Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
Is California Ready For The Possibility Of Mass Coronavirus Casualties?
Grave marker at Pacific Crest Cemetery in Redondo Beach. (Susan Valot/KPCC)
California state and local governments have been coordinating with the funeral industry for years to handle the excess deaths that a pandemic might cause. But the plan has never been stress-tested by anything like the growing coronavirus outbreak.
California’s system of mutual aid is far more practiced in dealing with a handful or dozens of victims in a plane crash, fire or mass shooting, but it’s never been used to cope with hundreds or even thousands of deaths that might occur over weeks in every part of the state.
So far at least 21 people have died from COVID-19 in L.A. County alone, with at least 1,216 confirmed cases as of Thursday, and officials are expecting the number of cases and deaths to continue to climb in the coming days.
How would L.A. handle a dramatic increase in coronavirus-related deaths? When a catastrophe overwhelms the capacity of local funeral homes, the state can activate its Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. It would mobilize the broad category of licensed death care workers to safeguard and store the bodies, with federal funds picking up the cost.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE:
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
