With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
Frontline Workers' Unions Want To Shut Everything Down For A Month To Stop This COVID-19 Surge
A nurse at a Nov. 23 vigil outside UCLA Medical Center for health care workers who died from COVID-19. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
()
As COVID-19 cases and deaths surge around the region, a coalition of unions representing frontline health care workers, public school teachers, and grocery, food service and hotel workers is calling for a "circuit breaker" — they want the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to enact a four-week lockdown to try to bring the numbers down.
That would include curfews and the forced closure of all nonessential businesses, along with a financial safety net to keep workers and businesses afloat during the shutdown.
The coalition argues such a move would save lives by lowering the number of cases, relieving the pressure on hospitals, and allowing health agencies to improve their testing and contact tracing capabilities, ultimately leading to a quicker reopening of the broader economy.
"Healthcare workers throughout Los Angeles are reaching their breaking point," said Sal Rosselli, President of the National Union of Healthcare Workers:
Support for LAist comes from
"They are understaffed, overworked and inundated with patients fighting for their lives. COVID-19 cannot be allowed to spread following the December holidays the way it spread after Thanksgiving. We all have to work together to keep this from getting worse, and that starts with people having the financial security to stay home."
Congress appears to be nearing a deal on another COVID-19 relief bill, but it does not appear to include aid to state and local governments.
READ THE COALITION'S ONLINE PETITION:
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent. -
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence.
Best of LAist