latimes--2020-05-08--Senior care homes source of nearly half of all California coronavirus-related deaths, data show

Nearly half of all deaths related to COVID-19 in California are linked to elder care facilities , a data analysis by the Los Angeles Times has found , with the state releasing new data suggesting that there have been many more outbreaks than previously disclosed .
At least 1,276 people have died after being infected with the coronavirus in skilled nursing or assisted living facilities in California , accounting for more than 49 % of total fatalities reported by the state .
The deaths are part of state data showing that at least 387 skilled nursing or assisted living facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles , have recorded cases .
The highest death toll in the state remains at Redwood Springs Healthcare Center in Tulare County , where 28 residents have died and 116 patients and 61 staff members have been infected .
The facility ’ s parent company , Plum Healthcare Group , said in a statement last week that the “ safety and well-being of our clients and their efforts to care as well as protect patients and caretakers are our highest priorities during this national emergency.
” But there are questions about the accuracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earlier Friday , the state had listed Studio City Rehabilitation Center as the facility linked to the highest number of fatalities in California , with 31 dead .
That , however , was disputed by the facility , which said it has had only three COVID-19 deaths , numbers in line with county figures .
Liz Tyler , a representative for Studio City Rehabilitation , said the home had accurately reported to the state and did not know where the error occurred .
“ We have no idea , ” Tyler said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or something.
” By Friday evening , the state had changed the facility ’ s listing to reflect fewer than 11 deaths — its standard when the number is 10 or smaller .
But it gave no explanation .
Charlene Harrington , a UC San Francisco professor who studies nursing homes , said the numbers are “ scary ” but not surprising .
Harrington said more state oversight and testing is needed to protect facilities from outbreaks .
“ The government and the nursing homes are not doing what they need to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What they are doing now is just waiting until someone gets sick and then testing , so you can ’ t get in front of it .
You have to test ahead of time because so many staff and so many residents are asymptomatic.
” Dr. Mark Ghaly , the state ’ s secretary of Health and Human Services , said during the briefing that California was continuing to work to expand testing in elder care homes and that the expansion of testing in recent days in some cases targeted communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged that more testing capacity was needed .
“ I look forward to the day when we have no site that has a limit to its testing capacity , ” Ghaly said .
In Los Angeles County , health officials have called for widespread testing in nursing homes .
Numbers of reported cases could be higher for homes in Los Angeles County because public health director Barbara Ferrer announced late last month that nursing homes would be advised to test all residents and staff , not just those who show symptoms .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who showed symptoms , was a mistake , Ferrer said .
Testing only people with symptoms , experts say , probably resulted in a significant undercount of cases at nursing homes , where the ever-climbing number of people falling ill and dying is already a national tragedy .
Other institutional settings in California have also been hit particularly hard , most notably federal prisons .
The number of inmates infected with the coronavirus at a federal prison in Lompoc shot up to 792 this week , making it the largest federal penitentiary outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Terminal Island in San Pedro , where 644 inmates have contracted the virus .
Nearly 70 % of the inmates at Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc have tested positive , with the case total increasing by more than 300 in recent days , officials said Friday .
FCI Lompoc and Terminal Island now account for about 47 % of all the federal inmates who have tested positive nationwide .
Both prisons have conducted widespread testing of hundred of inmates , even those without symptoms .
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Gregg Hart on Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the county ’ s Public Health Department has no power over the federal prison complex .
“ We have been consistently rebuffed by prison authorities , ” he said .
The numbers coming out of FCI Lompoc are so high that the prison accounted for all but one of the 311 new cases reported in Santa Barbara County on Friday , Hart said .
Hart said the prison numbers are making it hard for the county to meet Newsom ’ s new requirements for reopening parts of the state .
Hart said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to officials in the governor ’ s office .
Dr. Henning Ansorg , Santa Barbara County ’ s public health officer , said about 70 % of the inmates ’ tests at the Lompoc prison are coming back positive .
“ The vast majority of positive individuals report minor or no symptoms , ” Ansorg said .
The numbers are reflective of an institutional environment where people are housed in close quarters .
He said the actual numbers at the prison may be higher because there is a lag time in reporting .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Santa Barbara County has 1,032 cases with about 80 % being in the federal prison complex .
At the California Institution for Men in Chino , four inmates have died and 332 have tested positive in the state prison system ’ s worst documented outbreak as mass testing has been deployed .
The wife of one inmate , who asked not to be identified , said that once her husband contracted the virus at Terminal Island , he was taken to a San Pedro hospital , but it took her days to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She said she didn ’ t learn how serious his condition was until she spoke with a hospital chaplain .
The woman said her husband survived the illness and is now back at the prison but struggling to recover .
“ He is very weak , ” she said .
“ He fell down in the shower .
”

Anita Chabria, Ben Welsh, Jack Dolan, Richard Winton

At least 28 residents have died and 116 patients and 61 staff have been infected with COVID-19 at the Redwood Springs Healthcare Center in Visalia, Calif.
Nearly half of all deaths related to COVID-19 in California are linked to elder care facilities, a data analysis by the Los Angeles Times has found, with the state releasing new data suggesting that there have been many more outbreaks than previously disclosed.
At least 1,276 people have died after being infected with the coronavirus in skilled nursing or assisted living facilities in California, accounting for more than 49% of total fatalities reported by the state.
The deaths are part of state data showing that at least 387 skilled nursing or assisted living facilities in California, many clustered in Los Angeles, have recorded cases.
The highest death toll in the state remains at Redwood Springs Healthcare Center in Tulare County, where 28 residents have died and 116 patients and 61 staff members have been infected.
The facility’s parent company, Plum Healthcare Group, said in a statement last week that the “safety and well-being of our clients and their efforts to care as well as protect patients and caretakers are our highest priorities during this national emergency.”
But there are questions about the accuracy of the state’s data. Earlier Friday, the state had listed Studio City Rehabilitation Center as the facility linked to the highest number of fatalities in California, with 31 dead. That, however, was disputed by the facility, which said it has had only three COVID-19 deaths, numbers in line with county figures.
Liz Tyler, a representative for Studio City Rehabilitation, said the home had accurately reported to the state and did not know where the error occurred. “We have no idea,” Tyler said. “We think they added a zero or something.”
By Friday evening, the state had changed the facility’s listing to reflect fewer than 11 deaths — its standard when the number is 10 or smaller. But it gave no explanation.
Charlene Harrington, a UC San Francisco professor who studies nursing homes, said the numbers are “scary” but not surprising. Harrington said more state oversight and testing is needed to protect facilities from outbreaks.
“The government and the nursing homes are not doing what they need to do to stop it,” Harrington said. “What they are doing now is just waiting until someone gets sick and then testing, so you can’t get in front of it. You have to test ahead of time because so many staff and so many residents are asymptomatic.”
During a Friday briefing on Facebook, Gov. Gavin Newsom called elder care facilities a “top priority.”
Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary of Health and Human Services, said during the briefing that California was continuing to work to expand testing in elder care homes and that the expansion of testing in recent days in some cases targeted communities with elder care facilities. But he acknowledged that more testing capacity was needed.
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“I look forward to the day when we have no site that has a limit to its testing capacity,” Ghaly said.
In Los Angeles County, health officials have called for widespread testing in nursing homes. Numbers of reported cases could be higher for homes in Los Angeles County because public health director Barbara Ferrer announced late last month that nursing homes would be advised to test all residents and staff, not just those who show symptoms. The previous guidance, to test only those who showed symptoms, was a mistake, Ferrer said.
Testing only people with symptoms, experts say, probably resulted in a significant undercount of cases at nursing homes, where the ever-climbing number of people falling ill and dying is already a national tragedy.
Other institutional settings in California have also been hit particularly hard, most notably federal prisons.
The number of inmates infected with the coronavirus at a federal prison in Lompoc shot up to 792 this week, making it the largest federal penitentiary outbreak in the nation, surpassing a facility on Terminal Island in San Pedro, where 644 inmates have contracted the virus.
Nearly 70% of the inmates at Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc have tested positive, with the case total increasing by more than 300 in recent days, officials said Friday. FCI Lompoc and Terminal Island now account for about 47% of all the federal inmates who have tested positive nationwide. Both prisons have conducted widespread testing of hundreds of inmates, even those without symptoms.
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Gregg Hart on Friday expressed dismay with the prison and said that the county’s Public Health Department has no power over the federal prison complex. “We have been consistently rebuffed by prison authorities,” he said.
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The numbers coming out of FCI Lompoc are so high that the prison accounted for all but one of the 311 new cases reported in Santa Barbara County on Friday, Hart said.
Hart said the prison numbers are making it hard for the county to meet Newsom’s new requirements for reopening parts of the state. Hart said state legislators from the area are talking to officials in the governor’s office.
Dr. Henning Ansorg, Santa Barbara County’s public health officer, said about 70% of the inmates’ tests at the Lompoc prison are coming back positive.
“The vast majority of positive individuals report minor or no symptoms,” Ansorg said. The numbers are reflective of an institutional environment where people are housed in close quarters. He said the actual numbers at the prison may be higher because there is a lag time in reporting.
Some of the inmates infected at Lompoc have been hospitalized. Santa Barbara County has 1,032 cases with about 80% being in the federal prison complex.
At the California Institution for Men in Chino, four inmates have died and 332 have tested positive in the state prison system’s worst documented outbreak as mass testing has been deployed.
The wife of one inmate, who asked not to be identified, said that once her husband contracted the virus at Terminal Island, he was taken to a San Pedro hospital, but it took her days to find out where he was sent. She said she didn’t learn how serious his condition was until she spoke with a hospital chaplain.
The woman said her husband survived the illness and is now back at the prison but struggling to recover.
“He is very weak,” she said. “He fell down in the shower.”


latimes--2020-05-10--Column One | Clean up on aisle everywhere: A day in the life of supermarket workers during coronavir

Column One | Clean up on aisle everywhere: A day in the life of supermarket workers during coronavirus

They spotted the man ’ s naked face in the frozen food aisle .
And in the age of COVID-19 , it seemed positively indecent .
The way he perused the freezers , nose and mouth uncovered , as if a virus weren ’ t floating around , raring to kill .
Shoppers stared .
A worker who was guiding customers to each checkout lane rushed to tell the store director , who quickly found the outlier .
“ Excuse me , sir , but you need to have a mask to shop in this store , ” Dan Graves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one in his backpack , which he ’ d placed inside a shopping cart .
He pulled out his black mask , as if seeking absolution .
“ You need to put it on , ” Graves said firmly .
“ You know what , just forget it , ” the man snapped .
As he headed for the door , he tried to get in the final word : “ You must be a Democrat !
” For the last few months , grocery stores , deemed essential businesses , have served @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumer .
Thrust into the role of front-line soldiers amid a war against the coronavirus , employees have had to manage panic attacks , cursing , near-fights and counseling sessions at the checkout stand .
They ’ ve been threatened by customers who are angry about having to wear masks .
Some workers have received an hourly bump in appreciation pay .
A growing number across the U.S. have become ill .
Dozens have died .
At the Vons grocery store on Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance , cashiers have watched the installation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that snake around the aisles .
They ’ ve seen people shove fellow customers ’ purchases back on the conveyor belt and then demand all new food because someone touched theirs .
Unlike the customers they serve at this 76,000-square-foot store , the 165 employees — who are dealing with some of the same feelings of uncertainty and anxiety — can not shelter at home .
On a recent Monday , under a muddy night sky , a cashier rang a doorbell at the front of the store , signaling her arrival .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to drop off its supplies .
It was 5 a.m. , and the store was already busy .
In the produce department , a worker picked out Gala apples , onions , Roma tomatoes and oranges and then piled them on a cart to fill half a dozen online delivery orders .
The store has hired 30 extra employees as demand for these deliveries increased .
Sonia Burgos , the store ’ s inventory control clerk who ’ d started her day at 4 a.m. , waited for vendors and truck drivers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vendor review the same questions— Do you have any symptoms ?
Coughing , shortness of breath ?
Sore throat , chills or body aches ?
— before they signed in on a “ Vendor COVID-19 log.
” At checkout lane 3 , Miyoshi Lampkin gripped a bottle of orange-colored disinfectant and coated the black conveyor belt , registers and separators .
Sanitizing her station has become as routine as brushing her teeth .
Lampkin , who has worked at the store for 21 years , prepared for the start of her shift with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the store .
That ’ s all the caffeine she ’ d need for the day .
“ My adrenaline is off the people .
I love people , ” she said .
“ It keeps me going.
” Shortly before 6 a.m. , Capone , a front-end supervisor , positioned himself at the sliding front doors to welcome at-risk shoppers and seniors 60 and older .
“ Morning folks , how are we doing today ?
” Capone asked , speaking through a brown mask .
He recognized one of his regulars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes , countdown , ” said DeWeese , who has been coming to this store for nearly two decades .
She was one of only two people waiting in front .
Just a few weeks ago , she recalled , the line stretched down the street .
When it was time , Capone welcomed the two customers inside and directed them to the sanitized carts .
“ One toilet paper , one paper towel , ” he reminded them .
“ You guys have an awesome day.
” It was Capone ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour , to make sure it was seniors entering .
Within 20 minutes , he had turned away two people .
He listened as customers echoed the same frustration the employees were experiencing .
“ Ugh , I ’ m so sick of this , ” Kathi Wilson groaned behind her floral mask , in response to Capone ’ s question about her day .
Wilson has asthma and has spent nearly every day at home since the beginning of the outbreak .
It ’ s hard , she said , to live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One of the first shoppers made a beeline to Aisle 11 , where at least 20 plastic-wrapped 12 packs of Charmin Ultra Soft and Cottonelle Ultra CleanCare toilet paper and dozens of rolls of Bounty and Viva paper towels graced the shelves , courtesy of a shipment the night before .
At checkout lane 5 , soap opera digests gave no indication of a pandemic .
But the magazine rack to the left of the conveyor belt was filled with reminders .
Time announced that we are not alone , People offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles magazine featured a woman in a blue medical mask with the words “ Now what ?
” “ Hi , how are you ?
” Debbie Alexander asked , her voice bright , as she scanned a customer ’ s Scott toilet paper and paper towels .
After 40 years , Alexander knows exactly where every bar code is placed .
“ You found gold today , ” Alexander said , as she laughed through her mask , decorated with Disney ’ s Belle and the prince — after he ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nightmare ended .
Despite her cheerful exterior , Alexander at times uses breathing exercises to help keep herself calm .
Her husband has a heart condition , diabetes and high blood pressure .
She was terrified she might bring the virus home .
“ But it ’ s my job , ” Alexander said .
“ There ’ s nothing I can do.
” Work was already tough enough before the outbreak .
Many of the store ’ s nearly 200 employees are part time .
The union pay scale goes from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour .
Cashiers who are constantly swiping bar-coded items sometimes suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome .
They rely on Dr. Scholl ’ s shoes and foam mats at their check stands to ease the aching in their knees .
But in March , when the orders to shelter at home were announced , cashiers started to suffer from panic attacks as customers flooded the store .
Alexander ’ s anxiety still flares up when she thinks back to March 13 — a day she calls “ apocalypse Friday.
” Every register was open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department and branched off into produce and the bakery .
It took 30 to 45 minutes for customers to reach the checkout lane .
One customer in the express lane placed $ 850 in groceries on the conveyor belt .
“ We had no idea this was going to happen , ” Alexander said .
“ People were just buying groceries like they were never going to see them again.
” She likened the aftermath of her 10-hour day to the scene in the movie “ A Bug ’ s Life , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the place and there was nothing left.
” Alexander worked 19 days straight in March .
Albertsons Companies , which owns Vons , announced a temporary $ 2 per hour increase in pay , which started March 15 .
The Plexiglas didn ’ t go up until the end of the month .
“ People ’ s nerves were so on edge the first couple weeks , ” Alexander said .
But it wasn ’ t all bad .
There was the customer who paid for a woman in front of her after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The one who offered Alexander $ 20 as a thank you — which the cashier gently declined .
Local businesses bought lunches for employees or donated Starbucks gift cards .
Thank yous were not something cashiers heard all that often before the outbreak .
Now , Alexander said , she gets thanked every day .
Real thank yous that mean something at a time when she can ’ t hug her grandchildren or visit her 82-year-old father , who recently had a heart attack .
Still .
Every day is filled with stress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart from loved ones , stripped down before entering their homes and sprayed shoes with Lysol after their shifts .
They worry about elderly family members and children at home .
“ Being in here all day , you just don ’ t know who ’ s sick and who isn ’ t , ” Alexander said .
“ You do worry about what you ’ re bringing home and who you ’ re going to infect.
” In the middle of the morning , Lampkin walked into the break room , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to eat and heave deep sighs of relief .
It was time for her lunch , a temporary reprieve from the constant beep of the bar-code reader .
She washed her hands and popped two White Castle jalapeño cheese sliders into the microwave .
As she waited , Lampkin wiped down the table and seat .
“ Sonia , what do you got , ” Lampkin called out to Burgos , who sat across the room , alone .
“ Turkey sandwich with sourdough .
And fruit , ” Burgos said .
Before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sitting together .
But the seat across from Lampkin was blocked with a strip of caution tape , and a yellow sign on the wall read “ one person per table social distancing.
” Nearby , Kelley Talleda , a courtesy clerk , waited in a booth for her shift to start .
When everything began , Talleda said , they worked longer shifts and had to guide the customers through all the new rules .
“ One of my customers said it best : ‘ Not a pandemic — a panic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you have an earthquake , you get a crowd of people for three days .
But this has gone on and on and on.
” By 10:05 a.m. , Lampkin ’ s phone timer went off — her 30-minute lunch break was over .
She threw out her trash , washed her hands and went back to her register .
Burgos lingered a little longer and chatted with a co-worker at a neighboring table .
They wondered if Mother ’ s Day weekend would be busy .
“ Nobody ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the middle of the afternoon , customers continued to wait in line , standing on red markers that thanked them for practicing social distancing and reminded them to stay two carts apart .
They were directed one way down the aisles to prevent crowding .
Customers included nurses , doctors and ambulance service workers .
Some of them wore plastic face shields and gloves ; others , just flimsy paper masks .
Antoinette Villegas directed a couple to checkout lane 5 .
They glared at her when she asked if one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the store while the other made their purchase .
She ’ s been cussed out a few times when she ’ s made the same request .
“ We sleep in the same bed , ” one man said .
“ Yeah , but we don ’ t sleep in the same bed , ” Villegas said .
Coldplay ’ s “ Clocks ” played on the store ’ s sound system , with lyrics that seemed especially relevant : “ Am I part of the cure or am I part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , as the crowds diminished , all but two of the checkout stands were closed .
A customer who arrived with a coupon for a free four pack of toilet paper was told the store had run out for the day .
The cheeses were gone too , as well as the pasta .
Frank Morisaki , who has worked at the store for 16 years , scanned items for one of the last customers .
Closing time was at 9 p.m. ; the following week , it extended another two hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be careful , ” the customer said to Morisaki , before she stopped on the way out to grab a sanitizing wipe .
Morisaki tapped elbows with longtime customers and joked with them when he could .
He listened to shoppers who had lost jobs and offered sympathy .
And he was grateful for the customers who thanked him for his work , despite dealing with their own hardships .
“ That ’ s what keeps me thriving to keep coming and putting in overtime , ” he said .
“ I feel @ @ @ @ @

They spotted the man’s naked face in the frozen food aisle.
And in the age of COVID-19, it seemed positively indecent.
The way he perused the freezers, nose and mouth uncovered, as if a virus weren’t floating around, raring to kill. Shoppers stared. A worker who was guiding customers to each checkout lane rushed to tell the store director, who quickly found the outlier.
“Excuse me, sir, but you need to have a mask to shop in this store,” Dan Graves said.
The man explained he had one in his backpack, which he’d placed inside a shopping cart. He pulled out his black mask, as if seeking absolution.
“You need to put it on,” Graves said firmly.
Dan Graves, store director of a Vons in Torrance, places signage describing new criteria for entry and requiring masks for shoppers. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
“You know what, just forget it,” the man snapped. As he headed for the door, he tried to get in the final word: “You must be a Democrat!”
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“Have a nice day,” Graves responded.
For the last few months, grocery stores, deemed essential businesses, have served as public theaters for the traumatized American consumer.
Thrust into the role of front-line soldiers amid a war against the coronavirus, employees have had to manage panic attacks, cursing, near-fights and counseling sessions at the checkout stand. They’ve been threatened by customers who are angry about having to wear masks.
Some workers have received an hourly bump in appreciation pay. A growing number across the U.S. have become ill. Dozens have died.
At the Vons grocery store on Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance, cashiers have watched the installation of Plexiglas shields and the formation of lines that snake around the aisles. They’ve seen people shove fellow customers’ purchases back on the conveyor belt and then demand all new food because someone touched theirs.
Unlike the customers they serve at this 76,000-square-foot store, the 165 employees — who are dealing with some of the same feelings of uncertainty and anxiety — cannot shelter at home.
Jay Renteria, right, a vendor working for Snyder‘s Pretzels, signs in with Sonia Burgos, who works in receiving at a Vons in Torrance. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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On a recent Monday, under a muddy night sky, a cashier rang a doorbell at the front of the store, signaling her arrival. A Naked juice truck pulled around back to drop off its supplies. It was 5 a.m., and the store was already busy.
Anthony Capone wiped dozens of black shopping carts with disinfectant.
In the produce department, a worker picked out Gala apples, onions, Roma tomatoes and oranges and then piled them on a cart to fill half a dozen online delivery orders. The store has hired 30 extra employees as demand for these deliveries has increased.
Albertsons truck driver Kenneth Patterson moves produce in the receiving area at the Torrance Vons. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Sonia Burgos, the store’s inventory control clerk who’d started her day at 4 a.m., waited for vendors and truck drivers in the receiving zone. She had every vendor review the same questions — Do you have any symptoms? Coughing, shortness of breath? Sore throat, chills or body aches? — before they signed in on a “Vendor COVID-19 log.”
At checkout Lane 3, Miyoshi Lampkin gripped a bottle of orange-colored disinfectant and coated the black conveyor belt, registers and separators. Sanitizing her station has become as routine as brushing her teeth.
Lampkin, who has worked at the store for 21 years, prepared for the start of her shift with a tall coffee from the Starbucks inside the store. That’s all the caffeine she’d need for the day.
Vons checker cashier Miyoshi Lampkin, who has worked at Vons for 40 years, cleans and sanitizes her checkout lane. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
“My adrenaline is off the people. I love people,” she said. “It keeps me going.”
Shortly before 6 a.m., Capone, a front-end supervisor, positioned himself at the sliding front doors to welcome at-risk shoppers and seniors 60 and older.
“Morning folks, how are we doing today?” Capone asked, speaking through a brown mask. He recognized one of his regulars, 75-year-old Diane DeWeese.
“Two minutes, countdown,” said DeWeese, who has been coming to this store for nearly two decades. She was one of only two people waiting out front. Just a few weeks ago, she recalled, the line stretched down the street.
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When it was time, Capone welcomed the two customers inside and directed them to the sanitized carts.
“One toilet paper, one paper towel,” he reminded them. “You guys have an awesome day.”
It was Capone’s responsibility to check identification for that first hour, to make sure it was seniors entering. Within 20 minutes, he had turned away two people.
He listened as customers echoed the same frustration the employees were experiencing.
“Ugh, I’m so sick of this,” Kathi Wilson groaned behind her floral mask, in response to Capone’s question about her day.
Wilson has asthma and has spent nearly every day at home since the beginning of the outbreak. It’s hard, she said, to live through something with no end in sight.
“I know,” Capone responded. “Hang in there.”
One of the first shoppers made a beeline to Aisle 11, where at least 20 plastic-wrapped 12-packs of Charmin Ultra Soft and Cottonelle Ultra CleanCare toilet paper and dozens of rolls of Bounty and Viva paper towels graced the shelves, courtesy of a shipment the night before.
Advertisement
Diane DeWeese, 75, walks the paper products aisle at Vons. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
A 93-year-old World War II veteran shops for produce at a Vons in Torrance. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
At checkout Lane 5, soap opera digests gave no indication of a pandemic. But the magazine rack to the left of the conveyor belt was filled with reminders. Time announced that we are not alone, People offered COVID-19-inspired acts of kindness, and Los Angeles magazine featured a woman in a blue medical mask with the words, “Now what?”
“Hi, how are you?” Debbie Alexander asked, her voice bright, as she scanned a customer’s Scott toilet paper and paper towels. After 40 years, Alexander knows exactly where every bar code is placed.
“Good,” her customer responded. “Better yet, I found paper towels.”
“You found gold today,” Alexander said, as she laughed through her mask, decorated with Disney’s Belle and her prince — after he’d transformed back into a human, after the nightmare ended.
Doors open at 6 a..m. for seniors and at-risk shoppers at a Vons in Torrance. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Despite Alexander’s cheerful exterior, she says at times she uses breathing exercises to help keep herself calm. Her husband has a heart condition, diabetes and high blood pressure. She was terrified she might bring the virus home.
“But it’s my job,” Alexander said. “There’s nothing I can do.”
Work was already tough enough before the outbreak. Many of the store’s nearly 200 employees are part time. The union pay scale goes from state minimum wage to $21.42 an hour. Cashiers who are constantly swiping bar-coded items sometimes suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome. They rely on Dr. Scholl’s shoes and foam mats at their check stands to ease the aching in their knees.
Advertisement
But in March, when the orders to shelter at home were announced, cashiers started to suffer from panic attacks as customers flooded the store. Alexander’s anxiety still flares up when she thinks back to March 13 — a day she calls “apocalypse Friday.”
Every register was open; lines stretched back to the meat department and branched off into produce and the bakery. It took 30 to 45 minutes for customers to reach the checkout lane. One customer in the express lane placed $850 in groceries on the conveyor belt.
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“We had no idea this was going to happen,” Alexander said. “People were just buying groceries like they were never going to see them again.”
She likened the aftermath of her 10-hour day to the scene in the movie “A Bug’s Life,” when the grasshoppers came “and ravaged the place and there was nothing left.”
Alexander worked 19 days straight in March. Albertsons Cos., which owns Vons, announced a temporary $2-per-hour increase in pay, which started March 15. The Plexiglas didn’t go up until the end of the month.
“People’s nerves were so on edge the first couple weeks,” Alexander said.
But it wasn’t all bad. There was the customer who paid for a woman in front of her after she struggled to find her money. The one who offered Alexander $20 as a thank you — which the cashier gently declined. Local businesses bought lunches for employees or donated Starbucks gift cards.
Thank yous were not something cashiers heard all that often before the outbreak. Now, Alexander said, she gets thanked every day. Real thank yous that mean something at a time when she can’t hug her grandchildren or visit her 82-year-old father, who recently had a heart attack.
Still. Every day is filled with stress and uncertainty.
Vons employees have slept apart from loved ones, stripped down before entering their homes and sprayed shoes with Lysol after their shifts. They worry about elderly family members and children at home.
Advertisement
“Being in here all day, you just don’t know who’s sick and who isn’t,” Alexander said. “You do worry about what you’re bringing home and who you’re going to infect.”
Delivery driver James Hang prepares his orders. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
In the middle of the morning, Lampkin walked into the break room, the space where workers can remove their masks to eat and heave deep sighs of relief. It was time for her lunch, a temporary reprieve from the constant beep of the bar-code reader.
She washed her hands and popped two White Castle jalapeño cheese sliders into the microwave. As she waited, Lampkin wiped down the table and seat.
“Sonia, what do you got,” Lampkin called out to Burgos, who sat across the room, alone.
“Turkey sandwich with sourdough. And fruit,” Burgos said.
Before the outbreak, they would have been sitting together. But the seat across from Lampkin was blocked with a strip of caution tape, and a yellow sign on the wall read, “One person per table social distancing.”
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Nearby, Kelley Talleda, a courtesy clerk, waited in a booth for her shift to start.
Vons courtesy clerk Kelley Talleda waits before her shift in the break room, which has been altered to maintain social distancing. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
When everything began, Talleda said, they worked longer shifts and had to guide the customers through all the new rules.
“One of my customers said it best: ‘Not a pandemic — a panic,’” Lampkin said. “If you have an earthquake, you get a crowd of people for three days. But this has gone on and on and on.”
By 10:05 a.m., Lampkin’s phone timer went off — her 30-minute lunch break was over. She threw out her trash, washed her hands and went back to her register.
Burgos lingered a little longer and chatted with a co-worker at a neighboring table. They wondered if Mother’s Day weekend would be busy.
“Nobody’s going to be celebrating anyway,” Burgos said.
In the middle of the afternoon, customers continued to wait in line, standing on red markers that thanked them for practicing social distancing and reminded them to stay two carts apart. They were directed one way down the aisles to prevent crowding.
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Customers included nurses, doctors and ambulance service workers. Some of them wore plastic face shields and gloves; others, just flimsy paper masks.
Antoinette Villegas directed a couple to checkout Lane 5. They glared at her when she asked if one of them could wait at the front of the store while the other made their purchase. She’s been cussed out a few times when she’s made the same request.
“We sleep in the same bed,” one man said.
“Yeah, but we don’t sleep in the same bed,” Villegas said.
Coldplay’s “Clocks” played on the store’s sound system, with lyrics that seemed especially relevant: “Am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease?”
Later in the day, as the crowds diminished, all but two of the checkout stands were closed. A customer who arrived with a coupon for a free four-pack of toilet paper was told the store had run out for the day. The cheeses were gone too, as well as the pasta.
Frank Morisaki, who has worked at the store for 16 years, scanned items for one of the last customers. Closing time was at 9 p.m.; the following week, it extended another two hours.
“You guys take care, be careful,” the customer said to Morisaki, before she stopped on the way out to grab a sanitizing wipe.
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Morisaki tapped elbows with longtime customers and joked with them when he could. He listened to shoppers who had lost jobs and offered sympathy. And he was grateful for the customers who thanked him for his work, despite dealing with their own hardships.
“That’s what keeps me thriving to keep coming and putting in overtime,” he said. “I feel like a superhero.”


latimes--2020-05-09--Surfer dies after shark attack off Santa Cruz County coast

A 26-year-old man died Saturday after being attacked by a shark while surfing off the coast of Santa Cruz County @ @ @ @ @ officials .
The attack occurred about 1:30 p.m. , about one mile south of Manresa @ @ @ @ @ a statement from the state Department of Parks and Recreation .
The Santa Cruz County @ @ @ @ @ the area is known as Sand Dollar Beach .
The man , whose identity was @ @ @ @ @ dead at the scene .
Authorities said it was unclear which type of shark species @ @ @ @ @ One mile south and north of the attack site were to remain closed for at @ @ @ @ @ accordance with state parks protocol .
Under Santa Cruz County ’ s most recent public @ @ @ @ @ closed to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. , but people are allowed @ @ @ @ @ , kayak , surf and paddle-board .
Sunbathing or “ other non-exercise , passive or @ @ @ @ @ beach is banned and can lead to a citation .

Undated photo of Manresa State Beach. A 26-year-old man died Saturday after being attacked by a shark while surfing off the coast of Santa Cruz County.
A 26-year-old man died Saturday after being attacked by a shark while surfing off the coast of Santa Cruz County, according to state parks officials.
The attack occurred about 1:30 p.m., about one mile south of Manresa State Beach, according to a statement from the state Department of Parks and Recreation. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said the area is known as Sand Dollar Beach.
The man, whose identity was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said it was unclear which type of shark species fatally mauled the surfer.
One mile south and north of the attack site were to remain closed for at least five days, in accordance with state parks protocol.
Under Santa Cruz County’s most recent public health order, beaches are closed to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., but people are allowed to cross beaches to swim, kayak, surf and paddle-board. Sunbathing or “other non-exercise, passive or sedentary” activity at the beach is banned and can lead to a citation.


latimes--2020-05-07--We need to prepare for the mental health effects of coronavirus on kids

Four-year-olds have play dates through closed windows , sliding their toy cars in unison on either side of the glass .
A high school student worries about his mother going to work in a food-packing warehouse , at risk for contracting COVID-19 .
Another teen says “ there is nothing to look forward to , ” as he tries to avoid sliding into depression .
Worried parents are calling school district hotlines seeking help for their troubled children .
Experts say that when kids return to campuses , the demand for mental health care will be greater than the available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus disruptions cut across societal strata , affecting children throughout California .
But schools , the safe havens that provide the only access many children have to mental health care , are ill-prepared to support the magnitude of expected need .
“ We ’ re only going through the first wave of the disaster , ” said Dr. Curley Bonds , chief medical officer for the L.A. County Department of Mental Health .
“ This is the equivalent of people waiting on rooftops to be saved after Hurricane Katrina.
” Los Angeles schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s second-largest school district , acknowledged the shortfall .
“ We have an adequacy issue , and I could give you a long list of things where we are not able to provide the resources that should be provided in our public schools , ” said Beutner , a persistent advocate for more school funding .
“ We do not have the sufficient number of counselors or social workers in our schools that we should.
” Why children will need more help Not every child will experience the COVID-19 pandemic as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned healthy coping skills , but many will experience loss if the disease has attacked their loved ones .
Also , while secluded at home during the coronavirus outbreak , more children than usual may witness substance abuse , neglect , violence or abuse , experts said .
Because of this pandemic , “ we ’ re going to see increased stress-related cognitive impairment and diseases ” and probably increased toxic stress , said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris , California ’ s surgeon general .
Wide-ranging research has shown that children who face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worsening chronic diseases , autoimmune diseases , asthma , depression , anxiety and substance abuse deep into adulthood , Burke Harris said .
At higher risk are children who have experienced untreated trauma before this outbreak .
California has been increasing efforts to train primary care providers to screen for such experiences , Burke Harris said .
But now many of those reporters who help remove children from dangerous situations — teachers and trusted adults in school — are distant .
Even before the pandemic , the need was intense .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Children ’ s Health , a nationally representative survey of households with children , 7.1 % of California respondents said their child had received counseling or treatment from a mental health professional in the last year , and 2 % said their children needed mental health care but didn ’ t receive it .
This translates to almost 200,000 children before the coronavirus crisis .
In California public schools last year , there were about 20,000 counselors , school psychologists , social workers and nurses — not all of whom are addressing mental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And schools expect massive budget cuts this year , making expanded counseling even more difficult to provide .
“ The resources that we would need to be able to implement some of these interventions are more constrained , ” Burke Harris said .
The American Federation of Teachers , one of the nation ’ s two major teachers unions , has called for more mental health resources at schools .
Students Deserve , a youth activism group based in the Los Angeles Unified School District , included in a list of requests “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from this period .
We demand a permanent college counselor , PSW ( psychiatric social worker ) , AND grief counselor at every school when schools reopen.
” Students need “ a better support system ” than their current one , which largely involves talking to one another rather than to mental health professionals , said Hamilton High School senior Asia Bryant .
L.A. County Office of Education Supt .
Debra Duardo said schools will need to partner with local and county mental health departments and outside providers that can offer free services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of disappointments combined with isolation — no prom , no hanging out with friends , no athletic games or favorite activities — may also take an emotional toll .
In 2013 , researchers found that children who were quarantined for disease containment scored four times higher on a post-traumatic stress test than those who were not .
Schools are trying to start the work now to help students build resilience .
In the Las Virgenes Unified School District , student safety and wellness deans who used to deal largely with discipline referrals now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students who are grappling with being alone and being home , as well as parents and staff .
The district also has begun training teachers in mindfulness and stress reduction , skills that mental health experts say will be important to fold in when students return .
L.A. Unified is running a mental health hotline staffed 12 hours a day open to students , parents and school employees during the week , though they won ’ t turn away anyone asking for help .
Since April 1 , the line has received about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents , many seeking resources and mental health aid for themselves or their children .
The number for the L.A. Unified hotline is ( 213 ) 241-3840 .
In Long Beach , officials are conducting check-in calls with students — not to replace counseling , said Long Beach Unified school psychologist Tom Sopp , but “ to connect with students and express empathy .
It ’ s a method to … monitor a student ’ s stress reaction.
” What should parents and students do now ?
In the short term , Burke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to maintain regular schedules for children as much as possible , pay attention to and ask about their feelings , and take care of themselves so their stress doesn ’ t affect the young ones in the household .
Families can also seek help from outside providers , some of which have agreements to provide services on school grounds .
Parents whose children have special needs , such as San Francisco Bay Area mother Isabella Brown , face additional challenges .
“ It ’ s sometimes very difficult to talk him down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repetitive negative thoughts , ” she said of her 16-year-old son , who is autistic .
The break in routine and other disruptions worsened his anxiety .
When he started to express suicidal thoughts , she said , she brought in a therapist .
Parents of little ones also have concerns about the abrupt changes .
Lorena Taboas , 34 , said her son Oliver Vengoechea can see his friends and attempt a play date only through the window of their Mar Vista home or while passing by in a car .
Usually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preschool in Culver City with a dozen other kids , growing his vocabulary and socializing .
Now he largely entertains himself in the morning while his mother , a Univision producer , works remotely .
She is concerned about this isolation and the future return to a school .
Right now Oliver seems fine — and mental health experts say many children will emerge from this crisis unharmed .
But a classroom setting is “ going to be like a shock to him , ” she said .
“ Is he going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be hyperactive ?
You don ’ t know how it ’ s going to affect them.
” Alejandro Silva , 17 , a junior at a Camino Nuevo Charter Academy high school campus in Westlake , said mental health professionals shouldn ’ t wait for students to reach out to them while school is closed .
He attended therapy at school for two years through an outside provider , which greatly helped manage his depression and anxiety , he said .
Now he relies on the tools he learned — writing ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , such as cooking , instead of staying in bed all day when he feels unmotivated ; talking to friends often — to stave off a relapse .
“ There ’ s nothing for me to look forward to during the day .
I just overthink how everything is the same and there ’ s nothing new… .
Sometimes I don ’ t really feel anything , ” Alejandro said .
“ I ’ m kind of worried for how I ’ m going to deal with it all .
I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but I keep wondering how long is this ?
How long can I … be OK with this ?
” If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal , call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 .
For the Disaster Distress Helpline , call 800-985-5990 .

Tom Sean Foley takes a photo of his children, C.C. and Timothy Joseph, in front of a mural by artist Curtis Kulig in Culver City.
Four-year-olds have play dates through closed windows, sliding their toy cars in unison on either side of the glass. A high school student worries about his mother going to work in a food-packing warehouse, at risk for contracting COVID-19. Another teen says “there is nothing to look forward to,” as he tries to avoid sliding into depression. Worried parents are calling school district hotlines seeking help for their troubled children.
Experts say that when kids return to campuses, the demand for mental health care will be greater than the available services, as the effects of the coronavirus disruptions cut across societal strata, affecting children throughout California. But schools, the safe havens that provide the only access many children have to mental health care, are ill-prepared to support the magnitude of expected need.
“We’re only going through the first wave of the disaster,” said Dr. Curley Bonds, chief medical officer for the L.A. County Department of Mental Health. “This is the equivalent of people waiting on rooftops to be saved after Hurricane Katrina.”
Los Angeles schools chief Austin Beutner, who leads the nation’s second-largest school district, acknowledged the shortfall.
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“We have an adequacy issue, and I could give you a long list of things where we are not able to provide the resources that should be provided in our public schools,” said Beutner, a persistent advocate for more school funding. “We do not have the sufficient number of counselors or social workers in our schools that we should.”
Oliver Vengoechea, 4, watches his friend on a drive-by play date, an attempt by his mother to lessen his isolation. (Lorena Taboas)
Why children will need more help
Not every child will experience the COVID-19 pandemic as a trauma, and some have already learned healthy coping skills, but many will experience loss if the disease has attacked their loved ones. Also, while secluded at home during the coronavirus outbreak, more children than usual may witness substance abuse, neglect, violence or abuse, experts said.
Because of this pandemic, “we’re going to see increased stress-related cognitive impairment and diseases” and probably increased toxic stress, said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s surgeon general.
Wide-ranging research has shown that children who face adverse childhood experiences have higher risk for worsening chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases, asthma, depression, anxiety and substance abuse deep into adulthood, Burke Harris said. At higher risk are children who have experienced untreated trauma before this outbreak.
California has been increasing efforts to train primary care providers to screen for such experiences, Burke Harris said. But now many of those reporters who help remove children from dangerous situations — teachers and trusted adults in school — are distant.
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Even before the pandemic, the need was intense.
According to 2017-18 data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, a nationally representative survey of households with children, 7.1% of California respondents said their child had received counseling or treatment from a mental health professional in the last year, and 2% said their children needed mental health care but didn’t receive it. This translates to almost 200,000 children before the coronavirus crisis.
In California public schools last year, there were about 20,000 counselors, school psychologists, social workers and nurses — not all of whom are addressing mental health — for 6.1 million children. And schools expect massive budget cuts this year, making expanded counseling even more difficult to provide.
“The resources that we would need to be able to implement some of these interventions are more constrained,” Burke Harris said.
The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation’s two major teachers unions, has called for more mental health resources at schools.
Students Deserve, a youth activism group based in the Los Angeles Unified School District, included in a list of requests “mental health support for trauma and setbacks from this period. We demand a permanent college counselor, PSW (psychiatric social worker), AND grief counselor at every school when schools reopen.”
Students need “a better support system” than their current one, which largely involves talking to one another rather than to mental health professionals, said Hamilton High School senior Asia Bryant.
L.A. County Office of Education Supt. Debra Duardo said schools will need to partner with local and county mental health departments and outside providers that can offer free services for students on campus.
How schools are preparing
The string of disappointments combined with isolation — no prom, no hanging out with friends, no athletic games or favorite activities — may also take an emotional toll. In 2013, researchers found that children who were quarantined for disease containment scored four times higher on a post-traumatic stress test than those who were not.
Schools are trying to start the work now to help students build resilience.
In the Las Virgenes Unified School District, student safety and wellness deans who used to deal largely with discipline referrals now provide check-ins and weekly support sessions for students who are grappling with being alone and being home, as well as parents and staff. The district also has begun training teachers in mindfulness and stress reduction, skills that mental health experts say will be important to fold in when students return.
L.A. Unified is running a mental health hotline staffed 12 hours a day open to students, parents and school employees during the week, though they won’t turn away anyone asking for help. Since April 1, the line has received about 660 calls, mostly from teachers and parents, many seeking resources and mental health aid for themselves or their children. The number for the L.A. Unified hotline is (213) 241-3840.
In Long Beach, officials are conducting check-in calls with students — not to replace counseling, said Long Beach Unified school psychologist Tom Sopp, but “to connect with students and express empathy. It’s a method to … monitor a student’s stress reaction.”
What should parents and students do now?
In the short term, Burke Harris said, parents and caretakers can try to maintain regular schedules for children as much as possible, pay attention to and ask about their feelings, and take care of themselves so their stress doesn’t affect the young ones in the household.
Families can also seek help from outside providers, some of which have agreements to provide services on school grounds.
Parents whose children have special needs, such as San Francisco Bay Area mother Isabella Brown, face additional challenges.
“It’s sometimes very difficult to talk him down from being very anxious and having really repetitive negative thoughts,” she said of her 16-year-old son, who is autistic. The break in routine and other disruptions worsened his anxiety. When he started to express suicidal thoughts, she said, she brought in a therapist.
Parents of little ones also have concerns about the abrupt changes. Lorena Taboas, 34, said her son Oliver Vengoechea can see his friends and attempt a play date only through the window of their Mar Vista home or while passing by in a car. Usually he’d be in a Spanish-speaking preschool in Culver City with a dozen other kids, growing his vocabulary and socializing. Now he largely entertains himself in the morning while his mother, a Univision producer, works remotely.
She is concerned about this isolation and the future return to a school. Right now Oliver seems fine — and mental health experts say many children will emerge from this crisis unharmed.
But a classroom setting is “going to be like a shock to him,” she said. “Is he going to be timid? Or is he going to be hyperactive? You don’t know how it’s going to affect them.”
Alejandro Silva, 17, a junior at a Camino Nuevo Charter Academy high school campus in Westlake, said mental health professionals shouldn’t wait for students to reach out to them while school is closed. He attended therapy at school for two years through an outside provider, which greatly helped manage his depression and anxiety, he said.
Now he relies on the tools he learned — writing; trying to find something productive to do, such as cooking, instead of staying in bed all day when he feels unmotivated; talking to friends often — to stave off a relapse.
“There’s nothing for me to look forward to during the day. I just overthink how everything is the same and there’s nothing new…. Sometimes I don’t really feel anything,” Alejandro said. “I’m kind of worried for how I’m going to deal with it all. I’m telling myself just go day by day, but I keep wondering how long is this? How long can I … be OK with this?”
If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. For the Disaster Distress Helpline, call 800-985-5990.
Times staff writer Deborah Netburn contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-05-10--Earthquake: Magnitude 4.5 quake shakes the Imperial Valley

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake was reported Sunday afternoon at 3:07 p.m. Pacific time 26 miles from Brawley , Calif. , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred 26 miles from Imperial , 28 miles from El Centro , 36 miles from Calexico and 40 miles from Alpine .
According to the USGS , weak shaking was felt in parts of San Diego , Oceanside and the Coachella Valley .
In the last 10 days , there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 6.2 miles .
Did you feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Find out what to do before , and during , an earthquake near you by reading our five-step earthquake preparedness guide .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system , visit our list of frequently asked questions .

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake was reported Sunday afternoon at 3:07 p.m. Pacific time 26 miles from Brawley, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 26 miles from Imperial, 28 miles from El Centro, 36 miles from Calexico and 40 miles from Alpine.
According to the USGS, weak shaking was felt in parts of San Diego, Oceanside and the Coachella Valley.
In the last 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 6.2 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Find out what to do before, and during, an earthquake near you by reading our five-step earthquake preparedness guide.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-05-10--Long Beach to open more recreational areas on Monday

The city of Long Beach announced guidelines Sunday for the reopening of some pedestrian and bike trails , tennis centers and tennis courts , requiring that users maintain physical distance and wear masks or other face coverings when in close contact with other people .
“ We know our community has been anxious to get back outdoors , ” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a news release .
“ Please remember to practice physical distancing so that we can continue to make more places available.
” The city announced last week that some businesses and outdoor recreational activities , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , would begin reopening with restrictions starting last Friday .
Starting Monday , walking and bike paths along the sandy portions of beaches will reopen .
So will tennis courts , archery and disc golf areas and park parking lots .
Beaches and beach parking lots will remain closed , and parks continue to be open only for “ passive use , ” such as walking , running and biking , but not for picnics or other social gatherings .
The following safety protocols will be in place at the reopened areas : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others who are not members of your household at all times .
• Do not gather in groups or linger at any one location , except as needed for brief rests .
• Face coverings are required when in close contact with other people but are not required while engaging in physically distanced exercise .
• The centers must implement a “ tennis physical distancing protocol ” prior to reopening , including posting signs about infection control and making hand sanitizer available at entrances .
• Pro shop sales are for curbside pickup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for takeout only .
As of Sunday , Long Beach had 948 confirmed cases of COVID-19 , with 44 deaths , according to the city ’ s health department .
The city reported last month that a large share of deaths were tied to nursing homes or long-term care facilities and put in place a series of new protocols to slow the spread .
City officials said last week that Long Beach can now offer robust testing and has “ ample hospital capacity , ” with about 50 % of beds and 70 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
“ Our reopening decisions are based on the best public health advice and data indicators that show hospitalizations flattening and capacity at our hospitals , ” Garcia said .

The Pike, a popular dining and entertainment area in downtown Long Beach, has been almost completely deserted during the coronavirus lockdown.
The city of Long Beach announced guidelines Sunday for the reopening of some pedestrian and bike trails, tennis centers and tennis courts, requiring that users maintain physical distance and wear masks or other face coverings when in close contact with other people.
“We know our community has been anxious to get back outdoors,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a news release. “Please remember to practice physical distancing so that we can continue to make more places available.”
California Coronavirus spotlight: Long Beach As we all adjust to our new lives under the umbrella of the coronavirus, Los Angeles Times photographer Luis Sinco gives us a look at Long Beach.
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The city announced last week that some businesses and outdoor recreational activities, including golf courses and public trails and trailheads, would begin reopening with restrictions starting last Friday.
Starting Monday, walking and bike paths along the sandy portions of beaches will reopen. So will tennis courts, archery and disc golf areas and park parking lots. Beaches and beach parking lots will remain closed, and parks continue to be open only for “passive use,” such as walking, running and biking, but not for picnics or other social gatherings.
The following safety protocols will be in place at the reopened areas:
Beach bike and pedestrian paths
Stay at least six feet from others who are not members of your household at all times.
Avoid crowded areas.
Do not gather in groups or linger at any one location, except as needed for brief rests.
Face coverings are required when in close contact with other people but are not required while engaging in physically distanced exercise.
Beach bathrooms are now open.
Tennis centers
The centers must implement a “tennis physical distancing protocol” prior to reopening, including posting signs about infection control and making hand sanitizer available at entrances.
Pro shop sales are for curbside pickup only.
Restaurants and concessions are for takeout only.
As of Sunday, Long Beach had 948 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 44 deaths, according to the city’s health department. The city reported last month that a large share of deaths were tied to nursing homes or long-term care facilities and put in place a series of new protocols to slow the spread.
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City officials said last week that Long Beach can now offer robust testing and has “ample hospital capacity,” with about 50% of beds and 70% of ventilators available on any given day.
“Our reopening decisions are based on the best public health advice and data indicators that show hospitalizations flattening and capacity at our hospitals,” Garcia said.


latimes--2020-05-10--L.A. County reports 18 more COVID-19 deaths, 484 cases

Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 484 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 coronavirus-related deaths .
Long Beach , which has its own health department , reported an additional 17 cases and one new death , bringing the county ’ s total to 31,694 cases and 1,531 deaths .
“ Each day , we report these numbers knowing that there are people who are grieving their loved ones who have passed away from COVID-19 , ” Barbara Ferrer , the county public health director , said in a statement .
“ To all of you , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The number of people in L.A. County who had been tested and received their results rose to 245,000 , with about 11 % testing positive , she said .
Statewide , California has reported more than 67,000 cases of the virus and 2,700 deaths .
California is one of a handful of states where coronavirus cases and deaths are projected to rise more than researchers expected , according to the latest calculations in a widely relied-upon model of the COVID-19 outbreak .
Christopher Murray , director of the University of Washington ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , made the disclosure Sunday on CBS ’ “ Face the Nation.
” “ Some other states where cases and deaths are going up more than we expected — Illinois and then Arizona , Florida , California as examples of that , ” he said .
The researchers are now predicting California could see more than 6,000 COVID-19 deaths by the end of August , up about 1,420 from projections released on Monday .
It ’ s the fifth-largest increase in projected death tolls among the U.S. states , after Pennsylvania , Illinois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s latest projections suggested the nationwide fatality count would reach 137,000 by Aug. 4 .
It stands now at nearly 80,000 .

Michelle Paravicini administers an antibody test at a drive-through testing site at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank on Saturday.
Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 484 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 coronavirus-related deaths.
Long Beach, which has its own health department, reported an additional 17 cases and one new death, bringing the county’s total to 31,694 cases and 1,531 deaths.
“Each day, we report these numbers knowing that there are people who are grieving their loved ones who have passed away from COVID-19,” Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said in a statement. “To all of you, we are so deeply sorry for your loss.”
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The number of people in L.A. County who had been tested and received their results rose to 245,000, with about 11% testing positive, she said.
Statewide, California has reported more than 67,000 cases of the virus and 2,700 deaths.
California is one of a handful of states where coronavirus cases and deaths are projected to rise more than researchers expected, according to the latest calculations in a widely relied-upon model of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, made the disclosure Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“Some other states where cases and deaths are going up more than we expected — Illinois and then Arizona, Florida, California as examples of that,” he said.
The researchers are now predicting California could see more than 6,000 COVID-19 deaths by the end of August, up about 1,420 from projections released on Monday. It’s the fifth-largest increase in projected death tolls among the U.S. states, after Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arizona and Florida.
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The institute’s latest projections suggested the nationwide fatality count would reach 137,000 by Aug. 4. It stands now at nearly 80,000.


latimes--2020-05-10--Los Angeles police, fire departments see increase in COVID-19 cases

The total number of Los Angeles Police Department personnel who have tested positive for COVID-19 has risen to 108 , while 27 employees of the city ’ s fire department have become infected , the city ’ s emergency operations center reported this weekend .
At the police department , 45 employees have already recovered and returned to full duty , according to a statement from the center .
One employee is currently hospitalized and the remaining employees are self-isolating at home and recovering .
At the fire department , 22 employees have recovered and returned to work .
Five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The new numbers reflect the growing toll of the coronavirus on the city ’ s first responders .
At least two Southern California law enforcement officers — both sheriff ’ s deputies in Riverside County — have died from the virus .
So has a Los Angeles city employee .
Fire departments in San Jose and Long Beach were also hit hard with cases .
LAPD Chief Michel Moore has directed officers to wear protective masks , and the department now takes the temperatures of officers as they arrive to work for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms or must quarantine because of possible exposure have the option of self-isolating at home or moving into the Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A. to quarantine , The Times reported last month .
The rooms are not being paid for by taxpayer funds .
The Los Angeles Police Foundation , a nonprofit independent group that buys police equipment and offers other support to the LAPD , made a donation to cover the hotel costs , the police chief said .

LAPD Lt. Jay Hom helps assemble anti-coronavirus protection kits consisting of an N95 mask, work gloves and nitrile gloves at Piper Technical Center in March.
The total number of Los Angeles Police Department personnel who have tested positive for COVID-19 has risen to 108, while 27 employees of the city’s fire department have become infected, the city’s emergency operations center reported this weekend.
At the police department, 45 employees have already recovered and returned to full duty, according to a statement from the center. One employee is currently hospitalized and the remaining employees are self-isolating at home and recovering.
At the fire department, 22 employees have recovered and returned to work. Five employees are isolated and recovering at home.
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The new numbers reflect the growing toll of the coronavirus on the city’s first responders.
At least two Southern California law enforcement officers — both sheriff’s deputies in Riverside County — have died from the virus. So has a Los Angeles city employee. Fire departments in San Jose and Long Beach were also hit hard with cases.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore has directed officers to wear protective masks, and the department now takes the temperatures of officers as they arrive to work for their shifts.
Police officers who have symptoms or must quarantine because of possible exposure have the option of self-isolating at home or moving into the Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A. to quarantine, The Times reported last month.
The rooms are not being paid for by taxpayer funds. The Los Angeles Police Foundation, a nonprofit independent group that buys police equipment and offers other support to the LAPD, made a donation to cover the hotel costs, the police chief said.