latimes--2020-03-08--Amid outbreak of coronavirus, religious institutions tweak practices to avoid spread

At St. Frances X. Cabrini Roman Catholic Church in Yucaipa , Calif. , the holy water fonts have been left dry .
Parishioners must now bring their own water and ask the priest to bless it .
Congregants at the IKAR Jewish synagogue will now get their Saturday communal meals not by preparing their own plates , but courtesy of gloved workers .
At the Islamic Center of Southern California near Koreatown , the faithful are being encouraged to avoid greeting one another with embraces and handshakes .
Because worship involves contact not only with other people but with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sick are being asked to pray at home .
In places of worship , across various faiths and religious denominations , rituals and practices are being tweaked to adapt to the outbreak of a disease that thrives on nothing more than close human contact .
Religious communities built on the idea of gathering , celebrating , greeting , grieving and praying in a spirit of togetherness find themselves trying to create distance to fend off the spread of illness .
Across California , more than 80 people have been infected with the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been at least 381 confirmed cases , with most centered in Washington state , where 108 people have tested positive and 16 have died .
More than 100,000 people have become infected worldwide , according to the World Health Organization .
On Friday , the Los Angeles Archdiocese recommended a halt to the use of cups of wine for Communion and urged draining holy water fonts that did not include a filtration system .
The archdiocese also asked churchgoers to accept the Communion wafer in their hand , instead of directly in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or holding hands .
At the San Gabriel Mission , about 40 participants in Thursday morning ’ s Vietnamese-language Mass said hello through bows — avoiding any hugs and kisses .
After the service , they gathered to eat kung pao chicken and shrimp and white rice to bid farewell to a visiting priest , Joseph Ngo Van Lang , who would leave that night for the Philippines .
“ We can not hug , so we bow and wave , ” said Catherine Pham , 60 , of San Gabriel .
Within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday evening , 62-year-old Ahmed Nettabai greeted fellow worshipers with hugs , laughs , pats on the back and handshakes .
The Santa Monica resident had arrived to attend sunset prayer , known as Maghrib .
On Feb. 27 , the center emailed members with precautions to take because of the coronavirus .
It included links to Los Angeles County ’ s public health department , which has developed an action plan to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection , including washing hands with soap for at least 20 seconds .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including some of the very things that Nettabai did the moment he showed up for worship .
“ I ’ ve been hugging people since I was a boy , ” he said .
“ It ’ s difficult to change.
” Islamic Center spokesman Omar Ricci , 51 , said it was understandably difficult to forgo certain gestures , even if it is — as hoped — a temporary measure .
“ There ’ s almost a muscle memory to extend your hand and shake , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing that.
” Islamic Center assistant manager Osamah Bin-Mahfouz , 27 , said many devout Muslims wash their hands , arms , nose , face , head , feet and ankles before each of the five daily prayers , or Salat .
“ We ’ re a little ahead of others , ” he said , pointing to mounted hand sanitizers and bottles of Purell placed around the center .
Friday afternoon ’ s Jum ’ ah , or congregational prayer , draws crowds in the hundreds and the center is advising those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s the same message being delivered at the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove .
There , religious director Muzammil Siddiqi has told people to follow the health advisories issued by the county or state .
Orange County declared a local health emergency in regard to the novel coronavirus on Feb. 26 .
“ It is advised to all people that if you are not feeling well , don ’ t come , ” Siddiqi said .
“ You can do your daily prayer at home.
” Siddiqi estimates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily prayer and 500 to 1,000 for Friday afternoon prayer .
Additional hand sanitizers have been installed around the mosque .
Meanwhile , Catholic churches in the Diocese of San Bernardino , which covers about 1.6 million followers in San Bernardino and Riverside counties , including those at St. Frances X. Cabrini , have been discarding holy water .
The small fonts or containers usually found at the entrance of a church or chapel will not be filled , nor will the larger baptismal fonts , officials say .
“ We are discontinuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrews , media director for the diocese .
“ People dip their fingers in it and that ’ s one way infection or a virus can be spread.
” The diocese directive issued earlier this week included an end to full-immersion baptisms , which Andrews said is uncommon .
There was also a call for “ enhanced janitorial protections ” that included a one-time “ deep cleaning ” of parishes , schools and kitchens .
The decree came on the heels of optional liturgical restrictions issued Feb. 28 by the office of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraged not to hold or shake hands during Mass .
Parishioners were also asked not to drink from the cup of consecrated wine and to receive Communion wafers with their hands and not their mouths .
Andrews said there has been some pushback from parishioners .
“ Ever since we ’ ve put this out we ’ ve had some people contact us and say , ‘ You can ’ t tell me that I can ’ t have Communion on the tongue , ’ and they ’ re correct about that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just done to protect them.
” Though parishioners may think some of the steps are drastic , Sean Dempsey , a Jesuit priest and assistant professor of history at Loyola Marymount University , said the Catholic Church took even more dramatic steps in the past to deal with dangerous diseases .
During the 1918-19 Spanish flu , 50 million people died worldwide , nearly 700,000 in the United States .
Dempsey said the Archdiocese of Philadelphia worked with that city ’ s health department and shut down all services and classes .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makeshift hospitals and medical wards , while clergy aided in health efforts .
Actions taken by religious institutions , including the Catholic Church , are less extreme now than during past outbreaks , such as the Great Plague of the 14th century , because diseases are much better understood now .
“ The germ theory of disease has only really been around for a couple hundred years , ” Dempsey said .
“ So , prior to that , people identified cities and regions as ‘ being ill ’ and quarantined towns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Thursday , Bishop John Taylor of the Episcopal Church of Los Angeles issued a directive to all churches and schools in the Los Angeles Diocese to stop passing the Communion cup .
“ Communion wine may not be offered in our churches … until we can be confident that the danger of mass COVID-19 infections has abated , ” Taylor wrote .
Taylor also asked congregants to avoid hugging and handshakes and offer bows and elbow or fist bumps as alternatives .
Religious institutions have also been urging followers to not give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Los Angeles-area resident bishop with the United Methodist Church , issued a statement Feb. 28 asking members of the roughly 350 churches that span the Los Angeles region to avoid scapegoating or blaming Asians for the spread of the coronavirus .
Within the church , there have been no changes to Communion .
But Hagiya asked those who develop flu-like symptoms to seek medical attention , others to stay home if they ’ re feeling ill , and everyone to wash hands often and sanitize frequently touched surfaces .
At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hacienda Heights , gatherings are being limited .
Tours of the 15-acre hillside Buddhist monastery have also been eliminated .
To cut down on visits , the temple is offering its traditional Sunday Dharma service online along with classes that can be found on its website .
“ We will bring back the tours when we feel it ’ s safe and the danger has passed , ” said spokeswoman Venerable Zhixing Shih .
“ We , like others , want our visitors to feel connected and safe.
” The IKAR Jewish community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We ’ re trying to really balance keeping everyone safe , but also keeping them prepared and making sure they don ’ t panic , ” said IKAR Chief Executive Melissa Balaban .
“ We ’ re taking precautions and changing the way we do a few things.
” Balaban emailed guidelines to congregants on Feb. 28 , asking them to follow common practices for avoiding the spread of disease , such as washing hands and avoiding touching one ’ s face .
But Balaban said the harder directive has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as embracing .
“ Our community hugs and kisses , and last week I announced we were going to try to minimize physical contact with one another , ” Rabbi Sharon Brous said .
That was easier said than done , she said .
“ People struggled to stop , ” Brous said .
“ We realized we had to replace it with something.
” The community developed the “ IKAR Hug , ” which Brous said involves “ putting two hands to the chest and slightly bowing as a gesture of welcoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has about 800 families , has also changed the way Saturday ’ s post-service meal is served .
In the past , congregants would help themselves to buffet-style dining .
Now , Balaban said , gloved staffers or volunteers will serve plates .
This would limit the number of hands touching dishes , food and utensils , she said .
“ We ’ re not panicking here , ” Balaban said .
“ We ’ re just changing with the times .
”

Maminul Haque greets Munem Uddin as Abdul Rauf Islam, left, looks on at the Islamic Center of Southern California. The center has issued precautionary measures for its congregants in response to the coronavirus.
At St. Frances X. Cabrini Roman Catholic Church in Yucaipa, Calif., the holy water fonts have been left dry. Parishioners must now bring their own water and ask the priest to bless it.
Congregants at the IKAR Jewish synagogue will now get their Saturday communal meals not by preparing their own plates, but courtesy of gloved workers.
At the Islamic Center of Southern California near Koreatown, the faithful are being encouraged to avoid greeting one another with embraces and handshakes. Because worship involves contact not only with other people but with the carpet when bowing toward Mecca, the sick are being asked to pray at home.
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In places of worship, across various faiths and religious denominations, rituals and practices are being tweaked to adapt to the outbreak of a disease that thrives on nothing more than close human contact. Religious communities built on the idea of gathering, celebrating, greeting, grieving and praying in a spirit of togetherness find themselves trying to create distance to fend off the spread of illness.
Across California, more than 80 people have been infected with the coronavirus. In the U.S., there have been at least 381 confirmed cases, with most centered in Washington state, where 108 people have tested positive and 16 have died. More than 100,000 people have become infected worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
On Friday, the Los Angeles Archdiocese recommended a halt to the use of cups of wine for Communion and urged draining holy water fonts that did not include a filtration system. The archdiocese also asked churchgoers to accept the Communion wafer in their hand, instead of directly in the mouth, and to refrain from shaking or holding hands.
At the San Gabriel Mission, about 40 participants in Thursday morning’s Vietnamese-language Mass said hello through bows — avoiding any hugs and kisses.
After the service, they gathered to eat kung pao chicken and shrimp and white rice to bid farewell to a visiting priest, Joseph Ngo Van Lang, who would leave that night for the Philippines.
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“We cannot hug, so we bow and wave,” said Catherine Pham, 60, of San Gabriel.
Within seconds of entering the Islamic Center on Wednesday evening, 62-year-old Ahmed Nettabai greeted fellow worshipers with hugs, laughs, pats on the back and handshakes. The Santa Monica resident had arrived to attend sunset prayer, known as Maghrib.
On Feb. 27, the center emailed members with precautions to take because of the coronavirus. It included links to Los Angeles County’s public health department, which has developed an action plan to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection, including washing hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. But the Islamic Center also encouraged avoiding certain practices, including some of the very things that Nettabai did the moment he showed up for worship.
“I’ve been hugging people since I was a boy,” he said. “It’s difficult to change.”
Islamic Center spokesman Omar Ricci, 51, said it was understandably difficult to forgo certain gestures, even if it is — as hoped — a temporary measure.
“There’s almost a muscle memory to extend your hand and shake,” he said. “You have to sort of catch yourself doing that.”
Islamic Center assistant manager Osamah Bin-Mahfouz, 27, said many devout Muslims wash their hands, arms, nose, face, head, feet and ankles before each of the five daily prayers, or Salat.
“We’re a little ahead of others,” he said, pointing to mounted hand sanitizers and bottles of Purell placed around the center.
Friday afternoon’s Jum’ah, or congregational prayer, draws crowds in the hundreds and the center is advising those who feel ill to stay home. It’s the same message being delivered at the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove.
There, religious director Muzammil Siddiqi has told people to follow the health advisories issued by the county or state. Orange County declared a local health emergency in regard to the novel coronavirus on Feb. 26.
“It is advised to all people that if you are not feeling well, don’t come,” Siddiqi said. “You can do your daily prayer at home.”
Siddiqi estimates the mosque welcomes about 300 people for daily prayer and 500 to 1,000 for Friday afternoon prayer. Additional hand sanitizers have been installed around the mosque.
Meanwhile, Catholic churches in the Diocese of San Bernardino, which covers about 1.6 million followers in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, including those at St. Frances X. Cabrini, have been discarding holy water.
Osama Bin-Mahfouz, 27, washes himself before evening prayers at the Islamic Center of Southern California. The ICSC has issued precautionary measures for its congregants in response to the coronavirus. that includes a handshake, a hug, and a kiss on the cheek be avoided. The center believes it “may be worth avoiding touching” and that a hand on the heart, a respectful nod, and a warm smile are preferred. The center is asking sick members of faith to stay home and avoid Friday’s traditional Jumma prayer. They are also asking that sick children at the center’s New Horizon School system and Sunday School be kept home. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The small fonts or containers usually found at the entrance of a church or chapel will not be filled, nor will the larger baptismal fonts, officials say.
“We are discontinuing that for now,” said John Andrews, media director for the diocese. “People dip their fingers in it and that’s one way infection or a virus can be spread.”
The diocese directive issued earlier this week included an end to full-immersion baptisms, which Andrews said is uncommon. There was also a call for “enhanced janitorial protections” that included a one-time “deep cleaning” of parishes, schools and kitchens.
The decree came on the heels of optional liturgical restrictions issued Feb. 28 by the office of the vicar general, in which churchgoers were encouraged not to hold or shake hands during Mass. Parishioners were also asked not to drink from the cup of consecrated wine and to receive Communion wafers with their hands and not their mouths.
Andrews said there has been some pushback from parishioners.
“Ever since we’ve put this out we’ve had some people contact us and say, ‘You can’t tell me that I can’t have Communion on the tongue,’ and they’re correct about that,” Andrews said. “This is just done to protect them.”
Though parishioners may think some of the steps are drastic, Sean Dempsey, a Jesuit priest and assistant professor of history at Loyola Marymount University, said the Catholic Church took even more dramatic steps in the past to deal with dangerous diseases.
During the 1918-19 Spanish flu, 50 million people died worldwide, nearly 700,000 in the United States. Dempsey said the Archdiocese of Philadelphia worked with that city’s health department and shut down all services and classes.
The vacant schools and churches were converted into makeshift hospitals and medical wards, while clergy aided in health efforts. Actions taken by religious institutions, including the Catholic Church, are less extreme now than during past outbreaks, such as the Great Plague of the 14th century, because diseases are much better understood now.
“The germ theory of disease has only really been around for a couple hundred years,” Dempsey said. “So, prior to that, people identified cities and regions as ‘being ill’ and quarantined towns, which led to catastrophic mortality rates.”
“We’re not panicking here. We’re just changing with the times.” — IKAR Jewish Community CEO Melissa Balaban
On Thursday, Bishop John Taylor of the Episcopal Church of Los Angeles issued a directive to all churches and schools in the Los Angeles Diocese to stop passing the Communion cup.
“Communion wine may not be offered in our churches … until we can be confident that the danger of mass COVID-19 infections has abated,” Taylor wrote.
Taylor also asked congregants to avoid hugging and handshakes and offer bows and elbow or fist bumps as alternatives.
Religious institutions have also been urging followers to not give in to prejudice.
Grant J. Hagiya, a Los Angeles-area resident bishop with the United Methodist Church, issued a statement Feb. 28 asking members of the roughly 350 churches that span the Los Angeles region to avoid scapegoating or blaming Asians for the spread of the coronavirus.
Within the church, there have been no changes to Communion. But Hagiya asked those who develop flu-like symptoms to seek medical attention, others to stay home if they’re feeling ill, and everyone to wash hands often and sanitize frequently touched surfaces.
At the Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, gatherings are being limited. Tours of the 15-acre hillside Buddhist monastery have also been eliminated.
To cut down on visits, the temple is offering its traditional Sunday Dharma service online along with classes that can be found on its website.
“We will bring back the tours when we feel it’s safe and the danger has passed,” said spokeswoman Venerable Zhixing Shih. “We, like others, want our visitors to feel connected and safe.”
The IKAR Jewish community and synagogue have focused on staying calm.
“We’re trying to really balance keeping everyone safe, but also keeping them prepared and making sure they don’t panic,” said IKAR Chief Executive Melissa Balaban. “We’re taking precautions and changing the way we do a few things.”
Balaban emailed guidelines to congregants on Feb. 28, asking them to follow common practices for avoiding the spread of disease, such as washing hands and avoiding touching one’s face.
But Balaban said the harder directive has been to ask people to avoid things such as embracing.
“Our community hugs and kisses, and last week I announced we were going to try to minimize physical contact with one another,” Rabbi Sharon Brous said.
That was easier said than done, she said.
“People struggled to stop,” Brous said. “We realized we had to replace it with something.”
The community developed the “IKAR Hug,” which Brous said involves “putting two hands to the chest and slightly bowing as a gesture of welcoming somebody with love.”
The synagogue, which has about 800 families, has also changed the way Saturday’s post-service meal is served.
In the past, congregants would help themselves to buffet-style dining. Now, Balaban said, gloved staffers or volunteers will serve plates. This would limit the number of hands touching dishes, food and utensils, she said.
“We’re not panicking here,” Balaban said. “We’re just changing with the times.”


latimes--2020-03-08--The Chinese student who petitioned Stanford to fight coronavirus with online classes

Stanford University senior Yulou Zhou doesn ’ t know if his actions helped influence the campus decision on Friday to move all classes online amid the spread of coronavirus in the Bay Area .
But he knows he became alarmed about the virus well before most of his classmates at the elite Palo Alto campus .
That ’ s because his hometown of Yueyang is an hour ’ s train ride from Wuhan in central China , the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak .
As cases spread to Yueyang , Zhou ’ s fears escalated .
By mid-January , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family .
He told his grandparents to stay home .
He checked in with his parents daily to make sure they had enough food .
Posts from Wuhan pleading for medical help filled his social media .
His early anxieties sharply contrasted with what Zhou said he saw at Stanford .
Other Stanford students seemed to feel likewise in robust discussions on Chinese-language social media platforms , he said .
On Tuesday , Zhou and more than two dozen other students launched a petition calling Stanford ’ s efforts against the virus “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrators encourage online learning , lift attendance requirements for larger classes and adopt stronger protective measures .
Nearly 3,700 signed .
Three days later , Stanford became the first California university to announce it would cancel all in-person classes for its 16,500 students beginning Monday for the remaining two weeks of the quarter .
Stanford also announced it would cancel its annual weekend visit for admitted students in April and all group campus tours and information sessions .
The Friday night announcement came after a faculty member tested positive for COVID-19 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposure to the virus .
“ We recognize that this is a significant adjustment for many instructors , ” Provost Persis Drell said in a letter to the campus community .
But she said the actions were needed “ both to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to ease anxiety in our community as winter finals approach.
” Officials at Stanford could not be reached for comment Saturday .
But Zhou said he is grateful for the actions and for those who signed the petition .
“ Students who have been following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how dangerous this was , ” said Zhou , 22 , who is majoring in linguistics and computer science .
“ So I ’ m really , really relieved.
” As COVID-19 spreads , other school districts and universities are stepping up protective measures .
The University of Washington and several other schools in the Seattle area have canceled in-person classes .
San Jose State University is “ strongly considering ” taking similar actions amid 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County , according to a university statement Saturday .
UC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their websites Saturday that they plan to continue with in-person classes but are preparing for the possibility of disruptions at a moment ’ s notice , advising their community to watch for announcements .
USC announced it would move all classes online for three days beginning Wednesday to test whether it can operate remotely should the university decide to suspend face-to-face contacts .
On Saturday , Elk Grove Unified School District , the largest system in Northern California , announced it would close all schools after a family whose child attends one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Sacramento County Public Health Department .
No students or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 , a letter to parents said .
With 67 schools and about 64,000 students , Elk Grove is the first school district in the state to shut down , upending the lives of thousands of families .
A big basketball playoff game and the prom were canceled this weekend .
Christopher Hoffman , Elk Grove superintendent , said during a live-streamed briefing Saturday that the decision to close may not be “ the right thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it ’ s the right thing for us at this particular point in time.
” The week off will be the district ’ s April spring break , so class time won ’ t be lost , he said .
The move “ allows us to take a breath and figure out what is the correct step moving forward.
” Following the Elk Grove announcement , Sacramento County education and public health officials issued a statement to assure local school districts that to date , there are no diagnosed COVID-19 cases involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They said they respect the Elk Grove decision to move up their spring break and will work with them to “ fully understand their situation.
” Officials said there is no immediate risk or recommendation “ that any individual school or school district needs to close ” in Sacramento County .
At Stanford , the move to online classes drew varied reactions .
Some students welcomed the decision , while others said it created uncertainties .
Cedrick Argueta , a 21-year-old senior majoring in computer science , questioned how the move to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course .
He said the class heavily relies on group work but the online technology platform planned for use is more suited to lectures than person-to-person interactions .
He said the prohibition of in-person classes also would affect his final group project since his team members are in Palo Alto and he ’ s still in Los Angeles and may not return to campus .
Other students are wondering how they can complete their lab classes remotely or whether essential courses could be canceled for spring quarter and jeopardize their graduation .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Brian Contreras , 20 , a senior majoring in science , technology and society .
Contreras said students like him with internships or jobs lined up would not be able to make up any canceled classes in the summer or fall .
Other students had planned to study abroad next quarter , but Stanford shut those down .
His spring break trip to Austin , Texas , is now up in the air after Stanford discouraged even domestic travel .
He said feelings among students about the measures are mixed .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s silly to cancel classes , ” he said .
Erin Woo , a junior majoring in communications , said she is not particularly concerned about her own safety because the virus is less dangerous to healthy young adults like her .
The new campus measures could help protect older faculty and staff members , she said , or those with compromised immune systems .
But Olivia Manes , a sophomore in international relations and comparative literature , strongly supports the Stanford decision and already is making plans to head home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarter online .
“ There ’ s been a lot of anxiety about going to class and taking finals in a crowded room , ” Manes said .
“ A lot of people are getting off campus as soon as they can .
It feels like the longer you stay here , the longer you ’ ll be exposed to coronavirus.
” She said the threat of the novel coronavirus has spiked anxieties and upended routines across campus .
She now avoids dining halls .
Parties and social events have been canceled , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advised postponing or canceling gatherings of more than 150 people .
On Thursday , Santa Clara County public health officials also advised residents against attending large gatherings and to minimize work in large groups .
“ It ’ s made me a lot more paranoid , ” Manes said .
“ You don ’ t know if the person next to you has a cold or coronavirus .
”

Stanford University senior Yulou Zhou doesn’t know if his actions helped influence the campus decision on Friday to move all classes online amid the spread of coronavirus in the Bay Area. But he knows he became alarmed about the virus well before most of his classmates at the elite Palo Alto campus.
That’s because his hometown of Yueyang is an hour’s train ride from Wuhan in central China, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak. As cases spread to Yueyang, Zhou’s fears escalated. By mid-January, he was sending face masks to his family. He told his grandparents to stay home. He checked in with his parents daily to make sure they had enough food. Posts from Wuhan pleading for medical help filled his social media.
His early anxieties sharply contrasted with what Zhou said he saw at Stanford. Other Stanford students seemed to feel likewise in robust discussions on Chinese-language social media platforms, he said. On Tuesday, Zhou and more than two dozen other students launched a petition calling Stanford’s efforts against the virus “deficient at best” and demanded that administrators encourage online learning, lift attendance requirements for larger classes and adopt stronger protective measures. Nearly 3,700 signed.
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Three days later, Stanford became the first California university to announce it would cancel all in-person classes for its 16,500 students beginning Monday for the remaining two weeks of the quarter. Stanford also announced it would cancel its annual weekend visit for admitted students in April and all group campus tours and information sessions.
The Friday night announcement, the most sweeping of several earlier Stanford actions, came after a faculty member tested positive for COVID-19, and two students were in self-isolation after possible exposure to the virus.
“We recognize that this is a significant adjustment for many instructors,” Provost Persis Drell said in a letter to the campus community. But she said the actions were needed “both to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to ease anxiety in our community as winter finals approach.”
Officials at Stanford could not be reached for comment Saturday. But Zhou said he is grateful for the actions and for those who signed the petition.
“Students who have been following outbreaks in other countries started to realize how dangerous this was,” said Zhou, 22, who is majoring in linguistics and computer science. “So I’m really, really relieved.”
As COVID-19 spreads, other school districts and universities are stepping up protective measures. The University of Washington and several other schools in the Seattle area have canceled in-person classes. San Jose State University is “strongly considering” taking similar actions amid 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County, according to a university statement Saturday.
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UC Davis and Santa Clara University said on their websites Saturday that they plan to continue with in-person classes but are preparing for the possibility of disruptions at a moment’s notice, advising their community to watch for announcements.
USC announced it would move all classes online for three days beginning Wednesday to test whether it can operate remotely should the university decide to suspend face-to-face contacts.
On Saturday, Elk Grove Unified School District, the largest system in Northern California, announced it would close all schools after a family whose child attends one of its schools was under a quarantine order by the Sacramento County Public Health Department. No students or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, a letter to parents said.
With 67 schools and about 64,000 students, Elk Grove is the first school district in the state to shut down, upending the lives of thousands of families. A big basketball playoff game and the prom were canceled this weekend.
Christopher Hoffman, Elk Grove superintendent, said during a live-streamed briefing Saturday that the decision to close may not be “the right thing for every district, but I do think it’s the right thing for us at this particular point in time.” The week off will be the district’s April spring break, so class time won’t be lost, he said. The move “allows us to take a breath and figure out what is the correct step moving forward.”
Following the Elk Grove announcement, Sacramento County education and public health officials issued a statement to assure local school districts that to date, there are no diagnosed COVID-19 cases involving students or school staff in the county. They said they respect the Elk Grove decision to move up their spring break and will work with them to “fully understand their situation.” Officials said there is no immediate risk or recommendation “that any individual school or school district needs to close” in Sacramento County.
At Stanford, the move to online classes drew varied reactions. Some students welcomed the decision, while others said it created uncertainties.
Cedrick Argueta, a 21-year-old senior majoring in computer science, questioned how the move to remote learning would work for his Filipino-language course. He said the class heavily relies on group work but the online technology platform planned for use is more suited to lectures than person-to-person interactions. He said the prohibition of in-person classes also would affect his final group project since his team members are in Palo Alto and he’s still in Los Angeles and may not return to campus.
Other students are wondering how they can complete their lab classes remotely or whether essential courses could be canceled for spring quarter and jeopardize their graduation.
“That would be a mess,” said Brian Contreras, 20, a senior majoring in science, technology and society.
Contreras said students like him with internships or jobs lined up would not be able to make up any canceled classes in the summer or fall. Other students had planned to study abroad next quarter, but Stanford shut those down. His spring break trip to Austin, Texas, is now up in the air after Stanford discouraged even domestic travel.
He said feelings among students about the measures are mixed. “There are plenty of people who think it’s silly to cancel classes,” he said.
Erin Woo, a junior majoring in communications, said she is not particularly concerned about her own safety because the virus is less dangerous to healthy young adults like her. The new campus measures could help protect older faculty and staff members, she said, or those with compromised immune systems.
But Olivia Manes, a sophomore in international relations and comparative literature, strongly supports the Stanford decision and already is making plans to head home to Cathedral City to finish up the quarter online.
“There’s been a lot of anxiety about going to class and taking finals in a crowded room,” Manes said. “A lot of people are getting off campus as soon as they can. It feels like the longer you stay here, the longer you’ll be exposed to coronavirus.”
She said the threat of the novel coronavirus has spiked anxieties and upended routines across campus. She now avoids dining halls.
Parties and social events have been canceled, as have many campus events after Stanford advised postponing or canceling gatherings of more than 150 people. On Thursday, Santa Clara County public health officials also advised residents against attending large gatherings and to minimize work in large groups.
“It’s made me a lot more paranoid,” Manes said. “You don’t know if the person next to you has a cold or coronavirus.”


latimes--2020-03-08--As coronavirus overwhelms California health officials, hope of 'containment' fades

The crackling of a police loudspeaker drew neighbors out of their homes to observe an unusual spectacle on a typically quiet residential street : a California county trying to force a resident to respect quarantine orders .
A police helicopter circled overhead on Thursday as an officer stood outside his patrol car and instructed an elderly woman to go back inside a single-story home owned by a man who died of COVID-19 , a passenger who may have fallen ill on a cruise to Mexico and became the first person in the state to succumb to the virus .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one household speaks to the gargantuan task many of the state ’ s 58 counties face as they try to contact and assess the 1,590 California residents who disembarked from the Grand Princess cruise ship in San Francisco on Feb. 21 .
The Placer County victim was on that same ship , creating the prospect that other passengers returned home two weeks ago carrying COVID-19 .
State officials obtained a passenger manifest from the cruise company on Wednesday and began immediately informing 44 counties of the names of potentially exposed passengers who reside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outreach began 12 days after the passengers returned to port in San Francisco and dispersed into local communities , plenty of time for them to potentially expose others .
Some officials have acknowledged that the spread of the virus is beyond their control , and there is widening discussion on whether they should shift from a strategy of tracking every potential exposure to asking the public to limit social gatherings .
“ We are moving as quickly as possible to limit the spread of disease , ” said Dr. Aimee Sisson , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ To be frank , we would not be surprised to see a second wave of cases connected to these cruise passengers given the amount of time that ’ s passed since they disembarked.
” Princess Cruises alleged Saturday that the man who died was already carrying the virus when he boarded the ship .
Sisson disagreed and said the county ’ s investigation found that he likely contracted the disease on the trip .
The state said approximately a dozen passengers on the Grand Princess cruise that traveled to Mexico and returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for the new coronavirus .
Local officials reported four cases in Placer County , two in Contra Costa County , two in Sonoma County and one each in Santa Cruz , Ventura , Madera and Alameda counties .
Several passengers interviewed by the Los Angeles Times complained about a lack of communication from county health officials , with several claiming last week that they were not contacted by anyone but the cruise company and have been unable to get tested for the virus .
Heidi Wolter , a Napa County resident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified herslf as a passenger after she read about a fellow traveler on the ship testing positive in Sonoma County .
She said she experienced a five-day headache and suspected her elderly mother may have been in contact with Placer County victims .
But she struggled to get through to a nurse , who didn ’ t offer her any help seeking a test , she said .
“ I am not trying to panic anybody , but I am just trying to let you know [ people ] that were exposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are running amok , ” Wolter said .
“ I ’ m sure there are people from the cruise who don ’ t even know they shouldn ’ t be rubbing elbows.
” Karen Relucio , Napa County ’ s public health officer , said her department wasn ’ t aware of any major concerns about the cruise ship until the state announced the first death of a passenger and released the manifest to counties .
Relucio said someone like Wolter would be considered low risk and would be advised to self-monitor for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls .
“ I don ’ t think local health departments were really informed of the gravity of the situation until Wednesday , ” Relucio said .
Other counties admitted that contacting the passengers was a low priority as other potential sources of exposure ballooned in their jurisdictions .
The first cases of COVID-19 in California were confirmed in January and experts believe it ’ s possible that the virus entered the country undetected shortly after the outbreak began in China .
For some , the Grand Princess case became another sign that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus are exceeding their capabilities .
“ For us , because we have community transmission , lots of people are being exposed every day , ” said Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas .
Solano County has three confirmed cases of COVID-19 , two of which involved residents contracting the disease in the community .
One confirmed case exposed an estimated 400 people alone , he said .
“ And this wasn ’ t a particularly gregarious person , ” Matyas said .
“ So , as you can see , a handful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to the front of the line on our priority list.
” Matyas said the moderately sized Solano County has a unit of 15 people who focus on communicable diseases , but that other departments have been helping and the state Department of Public Health , the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Travis Air Force Base have all provided additional staff .
“ It ’ s still a very large burden , ” he said .
“ We have been working beyond our capacity for a while.
” Karen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former director of the state health department , said the situation reflects the struggle county health departments will encounter in the coming weeks to keep up with demand as more people become exposed and test positive .
California ’ s public health system relies heavily on county officials to respond to epidemics within their communities , announce confirmed cases , track known contacts and declare emergencies .
Public health officers lead the charge in each of the state ’ s counties , which vary dramatically by population , demographics , geographical location @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Smith and others say public health officials are in very serious conversations statewide now about when communities should transition from the task of locating potential contacts of a confirmed patient to broadly asking people to stay home and not congregate in groups — a sobering acknowledgment that the virus can not be stopped .
“ When do we get to the point where we don ’ t have the capacity to keep doing it how we ’ re doing it ?
” said Smith , who is working as a consultant in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At that time , we want to slow the virus — it ’ s unlikely that we ’ re going to stop the virus — so we can provide adequate healthcare.
” San Francisco issued recommendations for social distancing on Friday , advising residents to stay home as much as possible and avoid congregating in large groups .
Santa Clara County , which has some 20 confirmed cases , issued similar guidelines .
Smith said the shift allows counties to prioritize preventing the spread of the virus in healthcare facilities , nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefing Friday , Dr. Barbara Ferrer , director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health , said that for now , the county has the capacity to do contact tracing , a method of quickly identifying a chain of potential transmission of the disease , for known cases and keep up with demand .
But that could change .
“ We have capacity right now , should there be hundreds of cases , we will just flip to mitigation , and with a concentration on working with institutions where there might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ferrer said that more extreme measures , such as closing schools , canceling mass gatherings and shutting down public transit , will be considered as the outbreak grows .
She said at this point officials feel confident in their ability to find people who are symptomatic and identify and quarantine their contacts .
“ If we have a lot more cases … we would move toward more widespread social distancing measures , and if we have exposures in places like schools where lots of people got exposure and needed to be quarantined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Solano County initially required those exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine for 14 days at home .
But , according to Matyas , the county in recent days has transitioned to asking those type of residents to stay home only if they develop symptoms .
“ It ’ s way too late to identify everyone once you have community transmission , ” he said .
“ The truth is that we have no clue who has been exposed .
At some point , we will decide as a state or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to say it ’ s here and we have to protect critical infrastructure like healthcare workers and emergency responders and fragile people.
” Relucio in Napa , where there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases , said a team of roughly 20 employees is working on disease containment , including six nurses who are doing outreach to travelers being monitored or under quarantine , including requiring that residents send in pictures of thermometers displaying their temperature .
She said a lab that serves Napa and three other counties just received coronavirus test kits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracing because there ’ s no way you can get everybody , ” she said .
“ There ’ s no way you can do a mandatory quarantine order on hundreds of people .
Those orders are only as good as enforcement.
” Gov .
Gavin Newsom ‘ s office said the California Department of Public Health is prepared to deploy resources to counties that request help and has already sent staff to Placer , Santa Clara and Solano counties to help identify people who have been exposed to the disease .
State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are also helping with phone calls , coordination and guidance on individual cases .
“ The state is trying its best , ” Relucio said .
“ I think the information that they get is as good as what they get from the CDC .
I think the state is moving as fast as it can , considering the circumstances.
” The state activated its emergency centers at the Department of Public Health and the Office of Emergency Services and Newsom declared a state of emergency on Thursday to alleviate any regulatory restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budget includes $ 20 million in emergency funds that the state can use to respond to the crisis with another $ 20 million proposed for the fiscal year beginning in July .
The administration is also working with the CDC to secure additional testing kits and received clearance last week to distribute emergency reserves of face masks to healthcare workers .
The governor also announced last week that health plans would be required to cover the costs of testing and other services related to COVID-19 , and the state ’ s lab in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite feeling pressure on the ground , many county health officers view the state ’ s role as providing guidance to communities .
“ I do think it makes sense because [ the counties ] understand the communities , ” said Diana Dooley , a former secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency and later chief of staff to Gov .
Jerry Brown .
“ Everyone wants a magic wand or a silver bullet in a circumstance like this , but you have to be careful that you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are on the ground and know what they are doing.
” Times staff writers Anita Chabria , Emily Baumgaertner and Soumya Karlamangla contributed to this report .

The crackling of a police loudspeaker drew neighbors out of their homes to observe an unusual spectacle on a typically quiet residential street: a California county trying to force a resident to respect quarantine orders.
A police helicopter circled overhead on Thursday as an officer stood outside his patrol car and instructed an elderly woman to go back inside a single-story home owned by a man who died of COVID-19 — a passenger who may have fallen ill on a cruise to Mexico and became the first person in the state to succumb to the virus.
The struggle to contain the coronavirus in just one household speaks to the gargantuan task many of the state’s 58 counties face as they try to contact and assess the 1,590 California residents who disembarked from the Grand Princess cruise ship in San Francisco on Feb. 21.
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The Placer County victim was on that ship, creating the prospect that other passengers returned home two weeks ago carrying COVID-19.
State officials obtained a passenger manifest from the cruise company on Wednesday and began immediately informing 44 counties of the names of potentially exposed passengers who reside in their areas. But the statewide outreach began 12 days after the passengers returned to port in San Francisco and dispersed into local communities, plenty of time for them to potentially expose others.
Some officials have acknowledged that the spread of the virus is beyond their control, and there is widening discussion on whether they should shift from a strategy of tracking every potential exposure to asking the public to limit social gatherings.
“We are moving as quickly as possible to limit the spread of disease,” said Dr. Aimee Sisson, the public health officer for Placer County. “To be frank, we would not be surprised to see a second wave of cases connected to these cruise passengers given the amount of time that’s passed since they disembarked.”
The ship, now floating off the coast with a second set of passengers returning from a subsequent trip to Hawaii, is expected to dock Monday in the Port of Oakland, where officials say numerous precautions will be taken to limit further infections. Even so, leading health authorities echoed concerns of many in California that the country has entered a new stage in dealing with the new coronavirus.
“We’re past the point of containment,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration during the first two years of President Trump’s administration, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“We’ll get through this, but it’s going to be a hard period. We’re looking at two months, probably, of difficulty,” Gottlieb added.
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Princess Cruises alleged Saturday that the man who died was already carrying the virus when he boarded the ship. Sisson disagreed and said the county’s investigation found that he probably contracted the disease on the trip.
The state said approximately a dozen passengers on the Grand Princess cruise that traveled to Mexico and returned to San Francisco on Feb. 21 had tested positive for the new coronavirus. As of Saturday, local officials reported four cases in Placer County, two in Contra Costa County, two in Sonoma County and one each in Santa Cruz, Ventura, Madera and Alameda counties.
Several passengers interviewed by The Times complained about a lack of communication from county health officials, with several saying last week that they were not contacted by anyone but the cruise company and were unable to get tested for the virus.
Heidi Wolter, a Napa County resident, said she called the county and identified herself as a passenger after she read about a fellow traveler on the ship testing positive in Sonoma County. She said she experienced a five-day headache and suspected her elderly mother may have been in contact with Placer County victims. But she struggled to get through to a nurse, who didn’t offer her any help seeking a test, she said.
“I am not trying to panic anybody, but I am just trying to let you know [people] that were exposed to this stuff are out there and they are running amok,” Wolter said. “I’m sure there are people from the cruise who don’t even know they shouldn’t be rubbing elbows.”
Karen Relucio, Napa County’s public health officer, said her department wasn’t aware of any major concerns about the cruise ship until the state announced the first death of a passenger and released the manifest to counties. Relucio said someone like Wolter would be considered low risk and would be advised to self-monitor for two weeks when the county began making calls.
“I don’t think local health departments were really informed of the gravity of the situation until Wednesday,” Relucio said.
Other counties admitted that contacting the passengers was a low priority as other potential sources of exposure ballooned in their jurisdictions. The first cases of COVID-19 in California were confirmed in January, and experts believe it’s possible that the virus entered the country undetected shortly after the outbreak began in China.
For some, the Grand Princess case became another sign that efforts needed to stop the spread of the virus are exceeding their capabilities.
“For us, because we have community transmission, lots of people are being exposed every day,” said Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas.
As of Sunday, Solano County was reporting three confirmed cases of COVID-19, two of which involved residents contracting the disease in the community. One confirmed case exposed an estimated 400 people alone, he said.
“And this wasn’t a particularly gregarious person,” Matyas said. “So, as you can see, a handful of people on the Grand Princess are not going to the front of the line on our priority list.”
Matyas said that the moderately sized Solano County has a unit of 15 people who focus on communicable diseases, but that other departments have been helping and the state Department of Public Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Travis Air Force Base have all provided additional staff.
“It’s still a very large burden,” he said. “We have been working beyond our capacity for a while.”
Karen Smith, a communicable disease physician and a former director of the state health department, said the situation reflects the struggle county health departments will encounter to keep up with demand as more people become exposed and test positive.
California’s public health system relies heavily on county officials to respond to epidemics within their communities, announce confirmed cases, track known contacts and declare emergencies. Public health officers lead the charge in each of the state’s counties, which vary dramatically by population, demographics, geographical location, access to healthcare and financial resources.
Smith and others say public health officials are in very serious conversations statewide about when communities should transition from the task of locating potential contacts of a confirmed patient to broadly asking people to stay home and not congregate in groups — a sobering acknowledgment that the virus cannot be stopped.
“When do we get to the point where we don’t have the capacity to keep doing it how we’re doing it?” said Smith, who is working as a consultant in Santa Clara and Mendocino counties. “At that time, we want to slow the virus — it’s unlikely that we’re going to stop the virus — so we can provide adequate healthcare.”
San Francisco issued recommendations for social distancing on Friday, advising residents to stay home as much as possible and avoid congregating in large groups. Santa Clara County, which as of Sunday had 37 confirmed cases, issued similar guidelines. Smith said the shift allows counties to prioritize preventing the spread of the virus in healthcare facilities, nursing homes and other high-risk settings.
In a briefing Friday, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said that for now, the county has the capacity to do contact tracing, a method of quickly identifying a chain of potential transmission of the disease, for known cases and keep up with demand. But that could change.
“We have capacity right now. Should there be hundreds of cases, we will just flip to mitigation, and with a concentration on working with institutions where there might be small outbreaks,” she said.
Ferrer said that more extreme measures, such as closing schools, canceling mass gatherings and shutting down public transit, will be considered as the outbreak grows. She said at this point officials feel confident in their ability to find people who are symptomatic and identify and quarantine their contacts.
“If we have a lot more cases … we would move toward more widespread social-distancing measures, and if we have exposures in places like schools, where lots of people got exposure and needed to be quarantined, you would see possible closures,” she said.
Solano County initially required those exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine for 14 days at home. But, according to Matyas, the county in recent days has transitioned to asking those type of residents to stay home only if they develop symptoms.
“It’s way too late to identify everyone once you have community transmission,” he said. “The truth is that we have no clue who has been exposed. At some point, we will decide as a state or a nation to go this direction. We have to say it’s here and we have to protect critical infrastructure like healthcare workers and emergency responders and fragile people.”
Relucio in Napa, where there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases, said a team of roughly 20 employees is working on disease containment, including six nurses who are doing outreach to travelers being monitored or under quarantine, including requiring that residents send in pictures of thermometers displaying their temperature. She said a lab that serves Napa and three other counties just received coronavirus test kits on Friday.
“You eventually stop tracing because there’s no way you can get everybody,” she said. “There’s no way you can do a mandatory quarantine order on hundreds of people. Those orders are only as good as enforcement.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the California Department of Public Health is prepared to deploy resources to counties that request help and has already sent staff to Placer, Santa Clara and Solano counties to help identify people who have been exposed to the disease. State public health staff in Richmond and Sacramento are also helping with phone calls, coordination and guidance on individual cases.
“The state is trying its best,” Relucio said. “I think the information that they get is as good as what they get from the CDC. I think the state is moving as fast as it can, considering the circumstances.”
The state activated its emergency centers at the Department of Public Health and the Office of Emergency Services, and Newsom declared a state of emergency on Thursday to alleviate any regulatory restrictions related to response efforts.
The current budget includes $20 million in emergency funds that the state can use to respond to the crisis, with another $20 million proposed for the fiscal year beginning in July.
The administration is also working with the CDC to secure additional testing kits and received clearance last week to distribute emergency reserves of face masks to healthcare workers.
The governor also announced last week that health plans would be required to cover the costs of testing and other services related to COVID-19, and the state’s lab in Richmond began processing test kits in mid-February.
Despite feeling pressure on the ground, many county health officers view the state’s role as providing guidance to communities.
“I do think it makes sense because [the counties] understand the communities,” said Diana Dooley, a former secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency and later chief of staff to Gov. Jerry Brown. “Everyone wants a magic wand or a silver bullet in a circumstance like this, but you have to be careful that you’re respecting some process and the people who are on the ground and know what they are doing.”
Times staff writers Anita Chabria, Emily Baumgaertner and Soumya Karlamangla contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-08--The creep of coronavirus is changing daily lives, inspiring panic and shrugs

Shopping carts snaked in a line so long it stretched into the Costco parking lot .
It was early Saturday at the Atwater Village location and hundreds of customers , in varying states of concern , were counting down the seconds until the doors opened .
“ Good morning , folks , ” an employee shouted , “ we have a limit on paper towels , water and bath tissue !
” As the crowd crushed toward the back of the store , piling their carts high with toilet paper and paper towels , employees stood in the aisles directing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When he saw the long lines , Matthew Nasser wondered , at first , if there was a celebrity in the store .
But then he asked someone what was going on .
The commotion , he learned , was about the very thing that had nagged in the back of his mind : coronavirus .
It wasn ’ t why he ’ d come shopping , but still , he decided to buy water and toilet paper .
“ While it ’ s here , ” he said , “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks of watching its spread — in Italy and Iran , Seattle and South Korea — the anxiety of a global threat started to settle in across Southern California , creating a strange amalgam of emotions .
Some people carried on with their Saturday routines , entirely unfazed , and others — gym rats , mall shoppers , park lovers — became disturbingly aware of just how often they came into close contact with others .
At a Target in Mid-City , the shelves of bleach were completely emptied .
And at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aisles of the cosmetic store , taking advantage of the smaller-than-usual crowds .
She wasn ’ t going to put any makeup samples on her face — but that ’ s not something she usually does anyway .
“ I ’ m an extremely germophobic person , ” Tuheen said .
“ I wash my hands 20 times a day , so I haven ’ t really done anything differently.
” In MacArthur Park , the sidewalks buzzed with the usual energy of vendors hawking smartphone cases and neon sneakers .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frankel , who is homeless , sat near her cart of belongings and stared out at the people all around her .
“ If somebody is coughing or sneezing around me , I hold my breath and get out of the area , ” said Frankel , 64 .
“ There are places here to wash your hands — but it ’ s hard to do because of this , ” she said , displaying her hands , which were cracked from her psoriasis .
Around the block , a man feeding pigeons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s not that bad in this area , ” he said , “ so I don ’ t really worry about it.
” But the virus , which has killed more than 3,500 worldwide , was becoming increasingly hard to contain in California , where officials had started to switch gears , focusing less on containment and more on slowing its spread .
In the Bay Area , health officials issued aggressive recommendations to the public : Stop shaking hands , stockpile medicine , work from home , and if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arm ’ s length away from your co-workers .
Without decisive action , San Francisco ’ s director of health warned the public , the death toll would spike .
“ We must reduce the times and places where people come together , ” Dr. Grant Colfax said Friday .
“ Human viruses need people to carry them.
” On Saturday in San Francisco , where officials had recently canceled the St. Patrick ’ s Day Parade , the Grand Princess cruise ship was waiting just offshore .
The night before , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , dropping off gloves and face masks for the 3,000 people aboard , including 21 who had already tested positive for the virus .
When a cutter zipped through the water , ferrying off a passenger who was critically ill from something other than COVID-19 , many others on board began to wonder how long it would be until they got off the ship .
A 75-year-old Rocklin resident , who had taken an earlier voyage on the Grand Princess , died from complications of COVID-19 — California ’ s only confirmed fatality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 80 across the state .
In Los Angeles , the city ’ s marathon was still scheduled for Sunday morning , but officials urged spectators to stay at least six feet away from strangers , because that ’ s the maximum distance airborne droplets from a cough or sneeze can travel .
Back at the jam-packed Costco Saturday morning , Larchmont resident Jon Oh said that although he had already stocked up on household essentials last week , he was back for a few more things — chicken soup , maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always try to be prepared , ” Oh said .
“ If something hits , it ’ s going to happen fast .
The situation could go from , ‘ Don ’ t worry about it , ’ to the opposite.
” If nothing else , Oh said , he could add the stuff to his earthquake stockpile .
An hour south , at a gym in Tustin called OC FIT Las2winz , people had ditched their method of circuit-training class encouragement — high-fives — opting instead for elbow bumps .
And near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 30 , greeted clients with a smile and a reminder .
“ Wash your hands , ” she said , looking over at the extra gallon of Purell she ’ d set on the counter .
“ Use hand sanitizer.
” Normally , Guzman said , her 63-year-old father would be here .
He ’ s always the first person in line for workout class , she said , but because of his kidney transplant he takes a medication that suppresses his immune system .
She and her twin sister , another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take any risks , Guzman said , so they banned him from their gym .
So far , he ’ s the only regular who isn ’ t showing up .
Jay Olegario , a nurse who attended a 7:15 a.m. class at the gym , said he uses the same safety precautions here as he does at the hospital .
He washes his hands constantly and , like his scrubs , he said he washes his gym clothes as soon as he gets home .
“ Nothing will keep me from this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a gamble just being out in general.
” For Michi Kono , who attended the 8:15 a.m. class , the benefits of coming to the gym — lower blood pressure , lower cholesterol and weight loss — still outweigh his fears of catching the virus .
Still , the 54-year-old orthopedic surgeon said he had been following news of the virus closely and was taking precautions .
While he still plans to attend church on Sunday , Kono said , he has decided not to take Communion or shake anybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthy and knows he would probably survive the virus , but feels compelled to protect others with weakened immune systems .
“ If I did become a carrier and I ’ m not symptomatic and let ’ s say my wife gets it and then she visits her 80-year-old parents ?
” he said .
“ It becomes an ethical and medical quandary.
” Kono said he believes that the virus will continue to spread in Southern California and that eventually officials here will take steps to limit human contact .
If that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll heed all warnings — even if that means staying away from the gym .
A few miles away at a Souplantation restaurant , a maroon sign welcomed guests : “ Please use hand sanitizer before going down the salad bar .
Thank you.
” Most patrons complied , pumping a few squirts into their palms , but the restaurant was two-thirds full and customers didn ’ t seem too worried .
“ It ’ s going to have to get a lot worse for me to panic , ” said Dixie Shedwill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with breast cancer .
Once she starts chemotherapy , she might have to reconsider , Shedwill said , before turning to her 83-year-old boyfriend , Bruce Nameth , and asking what he thought about the coronavirus .
“ If you sit around and worry about everything , ” he said , “ you ’ ll never do anything .
”

Emily Alpert Reyes, Cindy Carcamo, Marisa Gerber, Rong-Gong Lin II

A shopper and his children wear face masks while shopping at Costco on Saturday in Alhambra, Calif.
Shopping carts snaked in a line so long it stretched into the Costco parking lot. It was early Saturday at the Atwater Village location and hundreds of customers, in varying states of concern, were counting down the seconds until the doors opened.
“Good morning, folks,” an employee shouted, “we have a limit on paper towels, water and bath tissue!”
As the crowd crushed toward the back of the store, piling their carts high with toilet paper and paper towels, employees stood in the aisles directing carts as if they were traffic controllers.
When he saw the long lines, Matthew Nasser wondered, at first, if there was a celebrity in the store. But then he asked someone what was going on. The commotion, he learned, was about the very thing that had nagged in the back of his mind: coronavirus. It wasn’t why he’d come shopping, but still, he decided to buy water and toilet paper.
Advertisement
“While it’s here,” he said, “I’d better get it.”
After weeks of watching its spread — in Italy and Iran, Seattle and South Korea — the anxiety of a global threat started to settle in across Southern California, creating a strange amalgam of emotions.
Some people carried on with their Saturday routines, entirely unfazed, and others — gym rats, mall shoppers, park lovers — became disturbingly aware of just how often they came into close contact with others.
At a Target in Mid-City, the shelves of bleach were completely emptied. And at a Sephora in Glendale, Mojo Tuheen perused the aisles of the cosmetic store, taking advantage of the smaller-than-usual crowds. She wasn’t going to put any makeup samples on her face — but that’s not something she usually does anyway.
Shoppers donning masks exit Costco with their purchases in Alhambra. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I’m an extremely germophobic person,” Tuheen said. “I wash my hands 20 times a day, so I haven’t really done anything differently.”
In MacArthur Park, the sidewalks buzzed with the usual energy of vendors hawking smartphone cases and neon sneakers. At the edge of the park, Gina Frankel, who is homeless, sat near her cart of belongings and stared out at the people all around her.
Advertisement
“If somebody is coughing or sneezing around me, I hold my breath and get out of the area,” said Frankel, 64. “There are places here to wash your hands — but it’s hard to do because of this,” she said, displaying her hands, which were cracked from her psoriasis.
Around the block, a man feeding pigeons waved off questions about the virus.
“It’s not that bad in this area,” he said, “so I don’t really worry about it.”
But the virus, which has killed more than 3,500 worldwide, was becoming increasingly hard to contain in California, where officials had started to switch gears, focusing less on containment and more on slowing its spread.
In the Bay Area, health officials issued aggressive recommendations to the public: Stop shaking hands, stockpile medicine, work from home, and if you can’t, stay an arm’s length away from your co-workers. Without decisive action, San Francisco’s director of health warned the public, the death toll would spike.
“We must reduce the times and places where people come together,” Dr. Grant Colfax said Friday. “Human viruses need people to carry them.”
On Saturday in San Francisco, where officials had recently canceled the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Grand Princess cruise ship was waiting just offshore.
The night before, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter had swooped down, dropping off gloves and face masks for the 3,000 people aboard, including 21 who had already tested positive for the virus. When a cutter zipped through the water, ferrying off a passenger who was critically ill from something other than COVID-19, many others on board began to wonder how long it would be until they got off the ship.
A 75-year-old Rocklin resident, who had taken an earlier voyage on the Grand Princess, died from complications of COVID-19 — California’s only confirmed fatality from the virus, which has sickened more than 80 across the state.
In Los Angeles, the city’s marathon was still scheduled for Sunday morning, but officials urged spectators to stay at least six feet away from strangers, because that’s the maximum distance airborne droplets from a cough or sneeze can travel.
Back at the jam-packed Costco Saturday morning, Larchmont resident Jon Oh said that although he had already stocked up on household essentials last week, he was back for a few more things — chicken soup, maybe another carton of water.
“We always try to be prepared,” Oh said. “If something hits, it’s going to happen fast. The situation could go from, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ to the opposite.” If nothing else, Oh said, he could add the stuff to his earthquake stockpile.
Natalia Guzman, co-owner of OC Fit Las2winz in Tustin, wipes down equipment with disinfectant wipes. (Cindy Carcamo / Los Angeles Times)
An hour south, at a gym in Tustin called OC FIT Las2winz, people had ditched their method of circuit-training class encouragement — high-fives — opting instead for elbow bumps. And near the entrance, gym co-owner Natalia Guzman, 30, greeted clients with a smile and a reminder.
“Wash your hands,” she said, looking over at the extra gallon of Purell she’d set on the counter. “Use hand sanitizer.”
Normally, Guzman said, her 63-year-old father would be here. He’s always the first person in line for workout class, she said, but because of his kidney transplant he takes a medication that suppresses his immune system. She and her twin sister, another co-owner, didn’t want to take any risks, Guzman said, so they banned him from their gym.
So far, he’s the only regular who isn’t showing up.
Jay Olegario, a nurse who attended a 7:15 a.m. class at the gym, said he uses the same safety precautions here as he does at the hospital. He washes his hands constantly and, like his scrubs, he said he washes his gym clothes as soon as he gets home.
“Nothing will keep me from this place,” he said. “It’s a gamble just being out in general.”
For Michi Kono, who attended the 8:15 a.m. class, the benefits of coming to the gym — lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and weight loss — still outweigh his fears of catching the virus. Still, the 54-year-old orthopedic surgeon said he had been following news of the virus closely and was taking precautions.
While he still plans to attend church on Sunday, Kono said, he has decided not to take Communion or shake anybody’s hand. He’s healthy and knows he would probably survive the virus, but feels compelled to protect others with weakened immune systems.
“If I did become a carrier and I’m not symptomatic and let’s say my wife gets it and then she visits her 80-year-old parents?” he said. “It becomes an ethical and medical quandary.”
Kono said he believes that the virus will continue to spread in Southern California and that eventually officials here will take steps to limit human contact. If that happens, he said, he’ll heed all warnings — even if that means staying away from the gym.
A few miles away at a Souplantation restaurant, a maroon sign welcomed guests: “Please use hand sanitizer before going down the salad bar. Thank you.”
Most patrons complied, pumping a few squirts into their palms, but the restaurant was two-thirds full and customers didn’t seem too worried.
“It’s going to have to get a lot worse for me to panic,” said Dixie Shedwill, 79, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Once she starts chemotherapy, she might have to reconsider, Shedwill said, before turning to her 83-year-old boyfriend, Bruce Nameth, and asking what he thought about the coronavirus.
Nameth took a long sip of coffee.
“If you sit around and worry about everything,” he said, “you’ll never do anything.”


latimes--2020-03-08--Despite coronavirus fear, L.A. Marathon is a go but with precautions

Despite coronavirus concerns , the L.A. Marathon is expected to go on as scheduled Sunday morning in a 26.2-mile race from the Chavez Ravine to Santa Monica .
The marathon gets underway at 6:30 a.m. and ends just steps from the Santa Monica Pier .
L.A. County health officials recommended that spectators who are sick to stay home and that anyone who attends to stay 6 feet away from others .
Runners were advised to wash their hands before the race and to not shake hands with other participants or the public .
Hand sanitizer will also be available for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not currently recommending the suspension of any large public events , including the L.A. Marathon , ” Barbara Ferrer , director of the county Public Health Department , said in a statement Thursday .
“ The public can continue to enjoy all that L.A. County has to offer , including this historic event.
” Officials have said they don ’ t see enough of a public health threat to cancel the marathon .
“ We are actively monitoring the situation and communicating directly with participants via social channels , email and our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more , ” Murphy Reinschreiber , chief operating officer of the McCourt Foundation , which organizes the event , said in an email last week .
“ Runner safety is paramount and will continue to be our top priority.
” The marathon is one of the largest in the country .
Runners traverse the city , starting at Dodger Stadium and ending near the Santa Monica Pier .
One L.A. city council member on Friday questioned the decision to run the race .
“ This is a big popular event , but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s worth the risk , ” wrote Councilman Mike Bonin on Twitter .
During the closures , the major open east-west routes will be the 10 Freeway ; Olympic Boulevard between Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles ; Wilshire Boulevard between Santa Monica and Santa Monica Boulevard ; Beverly Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Silver Lake Boulevard ; Santa Monica Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Myra Avenue ; and Sunset Boulevard between Pacific Palisades and Doheny Drive .
The major open north-south routes will be Bundy Drive between Olympic Boulevard and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fairfax Avenue between Olympic Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard ; the 101 Freeway ; and the 110 Freeway .
The course crossing points via overpass or underpass are : • 110 Freeway to cross under the course at Sunset Boulevard ; • 101 Freeway to cross under the course at Main Street ; • Harbor Freeway to cross over the course at Temple Street ; • 101 Freeway to cross under the course at Edgeware Road ; • Silver Lake Boulevard to cross under the course at Sunset Boulevard ; • Myra Avenue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boulevard ; • 101 Freeway to cross under the course at Hollywood Boulevard ; • 405 Freeway to cross over the course at Ohio Avenue ; and • Wilshire Boulevard to cross over the course at the Veterans Administration .
The following closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. : The following closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. : The following closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9:32 a.m. : The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hill Street to Alameda Street ; and The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. : • 3rd Street from San Pedro Street to Hill Street ; and The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. : • 1st Street from San Pedro Street to Hope Street ; and The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. : • Edgeware Road from Temple Street to Boston Street ; and The following closure will be in effect from 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. : The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to noon : • Hollywood Boulevard from Hillhurst Avenue to La Brea Avenue ; and The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. : The following closures will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. : • Burton Way from Robertson Boulevard to Rexford Drive ; • Rodeo Drive from Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard ; and The following closure will be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2:04 p.m. : The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. : The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2:36 p.m. : The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2:52 p.m. : The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. : The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. : The following closure will be in effect from @ @ @ @ @

Janette Cardona and her husband Louie hold signs along Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood Sunday as runners compete during L.A. Marathon. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
The lead pack of runners compete along Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood Sunday during L.A. Marathon. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Competitors run by a mural of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna along Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood Sunday during L.A. Marathon. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Bayelign Teshager, 19, of Ethiopia completes the 2020 Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday in Santa Monica. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Margaret Muriuki, 33, of Kenya completes the 2020 Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday in Santa Monica. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Runners during the 2020 L.A. Marathon on Sunday in Beverly Hills. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
A runner during the 2020 L.A. Marathon on Sunday in Beverly Hills. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Runners during the 2020 L.A. Marathon on Sunday in Beverly Hills. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Participants during the 2020 L.A. Marathon on Sunday in Beverly Hills. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Chris Pryor waits for his daughter Grace to run by Sunday in Beverly Hills during the L.A. Marathon. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Runners and supporters during the 2020 L.A. Marathon on Sunday in Beverly Hills during the L.A. Marathon. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Runners gather for a group photo before the start of the 2020 L.A. Marathon. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Wheelchair participants in the 2020 L.A. Marathon were underway before the sun came up. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
A time exposure shows runners in motion at the start of the 2020 L.A. Marathon at Dodger Stadium. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
It’s not a marathon without costumed runners at the 2020 L.A. Marathon at Dodger Stadium. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
A runner runs with Purell hand sanitizer strapped to the back of a 5-gallon jug to raise donations and awareness about healthcare access during the start of the L.A. Marathon. (]Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
A handful of runners chose to wear protective masks while participating in the 2020 L.A. Marathon. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
This runner had his hands full at the start of the 2020 L.A. Marathon at Dodger Stadium. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
It’s not a marathon without costumed runners at the start of the 2020 L.A. Marathon at Dodger Stadium. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Dodger Stadium was packed with an enthusiastic crowd at the start of the 35th L.A. Marathon. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Men in the Elite Runner division begin the 26-mile stadium-to-the-sea course at Dodger Stadium. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
One runner shows his dedication to running the marathon at the start of the 35th L.A. Marathon at Dodger Stadium. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
And they’re off. Runners begin the 35th annual L.A. Marathon from Dodger Stadium on Sunday. (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
Bayelign Teshager, 19, of Ethiopia completes the 2020 Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday in Santa Monica. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Margaret Muriuki, 33, of Kenya completes the 2020 Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday in Santa Monica. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Despite coronavirus concerns, the L.A. Marathon is expected to go on as scheduled Sunday morning in a 26.2-mile race from the Chavez Ravine to Santa Monica.
The marathon gets underway at 6:30 a.m. and ends just steps from the Santa Monica Pier.
L.A. County health officials recommended that spectators who are sick to stay home and that anyone who attends to stay 6 feet away from others. Runners were advised to wash their hands before the race and to not shake hands with other participants or the public. Hand sanitizer will also be available for runners along the course.
“We are not currently recommending the suspension of any large public events, including the L.A. Marathon,” Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Public Health Department, said in a statement Thursday. “The public can continue to enjoy all that L.A. County has to offer, including this historic event.”
Officials have said they don’t see enough of a public health threat to cancel the marathon.
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“We are actively monitoring the situation and communicating directly with participants via social channels, email and our website to update them as we learn more,” Murphy Reinschreiber, chief operating officer of the McCourt Foundation, which organizes the event, said in an email last week. “Runner safety is paramount and will continue to be our top priority.”
The marathon is one of the largest in the country. Runners traverse the city, starting at Dodger Stadium and ending near the Santa Monica Pier.
One L.A. city council member on Friday questioned the decision to run the race.
“This is a big popular event, but I remain concerned & don’t think it’s worth the risk,” wrote Councilman Mike Bonin on Twitter.
(LAT)
Street closures
During the closures, the major open east-west routes will be the 10 Freeway; Olympic Boulevard between Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles; Wilshire Boulevard between Santa Monica and Santa Monica Boulevard; Beverly Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Silver Lake Boulevard; Santa Monica Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Myra Avenue; and Sunset Boulevard between Pacific Palisades and Doheny Drive.
The major open north-south routes will be Bundy Drive between Olympic Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard; the 405 Freeway; Fairfax Avenue between Olympic Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard; the 101 Freeway; and the 110 Freeway.
The course crossing points via overpass or underpass are:
110 Freeway to cross under the course at Sunset Boulevard;
101 Freeway to cross under the course at Main Street;
Harbor Freeway to cross over the course at Temple Street;
101 Freeway to cross under the course at Edgeware Road;
Silver Lake Boulevard to cross under the course at Sunset Boulevard;
Myra Avenue to cross under the course at Sunset Boulevard;
101 Freeway to cross under the course at Hollywood Boulevard;
405 Freeway to cross over the course at Ohio Avenue; and
Wilshire Boulevard to cross over the course at the Veterans Administration.
The following closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.:
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Vin Scully Avenue from Dodger Stadium to Sunset Boulevard.
The following closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9:20 a.m.:
Sunset Boulevard from Innes Avenue to Figueroa Street.
The following closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9:32 a.m.:
Cesar Chavez Avenue from Bunker Hill to Alameda Street.
The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.:
Broadway from Cesar Chavez Avenue to 3rd Street;
Alpine Street from Hill Street to Alameda Street; and
Spring Street from College Street to 1st Street.
The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.:
1st Street from Hope Street to San Pedro Street;
Los Angeles Street from Temple Street to 5th Street;
Winston Street from Los Angeles Street to Main Street;
Main Street from 5th Street to Temple Street;
3rd Street from San Pedro Street to Hill Street; and
Hill Street from 4th Street to Temple Street.
The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 10:05 a.m.:
1st Street from San Pedro Street to Hope Street; and
Grand Avenue from Cesar Chavez Avenue to 2nd Street.
The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.:
Temple Street from Alameda Street to Glendale Boulevard;
Edgeware Road from Temple Street to Boston Street; and
Bellevue Avenue from Sunset Boulevard to Glendale Boulevard.
The following closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.:
Glendale Boulevard from Temple Street to Sunset Boulevard.
The following closure will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.:
Sunset Boulevard from Echo Park Avenue to Virgil Avenue.
The following closures will be in effect from 4 a.m. to noon:
Hollywood Boulevard from Hillhurst Avenue to La Brea Avenue; and
Orange Avenue from Hollywood Boulevard to Sunset Boulevard.
The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.:
Sunset Boulevard from Highland Avenue to Doheny Drive.
The following closures will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
San Vicente Boulevard from Sunset Boulevard to Melrose Avenue;
Santa Monica Boulevard from La Cienega Boulevard to Sierra Drive;
Doheny Drive from Nemo Street to Wilshire Boulevard;
Burton Way from Robertson Boulevard to Rexford Drive;
South Santa Monica Boulevard from Rexford Drive to Moreno Drive;
Rodeo Drive from Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard; and
Wilshire Boulevard from Beverly Drive to Santa Monica Boulevard.
The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.:
Santa Monica Boulevard from Wilshire Boulevard to Sepulveda Boulevard.
The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2:04 p.m.:
Sepulveda Boulevard from Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard.
The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.:
Westbound Wilshire Boulevard from Sepulveda Boulevard to Barrington Avenue.
The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2:36 p.m.:
San Vicente Boulevard from Wilshire Boulevard to Montana Avenue.
The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2:52 p.m.:
San Vicente Boulevard from Montana Avenue to Bristol Avenue.
The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.:
San Vicente Boulevard from Bristol Avenue to 18th Street
The following closure will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.:
San Vicente Boulevard from Wilshire Boulevard to Ocean Avenue.
The following closure will be in effect from midnight to 5 p.m.:


latimes--2020-03-08--Coronavirus patient reported at Rancho Mirage hospital

Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage reported early Sunday it was treating a patient for a presumptive case of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ by the Riverside County Public Health Department , according to the hospital .
No further @ @ @ @ @ hospital said the patient was in isolation and that its staff was taking appropriate precautions @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles reported a 14th case of coronavirus .
New cases were also reported Saturday @ @ @ @ @ and Fresno counties .

A coronavirus patient at a Rancho Mirage hospital is in isolation.
Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage reported early Sunday it was treating a patient for a presumptive case of coronavirus.
The patient was tested by the Riverside County Public Health Department, according to the hospital. No further details were provided.
The hospital said the patient was in isolation and that its staff was taking appropriate precautions.
The news came as Los Angeles reported a 14th case of coronavirus. New cases were also reported Saturday in Madera, Santa Cruz and Fresno counties.