counter-protesters attend a protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Medical staff, wearing protective gear, work inside a COVID-19 isolation area inside the emergency department at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where patients with the virus are being treated. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on April 26. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Tom Sean Foley pauses on a walk with his kids, Cathelen Claire, “C.C.,” 3, and Timothy Joseph, 4, to take a photo in front of the “Love Wall,” mural by artist Curtis Kulig, outside of Smashbox Studios in Culver City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Norm and Tracy Kahn enjoy eating dinner outside on a small cafe table sitting in blue chairs on their side yard during the coronavirus pandemic on April 27 in Riverside. “During this pandemic, eating outside offers us an opportunity to change surrounding and appreciate the calmness of being outdoors among trees, scents from nature and the sounds of birds,” she said. Also adding, “Mixing up where we eat puts variety into our days and takes away the sameness of feeling trapped at home.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Carson residents Kaeli Burks, 3, left, and her cousin Bailey Watson, 5, look out the window of their car after their mothers helped them with self-testing at a new drive-up testing site for COVID-19 in Carson. Free COVID-19 testing is available to all city residents thanks to a partnership between the city and US Health Fairs. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Healthcare workers celebrate as Claudia Martinez is discharged from the ICU after she recovered from COVID-19 at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Shuttered storefront businesses in the garment district of Los Angeles. California’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed since the statewide coronavirus shutdown took effect. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Senior Mason Wise, left, helps his sister, Mackenzie, a sophomore, clean out her PE locker at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. School officials were allowing no more than five students at a time on campus to take home their belongings. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Aerial view of over 100 vehicles lined up at the West Valley COVID-19 testing center at Warner Center in Woodland Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Tenants and their supporters from across Los Angeles gather at city hall to call on L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the L.A. City Council and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to cancel rent and mortgage payments during the COVID-19 crisis. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Gregory Kuhl, 69, heads home after a shopping trip in Hollywood on April 28. Big cracks in the street, cars parked in driveways blocking sidewalks and uneven pavement levels make navigating his route difficult. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Mostly masked commuters keep their distance from one another on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles on April 29. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
Grocery store workers, joined by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 770 representatives and community members, hold a rally in support of strict social distancing on May 1 at a Ralphs store in Hollywood where 19 employees have tested positive for COVID-19. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Tango instructor Yelizaveta Nersesova leads a Zoom tango event from her Los Angeles home April 27 that brought together hundreds of dancers from around the world. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Beaches including Harbor Cove Beach were open but beachgoers were not supposed to be sitting on the sand. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The majority of golfers are wearing masks while hitting balls on the driving range at Van Buren Executive Golf Course in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Cody Purcell of Redondo Beach rides a wave, glowing from the bioluminescence, in Hermosa Beach, CA, after midnight Friday morning, May 8. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Dominique Barrett, center, known as “King Vader” to his 2.4 million TikTok followers, prepares to shoot a video on April 30 in Glendora. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Socially distanced bikers and walkers, against a backdrop of the Queen Mary, make their way along pedestrian and beach bike path on the first day that Long Beach reopened the path on Monday May 11, 2020. The city of Long Beach eased a few of its public health restrictions, allowing under certain guidelines the reopening of pedestrian and beach bike paths, tennis centers and courts. Beach bathrooms are also reopening, but the parking lots and beaches still remain closed. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The number of coronavirus cases continued to surge in Los Angeles County, with officials on Friday reporting 257 new cases and five more deaths, bringing the county’s total to 26.
“These numbers that I report every day represent the lives of real people, and they are people that are mourned by their families and their friends,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
For the record: An earlier version of this article said a 25-year-old pharmacy technician who died from the coronavirus in Riverside County was found in a La Quinta hotel. The man was found in a residence in the city of La Quinta.
Of the four men and one woman who died, all were over the age of 60, Ferrer said.
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The county reported an additional 257 cases Friday, bringing the total to 1,481. Of the total, 678 cases were reported over the last 48 hours.
“In less than a week ... we’ve more than tripled the number of people here in L.A. County who are positive for COVID-19,” Ferrer said. She warned that if the county did not slow the spread of the virus, the region’s healthcare system would be overwhelmed.
The mortality rate in L.A. County is about 1.8%, which is higher than the mortality rate in New York City and the U.S. overall, Ferrer said. One factor in that is that Los Angeles County has tested far few people than New York, meaning it does not have as good a sense of the number of people with the virus. Almost 11,000 people had been tested in L.A. County as of Thursday, Ferrer said. By contrast, New York City had reported 25,000 confirmed positive cases, she said.
Still, Ferrer said, access to testing in L.A. County is improving.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Friday night a partnership with UPS, which will pay for, deliver and pick up COVID-19 test kits to those who qualify as early as next week. The partnership could allow the city to test thousands more daily, Garcetti said.
While the increase in cases partly reflects that improved access, “we also have to assume that these numbers represent the very real fact that we have a lot more people infected in the county who are capable of infecting others,” Ferrer said.
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In the latest effort to curb the spread of the virus, all L.A. County beaches, as well as public trails and trailheads, are closed to the public effective immediately, officials announced Friday.
“The crowds we saw at our beaches last weekend were unacceptable,” County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. “In order to save lives, beaches in L.A. County will be temporarily closed.”
The county’s public health officer, Dr. Muntu Davis, signed a public health order shutting down the beaches on Friday. The order also applies to beach bike paths, bathrooms, piers and promenades.
Officials say that social distancing is one of the few tools currently available to fight the spread of the virus.
Ferrer said it is not unreasonable to expect another couple of weeks, possibly three weeks, of increasing coronavirus numbers in L.A. County. “I think we’re going to continue to see a doubling, at least a doubling, of cases every four to six days,” she said.
The Department of Public Health is monitoring three institutional facilities that have reported three or more confirmed cases of the virus among residents and staff, Ferrer said. They are assisted living facility Kensington Redondo Beach, Belmont Village senior living in Hollywood and Alameda Care Center, a skilled nursing facility in Burbank, she said. Staff, residents and their families have been notified of the outbreaks, and the Department of Public Health has identified no deficiencies at any of the facilities, Ferrer said.
Public health officials are also monitoring a homeless person who might have COVID-19 and is now in isolation. The health officials are working to identify who the individual has been in contact with, Garcetti said.
“For those who might hesitate to help our homeless brothers and sisters, lets be clear that those of us who were housed contracted the virus first,” Garcetti said.
Garcetti said that Los Angeles County COVID-19 cases account for 31% of the state’s cases. Of those who have tested positive in L.A. County, 317 have been hospitalized at some point, Ferrer said Friday. About 70 people are currently hospitalized, and 70% of them are in the ICU, she said.
Meanwhile, the Navy hospital ship Mercy arrived at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday to assist with the expected surge in patients stricken by the coronavirus.
With a capacity of 1,000 beds, the ship will become Los Angeles’ largest hospital and will house patients who do not have COVID-19 in an attempt to free up regional hospital beds for those who do. Some patients who are already hospitalized in Los Angeles County will be transferred to the ship for ongoing treatment, port officials said Thursday.
“This will be a COVID-19 free bubble,” said Mayor Garcetti. “Every bed not taken in Los Angeles ... will mean one more bed for the surge the governor spoke about. This truly is mercy in the waters.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom said strict protocols will be followed to ensure the ship stays COVID-19 free, and patients and staff coming into the ship will have to be screened for the virus.
Newsom said earlier this week that California will need 50,000 hospital beds for coronavirus patients, a significant increase from the 20,000 beds his administration had forecast last week. The Democratic governor said the state’s 416 hospitals were doubling so-called surge plans to 40% of their capacity, which includes providing 30,000 new beds across the system.
Garcetti said only 1,500 beds in Los Angeles and about 900 ventilators in the county are available today.
Garcetti added that the city is sifting through the resumes of more than 2,700 medical workers who have signed up to volunteer their services.
Newsom said last week that the state had asked the Department of Defense to deploy the Mercy, as well as two mobile hospitals, to California.
Newsom on Friday issued an executive order banning enforcement of evictions through May 31 to assist residents affected by the pandemic.
Under the order, which takes effect immediately, landlords are prohibited from evicting tenants who are unable to pay all or part of their rent, and law enforcement and courts are barred from enforcing evictions.
That came as officials were faced with a major jump in both coronavirus deaths and cases in the state over the last two days and warned of significantly worsening conditions over the coming weeks.
If each person who has tested positive for the virus infected two others, more than a million LA County residents would be infected within a few weeks, Ferrer said. Los Angeles officials have ordered all those who have tested positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate, along with those in close contact with the infected.
“These are not numbers, these are neighbors,” Garcetti said. “There is no projection in which a couple weeks from now, we’re doing fine. This will be tough.”
Garcetti and other officials said the next few weeks are going to be challenging.
“A week or two from now, we will have images like we’re seeing in New York here in Los Angeles.”
New York, the national epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, has had 385 deaths, more than four times as many as California. Hospitals there need thousands more ventilators to keep the most seriously ill COVID-19 patients breathing.
The number of coronavirus cases in California topped 4,000, but that number is expected to skyrocket as testing expands. Ninety-one people have died.
The most recent deaths were reported in San Francisco, which had recorded 279 cases as of Friday morning and in San Mateo County, which reported 239 cases.
Orange County reported two additional deaths Friday for a total of three, as well as 321 confirmed cases total. A death was also reported in Kern County, which has recorded 34 cases so far.
In Riverside County, one of the people who died earlier in the week was a 25-year-old pharmacy technician with no underlying health conditions whose body was found in a La Quinta home Wednesday, county public health officials said in a news release. The person was a San Diego resident and had been self-quarantined inside the home after being exposed to the coronavirus outside Riverside County, officials said.
“This is a deeply saddening reminder that COVID-19 kills the young and healthy too,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the Riverside County public health officer, in a statement.
Sacramento County also reported a death, its sixth, and said it had 164 confirmed cases as of Friday.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
In California, an inspector who performed work for the Santa Clarita water agency tested positive for the coronavirus after entering 67 apartments in a townhome complex on March 12.
The person worked for WaterWise, a contractor for SCV Water’s water efficiency program, conducting inspections to install faucet aerators and water-efficient showerheads, and to determine the flush rate of toilets, SCV Water said in a news release.
The inspector began experiencing symptoms the evening of March 12 and began the process to get tested, then learned of the results this past Monday, the agency said. The inspector told SCV Water on Tuesday, the water agency consulted with the county Department of Public Health, and residents of the apartment building were informed beginning Thursday, the release said.
The number of Los Angeles Police Department employees testing positive for the coronavirus reached 15 as of Thursday evening, officials said. At present, according to sources, four members of the command staff that lead the department are among those sickened.
And a Long Beach Police officer tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, the department announced Friday. The officer was assigned to the West Patrol Division and was directed to self-isolate after receiving the test result. The officer’s partner was told to self-quarantine for 14 days, the police department said.
The city has deep-cleaned the West Division facility and some police cars, and has initiated a contact investigation to identify others who might have been exposed, the department said.
Long Beach had reported 70 cases of the virus, as of Friday morning.
Farther north, Silicon Valley could see a coronavirus-related death toll of 2,000 to 16,000 by the end of May, depending on how seriously people take the order to stay at home, according to projections presented at a San Jose City Council meeting this week.
The thinking behind the rough estimates illustrates why health and elected officials across California have sounded the alarm about the exponential rise in coronavirus cases reported since the beginning of March. Multiple officials in the state, including San Francisco’s director of public health, Dr. Grant Colfax, have warned about a surge in gravely ill coronavirus patients needing hospitalization in the next week or two.
“Even in the best-case scenario, we were looking at the order — in the next 12 weeks — of 2,000 potential deaths directly from COVID-19,” San Jose Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness said Tuesday of an estimate of the projected death toll for Santa Clara County, California’s sixth most populous county.
Harkness emphasized the projections he presented are rough and the county is working on a more detailed and robust estimate. “But given the urgency of the situation, we have decided to share [these] preliminary results with you and the public today, in order to derive the action that is needed to save lives.”
Nicholas Jewell, a biostatistics researcher at UC Berkeley who has been tracking the pandemic, said COVID-19 is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S., at a rate quicker than or on par with countries hit the hardest.
While California continues to try to gain a clear picture of the outbreak, Jewell said, the expected surge does not mean physical distancing and shelter-in-place orders aren’t working. There is still hope that the aggressive social distancing restrictions imposed across the state could make a difference.
“We knew going in we will not see any impact of shelter in place for at least two to three weeks,” he said. “We have to be patient at this point and stay the course.”


latimes--2020-03-27--This is the latest list of L.A. County communities with coronavirus cases

Los Angeles County saw a big jump in both coronavirus cases and deaths , and officials warned the situation is @ @ @ @ @ .
— L.A. County reported an confirmed cases Thursday , for a total of 1,229 @ @ @ @ @ people have been hospitalized at some point , or about 21 % of all positive @ @ @ @ @ in L.A. County is estimated at 1.6 % L.A. County has dramatically increased testing over @ @ @ @ @ that is offering a better picture of how much the virus has spread .
Many @ @ @ @ @ being infected got sick before social distancing rules were imposed across California , so it @ @ @ @ @ clear how much the restrictions might slow the spread .
The hope is that confined @ @ @ @ @ difference .
“ If there are 1,000 people who are positive and each one of @ @ @ @ @ people ... within a few weeks , there could be a million people infected in @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Barbara Ferrer , director of the county Department of Public Health .

Los Angeles County saw a big jump in both coronavirus cases and deaths, and officials warned the situation is going to get much worse.
The numbers
— L.A. County reported an additional 421 confirmed cases Thursday, for a total of 1,229
— A total of 253 people have been hospitalized at some point, or about 21% of all positive cases
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— The mortality rate in L.A. County is estimated at 1.6%
Analysis
L.A. County has dramatically increased testing over the last week, and that is offering a better picture of how much the virus has spread. Many of those now listed as being infected got sick before social distancing rules were imposed across California, so it’s still not fully clear how much the restrictions might slow the spread. The hope is that confined movements eventually will make a difference.
“If there are 1,000 people who are positive and each one of those people infects two other people ... within a few weeks, there could be a million people infected in L.A. County,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health.
Cases by community:
Agoura Hills* 5
Alhambra 8
Altadena* 6
Arcadia 6
Arleta 2
Athens 3
Azusa* 1
Baldwin Hills 4
Bell 2
Bell Gardens* 3
Bellflower* 8
Beverly Hills 15
Beverlywood* 10
Boyle Heights 7
Brentwood* 42
Burbank 6
Calabasas* 5
Canoga Park 3
Canyon Country* 1
Carson* 21
Castaic 2
Century City* 9
Century Palms/Cove* 3
Cerritos* 2
Chatsworth 1
Claremont* 1
Cloverdale/Cochran* 3
Compton* 5
Covina* 4
Crenshaw District* 2
Crestview* 9
Culver City* 8
Del Rey 9
Diamond Bar 2
Downey 10
Downtown* 7
Duarte* 2
Eagle Rock 3
East Hollywood 2
East Los Angeles 4
Echo Park* 7
El Segundo* 2
Encino 21
Exposition Park 2
Florence* 7
Gardena 4
Glassell Park 2
Glendale 23
Glendora* 2
Granada Hills 8
Hacienda Heights 2
Hancock Park* 10
Harbor City* 1
Harbor Gateway* 3
Harvard Heights* 2
Hawthorne* 9
Highland Park 3
Hollywood 27
Hollywood Hills 17
Hyde Park* 1
Inglewood 12
Koreatown 7
La Cañada Flintridge* 6
La Mirada* 5
La Puente 1
La Verne* 2
Lake Balboa 3
Lakewood* 7
Lancaster* 16
Lawndale* 2
Leimert Park* 2
Lincoln Heights 1
Little Bangladesh 1
Lomita* 12
Long Beach -- 41
Pasadena -- 9
Los Feliz* 5
Lynwood 6
Manhattan Beach* 21
Mar Vista 8
Maywood* 1
Melrose 47
Miracle Mile* 13
Monrovia* 2
Montebello 1
Monterey Park 4
Mount Washington* 3
North Hills 1
North Hollywood 15
Northridge 4
Norwalk 9
Pacific Palisades* 12
Pacoima 1
Palmdale 2
Palms 10
Panorama City 4
Paramount 4
Park La Brea* 8
Pasadena 9
Pico 5
Pico Rivera 2
Playa Vista* 8
Pomona* 3
Porter Ranch 2
Rancho Palos Verdes 6
Redondo Beach 20
Reseda 8
San Dimas* 1
San Fernando* 3
San Gabriel 3
San Pedro* 5
Santa Clarita 16
Santa Monica 21
Santa Monica Mountains* 4
Sherman Oaks 17
Silver Lake 11
South El Monte* 4
South Gate 4
South Park 2
South Pasadena* 4
South Whittier* 4
Stevenson Ranch* 3
Studio City* 11
Sun Valley 2
Sunland* 1
Sylmar 2
Tarzana 14
Temple* 6
Torrance 14
Tujunga* 2
University Park* 6
Valinda* 1
Valley Glen* 12
Van Nuys 4
Venice 11
Vermont Knolls* 3
Vermont Vista* 5
Vernon Central 1
Walnut* 1
Watts 1
West Adams 6
West Covina 4
West Hills* 4
West Hollywood 35
West Los Angeles* 5
West Vernon* 6
West Whittier/Los Nietos* 1
Westchester 7
Westlake 1
Westwood 11
Whittier* 3
Wholesale District 6
Willowbrook* 1
Wilmington 5
Wilshire Center 2
Winnetka* 5
Woodland Hills 13
Under investigation 141
*These areas contain multiple communities.


latimes--2020-03-27--With all the distractions at home, low-income students need headphones to study

In her family ’ s one-bedroom home every day unfolds with one distraction after another for 17-year-old Anais Hernandez : her mother cooking and cleaning in the kitchen ; her disabled father watching high-volume TV news ; the bustle of her younger sister in their East Los Angeles home .
There ’ s no escape from the noise as Anais attempts to focus on Advanced Placement Spanish literature and English and economics .
Two weeks into shelter-at-home schooling , this Mendez High School senior could use a tool that would be hard for her family to afford — sound-canceling headphones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angles school district officials shuttered campuses and began a difficult transition to online learning , Anais spent a lot of time at Mendez High , where she got most of her homework done .
“ I find it challenging to do my best on my assignments because there ’ s a lot of distractions , ” said Anais , adding wistfully that “ any set of headphones — that would help me concentrate and study.
” Anais has earbuds that came with her iPhone 7 , but they aren ’ t designed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of noise and distraction came to the attention of caseworkers from the local nonprofit Communities in Schools , which helps about 1,000 students and their families in 11 Los Angeles Unified schools in high-poverty neighborhoods .
“ The team started sharing very similar stories about how families are surviving , ” said Elmer Roldan , the group ’ s executive director .
Families suddenly have been crowded all day long into relatively small spaces — sometimes large families or multiple families .
Having a quiet place for schoolwork “ is a luxury that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have worked around their overly busy households by “ staying at school late , going to the library , or working from coffee shops — all places where the internet was readily available , Roldan said .
But these options disappeared when the city ordered the closing of “ nonessential ” businesses and banned all “ dining in.
” A few students brought up headphones outright , Roldan said , but case workers also concluded that families often did not want to seem greedy or selfish and were simply not going to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feels to them like they are pushing it.
” Communities in Schools is working with other groups , under the name One Family LA , to raise money for obvious needs such as toilet paper , food , rent , medical care and supplies , childcare and transportation costs to and from work .
But the group also has contacted headphone makers for help and discussions are in progress .
Separately , the L.A. Unified School District , at lausd.net , has a broad-based fundraising effort focused substantially on food and technology for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most vulnerable families and populations are going to be the hardest hit financially and academically , ” said Ana Ponce , executive director of the local group Great Public Schools Now , which is helping spearhead the One Family L.A. effort .
“ We ’ re going to encounter things that we didn ’ t think of .
Headphones are a practical need that was not necessarily identified.
” The value of screening out distractions has emerged in households across the region .
In the nearby community of Bell , Keyla , 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up against an active toddler .
In their small frontyard , 2-year-old Carlos moves , like a sturdy , joyous missile , in rapid succession from blue elephant mini-car to tot-trampoline to skateboard to flinging a small knobbly ball and then a rainbow beachball .
When confined inside the family ’ s 958-square-foot house , Carlos ranges from boisterous to simply loud , as Norma Quijas tries to oversee her older children ’ s schoolwork .
“ The baby jumps in and wants to help , ” said Quijas , who normally works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the girls get distracted ; then the baby starts screaming.
” Not far away , Bell High School student Isabelle Torres also finds herself academically marooned .
She was worried about working at home even before encountering the distractions it presented .
“ I am that teenager that hates the use of computers to an extent anyway , and I feel like a lot of my classes rely on discussions — it ’ s the only way you really learn , ” she said .
“ I struggle in pre-calculus even with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , working at home , “ I can be incredibly distracted , ” she said .
“ I live alongside four other people and while it doesn ’ t seem so bad , there is never a moment of quiet .
...
The last week has been extremely hard and I have yet to find myself adapting to this new way of life .
”

Valeria, 8, and Keyla, 12, enjoy their 2-year-old brother, Carlos, but he can be distracting, says their mother Norma Quijas.
In her family’s one-bedroom home every day unfolds with one distraction after another for 17-year-old Anais Hernandez: her mother cooking and cleaning in the kitchen; her disabled father watching high-volume TV news; the bustle of her younger sister in their East Los Angeles home.
There’s no escape from the noise as Anais attempts to focus on Advanced Placement Spanish literature and English and economics. Two weeks into shelter-at-home schooling, this Mendez High School senior could use a tool that would be hard for her family to afford — sound-canceling headphones.
Before March 13, when Los Angles school district officials shuttered campuses and began a difficult transition to online learning, Anais spent a lot of time at Mendez High, where she got most of her homework done.
“I find it challenging to do my best on my assignments because there’s a lot of distractions,” said Anais, adding wistfully that “any set of headphones — that would help me concentrate and study.”
Anais has earbuds that came with her iPhone 7, but they aren’t designed to screen out sound.
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The unanticipated problem of noise and distraction came to the attention of caseworkers from the local nonprofit Communities in Schools, which helps about 1,000 students and their families in 11 Los Angeles Unified schools in high-poverty neighborhoods.
“The team started sharing very similar stories about how families are surviving,” said Elmer Roldan, the group’s executive director. Families suddenly have been crowded all day long into relatively small spaces — sometimes large families or multiple families.
Having a quiet place for schoolwork “is a luxury that not many students have.”
Students typically have worked around their overly busy households by “staying at school late, going to the library, or working from coffee shops — all places where the internet was readily available, Roldan said. But these options disappeared when the city ordered the closing of “nonessential” businesses and banned all “dining in.”
A few students brought up headphones outright, Roldan said, but case workers also concluded that families often did not want to seem greedy or selfish and were simply not going to bring it up: “Asking for headphones feels to them like they are pushing it.”
Communities in Schools is working with other groups, under the name One Family LA, to raise money for obvious needs such as toilet paper, food, rent, medical care and supplies, childcare and transportation costs to and from work.
But the group also has contacted headphone makers for help and discussions are in progress.
Separately, the L.A. Unified School District, at lausd.net, has a broad-based fundraising effort focused substantially on food and technology for students and their families.
“Our most vulnerable families and populations are going to be the hardest hit financially and academically,” said Ana Ponce, executive director of the local group Great Public Schools Now, which is helping spearhead the One Family L.A. effort. “We’re going to encounter things that we didn’t think of. Headphones are a practical need that was not necessarily identified.”
Advertisement
The value of screening out distractions has emerged in households across the region.
In the nearby community of Bell, Keyla, 12, and Valeria, 8, are up against an active toddler. In their small frontyard, 2-year-old Carlos moves, like a sturdy, joyous missile, in rapid succession from blue elephant mini-car to tot-trampoline to skateboard to flinging a small knobbly ball and then a rainbow beachball.
When confined inside the family’s 958-square-foot house, Carlos ranges from boisterous to simply loud, as Norma Quijas tries to oversee her older children’s schoolwork.
“The baby jumps in and wants to help,” said Quijas, who normally works as a house cleaner. “And the girls get distracted; then the baby starts screaming.”
Not far away, Bell High School student Isabelle Torres also finds herself academically marooned. She was worried about working at home even before encountering the distractions it presented.
“I am that teenager that hates the use of computers to an extent anyway, and I feel like a lot of my classes rely on discussions — it’s the only way you really learn,” she said. “I struggle in pre-calculus even with a teacher in front of me.”
Now, working at home, “I can be incredibly distracted,” she said. “I live alongside four other people and while it doesn’t seem so bad, there is never a moment of quiet. ... The last week has been extremely hard and I have yet to find myself adapting to this new way of life.”


latimes--2020-03-27--A's for all? Pass/fail? Colleges grapple with grading fairness during coronavirus

Zuleika Bravo , a UCLA senior and low-income single mother , has tons to worry about besides grades .
The coronavirus outbreak has shut down her young daughter ’ s school , saddling her with new demands to home-school .
Her office job has cut hours — and her income — in half .
Under pressure , Bravo wants UCLA to change grading to pass/fail for all students during the upcoming spring quarter so those with myriad pressures like her won ’ t be unfairly disadvantaged .
“ We ’ re not all equal , ” said Bravo , 28 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know I have the ability to get good grades , but given the circumstances I would have to work even harder than before to compete with my colleagues who don ’ t have to worry about a child.
” Christian Israelian , a UCLA sophomore , wants letter grades .
He ’ s taking three classes next quarter he thinks he can ace and wants to boost his GPA to position himself for law school or a PhD program in geography .
He understands the concerns about equity , he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same boat doesn ’ t seem fair.
” Controversies over grading are roiling universities and colleges across the country , as the coronavirus outbreak prompted them to shift to online learning and send most students home to disparate circumstances .
Some students and faculty believe that normal grading practices during these times are deeply unfair to those struggling with housing , food , health , family duties , a safe study space , access to the internet or classes several time zones away .
Others think students should have the freedom to choose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that concentrating on academics helps them manage stress and that earning high marks can distinguish them for jobs , scholarships or graduate school .
Some need to maintain certain GPAs for financial aid , ROTC programs , transfer to four-year institutions or release from academic probation .
The complex issue has divided higher-education leaders with no consensus in sight .
“ This is obviously very complicated , ” said Ted Mitchell , president of the American Council on Education , which represents 1,700 colleges and universities .
“ I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this in any way , shape or form either institutionally or for schools or departments.
” This spring , grading is no longer as clear as A , B and C. The debate is filled with a hodgepodge of grading terminology .
There is pass/fail , pass/not passed , pass/no record , credit/no credit , satisfactory/unsatisfactory and satisfactory/no credit .
Schools even differ on what grade is needed to receive course credit .
The University of California requires a C or C-minus to pass an undergraduate course , but allows campuses to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record option means a transcript won ’ t show the class was even taken if a student fails .
And there ’ s disagreement over whether students at campuses with mandatory pass/fail systems can “ unmask ” their letter grades , which instructors still must keep throughout the term , for graduate school , Latin honor designations or other reasons .
UC Berkeley , Stanford , Columbia , Barnard , Dartmouth , Smith and MIT are among the schools that have adopted variations of mandatory pass/fail grading for the spring term .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to request letter grades if desired but don ’ t encourage it , while Columbia , Stanford and Dartmouth bar that option to maintain strict equity .
Other campuses , such as USC , UCLA and Yale University , have chosen not to impose mandatory pass/fail grades on everyone and instead are giving students flexibility to choose that option if desired .
Colleges are typically extending deadlines to make the choice and lifting limits on the number of pass/fail courses that can be taken .
Students , meanwhile , are pushing their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass/fail policy for all , students launched at least three petitions appealing for the right to request grades or urging universal A ’ s .
Some Yale students are rallying for a “ universal pass ” system — featuring a # NOFAILYALE Twitter campaign — to allow all students to pass regardless of class performance .
At Harvard , some students want a “ double A ” policy to award all students an A or A-minus , which would ensure rough equity for everyone while giving those who need grades access to them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a resolution calling for “ A ’ s for all ” to alleviate stress and “ ensure that all students have fair access to the university and an equitable academic experience , despite known barriers and challenges.
” And Cal State Fullerton students have launched a petition calling for a Universal Pass system .
At the University of California ’ s nine undergraduate campuses , faculty leaders are adopting their own respective policies — most of them allowing students to choose pass/fail grading for more courses during spring term than is normally allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ switched to a default system of pass/not passed for all undergraduates .
Students may change to a letter grade until at least May 6 , but campus academic leaders asked that they do so only for a “ specific purpose , ” which they don ’ t define or need to approve .
They have told students , however , that they intend the default system to be the “ norm ” this term .
Oliver O ’ Reilly , Berkeley ’ s Academic Senate chair and a mechanical engineering professor , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a message that learning , rather than grades , is most important this semester .
De-emphasizing grades at a competitive campus like Berkeley may be hard , he said , but the faculty wanted to protect and support as many students as possible .
“ This is a semester unlike any other , ” he said .
“ It ’ s an extraordinary time and unfortunately it ’ s not over.
” O ’ Reilly rejected , however , the student proposal to give everyone high grades , earned or not .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t help anyone , ” he said .
“ It makes a mockery of the whole grading system.
” But even at Berkeley , policies differ .
Berkeley Law School has moved to a credit/no credit system for all students .
Unlike the undergraduate campus , the law school is not giving grades at all because doing so would defeat the purpose — to lessen stress — of the change , said law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky .
“ I worried that students who were most likely to get high grades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be perceived as a mediocre grade , ” Chemerinsky said in an email .
“ This would put pressure on students to retain grades and undermine what we are trying to accomplish.
” At UCLA , the issue has sparked deep divisions .
Student government leaders debated grading options for more than three hours until past midnight this week during an at-times testy and emotional online meeting of the Undergraduate Students Association Council .
Some council members supported student choice , arguing that working for high grades can be empowering and beneficial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of the international students she represents are racked with uncertainty over whether they can stay in the United States ; for them , maintaining their usual academic routines can ease anxiety “ when everything else is upside down , ” she said .
At one point , council member Lily Shaw , who initially pushed for mandatory pass/fail without a letter grade option , got teary-eyed as she urged her colleagues to “ support each other over our GPAs.
” Another student leader , Naomi Riley , grew frustrated at what she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s incredibly disappointing , ” she said .
“ I definitely want to caution people from calling yourselves allies at this moment.
” Robert Blake Watson , the undergraduate student body president , said he supports a pass/no record policy even though he thinks he could raise his GPA with letter grades , which could help him with scholarships for law school .
He ultimately supported the ability of students to access their letter grades but remains ambivalent about that option because he believes it could disadvantage those who lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the council split , 7-6 , on whether to support a blanket pass/no record grading system for all students with no ability to request grades .
But members ultimately supported a blanket system with access to grades so they could stand undivided in their policy recommendations to campus officials .
On Thursday , however , the UCLA Academic Senate declined to impose a mandatory pass/no pass policy for spring quarter .
Instead , the faculty decided to allow students to select the pass/no pass option for as many courses as desired — normally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and extend the deadline .
“ Our main goal was to enable students to make a decision as to what they thought was in their own best interests , ” said Michael Meranze , the Academic Senate chair .
Mitchell of the American Council on Education said the bigger question is what happens with grades after spring term .
While the council is not recommending any particular grading policies , he said , members are working to “ shape a collective institutional response ” on how colleges and universities should handle spring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White , for instance , is co-leading a council task force on how to handle transfers to four-year institutions during this time .
Students may not have letter grades this year to help establish minimum required GPAs for transfers — 2.0 for Cal State and 2.4 for California applicants to UC campuses .
Mitchell said the council also will tackle the issue of graduate and professional schools , which are adopting different policies .
Harvard Medical School , for instance , has announced it will accept pass/fail grades for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s institution did not offer letter grades .
Berkeley Law School , however , “ will be very flexible ” and credit/no credit “ certainly will be accepted under these circumstances , ” Chemerinsky said .
O ’ Reilly said he plans to assess applicants to Berkeley ’ s mechanical engineering graduate program with a particular eye toward how they dealt with the coronavirus crisis .
“ One thing I look for is how did you persevere when times were tough because you need that quality to do research , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ falling down , it ’ s about how you pick yourself up .
It ’ s only by failing and succeeding that you learn anything .
”

UCLA student Zuleika Bravo is now home-schooling her daughter, Iris Jimenez, 5, in addition to her own studies. Bravo, a UCLA senior and low-income single mother, wants UCLA to change grading to pass/fail for everyone during the coronavirus outbreak.
Zuleika Bravo, a UCLA senior and low-income single mother, has tons to worry about besides grades. The coronavirus outbreak has shut down her young daughter’s school, saddling her with new demands to home-school. Her office job has cut hours — and her income — in half.
Under pressure, Bravo wants UCLA to change grading to pass/fail for all students during the upcoming spring quarter so those with myriad pressures like her won’t be unfairly disadvantaged.
“We’re not all equal,” said Bravo, 28, a political science major. “I know I have the ability to get good grades, but given the circumstances I would have to work even harder than before to compete with my colleagues who don’t have to worry about a child.”
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Christian Israelian, a UCLA sophomore, wants letter grades. He’s taking three classes next quarter he thinks he can ace and wants to boost his GPA to position himself for law school or a PhD program in geography. He understands the concerns about equity, he said, “but to lump everyone in the same boat doesn’t seem fair.”
Controversies over grading are roiling universities and colleges across the country, as the coronavirus outbreak prompted them to shift to online learning and send most students home to disparate circumstances. Some students and faculty believe that normal grading practices during these times are deeply unfair to those struggling with housing, food, health, family duties, a safe study space, access to the internet or classes several time zones away.
Others think students should have the freedom to choose between a letter grade or pass/fail, saying that concentrating on academics helps them manage stress and that earning high marks can distinguish them for jobs, scholarships or graduate school. Some need to maintain certain GPAs for financial aid, ROTC programs, transfer to four-year institutions or release from academic probation.
The complex issue has divided higher-education leaders with no consensus in sight.
“This is obviously very complicated,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, which represents 1,700 colleges and universities. “I don’t think that there will be a one-size-fits-all for this in any way, shape or form either institutionally or for schools or departments.”
Sather Tower, also known as the Campanile, is seen against the backdrop of San Francisco from the UC Berkeley campus in Berkeley. UC Berkeley student leaders recently passed a resolution calling for “A’s for all” to alleviate stress and “ensure that all students have fair access to the university and an equitable academic experience, despite known barriers and challenges.” (Josh Edelson/For the Times)
This spring, grading is no longer as clear as A, B and C. The debate is filled with a hodgepodge of grading terminology. There is pass/fail, pass/not passed, pass/no record, credit/no credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory and satisfactory/no credit.
Advertisement
Schools even differ on what grade is needed to receive course credit. The University of California requires a C or C-minus to pass an undergraduate course, but allows campuses to choose their threshold. Choosing a pass/no record option means a transcript won’t show the class was even taken if a student fails.
And there’s disagreement over whether students at campuses with mandatory pass/fail systems can “unmask” their letter grades, which instructors still must keep throughout the term, for graduate school, Latin honor designations or other reasons.
UC Berkeley, Stanford, Columbia, Barnard, Dartmouth, Smith and MIT are among the schools that have adopted variations of mandatory pass/fail grading for the spring term. Some, such as Berkeley, allow students to request letter grades if desired but don’t encourage it, while Columbia, Stanford and Dartmouth bar that option to maintain strict equity.
Other campuses, such as USC, UCLA and Yale University, have chosen not to impose mandatory pass/fail grades on everyone and instead are giving students flexibility to choose that option if desired. Colleges are typically extending deadlines to make the choice and lifting limits on the number of pass/fail courses that can be taken.
Students, meanwhile, are pushing their own ideas. After Columbia adopted a strict pass/fail policy for all, students launched at least three petitions appealing for the right to request grades or urging universal A’s. Some Yale students are rallying for a “universal pass” system — featuring a #NOFAILYALE Twitter campaign — to allow all students to pass regardless of class performance.
At Harvard, some students want a “double A” policy to award all students an A or A-minus, which would ensure rough equity for everyone while giving those who need grades access to them. UC Berkeley student leaders recently passed a resolution calling for “A’s for all” to alleviate stress and “ensure that all students have fair access to the university and an equitable academic experience, despite known barriers and challenges.” And Cal State Fullerton students have launched a petition calling for a Universal Pass system.
At the University of California’s nine undergraduate campuses, faculty leaders are adopting their own respective policies — most of them allowing students to choose pass/fail grading for more courses during spring term than is normally allowed.
So far, only Berkeley has switched to a default system of pass/not passed for all undergraduates. Students may change to a letter grade until at least May 6, but campus academic leaders asked that they do so only for a “specific purpose,” which they don’t define or need to approve. They have told students, however, that they intend the default system to be the “norm” this term.
Oliver O’Reilly, Berkeley’s Academic Senate chair and a mechanical engineering professor, said faculty leaders made the change to send a message that learning, rather than grades, is most important this semester. De-emphasizing grades at a competitive campus like Berkeley may be hard, he said, but the faculty wanted to protect and support as many students as possible.
“This is a semester unlike any other,” he said. “It’s an extraordinary time and unfortunately it’s not over.”
O’Reilly rejected, however, the student proposal to give everyone high grades, earned or not. “‘A’s for all’ doesn’t help anyone,” he said. “It makes a mockery of the whole grading system.”
But even at Berkeley, policies differ. Berkeley Law School has moved to a credit/no credit system for all students. Unlike the undergraduate campus, the law school is not giving grades at all because doing so would defeat the purpose — to lessen stress — of the change, said law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky.
“I worried that students who were most likely to get high grades would opt for that and then credit would be perceived as a mediocre grade,” Chemerinsky said in an email. “This would put pressure on students to retain grades and undermine what we are trying to accomplish.”
At UCLA, the issue has sparked deep divisions. Student government leaders debated grading options for more than three hours until past midnight this week during an at-times testy and emotional online meeting of the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
Some council members supported student choice, arguing that working for high grades can be empowering and beneficial to mental health. Shahamah Tariq said many of the international students she represents are racked with uncertainty over whether they can stay in the United States; for them, maintaining their usual academic routines can ease anxiety “when everything else is upside down,” she said.
At one point, council member Lily Shaw, who initially pushed for mandatory pass/fail without a letter grade option, got teary-eyed as she urged her colleagues to “support each other over our GPAs.” Another student leader, Naomi Riley, grew frustrated at what she saw as insensitivity to marginalized students.
“It’s incredibly disappointing,” she said. “I definitely want to caution people from calling yourselves allies at this moment.”
Robert Blake Watson, the undergraduate student body president, said he supports a pass/no record policy even though he thinks he could raise his GPA with letter grades, which could help him with scholarships for law school. He ultimately supported the ability of students to access their letter grades but remains ambivalent about that option because he believes it could disadvantage those who lack his privileges.
Reflecting the division, the council split, 7-6, on whether to support a blanket pass/no record grading system for all students with no ability to request grades. But members ultimately supported a blanket system with access to grades so they could stand undivided in their policy recommendations to campus officials.
On Thursday, however, the UCLA Academic Senate declined to impose a mandatory pass/no pass policy for spring quarter. Instead, the faculty decided to allow students to select the pass/no pass option for as many courses as desired — normally there is a one-course limit per term — and extend the deadline.
“Our main goal was to enable students to make a decision as to what they thought was in their own best interests,” said Michael Meranze, the Academic Senate chair.
California State University is discussing the grading issue.
Mitchell of the American Council on Education said the bigger question is what happens with grades after spring term. While the council is not recommending any particular grading policies, he said, members are working to “shape a collective institutional response” on how colleges and universities should handle spring term transcripts with wide grading variations.
CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White, for instance, is co-leading a council task force on how to handle transfers to four-year institutions during this time. Students may not have letter grades this year to help establish minimum required GPAs for transfers — 2.0 for Cal State and 2.4 for California applicants to UC campuses.
Mitchell said the council also will tackle the issue of graduate and professional schools, which are adopting different policies. Harvard Medical School, for instance, has announced it will accept pass/fail grades for spring term only if the applicant’s institution did not offer letter grades. Berkeley Law School, however, “will be very flexible” and credit/no credit “certainly will be accepted under these circumstances,” Chemerinsky said.
O’Reilly said he plans to assess applicants to Berkeley’s mechanical engineering graduate program with a particular eye toward how they dealt with the coronavirus crisis.
“One thing I look for is how did you persevere when times were tough because you need that quality to do research,” he said. “It’s not about falling down, it’s about how you pick yourself up. It’s only by failing and succeeding that you learn anything.”
Times staff writer Nina Agrawal contributed to this report.