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Morning Briefing: LA's COVID-19 Cases Are Rising
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Good morning, L.A.
As much as I’d love to be the bearer of only good news today, the county is having a bit of a setback. According to public health officials, coronavirus cases in the area are back on the rise.
At the beginning of October, L.A. averaged 940 new cases a day. But as of yesterday, that daily number was up to 1,300, after climbing steadily over the past few weeks. Some officials believe that large gatherings – like the recent celebration of the Lakers’ championship – are contributing to the uptick, and contact tracing has shown that between 10% and 15% of new cases come from bars or restaurants. And now we’ll see what comes of the Dodgers celebrations and Halloween.
Youthful Angenelos might believe themselves immune to the serious complications the virus can cause, but a higher number of positives almost always means a higher number of tragic outcomes.
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"An increase in cases can, and usually does, result in an increase in ... hospitalizations and deaths several weeks later,” said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.
Coming Up Today, October 29
Mike Roe spoke with several Halloween haunts about how they addressed COVID-safety this year, and how they've been affected by the pandemic.
The coronavirus has delivered a big financial hit to American Legion posts, which are having to come up with new ways to generate revenue – like comedy nights. Robert Garrova has the story.
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For low-income L.A. residents who have lost their jobs or other sources of income because of the pandemic, one-time $500 grants are available to help cover utility bills, reports Sharon McNary.
Attend an online burlesque show by and for witches, take a cooking lesson with Guelaguetza restaurant, virtually tour the Walt Disney Family Museum, and more. Christine N. Ziemba has this weekend’s best (and spookiest!) online and IRL events.
What makes a story … scary? In this week’s episode of Servant of Pod with Nick Quah, Nick talks with Jeffrey Cranor, the co-creator of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale and co-writer of Within the Wires, about the ins and outs of building a scary, spooky or creepy podcast experience.
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The Past 24 Hours In LA
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Wildfires: As of Wednesday evening, the Silverado Fire had burned 13,354 acres and was at 25% containment. The Blue Ridge Fire had burned 14,334 acres and was at 16% containment.
Bleed Blue: A visual look at how Angelenos celebrated the Dodgers' first World Series win since 1988. Major League Baseball has harsh words for the Dodgers’ Justin Turner, who returned to the field to celebrate after learning during Game 7 that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Homelessness: The L.A. City Council pushed a vote on whether to amend local laws to effectively ban homeless encampments in certain parts of the city to Nov. 24.
Coronavirus Updates: L.A. County is seeing another rise in new coronavirus cases. Applying to college is very different these days, thanks to COVID-19.
Election 2020: L.A. is crushing early voting – 1,857,573 vote-by-mail ballots had been returned as of Tuesday, as compared to 557,557 at this time in 2016. It's not your imagination; the last four years of bitter political divide is causing social splintering and taking a toll on friendships.
Photo of the Day
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A boy embraces his father after the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series for the first time in 32 years.
(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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