Friday, July 31, 2020
Librarians are setting aside their books to become temporary contact tracers.
Fifty hotel workers in the L.A. area spread across multiple hotels have tested positive for the coronavirus. — NBC Los Angeles
L.A. County school districts will be able to apply for waivers to teach in-person classes. Approval would be based on the school’s reopening protocols, epidemiological data for the district and a consultation with the California Department of Public Health. — CBS Los Angeles
Free COVID-19 antibody testing will be available in Crenshaw from Wednesday, Aug. 5 through Friday, Aug. 7. — CBS Los Angeles
Five hundred Los Angeles Public Library employees are participating in the Disaster Service Worker Program, which temporarily replaces regular job duties with emergency pandemic response tasks. Of those employees, 75 librarians and staffers have become contact tracers. — L.A. Times
The Los Angeles City Council raised the fee for littering personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, from $200 to $250. — LAist
Fewer in-person visits to stores have resulted in a nationwide coin shortage that’s negatively impacting cash-reliant businesses and low-income shoppers. — L.A. Times
Thursday, July 30, 2020
L.A. City Council Considers Paying COVID-19-Positive Workers to Stay Home
European officials tell citizens to continue social distancing as coronavirus cases spike again.
L.A. County reported 2,628 new cases of the coronavirus, for a total of 185,872 cases to date. The county also reported 41 new deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 4,552. These figures include cases reported by the Long Beach and Pasadena Health Departments. — Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Americans are avoiding or delaying their doctor’s visits out of fear of catching the coronavirus. With a drop in routine checkups, doctors warn that some serious, long-term ailments may go undetected. — L.A. Times
The Los Angeles City Council is considering allocating $25 million to a program that would provide two weeks of pay to workers who test positive for the coronavirus — regardless of immigration status, housing status or criminal record. The city council is also considering implementing a $100 fine to enforce mask-wearing. — ABC7, Los Angeles Daily News
The American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers’ labor union in the U.S., representing 1.7 million teachers, announced its support of strikes in local school districts that are planning to reopen without adequate coronavirus protections. — WebMD Health News
Countries across Europe are seeing a resurgence of coronavirus cases, prompting health officials to urge citizens to avoid falling complacent with social distancing safety measures. — L.A. Times
Men are dying at higher rates than women in L.A. County. While the reason is unclear, it may have to do with an aversion to masks. — L.A. Times
Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and vocal Trump supporter, died at 74 after contracting the virus. — CNN
Metro and Metrolink received over $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief grants to continue operating in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. Officials anticipate a $1.8 billion shortfall over the next two years for Metro alone. — CBS
Three Orange County restaurants have reopened after shutting down due to staff being exposed to the coronavirus. — Orange County Register
L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz introduced a motion that would authorize the city to issue fines to people who don’t wear masks in public spaces. The first violation would garner a $100 fine, then $250 for the second violation and $500 for the third and subsequent violations. — Los Angeles Daily News
USC reported that around 40 people living on 28th Street, where many fraternity groups associated with the university are located, tested positive for COVID-19. “A significant number of the cases were associated with four fraternity houses,” said Sarah Van Orman, chief student health officer. — L.A. Times
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
California Breaks New Record for Most Coronavirus Deaths in One Day
As schools remain closed, COVID-19 may force mothers out of the workforce to keep up with childcare needs.
After processing a backlog of cases from last Thursday through Sunday, L.A. County reported 4,825 new cases of the coronavirus and 91 deaths, setting a new record for daily fatalities. This brings the total number of infections in the county to more than 180,000 and the number of deaths to more than 4,500. — L.A. Times
Yesterday, California broke a new record for the most coronavirus deaths in one day: 174. — L.A. Times
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, 13 additional employees tested positive for the coronavirus. The news comes after the death of two LAPD employees from COVID-19 complications. Confirmed cases within the Los Angeles Fire Department remain at 150, 125 of which have recovered and returned to work. — CBS Los Angeles
Imperial County is now the worst-hit county in California. It has the highest mortality rate in the state — averaging 25.5 deaths per 100,000 people — and approximately 688.1 coronavirus infections per 100,000 people. And despite a statewide emergency ban on court-ordered evictions during the pandemic, the county is still allowing them to take place. — L.A. Times, CalMatters
As schools announce their intent to remain closed for the fall, women may be forced out of the workforce at greater rates than men. Recent studies show that mothers are considering reducing their working hours or leaving jobs entirely to keep up with increasing childcare and housework needs. — FiveThirtyEight
Now that the federal government’s unemployment financial supplement has ended, California Assembly members are considering providing up to $600 per week for unemployed Californians to make up the difference. — L.A. Times
Los Angeles Apparel, the garment factory where more than 300 workers were infected with the coronavirus, has reopened. — CNN
Tomorrow, the Los Angeles City Council will vote on whether to resume intensive homeless encampment cleanups, which were temporarily suspended in March due to the pandemic. — Los Angeles Daily News
The Glendale Galleria parking structure isn’t the only place you can dine, er, “outdoors”: a variety of businesses across California are taking to sidewalks and parking lots. — L.A. Times
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Hundreds Flock to the Beach for Church Service
Three L.A. County food suppliers have shut down after health officials discovered unreported coronavirus outbreaks.
L.A. County reported 2,708 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 51 new deaths. This brings the totals to 178,642 positive COVID-19 cases and 4,426 deaths to date. The Department of Public Health announced it anticipates receiving a backlog of cases due to reporting delays. — Deadline
A total of 141 employees across three food plants tested positive for the virus: 58 employees at S & S Foods in Azusa, 40 employees at Mission Foods Corp. in Commerce and 43 employees at Golden State Foods Corp. in the City of Industry. — KTLA
With statewide restrictions on indoor church services, some religious institutions have resorted to hosting large in-person gatherings on beaches. An estimated 1,000 participants gathered at Cardiff State Beach last Sunday for service, and in Huntington Beach, around 1,800 congregated for two hours of musical performances, baptisms and prayers. — L.A. Times
The Central Valley is rapidly becoming the new epicenter of coronavirus cases, disproportionately impacting Latino residents and prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to announce the allocation of $52 million in relief funds for the region. In the agricultural basin between San Joaquin and Kern counties, the per-capita average for new cases reached 52.6 per 100,000 residents per day on Monday, compared to L.A. County’s rate of 24.3 per 100,000 residents and the Bay Area’s rate of 12.1 per 100,000 residents. — The Mercury News, L.A. Times
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported another 273 new cases of the coronavirus as of Monday — but said an error with processing electronic lab reports means their estimate is an undercount. — Orange County Register
More than $1 billion in federal coronavirus aid funds will go to transit services in L.A. County, per U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao. Specifically, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will receive an $861.9 million grant, and the Southern California Regional Rail Authority will receive a $170.6 million grant. — NBC Los Angeles
President Donald Trump set off a flurry of activity online after he and his son promoted hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment on social media. Studies show the malarial drug can do more harm than good when used to treat symptoms of COVID-19. — ABC News
Monday, July 27, 2020
Smaller Cities in L.A. County Demand Share of CARES Act Funding
A greater dependence on public transportation and fewer opportunities to work remotely leave low-income communities of color at a higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus, according to a new study.
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to surge in California, but some areas are seeing some stability return. L.A. County’s seven-day positivity rate remains at 8.4%, according to the California Department of Public Health. This places it just above the state’s safety threshold of 8%, but it is lower than in previous weeks. — L.A. Times
Representatives from about 30 of the 87 cities within L.A. County issued a joint statement claiming they received little to no monetary aid to respond to the pandemic since they don’t have the 500,000 residents required to qualify for federal funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. They are asking that the county and city of Los Angeles redistribute approximately $1.8 billion in CARES Act funding. — NBC Los Angeles
Black and Latino residents in Los Angeles and New York are almost twice as likely as white residents to die from COVID-19, according to a UCLA study. Two significant factors leading to this are that low-income Black and Latino residents in both metro areas rely on public transportation and are less likely to be able to work from home, putting them at greater risk of exposure to the virus. — Los Angeles Daily News
Military medical teams are coming to the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center to assist hospital care units amid growing COVID-19 hospitalizations. The teams are typically deployed for 30 days. — ABC Los Angeles
Even as restaurants and bars receive loans and permits to allow outdoor dining during the pandemic, L.A.’s street food vendors face roadblocks and police forcing them to halt their enterprises. So how are they getting by? — Food and Wine
In L.A. County, 11,841 health care workers and first responders have been infected with the coronavirus, according to public health director Barbara Ferrer, 65% of whom were caregivers in skilled nursing facilities. “Health care workers continue to be the most affected” worker population in the county, she said. — Deadline