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A Diary Of LA In The Time Of Coronavirus

We are living through historic times. Help us capture this moment by contributing your own story. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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March 11, 2020.

That was the day "nonessential" staff at KPCC and LAist started working from home. I remember because it's my wedding anniversary.

My wife was out of town, and I aimed to call her before she beat me to it, but the coronavirus pandemic had already sent the news into a spin cycle and it was all I could do to keep up with the relentless pace of new information. It wasn't until I read a "happy anniversary" message from our mutual friend that I realized how absolutely I had blown it.

All of the days since seem to have blurred into one long Montuefritaturday. I'd tell you more — about piping audio from a church's live stream through the phone so that my 98-year-old grandmother can feel less isolated, about trying to help my wife troubleshoot video conferencing issues so that she can teach dance remotely, about arguments with family members over how seriously we should adhere to the stay-at-home orders — but each of those are journal entries for another day, and anyway my story isn't the point.

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This story is much bigger, and it's affecting each of us in different ways. This is the story of Los Angeles in a time of social distancing, in a time of economic devastation, in a time of illness. We want your help to chronicle this historic time. We want your help to keep a diary of L.A. in the time of coronavirus.

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About the Public Insight Network®

Founded in 2003, American Public Media's Public Insight Network® is a platform for connecting trusted journalists with knowledgeable sources and for fostering journalistic excellence, innovation and collaboration. Through American Public Media, you may have opportunities to also inform reporting for national programs and podcasts.

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