latimes--2020-04-22--Street racers are taking over roads emptied by coronavirus, with fatal results

For the past month , the novel coronavirus has turned normally bustling locales and highways across Los Angeles into yawning , vacant stretches that might be unsettling to some .
The usual mess of costumed characters and tourists dotting the Walk of Fame are nowhere to be found .
The parking-lot-like stretch of the 405 Freeway that traps thousands on daily rush-hour commutes is flowing freely during the day .
But where some see emptiness , others see a speedway .
In recent weeks , police across California say street racers have been quick to turn the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
From Southern California to the Bay Area , racers have been challenging one another at dangerous speeds on surface streets or rushing intersections to perform burnouts and other dangerous vehicle stunts , investigators say .
The large gatherings — generally known as “ sideshows ” or “ takeovers ” — are especially troubling in the context of the coronavirus , police say .
In some parts of the state , grocery stores aren ’ t letting more than 50 people inside at one time .
At a takeover scene , authorities say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proximity in an one intersection , with barely anyone wearing masks or gloves .
“ It ’ s 200 people gathered in an intersection , which is not that big of an area .
No one is six feet apart , ” said California Highway Patrol officer Andrew Swank , who is part of the street racing task force in the agency ’ s Southern Division .
“ The probability of spreading the virus is pretty high if someone is a carrier.
” Street racing is inherently dangerous with or without the added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles Times investigation found 179 people had died in speed contests in Los Angeles County from 2000 to 2017 , and investigators have said street racing incidents have become an increasing concern in recent years .
The empty blacktops are drawing in a variety of car enthusiasts , officials say .
CHP Officer Ryann Grimes said groups that engage in “ roll racing ” — referring to packs of cars driving along a freeway before rocketing off chasing their car ’ s top speed — have been more prevalent as the bulk of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Sacramento , police and sheriff ’ s officials said they had to deal with several sideshows that drew groups of 100 or more to various locations around the county on Easter Sunday .
In late March , Oakland Police said they made three arrests and towed at least a dozen vehicles after interrupting a sideshow .
The head-to-head drag races most commonly associated with street racing in pop culture have been occurring more frequently in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles , according to investigators , who say the random @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pedestrians , no matter how few are out these days .
LAPD Asst .
Chief Robert Arcos , who oversees patrol operations , said he believes officers have been able to force most takeovers off city streets and onto the freeways .
But one law enforcement official , who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the matter candidly , said Los Angeles-area racers have grown increasingly brazen since the pandemic paralyzed the city .
The younger crews that organize takeovers have begun trying to stage gatherings in popular intersections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downtown L.A. , which would have been impossible just a few weeks ago .
“ Activity is actually picking up .
They ’ re taking advantage … they ’ re under the assumption that law enforcement is busy with the whole pandemic situation , that we ’ re too busy to deal with them , ” the official said .
The most brazen street racing incident in recent weeks , however , may have happened about 1,100 miles north on the 405 , when about two dozen cars blocked off a section of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and performed burnouts , according to a statement issued by the Portland Police Bureau .
Donald Galaz , a member of the International Brotherhood of Street Racers , hasn ’ t personally hit the roads since the state advised residents to stay home .
But he ’ s not surprised to see a group as passionate as the car community capitalizing on the situation .
Friends of his who have been organizing drag races have taken some precautions by wearing masks and gloves and trying to keep crowds small .
But as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platforms , it ’ s hard to limit who shows up .
“ Once the word gets out … people flock to those locations , ” Galaz said .
“ That ’ s their love and that ’ s their passion.
” Galaz cautioned police against blaming any recent uptick in high-speed activity solely on the street racing community , noting that he ’ s seen everyday drivers pushing the throttle toward the triple-digits in the middle of the day on empty roads as well .
Earlier this month , the city Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are up by as much as 30 % on some Los Angeles surface streets .
As city and state officials have become more stringent about enforcing social distancing in recent weeks , some police agencies have begun applying those violations to street racers .
In Sacramento , where sideshows earlier this month led to at least one crash involving a law enforcement vehicle , Police Chief Daniel Hahn said his officers would begin citing those detained at racing scenes for violating the county ’ s health order .
Swank and Grimes , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency is taking similar measures across the state .
Combined with the issuance of a ticket for being a spectator at a speed contest , some investigators hope the financial hit might be enough to deter some people from racing scenes .
The same open streets that have drawn racers out are also making enforcement harder , some investigators said .
Police often struggle to corral drivers and spectators at large takeover scenes because they ’ re severely outmanned — typically a handful of police cruisers will be tasked with breaking up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , with nothing but air between the racers and their next destination , Grimes said arrests are becoming more challenging and dangerous .
“ We ’ re more noticeable getting there because the streets are empty .
When we get there the streets are still empty so it ’ s easier for them to flee … and they ’ re going fast on the freeway to get to their second location , ” he said .
“ They ’ re just being incredibly reckless with the situation that they ’ re @ @ @

From Southern California to the Bay Area, racers have been challenging one another at dangerous speeds, often with fatal results.
For the past month, the novel coronavirus has turned normally bustling locales and highways across Los Angeles into yawning, vacant stretches that might be unsettling to some.
The usual mess of costumed characters and tourists dotting the Walk of Fame is nowhere to be found. The parking-lot-like stretch of the 405 Freeway that traps thousands on daily rush-hour commutes is flowing freely during the day.
But where some see emptiness, others see a speedway.
In recent weeks, police across California say street racers have been quick to turn the state’s cleared-out roadways into their own personal playgrounds. From Southern California to the Bay Area, racers have been challenging one another at dangerous speeds on surface streets or rushing intersections to perform burnouts and other dangerous vehicle stunts, investigators say.
Advertisement
The large gatherings — generally known as “sideshows” or “takeovers” — are especially troubling in the context of the coronavirus, police say. In some parts of the state, grocery stores aren’t letting more than 50 people inside at one time. At a takeover scene, authorities say hundreds of people might be in close proximity at one intersection, with barely anyone wearing masks or gloves.
“It’s 200 people gathered in an intersection, which is not that big of an area. No one is six feet apart,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Swank, who is part of the street racing task force in the agency’s Southern Division. “The probability of spreading the virus is pretty high if someone is a carrier.”
Street racing is inherently dangerous with or without the added risk of the coronavirus. A Los Angeles Times investigation found 179 people had died in speed contests in Los Angeles County from 2000 to 2017, and investigators have said street racing incidents have become an increasing concern in recent years.
The empty blacktops are drawing in a variety of car enthusiasts, officials say. CHP Officer Ryann Grimes said groups that engage in “roll racing” — referring to packs of cars driving along a freeway before rocketing off chasing their car’s top speed — have been more prevalent as the bulk of Californians have taken sheltering at home seriously.
In Sacramento, police and sheriff’s officials said they had to deal with several sideshows that drew groups of 100 or more to various locations around the county on Easter Sunday. In late March, Oakland Police said they made three arrests and towed at least a dozen vehicles after interrupting a sideshow.
The head-to-head drag races most commonly associated with street racing in pop culture have been occurring more frequently in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, according to investigators, who say the random nature of those contests is especially dangerous to pedestrians, no matter how few are out these days. LAPD Asst. Chief Robert Arcos, who oversees patrol operations, said he believes officers have been able to force most takeovers off city streets and onto the freeways.
Advertisement
But one law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the matter candidly, said Los Angeles-area racers have grown increasingly brazen since the pandemic paralyzed the city. The younger crews that organize takeovers have begun trying to stage gatherings in popular intersections, including near the Staples Center in downtown L.A., which would have been impossible just a few weeks ago.
“Activity is actually picking up. They’re taking advantage … they’re under the assumption that law enforcement is busy with the whole pandemic situation, that we’re too busy to deal with them,” the official said.
The most brazen street racing incident in recent weeks, however, may have happened about 1,100 miles north on the 405, when about two dozen cars blocked off a section of the Fremont Bridge in Portland, Ore., and performed burnouts, according to a statement issued by the Portland Police Bureau.
Donald Galaz, a member of the International Brotherhood of Street Racers, hasn’t personally hit the roads since the state advised residents to stay home. But he’s not surprised to see a group as passionate as the car community capitalizing on the situation.
Friends of his who have been organizing drag races have taken some precautions by wearing masks and gloves and trying to keep crowds small. But as racing groups often organize on social media platforms, it’s hard to limit who shows up.
“Once the word gets out … people flock to those locations,” Galaz said. “That’s their love and that’s their passion.”
Galaz cautioned police against blaming any recent uptick in high-speed activity solely on the street racing community, noting that he’s seen everyday drivers pushing the throttle toward the triple-digits in the middle of the day on empty roads as well. Earlier this month, the city Department of Transportation released a study showing speeds are up by as much as 30% on some Los Angeles surface streets.
As city and state officials have become more stringent about enforcing social distancing in recent weeks, some police agencies have begun applying those violations to street racers.
In Sacramento, where sideshows earlier this month led to at least one crash involving a law enforcement vehicle, Police Chief Daniel Hahn said his officers would begin citing those detained at racing scenes for violating the county’s health order. Swank and Grimes, the CHP task force members, said the agency is taking similar measures across the state.
Combined with the issuance of a ticket for being a spectator at a speed contest, some investigators hope the financial hit might be enough to deter some people from racing scenes.
The same open streets that have drawn racers out are also making enforcement harder, some investigators said.
Police often struggle to corral drivers and spectators at large takeover scenes because they’re severely outmanned — typically a handful of police cruisers will be tasked with breaking up a sideshow involving as many as 300 people. Now, with nothing but air between the racers and their next destination, Grimes said arrests are becoming more challenging and dangerous.
“We’re more noticeable getting there because the streets are empty. When we get there the streets are still empty so it’s easier for them to flee … and they’re going fast on the freeway to get to their second location,” he said. “They’re just being incredibly reckless with the situation that they’re given.”


latimes--2020-04-22--Tulare County demands action after coronavirus outbreak kills 15 at one nursing home

One of the state ’ s worst outbreaks of COVID-19 at a skilled nursing facility has driven up the death toll in rural Tulare County , accounting for more than half of the county ’ s reported cases despite early action by local officials to guard against the spread of the coronavirus .
In February , organizers for a three-day international agriculture show set in the city of Tulare stopped China-based companies from sending representatives after the federal travel ban .
Health officials prepared to expand testing at the county public health lab , which serves five other counties in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipment days after the first few cases were discovered .
But their efforts weren ’ t enough to stop an outbreak at a skilled nursing facility in Visalia , the rural county ’ s most populous city .
As some parts of the country consider reopening communities , local health officials are trying to figure out how to stop the spread at the facility , where more than 100 patients have been infected .
As of Tuesday , the county reported 436 confirmed cases .
While 62 people have recovered , 22 have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Springs Healthcare Center , David Oates , a spokesman for the facility , said Tuesday .
So far , 109 patients and 55 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 , he said .
About 60 % of Redwood Springs residents are over 65 , according to administrator Anita Hubbard .
It is one of the worst outbreaks at a nursing home in the state , and last week , the county announced a second outbreak at a skilled nursing facility in Lindsay , where 11 residents have tested positive .
Tulare County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Redwood Springs , has called for more resources from the state , which regulates skilled nursing homes , and an investigation into how the virus spread so quickly at the facility , which has a history of violating state regulations .
“ We raised the flag that we have an extreme personnel shortage at Redwood Springs , ” Crocker said , with more than 50 employees testing positive .
“ The bigger question that I have is , why did it spread to so many people ?
” In the past three years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state have totaled about $ 150,000 in penalties for a range of violations , including for what the state said was a failure by staff to supervise a patient who was fatally injured and failure to report allegations of physical and sexual abuse .
Oates declined to comment because he said the fines happened under previous management .
To assist with the outbreak , nearly two dozen nurses from a nearby hospital have signed up to assist at the facility , and staff from other hospitals have arrived to help as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for outbreaks because the elderly are among the most vulnerable to the virus , and many of them have from underlying conditions .
But before the outbreak at Redwood Springs , the county seemed to be taking steps to get ahead of the spread .
Before the World Ag Expo took place on Feb. 11 , organizers spoke with state and local health officials about how to prevent a spread at the event and discussed the possibility of canceling , said Jennifer Fawkes , a spokeswoman for the expo .
Annually , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With guidance from the public health officials , organizers went on with the event and instead asked nine China-based companies to send U.S. representatives who had not traveled recently , or be refunded , Fawkes said .
Ultimately , six companies did not attend , and other attendees arriving from abroad were vetted as well , she said .
Extra hand-washing stations were placed around the event space .
When county officials announced the first confirmed case on March 11 , Dr. Karen Haught , the county public health officer , issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , the county Board of Supervisors approved funding for equipment to expand testing for the region , which had already begun on Feb. 27 , Weyker-Adkins said .
School districts in the country began closing campuses on March 16 , but one school in Farmersville remains open , Crocker said .
The Outside Creek School District , which has one school , Outside Creek Elementary , remains open because many of the parents are farmworkers , Crocker said , and closing the school could create an extra burden on the families .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ attend classes in person , he said , allowing for small class sizes and social distancing .
Supervisor Amy Shuklian , who oversees part of Visalia , noted that the facility makes up more than half of the rising number of cases in the city , where 244 are located , as the reason for the inflated numbers .
While there were some skeptics about the virus , most residents have come around and have followed the statewide directive to shelter in place , she said , but there was some pushback to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the conservative lean of the community .
In the largely agricultural and rural communities that run along the foothills of the Sequoia National Park , some residents don ’ t see the need to social distance , she said .
The county does not have a local order mandating residents to shelter in place and does not have a system in place to cite nonessential businesses that don ’ t close their doors , she said .
But the Visalia City Council is considering taking action against businesses that do not comply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As recently as last week , she has gotten calls from residents asking that the county reopen golf courses , with many claiming they can follow social distancing measures while out on the green , she said .
A golfer herself , Shuklian said she recognizes the desire to return to a semblance of their lives before , but is asking that residents remain hunkered down .
“ I understand the frustration , ” she said , “ but I like to err on the side of caution .
”

One of the state’s worst outbreaks of COVID-19 at a skilled nursing facility has driven up the death toll in rural Tulare County, accounting for more than half of the county’s reported cases despite early action by local officials to guard against the spread of the coronavirus.
In February, organizers for a three-day international agriculture show set in the city of Tulare stopped China-based companies from sending representatives after the federal travel ban. Health officials prepared to expand testing at the county public health lab, which serves five other counties in the San Joaquin Valley, purchasing new equipment days after the first few cases were discovered.
But their efforts weren’t enough to stop an outbreak at a skilled nursing facility in Visalia, the rural county’s most populous city. As some parts of the country consider reopening communities, local health officials are trying to figure out how to stop the spread at the facility, where more than 100 patients have been infected. As of Tuesday, the county reported 436 confirmed cases. While 62 people have recovered, 22 have died.
Fifteen were patients at Redwood Springs Healthcare Center, David Oates, a spokesman for the facility, said Tuesday. So far, 109 patients and 55 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, he said.
Advertisement
About 60% of Redwood Springs residents are over 65, according to administrator Anita Hubbard. It is one of the worst outbreaks at a nursing home in the state, and last week, the county announced a second outbreak at a skilled nursing facility in Lindsay, where 11 residents have tested positive.
Tulare County Supervisor Kuyler Crocker, whose district includes Redwood Springs, has called for more resources from the state, which regulates skilled nursing homes, and an investigation into how the virus spread so quickly at the facility, which has a history of violating state regulations.
“We raised the flag that we have an extreme personnel shortage at Redwood Springs,” Crocker said, with more than 50 employees testing positive. “The bigger question that I have is, why did it spread to so many people?”
In the past three years, the facility’s citations by the state have totaled about $150,000 in penalties for a range of violations, including for what the state said was a failure by staff to supervise a patient who was fatally injured and failure to report allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Oates declined to comment because he said the fines happened under previous management.
To assist with the outbreak, nearly two dozen nurses from a nearby hospital have signed up to assist at the facility, and staff from other hospitals have arrived to help as well. Nursing homes have become hot spots for outbreaks because the elderly are among the most vulnerable to the virus, and many of them have from underlying conditions.
But before the outbreak at Redwood Springs, the county seemed to be taking steps to get ahead of the spread.
Advertisement
Before the World Ag Expo took place on Feb. 11, organizers spoke with state and local health officials about how to prevent a spread at the event and discussed the possibility of canceling, said Jennifer Fawkes, a spokeswoman for the expo. Annually, the event averages 100,000 people from 70 countries.
With guidance from the public health officials, organizers went on with the event and instead asked nine China-based companies to send U.S. representatives who had not traveled recently, or be refunded, Fawkes said. Ultimately, six companies did not attend, and other attendees arriving from abroad were vetted as well, she said. Extra hand-washing stations were placed around the event space.
When county officials announced the first confirmed case on March 11, Dr. Karen Haught, the county public health officer, issued a local health emergency. Six days later, the county Board of Supervisors approved funding for equipment to expand testing for the region, which had already begun on Feb. 27, Weyker-Adkins said.
School districts in the country began closing campuses on March 16, but one school in Farmersville remains open, Crocker said. The Outside Creek School District, which has one school, Outside Creek Elementary, remains open because many of the parents are farmworkers, Crocker said, and closing the school could create an extra burden on the families. Only about 40 of the 90 students attend classes in person, he said, allowing for small class sizes and social distancing.
Supervisor Amy Shuklian, who oversees part of Visalia, noted that the facility makes up more than half of the rising number of cases in the city, where 244 are located, as the reason for the inflated numbers.
While there were some skeptics about the virus, most residents have come around and have followed the statewide directive to shelter in place, she said, but there was some pushback to the governor’s directive simply because of the conservative lean of the community. In the largely agricultural and rural communities that run along the foothills of the Sequoia National Park, some residents don’t see the need to social distance, she said.
The county does not have a local order mandating residents to shelter in place and does not have a system in place to cite nonessential businesses that don’t close their doors, she said. But the Visalia City Council is considering taking action against businesses that do not comply with the governor’s orders.
As recently as last week, she has gotten calls from residents asking that the county reopen golf courses, with many claiming they can follow social distancing measures while out on the green, she said. A golfer herself, Shuklian said she recognizes the desire to return to a semblance of their lives before, but is asking that residents remain hunkered down.
“I understand the frustration,” she said, “but I like to err on the side of caution.”
Times staff writer Anita Chabria contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-04-22--Coronavirus slashing money immigrants send home by 20%, creating second economic crisis

In a second-story storefront in an Artesia shopping mall , Andrea Luchavez slid $ 500 in cash beneath a cashier ’ s window to a teller who would wire the funds to her children and mother in the Philippines .
It was $ 300 less than what Luchavez sent every month , before the coronavirus paralyzed Southern California and the world , putting millions out of work , including her husband , and paring back the hours of those who , like her , managed to keep their jobs .
Each year , immigrants such as Luchavez collectively send hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where they work to those they call home .
These remittances are a lifeline for individual families and some national economies , accounting for a fifth of El Salvador ’ s and Honduras ’ gross domestic product , and more than a third of Haiti ’ s .
But the COVID-19 pandemic , which has wiped out service industry and construction jobs commonly held by immigrants , will sharply curtail their ability to remit money , according to a report published Wednesday by the World Bank .
Remittances will fall by 20 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an expected $ 445 billion this year , the report said .
Writ large , World Bank economists and other experts say , such an unprecedented decrease in remittances will deal a gut punch to developing countries ’ GDPs and strain their social safety nets .
For individual families , it could be catastrophic .
Luchavez , who works as a caregiver , said her hours have been cut from 40 to about 24 a week .
Her husband lost his job .
She went to a food bank in Cerritos last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years in the United States .
She is sending less money to her family , who live in Santa Rosa , a city of about 350,000 south of Manila , precisely when they need it most , she said .
Because the city is locked down , its residents under curfew , Luchavez ’ s college-aged children can not work and have no source of income but the money she sends them , she said .
Historically , remittances have helped developing countries weather shocks , such as natural disasters or civil unrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor at the University of Michigan who has studied the flow of remittances to the Philippines .
When a prolonged drought gutted the Philippines ’ agricultural sector in the 1990s , Yang said , families with relatives working abroad were able to replace about 60 % of income lost to the crisis through remittances .
But “ this is an unusual crisis , ” he said , “ in that the whole world is suffering.
” Since the World Bank began tracking remittances in 1980 , the only crisis comparable to this one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dilip Ratha , an economist for the bank and one of the authors of its report .
At that time , Ratha told reporters on a conference call Tuesday , remittances decreased by just 5 % .
Even as they plummet , remittances will become more important than ever to low- and middle-income countries , Ratha said .
Foreign direct investment to those countries will decrease this year an estimated 37 % , outstripping the expected decline in remittances , the World Bank predicts .
Last year , more money flowed to low- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct investment .
With the pandemic , “ the gap will become even wider , ” Ratha said .
While the virus has disrupted daily life unlike anything in recent history , Hugues Efole , who leads business development for the Americas for MoneyGram , one of the world ’ s largest money transfer companies , said he believes the flow of remittances will stabilize .
Efole , who left the Democratic Republic of the Congo three decades ago and has sent money to family there ever since , said remittances are among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their budgets in a crisis .
“ They ’ re not something you pay for fun .
It ’ s a necessity , ” he said .
“ It ’ s ‘ I ’ m in the United States because my family sacrificed for me and no matter what happens , I ’ m going to send that money home.
’ It ’ s a cultural obligation.
” Plummeting remittances will deal a particularly sharp blow to Latin America , said Manuel Orozco , director of the Migration , Remittances and Development Program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tank in Washington , D.C. About 28 million migrants work overseas and remit money to the region , he said , and in Latin American families with a relative working overseas , remittances typically account for half their income .
In the last two weeks , Orozco said , the region has seen a “ huge decline ” in remittances from the United States in “ a reflection of the shock of immediate job loss.
” Many migrants in the United States work in the service industry and construction .
More so than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be performed from home , these sectors were devastated by stay-at-home orders intended to slow the spread of the virus .
While his typical workweek is now four days instead of five , Carlos Paz Cortez still has a job packing deliveries for a grocery and restaurant supplier in El Monte .
After work on a recent afternoon , he walked to the city ’ s Valley Mall , dead quiet and shuttered but for two storefronts advertising money transfers .
Paz Cortez wired $ 300 to his son , wife and sisters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70,000 in western El Salvador .
Paz Cortez sends that much every month , some months a bit more , others a bit less .
For generations , a member of his family has lived in California and sent dollars home .
His grandmother came first and sent money to his mother ; his mother came when he turned 18 and sent money to him ; Paz Cortez came in 2005 and has sent money to his wife and son ever since .
It is “ 100 % important , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strict curfews , his relatives can not work , he said .
“ They ’ ve closed the economy , closed the country .
No one is working right now.
” He is thankful he has a job , although he knows how quickly things can change .
“ We never know about tomorrow , ” he said .
“ I just think about today .
”

Remittances will fall by 20% from $554 billion in 2019 to an expected $445 billion this year, the World Bank warned.
In a second-story storefront in an Artesia shopping mall, Andrea Luchavez slid $500 in cash beneath a cashier’s window to a teller who would wire the funds to her children and mother in the Philippines.
It was $300 less than what Luchavez sent every month, before the coronavirus paralyzed Southern California and the world, putting millions out of work, including her husband, and paring back the hours of those who, like her, managed to keep their jobs.
Each year, immigrants such as Luchavez collectively send hundreds of billions of dollars from the countries where they work to those they call home. These remittances are a lifeline for individual families and some national economies, accounting for a fifth of El Salvador’s and Honduras’ gross domestic product, and more than a third of Haiti’s.
Advertisement
But the COVID-19 pandemic, which has wiped out service industry and construction jobs commonly held by immigrants, will sharply curtail their ability to remit money, according to a report published Wednesday by the World Bank. Remittances will fall by 20%, from $554 billion in 2019 to an expected $445 billion this year, the report said.
Writ large, World Bank economists and other experts say, such an unprecedented decrease in remittances will deal a gut punch to developing countries’ GDPs and strain their social safety nets. For individual families, it could be catastrophic.
Luchavez, who works as a caregiver, said her hours have been cut from 40 to about 24 a week. Her husband lost his job. She went to a food bank in Cerritos last week, a first in her 15 years in the United States.
She is sending less money to her family, who live in Santa Rosa, a city of about 350,000 south of Manila, precisely when they need it most, she said. Because the city is locked down, its residents under curfew, Luchavez’s college-aged children cannot work and have no source of income but the money she sends them, she said.
Historically, remittances have helped developing countries weather shocks, such as natural disasters or civil unrest, said Dean Yang, an economics professor at the University of Michigan who has studied the flow of remittances to the Philippines. When a prolonged drought gutted the Philippines’ agricultural sector in the 1990s, Yang said, families with relatives working abroad were able to replace about 60% of income lost to the crisis through remittances.
But “this is an unusual crisis,” he said, “in that the whole world is suffering.”
Since the World Bank began tracking remittances in 1980, the only crisis comparable to this one is the 2008-2009 financial crisis, said Dilip Ratha, an economist for the bank and one of the authors of its report. At that time, Ratha told reporters on a conference call Tuesday, remittances decreased by just 5%.
Advertisement
Even as they plummet, remittances will become more important than ever to low- and middle-income countries, Ratha said. Foreign direct investment to those countries will decrease this year an estimated 37%, outstripping the expected decline in remittances, the World Bank predicts. Last year, more money flowed to low- and middle-income countries in remittances than foreign direct investment. With the pandemic, “the gap will become even wider,” Ratha said.
While the virus has disrupted daily life unlike anything in recent history, Hugues Efole, who leads business development for the Americas for MoneyGram, one of the world’s largest money transfer companies, said he believes the flow of remittances will stabilize.
Efole, who left the Democratic Republic of the Congo three decades ago and has sent money to family there ever since, said remittances are among the last things immigrants write out of their budgets in a crisis.
“They’re not something you pay for fun. It’s a necessity,” he said. “It’s ‘I’m in the United States because my family sacrificed for me and no matter what happens, I’m going to send that money home.’ It’s a cultural obligation.”
Plummeting remittances will deal a particularly sharp blow to Latin America, said Manuel Orozco, director of the Migration, Remittances and Development Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank in Washington, D.C. About 28 million migrants work overseas and remit money to the region, he said, and in Latin American families with a relative working overseas, remittances typically account for half their income.
In the last two weeks, Orozco said, the region has seen a “huge decline” in remittances from the United States in “a reflection of the shock of immediate job loss.” Many migrants in the United States work in the service industry and construction. More so than white-collar jobs, many of which can be performed from home, these sectors were devastated by stay-at-home orders intended to slow the spread of the virus.
While his typical workweek is now four days instead of five, Carlos Paz Cortez still has a job packing deliveries for a grocery and restaurant supplier in El Monte. After work on a recent afternoon, he walked to the city’s Valley Mall, dead quiet and shuttered but for two storefronts advertising money transfers. Paz Cortez wired $300 to his son, wife and sisters in Sonsonate, a city of about 70,000 in western El Salvador.
Paz Cortez sends that much every month, some months a bit more, others a bit less. For generations, a member of his family has lived in California and sent dollars home. His grandmother came first and sent money to his mother; his mother came when he turned 18 and sent money to him; Paz Cortez came in 2005 and has sent money to his wife and son ever since.
It is “100% important,” he said. Because of El Salvador’s strict curfews, his relatives cannot work, he said. “They’ve closed the economy, closed the country. No one is working right now.”
He is thankful he has a job, although he knows how quickly things can change. “We never know about tomorrow,” he said. “I just think about today.”


latimes--2020-04-22--'Second wave' of coronavirus could be far worse for California than the first, officials warn

Even as California continues to bend the coronavirus curve , a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths as well as concerns about a second wave of the outbreak are reasons to stay vigilant , officials say .
California has recorded more than 37,000 cases , adding nearly 2,000 on Tuesday alone .
Part of the increase in new cases this week is the result of a lag in labs reporting test results and releasing bulk numbers .
More than 1,400 people have died across the state .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom and others have said that California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the worst of the coronavirus and that lifting stay-at-home rules could be disastrous .
“ If we all pull back , we could see a second wave that makes this pale in comparison , ” Newsom told CBS News .
“ I don ’ t anticipate that normalcy that many of us wish for happening anytime soon.
” Concerns about a second wave of coronavirus infections have been echoed by others .
“ There ’ s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went through , ” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told the Washington Post .
“ And when I ’ ve said this to others , they kind of put their head back .
They don ’ t understand what I mean.
” Redfield said a second wave could be more devastating to the healthcare system if it came at the same time hospitals were dealing with flu cases .
Some California officials have pointed to the 1918 influenza pandemic , in which the second wave of illness was worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The really important lesson of 1918 is to keep interventions in place as long as possible , ” Alex Navarro , assistant director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan , told The Times last week .
“ Because once the controls are removed , it ’ s very difficult to reinstate them.
” Both Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco Mayor London Breed have cited that history in calling for caution .
Last week , Breed said she was well aware of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1918 contagion .
She described how the illness “ came back with a vengeance.
” With her eye on the present day , she added : “ The fact is , it ’ s not over… .
We will get through this .
But it is going to require time , and it ’ s going to require patience , like never before.
” During a news conference Tuesday , Newsom called on Californians to remain cautious in order to protect one another as the numbers of deaths and hospitalizations continue to rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state , but there was a spirit that defined that progress , and that was community , ” he said .
“ If we pull back too quickly , those numbers will go through the roof.
” The governor told residents of communities that have been less affected by the virus to “ disabuse ” themselves of the idea that they are in the clear .
He also said that several counties have reached out to ask about stay-at-home modifications , all with different proposed timelines , which he said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s update on its road map to reopening .
“ This virus knows no jurisdiction , ” the governor said Monday .
“ Different parts of this state [ have been ] impacted differently , but … the collective responsibility we have to one another , neighboring counties , neighboring cities , also must be considered.
” Newsom on Wednesday reemphasized that there are six key indicators for potentially modifying the stay-at-home order .
Among those is increasing testing capacity , which he said “ may be among the most important.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16,000 tests a day , he said , and the goal is to boost that to 25,000 a day by the end of the month .
He said the state is bringing 86 new testing sites online , which will be placed in more rural areas of the state and regions where they can serve “ black and brown ” communities .
“ These sites will provide the kind of continuity that we need to ultimately advance our collective goals in this state to reach these testing goals , ” he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure we are truly , culturally competent in our testing.
” Newsom also announced that California hospitals can resume providing scheduled surgeries — which reflects confidence in the capacity of the statewide system .
However , he emphasized that “ we will be very thoughtful and judicious about how we do that .
We will not overload the system.
” “ We recognize that anytime we begin to toggle back and start opening things back up , we have to look every day at the data … to make sure that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintaining an understanding that we need to be vigilant about the intended consequences of these decisions and the unintended consequences of these decisions , ” he said .
Los Angeles County officials on Wednesday confirmed 1,318 more coronavirus cases , some of which were attributable to a backlog from laboratories that had not previously reported results through the county ’ s electronic system .
Similar numbers had been reported the previous two days as well .
L.A. County officials continue to emphasize the need for residents to maintain social distancing practices after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county residents may have been infected with the virus .
Without such efforts , that number would be far higher than the more than 16,000 cases that have been confirmed in the county of roughly 10 million people , officials say .
More than 89,000 county residents have been tested for COVID-19 , Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said .
Los Angeles County ’ s stay-at-home order was previously extended to May 15 , but Ferrer said that date is not a “ magic number.
” She noted that officials are relying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local hospitals to determine when to lift restrictions , and she asked residents to continue adhering to such directives until told otherwise .
“ We have to take responsibly for 10 million people who live in L.A. County , ” she said .
Meanwhile , there is new evidence that the virus claimed its first California victims earlier than thought .
Two COVID-19 patients died in Santa Clara County on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17 , the county medical examiner revealed Tuesday , making them the first documented coronavirus fatalities in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. fatality was believed to have occurred in Kirkland , Wash. , on Feb. 29 .
Officials previously had said the first Silicon Valley death was March 9 .
But that was preceded by the two February deaths , and another person who died of COVID-19 on March 6 , the Santa Clara County medical examiner said Tuesday .
Santa Clara County health officials identified the newly discovered first victim only as a 57-year-old woman who died at home , but The Times independently confirmed with relatives that the victim was Patricia Dowd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who exercised routinely , watched her diet and took no medication , developed flu-like symptoms for a few days but then improved enough to start working from home .
At 8 a.m. on the day she died , she was corresponding with a colleague ; two hours later , her daughter found her dead at home , relatives said .
Dowd ’ s older brother , Rick Cabello , described his sister as a hardworking and caring person whose deep network of friends dated to her childhood and her high school years at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their family grew up .
“ She was living the life she deserved , ” he said .
Santa Clara County , the heart of Silicon Valley , was an early hotbed of the coronavirus outbreak .
So far , it has reported nearly 2,000 cases and 94 deaths .
There have been growing suspicions that the new coronavirus has been in California longer than experts first believed .
Dr. Jeff Smith , the chief executive of Santa Clara County , said this month that data collected by the CDC , local health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been in California “ a lot longer than we first believed ” — most likely since “ back in December.
” Ferrer agreed there was probably a gap between when the coronavirus first arrived in L.A. County and when the first infections were confirmed .
“ We would anticipate that across the country , particularly in travel hubs like L.A. County is , we were probably seeing some infection much earlier on than we were able to diagnose , ” she said Wednesday .
Despite evidence that the number of coronavirus cases appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations in Western Europe , Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , director-general of the World Health Organization , cautioned at a news conference Wednesday that the global pandemic is still in its early phases .
“ Make no mistake : We have a long way to go , ” he said .
“ This virus will be with us for a long time.
” Since the virus erupted in China in late December , 2.5 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported to the WHO , along with more than 160,000 deaths .
Tedros @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders and other physical distancing measures have successfully suppressed transmission of the coronavirus in many countries .

Luke Money, Deborah Netburn, Matt Hamilton, Colleen Shalby, Paige St. John

Even as California continues to bend the coronavirus curve, a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths as well as concerns about a second wave of the outbreak are reasons to stay vigilant, officials say.
California has recorded more than 37,000 cases, adding nearly 2,000 on Tuesday alone. Part of the increase in new cases this week is the result of a lag in labs reporting test results and releasing bulk numbers. More than 1,400 people have died across the state.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and others have said that California and the nation have not necessarily seen the worst of the coronavirus and that lifting stay-at-home rules could be disastrous.
Advertisement
“If we all pull back, we could see a second wave that makes this pale in comparison,” Newsom told CBS News. “I don’t anticipate that normalcy that many of us wish for happening anytime soon.”
Concerns about a second wave of coronavirus infections have been echoed by others.
“There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told the Washington Post. “And when I’ve said this to others, they kind of put their head back. They don’t understand what I mean.”
Redfield said a second wave could be more devastating to the healthcare system if it came at the same time hospitals were dealing with flu cases.
Some California officials have pointed to the 1918 influenza pandemic, in which the second wave of illness was worse in some cities than the first.
Advertisement
“The really important lesson of 1918 is to keep interventions in place as long as possible,” Alex Navarro, assistant director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, told The Times last week. “Because once the controls are removed, it’s very difficult to reinstate them.”
Both Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco Mayor London Breed have cited that history in calling for caution.
Last week, Breed said she was well aware of the premature celebrations before the end of the 1918 contagion. She described how the illness “came back with a vengeance.”
With her eye on the present day, she added: “The fact is, it’s not over…. We will get through this. But it is going to require time, and it’s going to require patience, like never before.”
During a news conference Tuesday, Newsom called on Californians to remain cautious in order to protect one another as the numbers of deaths and hospitalizations continue to rise.
“We’re making progress in the state, but there was a spirit that defined that progress, and that was community,” he said. “If we pull back too quickly, those numbers will go through the roof.”
The governor told residents of communities that have been less affected by the virus to “disabuse” themselves of the idea that they are in the clear. He also said that several counties have reached out to ask about stay-at-home modifications, all with different proposed timelines, which he said he would be addressed Wednesday in the state’s update on its road map to reopening.
“This virus knows no jurisdiction,” the governor said Monday. “Different parts of this state [have been] impacted differently, but … the collective responsibility we have to one another, neighboring counties, neighboring cities, also must be considered.”
Newsom on Wednesday reemphasized that there are six key indicators for potentially modifying the stay-at-home order. Among those is increasing testing capacity, which he said “may be among the most important.”
Currently, the state can provide about 16,000 tests a day, he said, and the goal is to boost that to 25,000 a day by the end of the month.
He said the state is bringing 86 new testing sites online, which will be placed in more rural areas of the state and regions where they can serve “black and brown” communities.
“These sites will provide the kind of continuity that we need to ultimately advance our collective goals in this state to reach these testing goals,” he said, adding that their strategic deployment will “make sure we are truly, culturally competent in our testing.”
Newsom also announced that California hospitals can resume providing scheduled surgeries — which reflects confidence in the capacity of the statewide system. However, he emphasized that “we will be very thoughtful and judicious about how we do that. We will not overload the system.”
“We recognize that anytime we begin to toggle back and start opening things back up, we have to look every day at the data … to make sure that we are adjusting to these new decisions and maintaining an understanding that we need to be vigilant about the intended consequences of these decisions and the unintended consequences of these decisions,” he said.
Los Angeles County officials on Wednesday confirmed 1,318 more coronavirus cases, some of which were attributable to a backlog from laboratories that had not previously reported results through the county’s electronic system. Similar numbers had been reported the previous two days as well.
L.A. County officials continue to emphasize the need for residents to maintain social distancing practices after a study suggested that tens of thousands of county residents may have been infected with the virus. Without such efforts, that number would be far higher than the more than 16,000 cases that have been confirmed in the county of roughly 10 million people, officials say. More than 89,000 county residents have been tested for COVID-19, Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said.
Los Angeles County’s stay-at-home order was previously extended to May 15, but Ferrer said that date is not a “magic number.” She noted that officials are relying on data and science and working with local hospitals to determine when to lift restrictions, and she asked residents to continue adhering to such directives until told otherwise.
“We have to take responsibly for 10 million people who live in L.A. County,” she said.
Beginning Thursday, Garcetti said, all critical workers in Los Angeles, including those without symptoms, can get tested for the virus at county sites. Healthcare professionals, grocery store employees, first responders and critical government employees can get swabbed at any of the testing sites throughout the county, Garcetti said.
The expanded testing criteria, which the mayor said he hopes provide some peace of mind to workers, is also a critical milestone “on the road to reopening.”
During a news conference Wednesday evening, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore thanked Garcetti, telling him that LAPD officers would no doubt be grateful to learn they could get tested.
“It’s great as a leader for me to know that,” the chief said.
The Los Angeles Police Department has 71 employees who have tested positive for the coronavirus, and the Fire Department has had 20 members test positive.
Twenty-five LAPD employees have recovered and returned to full duty, one individual is hospitalized, and all others are self-isolating at home and recovering. Fourteen LAFD employees have recovered and returned to duty, and six employees are isolating at home.
During his address, Moore urged victims of domestic violence to keep calling the police. Although calls to abuse hotlines are up across the nation, Moore said that his department is taking about 10 fewer crime reports a day stemming from domestic violence calls — a concerning juxtaposition, he noted.
“We’ll get you help,” Moore said, noting that the department can help victims get into shelters.
Moore also urged Angelenos to continue heeding orders to avoid beaches and trails, especially over the weekend, when temperatures are expected to get into the upper 80s and low 90s. Following those orders will not only save police the awkwardness of admonishing you, Moore said, but also would help Los Angeles reopen sooner.
Meanwhile, there is new evidence that the virus claimed its first California victims earlier than thought.
Two COVID-19 patients died in Santa Clara County on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17, the county medical examiner revealed Tuesday, making them the first documented coronavirus fatalities in the United States.
Until now, the first U.S. fatality was believed to have occurred in Kirkland, Wash., on Feb. 29.
Officials previously had said the first Silicon Valley death was March 9. But that was preceded by the two February deaths, and another person who died of COVID-19 on March 6, the Santa Clara County medical examiner said Tuesday.
Santa Clara County health officials identified the newly discovered first victim only as a 57-year-old woman who died at home, but The Times independently confirmed with relatives that the victim was Patricia Dowd.
Family members said that Dowd, who exercised routinely, watched her diet and took no medication, developed flu-like symptoms for a few days but then improved enough to start working from home. At 8 a.m. on the day she died, she was corresponding with a colleague; two hours later, her daughter found her dead at home, relatives said.
Dowd’s older brother, Rick Cabello, described his sister as a hardworking and caring person whose deep network of friends dated to her childhood and her high school years at St. Francis in Mountain View, where their family grew up.
“She was living the life she deserved,” he said.
Santa Clara County, the heart of Silicon Valley, was an early hotbed of the coronavirus outbreak. So far, it has reported nearly 2,000 cases and 94 deaths.
There have been growing suspicions that the new coronavirus has been in California longer than experts first believed.
Dr. Jeff Smith, the chief executive of Santa Clara County, said this month that data collected by the CDC, local health departments and others suggest the virus has been in California “a lot longer than we first believed” — most likely since “back in December.”
Ferrer agreed there was probably a gap between when the coronavirus first arrived in L.A. County and when the first infections were confirmed.
“We would anticipate that across the country, particularly in travel hubs like L.A. County is, we were probably seeing some infection much earlier on than we were able to diagnose,” she said Wednesday.
Despite evidence that the number of coronavirus cases appears to be stabilizing or declining in many nations in Western Europe, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, cautioned at a news conference Wednesday that the global pandemic is still in its early phases.
“Make no mistake: We have a long way to go,” he said. “This virus will be with us for a long time.”
Since the virus erupted in China in late December, 2.5 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported to the WHO, along with more than 160,000 deaths.
Tedros said there is no question that stay-at-home orders and other physical distancing measures have successfully suppressed transmission of the coronavirus in many countries.


latimes--2020-04-22--Are homeless shelters 'a nasty experiment' during coronavirus? L.A. says no and opens more

It started in late March with a driver at Union Rescue Mission .
He complained of flu-like symptoms and was brought to a hospital , where he eventually died of COVID-19 , sending one of skid row ’ s largest shelters into high alert .
As of this week , 55 homeless residents and three staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus , said the Rev .
Andy Bales , the mission ’ s chief executive officer .
He has to move people around like puzzle pieces to set up isolation and quarantine rooms inside the massive , five-story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now living in a boardroom and a staff kitchen , while nearly 200 others have been sent to temporary housing elsewhere .
The outbreak is what critics of Mayor Eric Garcetti ’ s plan to convert dozens of city recreation centers into homeless shelters have feared — and what other cities have already experienced .
Across the country , large congregant shelters have struggled to contain spikes in coronavirus cases .
In San Francisco , about 100 homeless people and 10 staffers tested positive at that city ’ s largest shelter .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 408 people at a shelter and 147 of them tested positive for the virus — although the majority were asymptomatic .
As a result , there is a growing concern in many cities about the use of congregant shelters during the pandemic .
Many shelters across the country also have stopped accepting new homeless clients .
Still , officials in Los Angeles remain convinced that homeless people are safer in shelters than on the streets because it ’ s easier for outreach workers and medical professionals to provide care .
And so the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open more congregant shelters .
So far , 20 are up and running out of the 42 that Mayor Eric Garcetti originally announced .
The city is set to open four more in the coming days , he said , bringing the total to about 1,000 beds — far less than the initial goal of 6,000 beds .
On Monday , Garcetti said that the shelters , each of which holds far fewer homeless people than Union Rescue Mission , are 97 % full .
“ It is working exactly how we hoped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ And I ’ ve always said too that doesn ’ t mean that we will never have cases , but we haven ’ t yet had large-scale outbreaks.
” The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is in charge of conducting investigations at shelters run by the city and an assortment of nonprofits .
It is currently examining eight , though Director Barbara Ferrer did not specify which ones .
Neither did she cite the number of coronavirus cases investigators have found at each shelter , but said Wednesday that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among homeless people , with 55 of them in shelters .
Earlier this week , Ferrer characterized it as “ a very small number , with the exception of what we ’ ve seen at the Union Rescue Mission .
And that ’ s really because , at the Union Rescue Mission , we did test everybody who was there.
” In general , testing on skid row has increased since the opening of a pop-up facility on Monday .
The county still lacks the capacity to test everyone in homeless shelters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It just makes sense now that we ’ re able to do more testing both of symptomatic people and asymptomatic people who are very high-risk and live in these congregate living situations , ” she said .
Advocates and even some public health experts say large congregant shelters are powder kegs waiting to explode .
“ I had a vivid nightmare of this happening , ” said Chris Herring , a sociology doctoral candidate at UC Berkeley who is assisting the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness .
“ Now that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeps going worse , it just sounds like a nasty experiment that we ’ re doing with a group of people that we wouldn ’ t do ever with another group of people.
” In doing his research , Herring stayed for weeks in the San Francisco shelter , known as Multi-Service Center or MSC South , where the outbreak occurred .
He described how it housed about 350 people per night and that more than 200 would sleep in bunk beds , scarcely two feet apart with no partitions .
There was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s incredibly difficult to sleep there , because you ’ re hearing all your neighbors sleeping , all piled up on top of you , ” he said .
Dr. Allen Cooper , an emeritus professor in medicine at Stanford University , had been volunteering at MSC South , and said government officials should ’ ve known that the place was ripe for disaster .
In January , he watched an outbreak of norovirus spread there , leaving dozens thinking they had stomach flu .
In one day , he said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a clear indication of how fast the highly contagious coronavirus could spread .
At a time when the world isn ’ t in the midst of a pandemic , Cooper said he recognizes that such shelters are an imperfect but necessary solution to homelessness .
But not right now .
“ This is a cruise ship without walls between the bedrooms .
This is an aircraft carrier , ” he said , referring to locations of coronavirus outbreaks .
“ In a nursing home , at least people are in their own rooms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are probably the worst thing.
” Last week , public officials told the San Francisco Chronicle that none of the people at MSC South showed serious symptoms of COVID-19 when they were tested .
The shelter closed weeks ago after the outbreak , but recently reopened to accept people recovering from the disease .
John Maceri , executive director of The People Concern , said not all sites are like MSC South or Union Rescue Mission .
His organization manages a network of smaller shelters across L.A. County that have drywall separating sleeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not completely enclosed , but it ’ s easier to self-isolate there than in a room with bunk beds , he said .
The number of homeless people living in The People Concern ’ s shelters has been reduced in recent weeks , moving the oldest and most medically fragile into hotels and motels .
The biggest remaining risk in the shelters , he said , is probably the shared bathrooms .
“ I think it ’ s highly unlikely that we will get through the current situation without having some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who may even get sick , ” Maceri said .
“ I am reasonably confident that we are not going to have a massive outbreak.
” Garcetti on Friday said he has followed Ferrer ’ s guidance in rolling out his plan to use recreation centers to get homeless people off the streets .
Even though the shelters have no barriers between cots , he said the spacing of six feet and health screenings have , so far , been effective in the month since the initial eight opened .
The coronavirus has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city ’ s 20 shelters , but there have been no reports of the virus spreading from one resident to another .
After a homeless man staying at the Granada Hills Recreation Center tested positive this month , about 14 people who had been near him and those who arrived with him were tested , said Ken Craft , chairman and CEO of Hope of the Valley , a nonprofit that operates four of the city shelters in the West San Fernando Valley .
The man , who has not been named , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where his condition improved , Craft said .
No other cases have been detected .
County public health officials are testing anyone with symptoms , Craft said .
Staff also are provided masks , gloves and body suits .
“ We provide masks for all clients to wear at all times , ” he said .
“ We only allow two people per six-foot table to maintain social distancing.
” To make such social distancing possible , the initial plan for 110 beds in the Granada Hills shelter was scaled back to 38 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a similar scale at all city recreation centers , causing Garcetti to revise his initial promise for 6,000 beds .
The recreation center shelters are part of a loosely integrated system of homeless housing and services that have been designed to achieve two goals during the pandemic : getting the most vulnerable people off the streets and relieving existing , dormitory-style shelters that can not meet the spacing requirements to slow the spread of the virus .
For example , Craft said Hope of the Valley moved homeless residents into the four recreation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelter in Pacoima to only 52 beds .
Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority also are working to secure safer lodging in hotels for homeless people who are elderly or have health conditions that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 .
That effort is progressing slowly , however .
At the current pace , the county ’ s goal of securing hotel rooms for 15,000 people will not be reached until summer .
For Union Rescue Mission , Bales says changes are coming more immediately .
The shelter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 1,000 , is now down to fewer than 500 .
It also has stopped taking in new homeless residents for the time being .
The second floor , where more than 200 men slept on bunk beds in a single room , will never be the same , he said .
“ From now on it will be 80 single beds , ” Bales said .
“ That ’ s how drastically the COVID-19 has reshaped our world and likely reshaped it permanently.
” But Bales said he had no regrets about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think the benefits outweigh the risks , especially if they ’ re able to keep the six-foot distance , if they have more than a couple restrooms , especially if their guests are capable of hearing us cry out and wear their masks and taking precautions , ” he said .
“ We just don ’ t believe in leaving people on the streets .
”

LA City parks and recreation staff along with volunteers from the Salvation Army set up cots for homeless at Westwood Recreation Center in Westwood.
It started in late March with a driver at Union Rescue Mission. He complained of flu-like symptoms and was brought to a hospital, where he eventually died of COVID-19, sending one of skid row’s largest shelters into high alert.
As of Friday, 79 homeless residents and four staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, said the Rev. Andy Bales, the mission’s chief executive officer. He has to move people around like puzzle pieces to set up isolation and quarantine rooms inside the massive, five-story building, Bales said. Some are now living in a boardroom and a staff kitchen, while nearly 200 others have been sent to temporary housing elsewhere.
The outbreak is what critics of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s plan to convert dozens of city recreation centers into homeless shelters have feared — and what other cities have already experienced.
Advertisement
Across the country, large congregant shelters have struggled to contain spikes in coronavirus cases. In San Francisco, about 100 homeless people and 10 staffers tested positive at that city’s largest shelter. In Boston earlier this month, researchers tested 408 people at a shelter and 147 of them tested positive for the virus — although the majority were asymptomatic.
As a result, there is a growing concern in many cities about the use of congregant shelters during the pandemic. Many shelters across the country also have stopped accepting new homeless clients.
Still, officials in Los Angeles remain convinced that homeless people are safer in shelters than on the streets because it’s easier for outreach workers and medical professionals to provide care. And so the city is moving forward with plans to open more congregant shelters.
So far, 20 are up and running out of the 42 that Mayor Eric Garcetti originally announced. The city is set to open four more in the coming days, he said, bringing the total to about 1,000 beds — far less than the initial goal of 6,000 beds.
Homeless people from skid row and other areas arrive via bus at the Echo Park Community Center, one of 13 Los Angeles area recreation centers that has become temporary shelters for homeless due to the growing coronavirus pandemic. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
On Monday, Garcetti said that the shelters, each of which holds far fewer homeless people than Union Rescue Mission, are 97% full.
Advertisement
“It is working exactly how we hoped it would,” he said. “And I’ve always said too that doesn’t mean that we will never have cases, but we haven’t yet had large-scale outbreaks.”
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is in charge of conducting investigations at shelters run by the city and an assortment of nonprofits.
It is currently examining eight, though Director Barbara Ferrer did not specify which ones. Neither did she cite the number of coronavirus cases investigators have found at each shelter,
Earlier this week, Ferrer characterized it as “a very small number, with the exception of what we’ve seen at the Union Rescue Mission. And that’s really because, at the Union Rescue Mission, we did test everybody who was there.”
In general, testing on skid row has increased since the opening of a pop-up facility on Monday. The county still lacks the capacity to test everyone in homeless shelters, but Ferrer said that may change soon.
“It just makes sense now that we’re able to do more testing both of symptomatic people and asymptomatic people who are very high-risk and live in these congregate living situations,” she said.
Advocates and even some public health experts say large congregant shelters are powder kegs waiting to explode.
“I had a vivid nightmare of this happening,” said Chris Herring, a sociology doctoral candidate at UC Berkeley who is assisting the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness. “Now that we’re learning more and how it keeps going worse, it just sounds like a nasty experiment that we’re doing with a group of people that we wouldn’t do ever with another group of people.”
In doing his research, Herring stayed for weeks in the San Francisco shelter, known as Multi-Service Center or MSC South, where the outbreak occurred. He described how it housed about 350 people per night and that more than 200 would sleep in bunk beds, scarcely two feet apart with no partitions. There was one hall for bathrooms.
“It’s incredibly difficult to sleep there, because you’re hearing all your neighbors sleeping, all piled up on top of you,” he said.
Dr. Allen Cooper, an emeritus professor in medicine at Stanford University, had been volunteering at MSC South, and said government officials should’ve known that the place was ripe for disaster. In January, he watched an outbreak of norovirus spread there, leaving dozens thinking they had stomach flu. In one day, he said he saw about 15 people get sick — a clear indication of how fast the highly contagious coronavirus could spread.
At a time when the world isn’t in the midst of a pandemic, Cooper said he recognizes that such shelters are an imperfect but necessary solution to homelessness. But not right now.
“This is a cruise ship without walls between the bedrooms. This is an aircraft carrier,” he said, referring to locations of coronavirus outbreaks. “In a nursing home, at least people are in their own rooms. Big shelters like this for outbreaks are probably the worst thing.”
Last week, public officials told the San Francisco Chronicle that none of the people at MSC South showed serious symptoms of COVID-19 when they were tested. The shelter closed weeks ago after the outbreak, but recently reopened to accept people recovering from the disease.
John Maceri, executive director of The People Concern, said not all sites are like MSC South or Union Rescue Mission. His organization manages a network of smaller shelters across L.A. County that have drywall separating sleeping spaces into what resemble cubicles. It’s not completely enclosed, but it’s easier to self-isolate there than in a room with bunk beds, he said.
The number of homeless people living in The People Concern’s shelters has been reduced in recent weeks, moving the oldest and most medically fragile into hotels and motels. The biggest remaining risk in the shelters, he said, is probably the shared bathrooms.
“I think it’s highly unlikely that we will get through the current situation without having some of our residents who test positive and who may even get sick,” Maceri said. “I am reasonably confident that we are not going to have a massive outbreak.”
Garcetti on Friday said he has followed Ferrer’s guidance in rolling out his plan to use recreation centers to get homeless people off the streets.
Even though the shelters have no barriers between cots, he said the spacing of six feet and health screenings have, so far, been effective in the month since the initial eight opened. The coronavirus has been detected at only two of the city’s 20 shelters, but there have been no reports of the virus spreading from one resident to another.
After a homeless man staying at the Granada Hills Recreation Center tested positive this month, about 14 people who had been near him and those who arrived with him were tested, said Ken Craft, chairman and CEO of Hope of the Valley, a nonprofit that operates four of the city shelters in the West San Fernando Valley.
The man, who has not been named, was transported to Holy Cross Hospital, where his condition improved, Craft said. No other cases have been detected.
County public health officials are testing anyone with symptoms, Craft said. Staff also are provided masks, gloves and body suits.
“We provide masks for all clients to wear at all times,” he said. “We only allow two people per six-foot table to maintain social distancing.”
To make such social distancing possible, the initial plan for 110 beds in the Granada Hills shelter was scaled back to 38 — a readjustment that has happened at a similar scale at all city recreation centers, causing Garcetti to revise his initial promise for 6,000 beds.
The recreation center shelters are part of a loosely integrated system of homeless housing and services that have been designed to achieve two goals during the pandemic: getting the most vulnerable people off the streets and relieving existing, dormitory-style shelters that cannot meet the spacing requirements to slow the spread of the virus.
For example, Craft said Hope of the Valley moved homeless residents into the four recreation centers it operates, reducing its 138-bed shelter in Pacoima to only 52 beds.
Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority also are working to secure safer lodging in hotels for homeless people who are elderly or have health conditions that put them at higher risk for COVID-19. That effort is progressing slowly, however. At the current pace, the county’s goal of securing hotel rooms for 15,000 people will not be reached until summer.
For Union Rescue Mission, Bales says changes are coming more immediately. The shelter, which typically has a population of about 1,000, is now down to fewer than 500. It also has stopped taking in new homeless residents for the time being.
The second floor, where more than 200 men slept on bunk beds in a single room, will never be the same, he said.
“From now on it will be 80 single beds,” Bales said. “That’s how drastically the COVID-19 has reshaped our world and likely reshaped it permanently.”
But Bales said he had no regrets about housing so many people.
“I think the benefits outweigh the risks, especially if they’re able to keep the six-foot distance, if they have more than a couple restrooms, especially if their guests are capable of hearing us cry out and wear their masks and taking precautions,” he said. “We just don’t believe in leaving people on the streets.”
Times staff writer Melanie Mason contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-04-22--UC experts offer new ammunition against the SAT and ACT as an admissions requirement

Three University of California admissions experts slammed a faculty recommendation to keep the SAT and ACT for at least five years , giving ammunition to critics of the controversial exams who want to drop them as an admissions requirement .
In a letter to UC leadership posted Wednesday , the experts asked the Board of Regents to instead consider using the state assessment for K-12 students in California and several other states known as Smarter Balanced , which research shows is as predictive of college performance as the SAT with less bias against disadvantaged students .
Decades of research have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly influenced by race , income and parent education levels , driving legal challenges against their use in UC admissions and decisions by more than 1,000 colleges and universities to make them optional .
UC has temporarily suspended the standardized testing requirement as a result of SAT and ACT test cancellations amid the coronavirus pandemic .
But both testing organizations plan to resume offering the exams later this year .
Smarter Balanced was found to be inappropriate for UC admission decisions and rejected as an alternative to the SAT and ACT in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s use of standardized testing .
The report was unanimously approved last week by the Academic Senate leadership and representatives from all 10 campuses in a 51-0 vote , with one abstention .
The approval signaled a sweeping show of support that set the stage for a high-stakes showdown with testing critics when regents meet next month to vote on the issue .
But three UC faculty experts in education policy and economics have stepped forward to blast the report ’ s dismissal of the Smarter Balanced test , continued reliance on discriminatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be meaningless measures to expand access for underrepresented students .
“ A faculty task report that was meant to inform and clarify has instead mischaracterized key issues , ” wrote Michal Kurlaender of UC Davis , Sarah Reber of UCLA and Jesse Rothstein of UC Berkeley .
“ The report makes recommendations that are neither rooted in evidence nor likely to improve admissions fairness or representation across campuses.
” Academic Senate Chair Kum-Kum Bhavnani said several concerns about Smarter Balanced led the task force to reject it as an alternative .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to quality teaching , which is uneven across schools , and state data show a persistent racial achievement gap in test results .
If UC adopted Smarter Balanced as an admissions test , affluent students will have more resources for tutors and test preparation , she added .
“ I worry about Smarter Balanced being used as the UC admissions test , because , in under-resourced schools , we don ’ t know if there would be adequate preparation material available to teach the curriculum , ” she said .
“ If that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater turnover of teachers , students at under-resourced schools could be further disadvantaged.
” Kurlaender , chair of the UC Davis School of Education , said the UC system should consider Smarter Balanced because it tests what the state has determined students need to know in its Common Core curriculum and is administered to every 11th-grader during school hours without charge .
Using Smarter Balanced for a UC admissions test would allow the university system to support the K-12 curriculum and give college-bound high school students a strong incentive to master the material @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismissed the test because of a “ wide range of risks , ” including testing security and inconsistent administration across states .
But Kurlaender said the action was too hasty , adding that Smarter Balanced was a better alternative than either the SAT or the report ’ s recommendation for UC to develop its own admissions test — which could take nine years .
Dismissing the Smarter Balanced test is a “ missed opportunity to level the playing field for students who lack access to SAT/ACT test prep and retest opportunities , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opportunity gap for many thousands of California students.
” Reber , a UCLA associate professor of public policy , took issue with the faculty report ’ s recommendation to expand an admissions guarantee to top students who meet UC course requirements and take the SAT or ACT .
Currently the top 9 % of students statewide and at each local high school are guaranteed admission but only to a campus with available space .
About 12,500 of them ended up with an offer only to UC Merced in 2018 — and only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guarantee essentially meaningless , she said .
Instead , Reber said , UC regents should study how to encourage all campuses to admit more students who graduate with high GPAs but low test scores and hold them accountable for their academic success once enrolled .
Rothstein , a UC Berkeley professor of economics and public policy , argued that the report erred in asserting that the SAT was a stronger predictor of college performance than high school grades .
He said the tests measure advantaged backgrounds , not potential for college , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He also said the report presented no evidence to support the assertion that the way UC uses standardized test scores in admissions decisions compensates for testing bias .
The racial gap in SAT scores among applicants and admitted students are about the same , he said , which indicates the absence of any meaningful adjustments .

Three University of California admissions experts have slammed a faculty recommendation to keep the SAT and ACT as admission requirements.
Three University of California admissions experts slammed a faculty recommendation to keep the SAT and ACT for at least five years, giving ammunition to critics of the controversial exams who want to drop them as an admissions requirement.
In a letter to UC leadership posted Wednesday, the experts asked the Board of Regents to instead consider using the state assessment for K-12 students in California and several other states known as Smarter Balanced, which research shows is as predictive of college performance as the SAT with less bias against disadvantaged students.
Decades of research have shown the SAT and ACT tests are strongly influenced by race, income and parent education levels, driving legal challenges against their use in UC admissions and decisions by more than 1,000 colleges and universities to make them optional.
Advertisement
UC has temporarily suspended the standardized testing requirement as a result of SAT and ACT test cancellations amid the coronavirus pandemic. But both testing organizations plan to resume offering the exams later this year.
Smarter Balanced was found to be inappropriate for UC admission decisions and rejected as an alternative to the SAT and ACT in a faculty report on the university system’s use of standardized testing. The report was unanimously approved last week by the Academic Senate leadership and representatives from all 10 campuses in a 51-0 vote, with one abstention.
The approval signaled a sweeping show of support that set the stage for a high-stakes showdown with testing critics when regents meet next month to vote on the issue.
But three UC faculty experts in education policy and economics have stepped forward to blast the report’s dismissal of the Smarter Balanced test, continued reliance on discriminatory metrics and endorsement of what they found to be meaningless measures to expand access for underrepresented students.
“A faculty task report that was meant to inform and clarify has instead mischaracterized key issues,” wrote Michal Kurlaender of UC Davis, Sarah Reber of UCLA and Jesse Rothstein of UC Berkeley. “The report makes recommendations that are neither rooted in evidence nor likely to improve admissions fairness or representation across campuses.”
Academic Senate Chair Kum-Kum Bhavnani said several concerns about Smarter Balanced led the task force to reject it as an alternative. To perform well, students must have access to quality teaching, which is uneven across schools, and state data show a persistent racial achievement gap in test results. If UC adopted Smarter Balanced as an admissions test, affluent students will have more resources for tutors and test preparation, she added.
“I worry about Smarter Balanced being used as the UC admissions test, because, in under-resourced schools, we don’t know if there would be adequate preparation material available to teach the curriculum,” she said. “If that lack of material is accompanied by a greater turnover of teachers, students at under-resourced schools could be further disadvantaged.”
Advertisement
Kurlaender, chair of the UC Davis School of Education, said the UC system should consider Smarter Balanced because it tests what the state has determined students need to know in its Common Core curriculum and is administered to every 11th-grader during school hours without charge. Using Smarter Balanced for a UC admissions test would allow the university system to support the K-12 curriculum and give college-bound high school students a strong incentive to master the material, she said.
The faculty report dismissed the test because of a “wide range of risks,” including testing security and inconsistent administration across states. But Kurlaender said the action was too hasty, adding that Smarter Balanced was a better alternative than either the SAT or the report’s recommendation for UC to develop its own admissions test — which could take nine years.
Dismissing the Smarter Balanced test is a “missed opportunity to level the playing field for students who lack access to SAT/ACT test prep and retest opportunities,” she wrote, and “could shrink the opportunity gap for many thousands of California students.”
Reber, a UCLA associate professor of public policy, took issue with the faculty report’s recommendation to expand an admissions guarantee to top students who meet UC course requirements and take the SAT or ACT. Currently the top 9% of students statewide and at each local high school are guaranteed admission but only to a campus with available space. About 12,500 of them ended up with an offer only to UC Merced in 2018 — and only 168 chose to enroll — making the guarantee essentially meaningless, she said.
Instead, Reber said, UC regents should study how to encourage all campuses to admit more students who graduate with high GPAs but low test scores and hold them accountable for their academic success once enrolled.
Rothstein, a UC Berkeley professor of economics and public policy, argued that the report erred in asserting that the SAT was a stronger predictor of college performance than high school grades. He said the tests measure advantaged backgrounds, not potential for college, to a far greater degree than do grades.
He also said the report presented no evidence to support the assertion that the way UC uses standardized test scores in admissions decisions compensates for testing bias. The racial gap in SAT scores among applicants and admitted students are about the same, he said, which indicates the absence of any meaningful adjustments.


latimes--2020-04-22--Orange County debates closing beaches as hot weather raises fears of out-of-town crowds

Orange County officials have been debating whether to close beaches and trailheads during an upcoming heat wave after coastal residents raised concerns about out-of-towners descending on their communities in droves .
The county — and several Orange County cities — previously closed parking lots , parks , piers and trailheads adjacent to their beaches in an effort to curb access amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Seal Beach and Laguna Beach closed their beaches entirely .
Still , Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen expressed concern this week in a letter to Supervisor Lisa Bartlett , who represents a swath of south @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beaches adjacent to Laguna Beach open would put the health of residents at risk .
Temperatures are expected to climb into the high 80s and mid-90s across Southern California by the weekend .
Public officials worry this will prompt thousands to head to the sand to cool off , as is typical when temperatures spike .
“ We have all seen the video from the beaches in Florida that recently reopened , ” Whalen wrote , “ and there is no reason to expect a different outcome here with the first warm weather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will mean crowds will park in neighborhoods in South Laguna , putting residents there at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 , he argued .
In response , Bartlett on Tuesday at an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting proposed closing county beaches for two weeks during the hot spell .
Since surrounding counties completely shuttered their beaches , Orange County has been inundated with people from Los Angeles and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire , she said .
“ When you take a look at the folks that are coming down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adhering to Safer at Home policies in their own communities , they ’ re not even staying in their own counties .
Especially with the warm weather I think it ’ s going to be problematic , ” she said .
“ It ’ s not like we can say our beaches , parks and trails are open just to our residents .
The Coastal Commission won ’ t allow for that , so it ’ s an all-or-nothing thing.
” Bartlett , however , failed to rally the support of her colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bartlett had earlier proposal to allow golf courses to operate in the county to give people some recreation .
“ We ’ re opening up to a certain extent the golf courses because people need to recreate , but when the weather ’ s good we ’ re not going to let them recreate on our beaches and our trails , ” Wagner said .
“ There is no consistency .
There is no rhyme or reason here , and the idea this is something we need to do now because we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well , that ’ s precisely the time we should have more people out.
” The Ventura County city of Port Hueneme , experimenting with a “ soft reopening , ” has reopened its beach to walking , running , biking and solo surfing and paddle-boarding .
Its parking lot is open as well , although the pier , restrooms , playground and street parking remain closed .
The city says that it is “ highly discouraging ” people from sunbathing , sitting or bringing “ any item that promotes a stationary presence.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s tennis courts , beaches , piers , beach bike paths , beach access points , public trails and trailheads are closed through May 15 under the county ’ s current .
That order covers beaches in every coastal city and unincorporated area of the county .

Kylie Wortham, who was laid off when her company closed due to the pandemic, relaxes in a hammock in Huntington Beach.
Orange County officials have been debating whether to close beaches and trailheads during an upcoming heat wave after coastal residents raised concerns about out-of-towners descending on their communities in droves.
The county — and several Orange County cities — previously closed parking lots, parks, piers and trailheads adjacent to their beaches in an effort to curb access amid the coronavirus pandemic. Seal Beach and Laguna Beach closed their beaches entirely.
Still, Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen expressed concern this week in a letter to Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, who represents a swath of south Orange County, that leaving the county beaches adjacent to Laguna Beach open would put the health of residents at risk.
Advertisement
Temperatures are expected to climb into the high 80s and mid-90s across Southern California by the weekend. Public officials worry this will prompt thousands to head to the sand to cool off, as is typical when temperatures spike.
RELATED: What’s open, what’s closed
“We have all seen the video from the beaches in Florida that recently reopened,” Whalen wrote, “and there is no reason to expect a different outcome here with the first warm weather coming.”
Parking closures at most beaches will mean crowds will park in neighborhoods in South Laguna, putting residents there at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, he argued.
In response, Bartlett on Tuesday at an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting proposed closing county beaches for two weeks during the hot spell. Since surrounding counties completely shuttered their beaches, Orange County has been inundated with people from Los Angeles and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire, she said.
“When you take a look at the folks that are coming down, they’re not only not adhering to Safer at Home policies in their own communities, they’re not even staying in their own counties. Especially with the warm weather I think it’s going to be problematic,” she said. “It’s not like we can say our beaches, parks and trails are open just to our residents. The Coastal Commission won’t allow for that, so it’s an all-or-nothing thing.”
Advertisement
Bartlett, however, failed to rally the support of her colleagues. Supervisor Don Wagner pointed out that Bartlett had earlier proposal to allow golf courses to operate in the county to give people some recreation.
“We’re opening up to a certain extent the golf courses because people need to recreate, but when the weather’s good we’re not going to let them recreate on our beaches and our trails,” Wagner said. “There is no consistency. There is no rhyme or reason here, and the idea this is something we need to do now because we’re going to have nice weather, well, that’s precisely the time we should have more people out.”
The Ventura County city of Port Hueneme, experimenting with a “soft reopening,” has reopened its beach to walking, running, biking and solo surfing and paddle-boarding. Its parking lot is open as well, although the pier, restrooms, playground and street parking remain closed.
The city says that it is “highly discouraging” people from sunbathing, sitting or bringing “any item that promotes a stationary presence.”