Friday, September 4, 2020
Workers in food processing facilities risk injury as demand increases and coworkers call out sick.
L.A.’s indie craft vendors are experimenting with new ways to stay engaged with shoppers and keep small businesses afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps large crowds from gathering at markets and fairs. — L.A. Times
Low-income families can turn to alternative learning centers where students have access to computers, Wi-Fi and help if needed through an after-school program managed by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department. — ABC Los Angeles
Meatpackers already faced a slew of job-related risks, from joint and nerve damage to amputations, and the pandemic has heightened the dangers of the profession as workers rush to meet rising demands for food production, even as more and more coworkers call out sick with the virus. — L.A. Times
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center joined a growing list of organizations working with the Los Angeles Unified School District in their plans to test students, staff and their families for the coronavirus to curtail its spread in the communities they serve. — Patch
In a new series of public service announcements, the California Department of Public Health is reaching out to younger people in the Latinx and Black communities, the two groups hit hardest by the pandemic, painting COVID-19 as a real but silent danger of gatherings of any size. — ABC Los Angeles
Thursday, September 3, 2020
L.A. City COVID-19 Testing Centers Will Close During Heat Wave
Skilled nursing facilities, which were previously hotbeds of coronavirus outbreaks, are seeing cases steadily decline.
The L.A. City Council declared a fiscal emergency and announced plans to furlough 15,000 employees and offer $80,000 to 1,280 employees as part of an early retirement buyout program. — ABC Los Angeles
Many coronavirus testing centers in L.A. will be closed this weekend due to the heatwave. However, mobile teams will set up pop-up testing sites on Friday and Saturday. — L.A. Times
The Employment Development Department is investigating possible widespread fraud in California’s unemployment benefits system. — L.A. Times
COVID-19 deaths at L.A. County skilled nursing facilities are steadily declining. At the start of the pandemic, nursing homes were hotspots for virus outbreaks. — ABC Los Angeles
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
L.A. County Allows Hair Salons, Barbershops to Resume Indoor Services
The mayor continues to crack down on large gatherings by shutting off utility services to a home in the Cahuenga Pass.
L.A. County revised its reopening plan to allow hair salons and barbershops to resume indoor services at a limited capacity of 25%. — ABC Los Angeles
Mayor Eric Garcetti authorized the shutoff of utility service at another party house in L.A., this time in the Cahuenga Pass. — ABC Los Angeles
State officials just signed a $15 million contract with a software company that will redesign California’s COVID-19 tracking system. Last month, the system struggled with errors, resulting in a backlog of thousands of unprocessed cases. — KCRA Sacramento
Two more prominent L.A. food spots have closed permanently: the New Orleans-themed restaurant Preux & Proper and coffee bar Caffe Vita. — Eater Los Angeles
Twenty percent of local restaurants are violating county coronavirus health protocols, such as physical distancing and mask-wearing, according to county health officials. — Deadline Los Angeles
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
L.A. City Council Allocates $50M to Pay Workers Infected with COVID-19 to Self-Quarantine
A vigil in downtown L.A. honored some of the 5,700 Angelenos who have passed away from COVID-19.
Health officials are cautioning against Labor Day gatherings with non-household members to avoid a spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths similar to the one that occurred after Memorial Day and July Fourth. — Santa Monica Mirror
The L.A. City Council voted today to approve the use of $50 million in CARES Act funding to give all workers who get sick with COVID-19 two weeks of pay for self-quarantining, regardless of employment or immigration status. — NBC Los Angeles
There has been a 14% decline in kindergartener enrollment in L.A. public schools, a potential side effect of the difficulties families are facing with the transition to online learning. — The Bakersfield Californian
The Los Angeles Department of Aging and Element3 Health are launching an “End Loneliness Initiative” to combat social isolation and negative mental health effects on older Angelenos. — KCET
County health officials gathered today to discuss ways to reopen local businesses. While the state’s new reopening plan allows for some businesses to resume indoor operations, L.A. County’s restrictions on reopening currently supersede that allowance. — ABC Los Angeles
Community leaders and workers’ unions organized a COVID-19 vigil in downtown L.A., displaying photos of some of the 5,700 L.A. County residents who have died from the virus. — CBS Los Angeles
Monday, August 31, 2020
L.A. Businesses Grapple with New State Reopening Guidelines
State lawmakers are voting today on whether to extend California’s ban on evictions.
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to decline, with daily numbers at their lowest point in the last two months. Public health officials warn residents not to neglect mask-wearing and social distancing to maintain the downward trend. — NBC Los Angeles
L.A. businesses are learning how to navigate the new four-tiered reopening system released by state officials Friday, which provides guidelines based on location and industry. L.A. County currently falls under Tier 1 — “Widespread/Purple”— meaning it has more than seven daily new cases per 100,000 residents. — Los Angeles Daily News
The state’s ban on evictions expires Sept. 1. Lawmakers are voting today on a measure that will extend eviction protections through January 2021 if tenants pay 25% of their rent. — ABC Los Angeles
Snoop Dogg joined L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer and Inglewood Mayor James Butts for a livestreamed panel discussing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color. — ABC Los Angeles
To manage long lines, the Department of Motor Vehicles has expanded its DMV Express program, as online transactions went up from 1.8 million in July 2019 to nearly 2.2 million in July 2020. The expansion may result in long-term improvements for the DMV’s notoriously slow processing. — L.A. Times