Friday, June 26, 2020
Porto’s Bakery and Cafe in Downey shuts down after three workers contract the coronavirus.
Even though the curve is not flattening in California — indeed it is spiking here and in other large states — don’t expect stay-at-home orders to return any time soon. “We have to recognize you can’t be in a permanent state where people are locked away — for months and months and months and months on end — to see lives and livelihoods completely destroyed, without considering the health impact of those decisions as well,†said Gov. Gavin Newsom. — L.A. Times
Porto’s Bakery and Cafe in Downey closed after three workers tested positive for the coronavirus. Porto’s says all other locations will remain open for online ordering and in-car pickup. The Downey location is scheduled to reopen on June 29. — ABC Los Angeles
The Clippers, which some say are the favorites to winning the NBA title this year, want their families to come with them when the NBA restarts the season in Florida. — Clips Nation
Nurses at Riverside Community Hospital have begun a 10-day strike today, angry over staffing concerns and lack of proper PPE as COVID-19 cases soar in the state. — Fox Los Angeles
CVS Health is expanding its COVID-19 no-cost testing program by adding 35 more testing sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thrus across California, including these four locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties:
• 1676 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim
• 3208 E. Florence Ave., Huntington Park
• 4345 W. Century Blvd., Inglewood
• 5030 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach
— City News Service
Ready or not, Major League Baseball is determined to return for a 60-game season. Along with controversial measures like bringing the designated hitter to the National League, MLB also announced these safety measures for its players and staff:
More than 150 college athletes have tested positive for the coronavirus, weeks after returning to their university campuses for voluntary workouts in early June. — VICE
Make that 151. USC has just announced that one of its players has been infected. — LA Times
Her hilarious lip-sync satire TikToks of President Donald Trump’s now-debunked COVID-19 treatments, like ultraviolet light and disinfectant, have made Sarah Cooper a welcome comedic relief in these dark days. — The Hollywood Reporter
Thursday, June 25, 2020
More Than Half of Those Infected in Orange County Are 44 and Under
Large states fear apocalyptic surges if these deadly trends keep on keeping on.
California reported a 32% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations over the past two weeks. Intensive care unit hospitalizations are also on the rise: 18% in 14 days. — ABC Los Angeles
The three most populous states (California, Florida and Texas) have been setting records in the number of new coronavirus cases, causing fears of “apocalyptic†surges if the deadly trends continue. — CNN Wire
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a budget emergency this morning that will allow California to dip into nearly $8 billion from state reserves to help alleviate the enormous deficit caused by the pandemic. — AP
Congestion or runny nose, nausea and diarrhea were added to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of coronavirus symptoms, joining the list that already included fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell and a sore throat. — Fox Los Angeles
Young people in Orange County: You are not immune to COVID-19. According to county health officials, 52% percent of cases in the 714 comprises individuals who are 44 years old and below. Of those who tested positive in the county, 16% are between the ages of 35-44, 20% are between 25-34, 11% are between 18-24, and 5% fall under the 0-17 age category. — ABC Los Angeles
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
L.A. County Leads the US in Total Confirmed Cases
After a third consecutive day of breaking records we don’t want to break, Gov. Gavin Newsom reported 7,149 new positive cases today.
After yesterday’s significant spike to over 6,000 cases in California, we continue to break new records, with 7,149 cases confirmed today, a 69% increase in just 2 days. — ABC 7
You may want to stay at home. Los Angeles County now leads the country in the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus — 88,512 — since tracking of the virus began. — Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
According to a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, there is no evidence to suggest Black Lives Matter protests led to an increase in coronavirus cases. — CNN
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
6,000 Californians Tested Positive Yesterday — a New Record
About 50,000 low-income Angelenos could receive up to $2,000 in rental assistance thanks to the L.A. City Council.
Food and Drug Administration officials warn against using these Mexican hand sanitizers manufactured by Eskbiochem: All-Clean, Esk Biochem, CleanCare, Lavar 70, the Good Gel and Saniderm. — CBS Los Angeles
L.A. families negatively affected financially by the pandemic could receive rent relief. About 50,000 Angelenos could receive up to $2,000 in rental assistance for low-income households who have lost work, fallen ill or had to assist sick family members during the crisis. — KTLA
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to buy and give out 3 million cloth masks to residents over the next three months. — CBS Los Angeles
California shattered a daily record for new coronavirus cases yesterday, with more than 6,000 infections reported. It was the largest single-day count in the state since the pandemic struck. — KTLA
New COVID-19 cases within the LAPD jumped from 170 to 206 in the last week, according to Chief Michel Moore. “This was a 21% increase and is about twice the rate of our historic rate of change over the history of the pandemic,†he said. — L.A. Times
Monday, June 22, 2020
Things Are Getting Worse in L.A., California, the US and the World
The sheriff’s departments in Orange, Sacramento, Tulare, Fresno and Calaveras counties say they will not enforce Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mask mandate.
L.A. County today announced 18 new deaths related to COVID-19 and 2,571 new cases, bringing the total to 85,942 positive cases across the county and 3,137 deaths. — Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Over 46,000 cases have been reported in California over the last two weeks, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. That means of all reported cases in our state, 35% occurred in the past 14 days.
More than 9 million people around the world have contracted COVID-19. The United States accounted for over 2.2 million of those confirmed cases, which have resulted in 120,000 deaths. — Fox Los Angeles
The World Health Organization reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases around the globe yesterday, at more than 183,000 new cases in 24 hours. — AP
Talk about shooting the messenger. L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said that she and other county health officials have received death threats. “COVID-19 has upended thousands and thousands of lives all across the nation. The virus has changed our world as we know it, and people are angry,” she said in a statement. “While the devastation experienced by so many is heartbreaking, it is also disheartening that an increasing number of public health officials across the country — myself included — are threatened with violence on a regular basis.” — Los Cerritos News
LAX will begin using thermal cameras to detect passengers who have temperatures over 100.4 degrees, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced at the airport today. “We’re not saying that you only can rely on this,†Garcetti said of the LAX initiative. “This is an additional layer of safety.†— KTLA
Also at LAX: a passenger was removed from a Frontier plane for refusing to wear a mask. — ABC Los Angeles
The sheriff’s departments in Orange, Sacramento, Tulare, Fresno and Calaveras counties say they will not enforce Gov. Newsom’s latest mask mandate. “It is each person’s responsibility to wear a face covering, and follow other recommended safeguards, in order to stop the spread of COVID-19; it is not law enforcement’s responsibility to enforce it,†O.C. Sheriff Don Barnes said last week. Orange County reported record-breaking infection rates twice last week. — CNN Wire
About 150 seasonal workers hired by a salmon cannery in Alaska are allegedly being forced to quarantine without pay at the Crowne Plaza hotel near LAX after three of them tested positive for the coronavirus. The workers are suing the company. “There are certainly many, many horrible stories in the history of labor and migrant workers and seasonal workers in the United States. But I have not seen this type of case before,†said the attorney representing the workers. — AP
Los Angeles has seen more than 20% of workers become unemployed since the pandemic began. That’s 989,000 people. — L.A. Times
Professional sports owners across the U.S. are desperately trying to salvage their seasons. But in MLB, and even the NHL, reports of athletes and staff confirming that they have contracted the virus make the news each day. Cathal Kelly writing for Canada’s G&M writes: “Sending large travelling parties of young men around the continental U.S. for four months during a plague does not sound like good public-health practice. It sounds like the first 10 minutes of a zombie movie.” — Globe and Mail
Today, Florida has entered the exclusive club of states who have over 100,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Texas, Massachusetts and our own California cough in its general direction. — NPR
Speaking of Florida. This Florida man really wanted to shop at Walmart, but really didn’t want to wear a mask:
Up in Turlock, CA, a father and his two children were also removed from a Walmart for not wearing masks. — KTLA
Millions of viewers watched President Donald Trump say that he ordered COVID-19 testing to be slowed down. Several of his staffers said he was kidding. This morning, he was asked about it. He could have said he was kidding, but he did not.