Coronavirus And The Thousands Of Small Stories In LA

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Most days, the biggest news about the coronavirus is told in numbers: Confirmed cases, deaths, ventilators, recoveries. And those numbers are vital — every case and every intubation and every death is somebody’s loved one, family member and friend.

In the midst of those big stories, though, thousands of little ones are playing out each day. There are the small business entrepreneurs in the San Gabriel Valley who aren't applying for government loans because the forms aren’t offered in their native languages. There’s the owner of a boba shop who’d worked hard towards a big reopening in March — and stuck with it.

There's advice for little kids courtesy of Sesame Street, there’s a social media game from the Getty that’s gained a cult following, and then, there are the small, daily interactions — with a face mask on, how do you simply say “hi”?

Today, we have these stories and more.

Coming Up Today, April 14

Matt Tinoco lays out the basic information that renters need to know in the time of COVID-19.

Aaron Schrank profiles Naasón Joaquín García, the "Apostle" of La Luz del Mundo (Light of the World) church.

Getting access to financial help is sure to be extra difficult for L.A.'s many small business owners without legal immigration status, reports Emily Guerin.

A Santa Monica board and care facility for people with mental illness has a COVID-19 patient. Robert Garrova asks, how hard is it for these types of places to operate now?

Community health clinics provide basic medical care to one in six Californians. Alyssa Jeong Perry looks at how badly their finances have been hit by the pandemic, and how they will survive.

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the details about a partnership between community colleges and LAUSD to get seniors the credits they need to earn a diploma.

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The Past 24 Hours In LA

L.A., California, The World: L.A. County now has 9,420 cases of the coronavirus. There are nearly 25,000 cases in California, and 1.9 million worldwide. L.A. reported its lowest number of new daily cases since March 26. Gov. Gavin Newsom will soon lay out a shared framework with Oregon and Washington for reopening California's economy, and President Trump — in an eventful news briefing —attempted to present a united front to the nation with the leading immunologist on the White House coronavirus task force

The SGV: Bubble Republic, a boba shop in the city of San Gabriel, is attempting a grand reopening in the midst of COVID-19. Some business owners in the San Gabriel Valley don't feel comfortable applying for government rescue loans because the Small Business Administration's website is only in English and Spanish.

Working With What We Have: What L.A. needs now is a robust new vocabulary of hand gestures that say, "Hello, neighbor. I care." Hundreds of buildings across Southern California were drafted into service during WWII; we're doing much the same thing to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, how do you confront people who are breaking the rules on social distancing?

Art Goes Interactive: We asked the friendly faces over at Sesame Street to share their advice on physical distancing for our younger fans. A quirky social media post by the Getty Center asked people to use household items to recreate the museum's collection; tens of thousands have responded.

The Ongoing Repercussions: About a month into Southern California’s official stay-at-home phase of the global health crisis, we are getting a better picture of the impact on traffic. LAUSD will not reopen its campuses this school year. Disney reportedly is furloughing 30,000 people in Anaheim (Disneyland, California Adventure, three hotels, and Downtown Disney) as of this Sunday.

In Non-COVID-19 News

With curbside grocery pickup and even medical appointments now standard in the time of social distancing, why not voting?

These 12 at-home events include a Norms giveaway, a Zócalo panel on farm worker health and some online programming from the Tribeca and SXSW festivals.

With their new album, L.A. quartet Chicano Batman added an extra layer of experimentalism to their already established retro soul sound.

In response to a query from an LAist supporter, we spoke to an expert about best practices when it comes to polling large groups of people.

The Census Bureau is asking Congress for more time to turn in data from the 2020 Census.

KCRW’s Matt Holzman, a longtime voice in L.A. public radio, has died of cancer at the age of 56. We pay tribute to his contribution to Los Angeles.

Your Moment Of Kindness

When it comes to greeting people, Vergilio Leon says face masks have changed things. He finds it's difficult to convey his expressions, but when he greets someone he'll throw up his arm and loudly say hello.

(Chava Sanchez/LAist)

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