We will be honest with you. There has been so much news, we probably couldn't even count how many updates we've made to this post and LAist.com over the weekend. But we know you're counting on us to deliver the news you need. So let's do this.
Schools, daycares, offices, city recreation centers and beloved landmarks all have shut down to stop the spread of coronavirus. Late Sunday, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced sweeping closures that affect much of public life just minutes after L.A. County said all their offices are closed to the public starting this morning.
All this is throwing all of our ay-to-day lives out of whack. And yet, a spirit of collaboration is taking over the city.
"It's going to be a bit of an inconvenience,” one LAUSD parent told us, “but at the same time, health comes first."
Here's what else we're...
Covering Today:
- Rain is expected to continue all through the week, with a possible respite on Thursday.
- Myra Vasquez is reimagining the gelatina, combining traditional Mexican ingredients with modern trends and techniques. Cynthia Rebolledo reports.
- Events are pretty much all getting cancelled. Here are some other ways to stay busy, says Christine N. Ziemba.
- Stuck at home? Lisa Brenner offers up a classic board game suggestion — the start of our "stay sane" series of games to play in the comfort of your own self-isolating home.
Coronavirus Special Section:
What We Know:
- Gov. Newsom laid out new and far stricter guidelines to curb the pandemic, calling for all seniors and people with underlying conditions to be isolated at home. He also advised all wineries, bars and brewpubs to close until further notice, and for restaurants to stay at no more than 50 percent capacity.
- L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti told us he was planning to implement an eviction moratorium so that nobody gets kicked out of their home if they can't make rent because of the impact from coronavirus. And Sunday night he did it.
- We’ve been hearing from some international passengers arriving at LAX who were concerned that they were not screened for the coronavirus. Garcetti said he was “very confident” in the areas that local officials were handling with screening, but that federal officials had "a very uneven approach.”
- L.A. County now has a total of 69 coronavirus cases. Eight were confirmed Friday, 11 were confirmed Saturday and another 16 were confirmed Sunday. One of the cases is an LAPD employee.
- The expert consensus is: Homeless people are particularly vulnerable to the virus. Here’s what local authorities are doing (and not doing) to protect them.
- Meanwhile, the Census Bureau is delaying some of its early outreach efforts because of the pandemic. (Reminder: You can complete the census online!)
- The Governator has a wicked sense of humor -- or maybe is just a little odd. In any case, his take on being a 72-year-old man stuck at home made us laugh.
What We’re Following:
- Libby Denkmann examines the question: How do you govern at a time when local governing bodies are postponing meeting, or going remote?
- Senior centers are closing, reports Alyssa Jeong Perry, and the closures will be tough for visitors who count on them for socializing – especially non-English speakers.
- And Jacob Margolis will continue to check on the supply of goods in our stores and also lean on his reporting for our podcast The Big One: Your Survival Guide to examine why so many people lined up to buy guns in recent days.
In Case You Missed It:
We're excited to introduce the first installation of Mis Ángeles, a new column by Erick Galindo, our former immigration reporter. Erick covers the stories of those living on L.A.'s margins, who don't have quite as much time to obsess over coronavirus.
"Look around, gordito," a day laborer at Home Depot told him. "Something terrible always happens to us.
Also:Help Us Cover Your Community:
- Got something you’ve always wanted to know about Southern California and the people who call it home? Is there an issue you want us to cover? Ask us anything >>
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The news cycle moves fast. Some stories don't pan out. Others get added. Consider this today's first draft.
