Coronavirus: 2,329 Con Rmed Cases in San Bernardino County, 101 Deaths

Coronavirus: 2,329 conrmed cases in San Bernardino County, 101 deaths By Martin Estacio Staff Writer Posted May 5, 2020 at 2:02 PM Confirmed coronavirus cases in San Bernardino County jumped to more than 2,300 Tuesday, as more than 100 were reported to have died due to COVID-19.

The number of infected people totaled 2,329, while deaths reached 101 after two days during which county officials gave no updates to those figures. A county spokesperson told the Daily Press there had been no updates since Saturday because of “routine data cleaning and reconciliation.”

According to the county’s COVID-19 Dashboard, 24,413 people have been tested for the virus with 9.5% of tests returning positive results.

The county’s update comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that some businesses would be able to reopen by the end of the week as part of a gradual reopening in the state.

Some of those businesses deemed lower risk include bookstores, clothing stores, florists and sporting goods stores, but they will have to meet certain guidelines and modifications that “lower the risk of transmission” of the coronavirus, according to the Governor’s Office.

“Millions of Californians answered the call to stay home and thanks to them, we are in a position to begin moving into our next stage of modifying our stay at home order,” Newsom said in a statement. “But make no mistake – this virus isn’t gone. It’s still dangerous and poses a significant public health risk.”

In San Bernardino County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized has remained relatively stable in the week leading up to Sunday, the last day hospitalization data was available, rising from 146 on April 6 to 154 on May 3. Available intensive care unit beds have dropped during the same week, though, from 201 to 135. The data counts positive COVID-19 patients, suspected patients and those with other diagnoses. The last group makes up the majority of ICU patients.

Here are the list of cases and deaths in the High Desert. Changes in cases are in parentheses:

Adelanto: 32 cases (+2)

Apple Valley: 34 cases (+1), 2 deaths

Barstow: 9 cases, 2 deaths

Fort Irwin: 2 cases

Hesperia: 61 cases (+2), 1 death

Joshua Tree: 15 cases, 2 deaths

Morongo Valley: 6 cases (-1)

Oak Hills: 12 cases

Phelan: 9 cases

Twentynine Palms: 5 cases

Victorville: 100 cases (+2), 6 deaths

Yucca Valley: 11 cases (-1)

Total cases: 296 cases, 13 deaths

Cases in the surrounding mountain communities tallied at 22, with one death:

Big Bear City: 3 cases

Big Bear Lake: 5 cases Crestline: 9 cases (+1), 1 death

Rimforest: 1 case

Running Springs: 3 cases

Wrightwood: 1 case

In neighboring counties as of Tuesday afternoon: Los Angeles, 27,836 cases, 1,315 deaths; Orange, 2,873 cases, 61 deaths; Riverside, 4,354 cases, 181 deaths; Kern, 1,045 cases, 11 deaths.

Across California, 58,724 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, with 2,379 dead, according to the Los Angeles Times coronavirus tracker.

Nationwide, more than 1.2 million are confirmed with 771,070 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Nearly 190,000 have recovered.

Worldwide, cases stood at more than 3.6 million Tuesday. There have been 257,277 deaths and nearly 1.2 million recoveries associated with the virus, according to the data.

Martin Estacio may be reached at [email protected] or at 760-955-5358. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio. San Bernardino County reports 4 more coronavirus deaths, 147 new cases – Daily Bulletin

LOCAL NEWS • News San Bernardino County reports 4 more coronavirus deaths, 147 new cases

   

By SANDRA EMERSON | [email protected] |  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 3:14 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 3:14 p.m.

In the interest of public safety, critical coronavirus coverage is being provided free to all readers. Support reporting like this with a subscription to Daily Bulletin. Only 99¢ for a 4-week trial.

Support local journalism

San Bernardino County reported four more deaths and confirmed an additional 147 novel coronavirus cases Tuesday, May 5.

https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:20:59 PM] San Bernardino County reports 4 more coronavirus deaths, 147 new cases – Daily Bulletin

Since March 15, 101 people have died and 2,329 people have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to the county’s online dashboard that tracks the pandemic locally.

#tail{fill:url(#fade)}#head{fill:#616570}stop{stop- color:#616570}

New numbers weren’t released Sunday, May 3, or Monday, May 4, because staff needed to validate its data, officials said.

In the county of more than 2.1 million residents, 24,413 RELATED LINKS people have been tested for the disease, but only 9.5%

were positive, according to the county’s data. Testing was San Bernardino County says no new up by 6.6% since Monday, May 4. coronavirus deaths, but case update on hold

TOP ARTICLES 1/5 California to begin reopening at end of

this week, Newsom says

San Bernardino County doctor’s invention could help during coronavirus crisis

Food trucks now serving 2 Inland freeway rest stops

Stage 2 of California coronavirus plan underway, here’s what it means

.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;}

READ MORE Vehicle registration and other The number of cases is doubling every 11.4 days.

CASES BY COMMUNITY

Here is the list of confirmed cases and deaths by city or unincorporated community. Numbers in bold indicate they are in the top 5 for most cases or deaths in San Bernardino County.

Adelanto: 32 cases, 0 deaths Angelus Oaks: 0 cases, 0 deaths Apple Valley: 34 cases, 2 deaths Barstow: 9 cases, 2 deaths Big Bear City: 3 cases, 0 deaths Big Bear Lake: 5 cases, 0 deaths Bloomington: 33 cases, 1 death Blue Jay: 0 cases, 0 deaths Chino: 75 cases, 0 deaths Chino Hills: 67 cases, 2 deaths Colton: 82 cases, 10 deaths Crestline: 9 cases, 1 death Fontana: 279 cases, 7 deaths

Fort Irwin: 2 cases, 0 deaths Grand Terrace: 14 cases, 1 death Hesperia: 61 cases, 1 death Highland: 74 cases, 3 deaths Joshua Tree: 15 cases, 2 deaths Landers: 0 cases, 0 deaths Loma Linda: 42 cases, 0 deaths Mentone: 15 cases, 0 deaths Montclair: 35 cases, 2 deaths Morongo Valley: 6 cases, 0 deaths Oak Hills: 12 cases, 0 deaths Ontario: 182 cases, 6 deaths Piñon Hills: 0 cases, 0 deaths Phelan: 9 cases, 0 deaths Rancho Cucamonga: 121 cases, 5 deaths Redlands: 130 cases, 10 deaths Rialto: 120 cases, 4 deaths Rimforest: 1 case, 0 deaths Running Springs: 3 cases, 0 deaths San Bernardino: 286 cases, 3 deaths Twentynine Palms: 5 cases, 0 deaths Upland: 94 cases, 8 deaths Victorville: 100 cases, 6 deaths Wrightwood: 1 case, 0 deaths Yucaipa: 175 cases, 22 deaths Yucca Valley: 11 cases, 0 deaths Undetermined: 187 cases, 1 death

Staff Writer Nikie Johnson contributed to this report.

https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:20:59 PM] San Bernardino County leaders say businesses should start reopening Friday – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS • News San Bernardino County leaders say businesses should start reopening Friday

   

By SANDRA EMERSON | [email protected] |  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 3:07 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 3:07 p.m.

In the interest of public safety, critical coronavirus coverage is being provided free to all readers. Support reporting like this with a subscription to The Sun. Only 99¢ for a 4-week trial.

Support local journalism

San Bernardino County has “flattened the curve” of novel coronavirus cases and is ready to start opening businesses, county officials said Tuesday, May 5.

https://www.sbsun.com/...opening-friday/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:21:52 PM] San Bernardino County leaders say businesses should start reopening Friday – San Bernardino Sun

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has stabilized, allowing for certain lower-risk businesses and public spaces to start reopening Friday, May 8, with continued social distancing and use of face masks, Leonard Hernandez, county chief operating officer, told county supervisors Tuesday.

“The county has progressed in fighting COVID-19 and while we’re well prepared and ready to respond to a surge, we’re happy to report in the last 30 days, as a county, we’ve flattened the curve,” Hernandez said. M The county is following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-phase plan for reopening the state after several weeks of closures and restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19.

TOP ARTICLES 1/5

.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;}

SKIP AD Writer TV producer and former rapper Jensen Karp In addition to stabilized hospital capacity and acquiring more personal protective equipment, the

county has increased testing capacity and contact tracing, identified alternate care sites, created a nursing facility task force and continues to review data, making it ready to move on to phase two, Hernandez said.

The number of hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients has remained flat since about April 10, when there were 156 patients, said Dr. Troy Pennington, a physician at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.

Predictions from national models were on track for the first seven to 14 days, but showed very large increases further out, Pennington said.

“I don’t think the models really took into account the very positive effects of social or physical distancing,” Pennington said. “We’ve done a very good job of flattening the curve. If you go back and you look at those models four to six weeks ago we have beaten every projection.”

On Monday, May 4, Newsom announced some lower-risk retail and hospitality businesses would be allowed to reopen for curbside pickup as soon as Friday as the state moves into the next phase of its plan managing the crisis. This includes bookstores, clothing stores, florists and sporting good stores. However, restaurant dining rooms, shopping malls and offices will remain closed, Newsom said.

Some outdoor activities can resume with social distancing and face coverings, Hernandez said.

The governor is allowing counties to move further along in their plans for reopening.

“For us we’ve been waiting for that flexibility in control from the state and now we have it,” Hernandez said.

The county will submit its recovery plan to the state for approval after the state releases its guidelines Thursday. County supervisors will first need to approve the plan, which may happen during a special meeting later this week.

The county is proposing $30 million to support small businesses through the COVID Compliant Business Partnership program, which still needs supervisors’ approval.

To be eligible for the money, business owners must agree to follow public health guidelines for safely operating.

Businesses can display signs in their windows letting customers know they are following the county’s guidelines for reopening, which will be similar to a letter grade seen in restaurants. A county campaign will remind businesses and residents that social distancing, face coverings and hygiene needs to continue for them to stay open. The campaign would include billboards, television and radio advertisements.

A successful reopening will not only help the county move to the next phase of recovery, but it may also impact the county’s budget.

San Bernardino County anticipates a loss of $107.7 million in sales tax revenue this fiscal year, which ends July 1, because of the crisis. There is enough in reserves, about $331.9 million, to cover the loss, county CEO Gary McBride said.

“Keep in mind that impact of $107.7 million is only four months. It’s March through June,” McBride said. “At that burn rate, we’ve got about eight months more cash if there isn’t some recovery in the economy and we see sales tax tick back up.”

The county will continuing funding programs and employee raises previously approved by supervisors. No cuts are currently proposed, but departments will be limited on hiring, McBride said.

McBride asked supervisors to discuss the budget further in fall when they’ll have more information on sales tax revenues. Officials also need more time to talk to labor groups, he said.

“Until the rubber really hits the road and you see the true numbers that come in, it becomes very difficult to start to project,” he said. “By the time we get into the first quarter or near the end of the first quarter, we’ll have a much better feel for how that’s trending, whether we’re starting to see some recovery in businesses and that will be very helpful.”

More than $403 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, RELATED LINKS and Economic Security, or CARES, Act funding is available

California to begin reopening at end of also allows support for businesses directly impacting by the this week, Newsom says crisis. San Bernardino County reports 3 new The county is not allowed to use the funding to make up for coronavirus deaths revenue lost during the crisis, McBride said. But, there are Map shows coronavirus cases in San discussions at the federal level for a new funding package Bernardino County cities that would give local governments more flexibility, he said. $500 dependent stipend: May 5 deadline Also, McBride said the county plans to ask the federal for SSI, VA recipients to claim kids government to use some of the money to address revenue lost at its Arrowhead Regional Medical Center from canceled elective surgeries in order to increase capacity for COVID-19 patients.

County officials are also hopeful the deadline to use the funding will be extended beyond Dec. 30, in case there is a second wave, he said.

Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error

Tags: All Readers, Coronavirus, health, public health, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories PE, Top Stories RDF, Top Stories Sun

SPONSORED CONTENT You Heard It Here First: Taas Will Change How You Eat, Shop, and Invest By MONIVATION

You Heard It Here First: Taas Will Change How You Eat, Shop, and Invest

https://www.sbsun.com/...opening-friday/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:21:52 PM] https://www.highlandnews.net/news/county-announces-possible-reopening-plans/article_60a32ec8-8f20- 11ea-ae77-8bf01109bd38.html County announces possible reopening plans

May 5, 2020

On Tuesday, May 5, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors discussed a preliminary plan for reopening sectors of the County’s businesses as early as this Friday, May, 8. The board plans to solidify its plan later this week. The discussion about reopening followed an announcement by the governor that “low-risk” sectors could reopen as part of “Phase 2” of the state’s COVID-19 mitigation policy.

“Low risk” sectors include businesses such as orists, sporting goods stores, and apparel retailers to manufacturers and distributors. Companies in these sectors will need to comply with a variety of measures the County (and the governor) hope will prevent a signicant upsurge in COVID-19 cases following relaxation of stay-at-home guidelines.

The board discussed ideas for what a Phase 2 reopening would entail. Other business sectors, including sit-down restaurants, shopping malls, gyms, and beauty salons, would be addressed in the ramp-up to Phase 3.

The County has established a COVID-19 Recovery Coalition involving regular dialogue with more than 30 industry leaders to solicit their input as to how we can best reopen the County. This group will help focus on establishing specic re-opening guidelines for sectors ranging from transportation and healthcare to education and tourism, along with faith-based institutions. The county will be sharing more information on Phase 2 and Phase 3 reopening in a future update.

“I’m here to afrm that the County has progressed in ghting COVID-19. We’re not only well- prepared and ready to respond to a surge, but we’re happy to report that in the last 30 days as a county, we attened the curve,” said Curt Hagman, chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “We’d like to thank everyone in our County for practicing physical distancing, wearing face coverings and practicing good hygiene. It’s made a signicant difference.”

The supervisors noted that the county’s hospital COVID-19 census shows that our surge capacity is well in excess of the projected need, as is our supply of ventilators. Moreover, the County has made noteworthy progress on our testing and contact tracing programs. San Bernardino County doctor’s invention could help during coronavirus crisis – Press Enterprise

LOCAL NEWS • News San Bernardino County doctor’s invention could help during coronavirus crisis

   

https://www.pe.com/...s-crisis/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 11:26:46 AM] San Bernardino County doctor’s invention could help during coronavirus crisis – Press Enterprise

Dr. Mark Comunale, chairman of the Department of Anesthesia at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, shows his Patient Isolation Transport Unit on Thursday, April 30, 2020. The invention could be used to keep patients infected with COVID-19 or other diseases away from others. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

By SANDRA EMERSON | [email protected] |  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 11:08 a.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 11:08 a.m.

Hospital patients with airborne infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, must be isolated in negative-pressure rooms to keep the disease from escaping and infecting others.

But there’s a problem. Hospitals have very few of these rooms and they can be costly to build.

Dr. Mark Comunale at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton says he created a solution — theR Patient Isolation Transport Unit.

The vinyl enclosure creates a negative-pressure space around hospital beds, allowing workers to safely care for or move infectious patients through the hospital.

Read Article

1 of 7 Dr. Mark Comunale, of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, demonstrates his Patient Isolation Transport Unit that could be used for  COVID-19 patients Thursday, April 30, 2020. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

“The beauty of this is it will allow a patient to be temporarily isolated and also transported through the facility,” said Comunale, chairman of the county-run hospital’s anesthesia department.

Negative-pressure rooms use machines to pull air into the room from the outside to prevent contagions from blowing out. While positive-pressure rooms are used for patients with weakened immune systems to keep contaminates out.

The idea for the enclosure — which resembles a see-through bag surrounding a bed — came to him after seeing the amount of work it took to set up a negative-pressure room while the hospital prepared for the Ebola outbreak a few years ago.

“It struck me, hospitals really aren’t designed to take care of patients with contagious disease as much as they’re designed to take care of patients who have bad immune systems and need protection from disease,” he said.

Comunale drew a design on a piece of paper then handed it over to the hospital’s facilities crew, which built a prototype.

He started working with Bud Weisbart, vice president of A&R Tarpaulins, or AR Tech, an industrial fabric manufacturer in Fontana, to market and distribute the enclosure. Industrus Manufacturing in Riverside will manufacture the units. The venture is a separate from Comunale’s work at the hospital.

The devices aren’t in use yet, however. A prototype is being used to train hospital staff, while it awaits approval from the Food and Drug Administration, Comunale said.

When the novel coronavirus pandemic hit, Comunale applied for emergency FDA approval to allow https://www.pe.com/...s-crisis/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 11:26:46 AM] San Bernardino County doctor’s invention could help during coronavirus crisis – Press Enterprise

the units to be used nationwide. Comunale said he’s close to getting that permission.

“We’re all just waiting for the FDA green light and we’ll be off and running,” he said.

The enclosure is roomy enough for a patient to sit up. The vinyl is clear so the patient can watch television and avoid feeling claustrophobic.

The enclosures have glove ports letting hospital staff take patients’ temperatures. They also reduce the amount of personal protective equipment hospital workers need when entering negative-pressure rooms, Comunale said.

“I think it will help go a long way toward relieving some of the pressure to have lots of PPE around when taking care of these patients,” he said. “That’s been one of our largest problems is getting the right type to the right people.”

The invention also would allow patients to safely have loved ones by their side as they die, he said.

“The patient is enclosed, then the family can get up close and technically put their hands in the glove port and touch their loved one,” he said.

When it’s no longer needed, hospital employees can remove and throw away the vinyl and collapse the frame, Comunale said.

“The idea was we wanted to make something relatively low cost compared to other isolation things on the market and, of course, compared to hospital rooms,” Comunale said.

Weisbart said the units could be sold for around $10,000, RELATED LINKS depending on how many are produced.

Coronavirus in San Bernardino County: In the future, Comunale hopes to see his invention used by COVID-19 coverage from The Sun the military and theme parks, such as Disneyland, which was linked to a measles outbreak in 2015. San Bernardino County reports 3 new coronavirus deaths Weisbart said that, when he saw Comunale’s prototype, his initial vision of its use expanded significantly to cover theme 5 things we’ve learned about coronavirus in San Bernardino County parks, public events, including the Coachella Valley Music

and Arts Festival, and sporting events. San Bernardino Superior Court announces more trial delays related to If a guest shows signs of an infectious disease, they could coronavirus shutdown be enclosed in one of Comunale’s units until they’re taken to a hospital for treatment. Redlands-based mapping giant offers free https://www.pe.com/...s-crisis/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 11:26:46 AM] San Bernardino County doctor’s invention could help during coronavirus crisis – Press Enterprise

software to fight coronavirus worldwide “We just want them to be there in the event there’s the potential they would have to face a contagious disease,” he said. “This would then protect not only the patient, but the people that are near the patient.”

Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error

Tags: Coronavirus, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories PE, Top Stories RDF, Top Stories Sun

Sandra Emerson | Reporter Sandra Emerson covers San Bernardino County government and politics for the Southern California News Group.

[email protected]

 Follow Sandra Emerson @ReporterSandraE

VIEW COMMENTS

https://www.pe.com/...s-crisis/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 11:26:46 AM] https://www.highlandnews.net/news/political/protesters-call-for-reopening-of-state-county/article_44128fde- 8f1f-11ea-a898-0b083a8cfefb.html

FEATURED Protesters call for reopening of state, county

Hector Hernandez Jr. May 5, 2020

A protester marches to San Bernardino County Court on Friday, May 1, during a rally organized to urge the county to r hector hernandez

More than 100 citizens marched to and gathered at San Bernardino County Courthouse Friday afternoon, May 1, to protest ongoing coronavirus stay-at-home orders and other restrictions and to urge the county and state to reopen the economy. According to participants, the rally was not organized by any one group but included participation from several political and advocacy groups including We The People Rising and Redlands Tea Party Patriots.

Participants included those gathered at the courthouse as well as others parading in their cars, decorated with ags and slogans. The protest was held on the same day as many others throughout the state urging the reopening of California’s economy.

While a few of the protesters wore face coverings as mandated by county order, many were practicing civil disobedience by not wearing masks and gathering in a group. While an exercise of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment right to assemble, the group was in violation of the state’s prohibition of in-person gatherings.

Robin Hvidston of We The People United said of the orders requiring face masks and prohibiting public gatherings, "The result is our constitution, which guarantees us freedom to peaceably assemble. So we're going to overstep the politicians and say we're going to be guided by the freedoms of the constitution and the American spirit. We follow that guideline rather than the governor's advisories."

The protestors chanted several slogans urging the county and the state to end the economic strain and harm the government’s coronavirus measures are placing on citizens and businesses.

Slogans included “Reopen California,” “We are all essential,” “Freedom is essential” and “We have a written permission slip to gather, the U.S. Constitution.” "Our message was to the county; that we want to see our businesses opened back up and shelter-in- place orders lifted. We want to see our lives return to normal, even if it's gradual," Hvidston said. "I'd like to see the county take a stand. People are really suffering and its a chain reaction effecting people at all spectrums."

Joseph and Maria Alcantar of San Bernardino said they were there to support the reopening of California.

“They said we were doing this to atten the curve. It’s been attened. How long can we continue this?” said Joseph. “Many small businesses may never recover.”

“America is not used to quarantine, we need to be free to make our own decisions,” he added.

Maria whose parents escaped Cuban socialism likened the political, social and economic environment⎯ under the coronavirus restrictions⎯ to early stages of socialism.

“This is not about the virus anymore. It is about controlling the people with fear,” Maria said.

“Most people live paycheck-to-paycheck. There is desperation because the big powers are forcing them to stay home and not work,” Maria said. “This is a way to break down a country. We’re not bowing down to fear and a handful of people with power. This is about others and what can happen to America.”

While the Alcantars are fortunate to still be working and continue in economic stability they said they are protesting out of concern for others.

Hector Hernandez Jr. Ontario airport workers battle coronavirus, stress and social isolation – Press Enterprise

NEWS • News Ontario airport workers battle coronavirus, stress and social isolation Airport passenger numbers down by nearly 90%

   

https://www.pe.com/...solation/?utm_medium=social&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 12:37:30 PM] Ontario airport workers battle coronavirus, stress and social isolation – Press Enterprise

Custodian Jessica Lopez sprays special disinfectant from a 4-gallon backpack within a waiting area in Terminal 4 at Ontario International Airport Tuesday April 28, 2020. The disinfectant kills the coronavirus and other germs. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

By STEVE SCAUZILLO | [email protected] | San Gabriel Valley Tribune  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 12:04 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 12:06 p.m.

Airports are places of pause.

In normal times, passengers wait by themselves for a sky-ride to their vacation spot or back home. At most, there is polite chit-chat with Transportation Security Administration workers, airline employees and maybe the bartender at the terminal lounge.

Today, with passenger numbers down more than 80% at ONT due to stay-at-home orders meant to flatten the curve of the novel coronavirus, front-line workers at Ontario International Airport are R experiencing a strange reality.

1 of 6 Custodian Jessica Lopez sprays special disinfectant from a 4-gallon backpack within a waiting area in Terminal 4 at Ontario International Airport  Tuesday April 28, 2020. The disinfectant kills the coronavirus and other germs. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Armed with masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and virus-zapping wands, they perform their jobs under new guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, but one thing they can’t erase: the loneliness. The social distancing and face-coverings worn by passengers and workers alike have turned their day-to-day jobs into a “Twilight Zone” experience.

Read Article

For Ontario police Officer Eric Quinones stationed at the airport, the thing he misses most is social contact. No longer can he stop a passenger and ask “Hey, where are you flying to?” Instead, workers and passengers keep their distance, peek nervously from behind masks and pass quickly, all in a place where the world has gone silent.

“That has gone by the wayside,” Quinones said of talking to folks. “People are less likely to carry on a conversation. They are staying back. They are leery they will contract the coronavirus.”

The number of passengers flying in and out of Ontario airport was 90% below normal levels in April, the airport reported on Thursday, April 30. This is typical of most airports in the state. But traffic may be even slower this month.

Airlines have reported that in May, they have suspended flights from ONT to Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Orlando and Taiwan.

Southwest Airlines, a major carrier still operating out of RELATED LINKS ONT, has not laid off any employees at the Inland Empire

airport — as workers keep soldiering on, said Yvonne Feds give Ontario airport $22.2 million to McNeely, station administrator for Southwest. offset losses during coronavirus pandemic

Ontario airport sees large drop in flights after coronavirus

Coronavirus, COVID-19 and how it impacts the Inland area — coverage from The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Coronavirus reduces San Antonio Regional Hospital staff hours

Ontario housing homeless residents in vacant hotels and motels

“I think they miss interacting with the customers,” McNeely said. “It is such a weird time right now. The airport is so empty; it is really strange.”

Airport employees are lacking social contact, a huge factor in maintaining employee morale, said

Jonas Kaplan, assistant research professor of psychology and co-director of the Dornsife Neuroimaging Center at USC.

When a worker can’t see another person’s face because they are wearing a mask, the brain loses a social synapse, he said. “When you take away the face, you take away that empathetic reaction,” Kaplan said.

“They are definitely missing the feeling of interacting with a lot of people,” he added. “We are built to interact with other people — it is important for our well-being.”

When Quinones can’t chat with passengers, for example, it can make his job feel less valuable, Kaplan said.

“When that is part of your job, you feel a sense of purpose. That is important for creating meaning in your life,” Kaplan said. Removing that takes away “a kind of social lubricant” that holds societies together.

While Southwest is still operating out of ONT, the number of flights and passengers are way down. Some employees in the terminals say they’ve seen six people board a Southwest flight.

The result is more idle time for Southwest gate and ticket counter employees, McNeely said. So instead of scanning boarding passes, some of the employees brought in sewing machines and fabric and began stitching together cloth masks in the airline conference room.

About a half-dozen employees created masks for their fellow workers at ONT, McNeely said.

To fight boredom, Southwest employees packed up boxes of pretzels, crackers and chips normally handed out to passengers and donated them to the San Bernardino Community Action Food Bank.

“The need is super great out there,” McNeely said.

Idleness can swirl anxiety in a worker’s mind, Kaplan said. He praised Southwest for keeping workers occupied.

“Idleness can be hard,” Kaplan said. “The brain doesn’t like sitting around doing nothing. It’s important to have a purpose or an activity that is goal-oriented.”

While the airport workers are not in the frenetic, life-and-death situations many front-line nurses and doctors confront, they are doing their part in the fight against COVID-19 and can become fearful.

Hugo Pulido, a manager of the Diverse Facility Solutions custodial crews at ONT, said he was

relieved when his company began using advanced electrostatic devices that disinfect restrooms, seats, door handles and countertops at numerous spots, including TSA checkpoints and baggage areas.

The devices discharge a disinfectant, producing a very fine mist that attaches to hard and soft surfaces, allowing the spray to wrap surfaces and kill bacteria and coronaviruses. Pulido and his crew also use liquid products that eradicate emerging pathogens, he said.

Covina-based Diverse Facility Solutions ordered the electrostatic backpacks for the cleaning crew several months ago, said Allan Dishman, senior director of operations. His company employees disinfect the airport terminals nightly, he said.

“From my point of view, this is something that is working to kill the virus. Just from knowing that — me and my crew feel a lot better,” Pulido said. “We feel more secure.”

Maintenance workers can be found installing lighting or RELATED ARTICLES crawling on the roofs of air cargo buildings making repairs,

Feds give Ontario airport $22.2 million to said Floyd Huntley, site manager for John Bean offset losses during coronavirus pandemic Technologies, a company headquartered in Ogden, Utah.

Ontario airport sees large drop in flights He’s at ONT daily, providing masks and gloves and after coronavirus instructions for maintaining safe social distances to his workers. He also lends a friendly ear.

“At the same time, we encourage them to talk to us if they have any issues. If they are concerned or start feeling scared for any reason,” Huntley said.

As a veteran contractor at ONT, he has noticed the changes since mid-March. Terminal restaurants are nearly empty. Chairs that once were filled with waiting passengers now have three or four people per gate.

“You used to see what looked like a crowded mall,” Huntley said. “Now it feels like I’m walking into a ghost town. You can definitely feel this is real.”

To maintain the maintenance workers’ sense of purpose, Huntley says they are keeping everything working and running — ready for a future ramp-up of passengers and flights. Airport officials said they’ve heard some encouraging news from airlines that suspended flights may be coming back in June.

“We tell our folks there is a job to do,” Huntley said. “You have to maintain the terminals because they

are going to come back.”

Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error

Tags: airports, coronavirus closures, coronavirus economy, Foothill Cities, Inland Empire, Ontario Airport, San Gabriel Valley, Standing Strong During Coronavirus, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories PE, Top Stories RDF, Top Stories Sun

Steve Scauzillo | reporter Steve Scauzillo covers environment, public health and transportation for the Southern California News Group. He has won two journalist of the year awards from the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club and is a recipient of the Aldo Leopold Award for Distinguished Editorial Writing on environmental issues. Steve studied biology/chemistry when attending East Meadow High School and Nassau College in New York (he actually loved botany!) and then majored in social ecology at UCI until switching to journalism. He also earned a master's degree in media from Cal State Fullerton. He has been an adjunct professor since 2005. Steve likes to take the train, subway and bicycle – sometimes all three – to assignments and the newsroom. He has two grown sons, Andy and Matthew. Steve recently watched all of “Star Trek” the remastered original season one on Amazon, so he has an inner nerd.

[email protected]

 Follow Steve Scauzillo @stevscaz

https://www.pe.com/...solation/?utm_medium=social&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 12:37:30 PM] Following protests, Rancho Cucamonga considers asking California governor for timely reopening – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS • News Following protests, Rancho Cucamonga considers asking California governor for timely reopening City Council will discuss a resolution on Wednesday, May 6

   

https://www.sbsun.com/...ely-reopening/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_source=twitter.com[5/5/2020 3:46:24 PM] Following protests, Rancho Cucamonga considers asking California governor for timely reopening – San Bernardino Sun

Protesters rally against California’s stay-at-home orders that were put in place due to coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak at the intersection of Foothill and Day Creek Blvd. in Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, May 3, 2020. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

By STEVE SCAUZILLO | [email protected] | San Gabriel Valley Tribune  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 3:43 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 3:43 p.m.

The Rancho Cucamonga City Council is asking the governor to loosen restrictions on shutdown businesses and to allow the city to tailor its own plan for the eventual reopening of the foothill city’s economy.

At the City Council meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, the City Council will discuss a resolution asking Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature to set a timetable with specific benchmarks for reopening businesses closed by stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. M

On Monday, Newsom said he would allow florist shops, sporting goods stores and clothing stores to

reopen on Friday for curbside pickup. Newsom said he would release specifics on Thursday.

The city is not satisfied with the governor’s reopening plans.

TOP ARTICLES 1/5

.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;}

READ MORE Writer TV producer and former rapper Jensen Karp “I think it is still somewhat restrictive,” said Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman Sam Spagnolo on Tuesday.

The city’s resolution says if the shutdown continues, it will lose more tax revenue and be forced to curtail essential services such as fire and police.

“It is critical that by May 22, 2020, we have a clearly defined, multi-phased plan for the re-opening of businesses in California. This plan must include specific dates and timetables, and not generalities,” read the city staff report.

The Wednesday meeting comes three days after hundreds RELATED ARTICLES gathered at the intersection of Foothill and Day Creek

Stage 2 of California coronavirus plan boulevards on Sunday calling for an end to stay-at-home underway, here’s what it means orders.

6 California resorts in limbo after Chinese The council meeting Wednesday is closed to the public. It deal to sell collapses will be live-streamed on the city’s website at https://www.cityofrc.us/your-government/city-council- U.S. household debt reaches another record on home loans agendas or residents can watch it on local cable RCTV3.

California sues Uber, Lyft, says coronavirus burden being pushed to taxpayers

Ontario airport workers battle coronavirus, stress and social isolation

Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error

Tags: coronavirus closures, coronavirus economy, economy, Top Stories IVDB

SPONSORED CONTENT California Seniors On Medicare Are Getting a Big Pay Day By Comparisons.org

https://www.sbsun.com/...ely-reopening/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_source=twitter.com[5/5/2020 3:46:24 PM] Businesses should start reopening Friday, San Bernardino County leaders say – San Bernardino Sun

LOCAL NEWS • News Businesses should start reopening Friday, San Bernardino County leaders say

   

By SANDRA EMERSON | [email protected] |  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 3:07 p.m. | UPDATED: May 6, 2020 at 1:37 a.m.

In the interest of public safety, critical coronavirus coverage is being provided free to all readers. Support reporting like this with a subscription to The Sun. Only 99¢ for a 4-week trial.

Support local journalism

San Bernardino County has “flattened the curve” of novel coronavirus cases and is ready to start opening businesses, county officials said Tuesday, May 5.

“The county has progressed in fighting COVID-19 and while we’re well prepared and ready to respond

https://www.sbsun.com/2020/05/05/san-bernardino-county-leaders-say-businesses-should-start-reopening-friday/[5/6/2020 9:43:05 AM] Businesses should start reopening Friday, San Bernardino County leaders say – San Bernardino Sun

to a surge, we’re happy to report in the last 30 days, as a county, we’ve flattened the curve,” Hernandez said.

The county is following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-phase plan for reopening the state after several weeks of closures and restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19.

TOP ARTICLES 1/5

.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;}

READ MORE Trump: COVID 19 task force not dismantling just In addition to stabilized hospital capacity and acquiring more personal protective equipment, the county has increased testing capacity and contact tracing, identified alternate care sites, created a nursing facility task force and continues to review data, making it ready to move on to phase two, Hernandez said.

The number of hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients has remained flat since about April 10, when there were 156 patients, said Dr. Troy Pennington, a physician at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

in Colton.

Predictions from national models were on track for the first seven to 14 days, but showed very large increases further out, Pennington said.

Some outdoor activities can resume with social distancing and face coverings, Hernandez said.

The governor is allowing counties to move further along in their plans for reopening.

“For us we’ve been waiting for that flexibility in control from the state and now we have it,” Hernandez said.

The county is proposing $30 million to support small businesses through the COVID Compliant Business Partnership program, which still needs supervisors’ approval.

To be eligible for the money, business owners must agree to follow public health guidelines for safely operating.

Businesses can display signs in their windows letting customers know they are following the county’s https://www.sbsun.com/2020/05/05/san-bernardino-county-leaders-say-businesses-should-start-reopening-friday/[5/6/2020 9:43:05 AM] Businesses should start reopening Friday, San Bernardino County leaders say – San Bernardino Sun

guidelines for reopening, which will be similar to a letter grade seen in restaurants. A county campaign will remind businesses and residents that social distancing, face coverings and hygiene needs to continue for them to stay open. The campaign would include billboards, television and radio advertisements.

A successful reopening will not only help the county move to the next phase of recovery, but it may also impact the county’s budget.

The county will continuing funding programs and employee raises previously approved by supervisors. No cuts are currently proposed, but departments will be limited on hiring, McBride said.

McBride asked supervisors to discuss the budget further in fall when they’ll have more information on sales tax revenues. Officials also need more time to talk to labor groups, he said.

More than $403 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, RELATED LINKS and Economic Security, or CARES, Act funding is available

to San Bernardino County to help with the cost of San Bernardino County says no new responding to the crisis. This includes money for testing, coronavirus deaths, but case update on response to skilled nursing facilities, homeless care and hold sheltering and purchasing personal protective equipment. It California to begin reopening at end of also allows support for businesses directly impacting by the this week, Newsom says crisis. San Bernardino County reports 3 new The county is not allowed to use the funding to make up for coronavirus deaths revenue lost during the crisis, McBride said. But, there are Map shows coronavirus cases in San discussions at the federal level for a new funding package Bernardino County cities https://www.sbsun.com/2020/05/05/san-bernardino-county-leaders-say-businesses-should-start-reopening-friday/[5/6/2020 9:43:05 AM] Businesses should start reopening Friday, San Bernardino County leaders say – San Bernardino Sun

that would give local governments more flexibility, he said. $500 dependent stipend: May 5 deadline Also, McBride said the county plans to ask the federal for SSI, VA recipients to claim kids government to use some of the money to address revenue lost at its Arrowhead Regional Medical Center from canceled elective surgeries in order to increase capacity for COVID-19 patients.

County officials are also hopeful the deadline to use the funding will be extended beyond Dec. 30, in case there is a second wave, he said.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Riverside County, supervisors on Tuesday are considering rescinding four public health orders. More than 100 people signed up to speak by phone during the meeting that has lasted late into the afternoon. Residents also protested outside, calling on supervisors to lift the orders.

Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error

Tags: All Readers, Coronavirus, health, public health, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories PE, Top Stories RDF, Top Stories Sun

SPONSORED CONTENT COVID-19 and Healthcare Risks: Urgent Resources for Urgent Times By Coverys

Get access to information and resources to help mitigate the risks in a COVID- 19 environment.

https://www.sbsun.com/2020/05/05/san-bernardino-county-leaders-say-businesses-should-start-reopening-friday/[5/6/2020 9:43:05 AM] https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/update-county-plans-to-re-open-some-businesses-by-may- 8/article_55872504-8f33-11ea-8ee0-c2a2d191ed.html

FEATURED UPDATE: County plans to re-open some businesses by May 8

May 5, 2020

San Bernardino County

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on May 5 discussed a preliminary plan for reopening sectors of the county’s businesses as early as this Friday, May 8.

The Board plans to solidify its plan later this week and will be providing updates to the public.

The discussion about reopening followed an announcement by Gov. Newsom that “low-risk” sectors could reopen as part of “Phase 2” of the state’s COVID-19 mitigation policy. “Low risk” sectors include businesses such as orists, sporting goods stores, and apparel retailers to manufacturers and distributors. Companies in these sectors will need to comply with a variety of measures the county (and the governor) hope will prevent a signicant upsurge in COVID-19 cases following relaxation of stay-at-home guidelines.

The Board discussed ideas for what a Phase 2 reopening would entail. Other business sectors, including sit-down restaurants, shopping malls, gyms, and beauty salons, would be addressed in the ramp-up to Phase 3.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman has established a COVID-19 Recovery Coalition involving regular dialogue with more than 30 industry leaders to solicit their input as to how to best reopen the county. This group will help focus on establishing specic re-opening guidelines for sectors ranging from transportation and healthcare to education and tourism, along with faith- based institutions.

“I’m here to afrm that the county has progressed in ghting COVID-19. We’re not only well- prepared and ready to respond to a surge, but we’re happy to report that in the last 30 days as a county, we attened the curve,” Hagman said. “We’d like to thank everyone in our county for practicing physical distancing, wearing face coverings and practicing good hygiene. It’s made a signicant difference.”

The supervisors noted that the county’s hospital COVID-19 census shows that the surge capacity is well in excess of the projected need, as is the supply of ventilators. Moreover, the county has made noteworthy progress on testing and contact tracing programs. Always free. Subscribe

News Election 2020 Politics Education Housing Immigration Criminal Justice Silicon

CORONAVIRUS Cluster of COVID-19 Cases in Chino Prison Alarms Advocates

By Marisa Lagos May 5

223 prisoners at the California Institution for Men (CIM) in San Bernardino County have tested positive for COVID-19, along with 44 staff members. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Updated 6:03 p.m. More than 370 inmates and at least 164 staff members at California state prisons are now infected with the coronavirus — the majority at a single prison in Chino, where hundreds more test results are pending.

In all, 247 prisoners at the California Institution for Men (CIM) in San Bernardino County have tested positive for COVID-19, along with 44 staff members. One inmate has died, while four have been released.

But the outbreak at CIM stands to be much larger: Prison officials said another 287 inmates have tests pending, with results expected over the coming days.

CIM is one of two state prisons where more widespread testing is underway: California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo County, where only 11 prisoners and 2 staff members have so far tested positive, conducted tests of 230 inmates on Monday alone, California prison spokeswoman Dana Simas said.

MORE FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

CALIFORNIA Reopening Los Angeles will be slow as coronavirus cases and deaths keep mounting 1 hour ago

CALIFORNIA How Long Beach fought the spread of coronavirus after firefighters became ill 1 hour ago http://www.hidesertstar.com/covid-19/article_e8954590-8eef-11ea-889e-6fb7d44d9d01.html

TOP STORY Amid COVID-19 concerns, Morongo Basin ER leader say don’t delay necessary medical care

By Jenna Hunt, Hi-Desert Star May 5, 2020

Fewer patients are going to the emergency room at Hi-Desert Medical Center, according to its director of emergency services. Jenna Hunt, Hi-Desert Star

JOSHUA TREE — Emergency physicians encourage people to not delay necessary medical care, especially if they think they are having an emergency.

In the last month, some emergency departments across the country have seen a drop in patient volume of 30 percent or more. “The trend has been very similar … all around in the area,” said emergency medical director Bob Khazaeni in a phone interview on Monday.

Khazaeni reports both emergency departments he oversees at Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree and Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs have followed the nation’s trends of getting fewer patients.

“Our volumes have been down,” Khazaeni said. “A good portion are showing up, but not the usual amount.”

Khazaeni said Hi-Desert Medical Center has had about 50 percent fewer patients since the COVID- 19 pandemic. He is urging people to not delay their medical care, especially any type of emergency, adding, “I understand their fears.”

“The ER and hospital are open,” he said. “We’re opening up for more elective and emergency procedures.”

Cases of COVID-19 seen at the two area hospitals have also been on the decline.

“We have not had one in over a week,” Khazaeni said of the Palm Springs location. “The cases are getting less.”

The last case at the Hi-Desert Medical Center was on April 14 with a patient coming through the emergency department, said CEO Karen Faulis.

Faulis also said there have been no additional cases or deaths at the hospital’s Continuing Care Center. She said two people remain positive after re-testing.

Khazaeni also said at both hospitals there has not been a shortage of personal protective equipment, which has been a problem for many hospitals nationwide.

“We’ve had plenty of PPE for use,” he said. “We’ve been very fortunate.”

In some rural or underserved communities, emergency physicians are seeing fewer patients but report that those who do come in are more seriously ill or injured, which may mean they are putting off necessary treatment. A full report on Dr. Khazaeni’s interview and the current emergency department trends will be published in an upcoming edition of the Hi-Desert Star and Desert Trail.

More Information Warning signs and symptoms of a medical emergency include:

Bleeding that will not stop Breathing problems (diculty breathing, shortness of breath) Change in mental status (such as unusual behavior, confusion, diculty arousing) Chest Pain Choking Coughing up blood or vomiting blood Fainting or loss of consciousness Feeling suicidal or feeling homicidal Head or spine injury Severe or persistent vomiting Injury due to a serious motor vehicle accident, burns or smoke inhalation, near drowning, deep or large wound or other serious injuries Sudden, severe pain anywhere in the body Sudden dizziness, sudden muscle or general weakness, sudden change in vision Ingestion of a poisonous substance Severe abdominal pain or pressure

American College of Emergency Physicians ADVERTISEMENT

CALIFORNIA

After hours of debate, Riverside County postpones vote to reopen amid coronavirus outbreak By KAILYN BROWN, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN

MAY 5, 2020 | 10:27 PM

After more than eight hours of debate Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted to table its decision on whether to rescind the county’s public health orders and instead opted to wait until Gov. Gavin Newsom provides more guidelines later this week.

The supervisors voted to meet again Friday.

For the record: 6:12 AM, May. 06, 2020 An earlier version of this article stated that 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington recommended that the vote be postponed until next week. First District Supervisor Kevin Jeffries made the suggestion.

Officials met to discuss whether the county should lift local orders that closed schools, restricted golf courses, and required people to stay six feet apart and wear facial coverings while grocery shopping and during other essential activities.

Cameron Kaiser, the county’s public health officer, had put the restrictions in place until June 19. Supervisors V. Manuel Perez and Karen Spiegel brought the proposal to rescind to the board.

A crowd of more than 200 people, including a group of protesters in favor of the rescission, attended the board meeting. Dozens of speakers offered testimony — both for and against easing rules. Protesters who want public health orders rescinded watch and listen to video monitors during the Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting on May 5 in Riverside, Calif. Many were not wearing masks. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Some called the restrictions arbitrary, onerous and “unconstitutional, flat-out.” Cosmetologists said they wanted to go back to work. One woman said she knows three people who lost friends to suicide during the quarantine, suggesting those deaths were a result of stress from the lockdown. Others said they wanted to be able to attend church.

“I would rather die of a virus than lose my freedoms,” said a speaker who identified herself as a nurse, wearing an American flag bandanna around her neck.

Others, including teachers and labor union members, cautioned against lifting restrictions too quickly. Some said opening without the appropriate safety measures could trigger a second, even deadlier wave of infections. Palm Springs Mayor Geoff Kors called in to say rescinding mandates that the public wear facial coverings will result in more infections.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who was welcomed to the microphone with cheers from the audience, said the county does not have the resources to enforce “unreasonable orders.”

“From the beginning, I told you I would not enforce the stay-at-home order partly because I trusted our residents’ ability to do the right thing without the fear of being arrested. I knew that they could be trusted to act as responsible adults and I was correct,” he said. “I refuse to make criminals out of business owners, single moms and otherwise healthy individuals who are exercising their constitutional rights.”

Over the phone, county Treasurer Jon Christensen said: “I’m very concerned. We have to get our businesses back open.”

The latest changes to the Newsom’s four-stage plan to gradually reopen the state expand decision-making at the local level, allowing some communities to move further ahead into the second phase of the reopening process at their own pace and open more businesses beyond those outlined in the statewide policy.

But counties must first submit “containment plans” that meet certain requirements for hospital beds, testing kits, and the ability to track infected people and trace their contacts, Newsom said.

Other local orders that are more restrictive than statewide reopening plans would supersede any changes the governor makes, Newsom said. Riverside County has some of the strictest public health orders in the state. The county has the second-highest number of infections, behind Los Angeles County, with 4,454 positive COVID-19 cases and 184 deaths as of Monday evening. More than 56,000 people have been tested and nearly 2,000 people have recovered from the virus.

During Tuesday’s marathon meeting, Kaiser and other health officials acknowledged that the county’s coronavirus numbers were not as dire as they had initially projected — 65,000 coronavirus cases by May — mostly due to the restrictions they put in place early. But they warned supervisors that if orders were lifted too soon, they’d run the risk of impeding the county’s progress.

“A job and a paycheck are just as important to public health as anything else,” Kaiser said. “The presence of us [here] is not to say that we should not reopen, it’s to say that the orders that are in place ... enhance our ability to serve the public and to reopen those businesses responsibly.”

Due to a recent increase in personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, the opening of eight additional testing sites and the large quantity of available hospital beds, local experts said that they think the county can prove that they are prepared for the second phase of reopening. They also said that by continuing to require residents to wear masks and practice social distancing — both of which aren’t statewide requirements — the county can make its case to reopen stronger.

Ultimately, Perez agreed with health officials and changed his mind on the matter. Late in the meeting, he asked his colleagues to vote against his initial recommendation. “I think we can have a win-win,” he said.

“I say we leave our orders as they are.... We are in a great position to demonstrate to the governor that we can move into Phase 2 hopefully as soon as Friday and then maybe even fast-track ourselves into Phase 3,” Perez said. “Come Friday, we’re ready to move forward.”

In response to Perez’s recommendation, 1st District Supervisor Kevin Jeffries recommended that the vote be postponed until next week, but 5th District Supervisor Jeff Hewitt warned that a decision was needed sooner. Following Newsom’s address on Thursday, the Board of Supervisors will meet on Friday afternoon to vote on whether to rescind all of the county’s public health orders.

Times staff writers Taryn Luna and Phil Willon contributed to this report.

CALIFORNIA CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.

Enter Email Address

SIGN ME UP

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Kailyn Brown

Twitter Instagram Email Facebook

Kailyn Brown has been with the Los Angeles Times since 2018. The Las Vegas native previously worked at the city’s two newspapers, the Review-Journal and the Sun. Brown attended UNLV, where she hosted a college radio show that was named the city’s best student program by a local magazine. Officials: 151 Riverside County inmates have had coronavirus, with 120 recovered – San Bernardino Sun

NEWSCRIME + PUBLIC SAFETY • News Officials: 151 Riverside County inmates have had coronavirus, with 120 recovered

   

https://www.sbsun.com/...120-recovered/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-sbsun[5/6/2020 9:21:33 AM] Officials: 151 Riverside County inmates have had coronavirus, with 120 recovered – San Bernardino Sun

Riverside County jail inmates are led down a corridor in this undated file photo.

By BRIAN ROKOS | [email protected] | The Press-Enterprise  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 10:43 p.m.

A total of 151 inmates in Riverside County’s five jails have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and 120 have recovered, county health officials said Tuesday, May 5.

Twenty-nine are still ill, and two have died.

In Sheriff Chad Bianco’s most recent public update on April 17, he said 107 inmates had been infected and 53 had recovered.

The county went to mediation with the Prison Law Office in April after the Law Office complained to a federal judge that the county was not meeting terms of a lawsuit settlement in which the county M promised to improve health care for inmates. After that mediation, the county submitted a written course of action and promised to provide the Law Office with regular updates on the health of its

inmates with respect to coronavirus.

TOP ARTICLES 1/5

.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;}

READ MORE Trump: COVID 19 task force not dismantling just That information includes the number of COVID-19 tests on inmates; the number of confirmed cases among inmates, including names, booking numbers and jail locations; the number of confirmed cases among jail staff; the number of inmates who are on quarantine or medical isolation and their locations; the number of inmates hospitalized because of COVID-19; and the number of deaths among inmates and staff.

The Sheriff’s Department, which operates the county’s jails, has declined to share most of that information with the public. The county counsel’s office has not responded to a request for an explanation of why the information was not disclosed.

https://www.sbsun.com/...120-recovered/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-sbsun[5/6/2020 9:21:33 AM] Reopening Riverside County while protecting life and liberty: Jeff Hewitt – Daily Bulletin

   

OPINION • Opinion Reopening Riverside County while protecting life and liberty: Jeff Hewitt

   

https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_medium=social[5/5/2020 1:53:26 PM] Reopening Riverside County while protecting life and liberty: Jeff Hewitt – Daily Bulletin

Tanya Acosta, of Highland, waves the American flag outside the Riverside County Administration building in Riverside on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. as demonstrators protest to lift restrictions put in place due to COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

By JEFF HEWITT |  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 11:55 a.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 11:55 a.m.

As a Riverside County Supervisor, I began receiving updates on COVID-19 in late January when, in the heart of my district, we were to receive the first repatriation flight of diplomats from China.

Our amazing team sprung into action. They tested, triaged and cared for all 195 Americans onboard, with safety at the forefront.

It would be a short time later that we would see the beginnings of community spread in Riverside County. This was every elected official’s nightmare. The safety and well-being of my constituents was at risk. We saw early projections that estimated we would have over 100,000 cases in Riverside County by May 30 and the morbidity rates would be sky-high.

At first the numbers were starting to reflect the rate of growth that had been predicted. But as more information came to light, the worst-case scenario projections did not materialize, our hospitals were not overrun and we set up testing sites that began to clarify how bad the impact really was. It was the herculean efforts of the Riverside University Health System, Riverside County Public Health and the Riverside County Emergency Management Department that prepared us for this wave.

MORE FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

CALIFORNIA Reopening Los Angeles will be slow as coronavirus cases and deaths keep mounting 1 hour ago ADVERTISEMENT

BUSINESS

Antibody tests aren’t always reliable or available. But businesses are racing to use them A scientist presents an antibody test for coronavirus in a laboratory in Germany. Scientists don’t yet know how much protection the antibodies provide. (Associated Press)

By LAURENCE DARMIENTO STAFF WRITER

MAY 5, 2020 | 10:37 AM

A full-service hotel is a complex business even without a pandemic upending society. Guests eat, sleep and recreate in close contact with hundreds or more people, including workers who feed them, clean their rooms and run what amounts to a small city.

So when stay-at-home-orders are lifted and the Hilton Universal City Hotel fully reopens, guests and newly called back workers will encounter safety measures to keep the coronavirus at bay, including masks, social distancing and, for workers, temperature checks at the door. The hotel adjacent to now-closed Universal Studios Hollywood is currently operating with a skeleton staff that already has instituted a heightened safety regime. But as occupancy grows there will be one thing neither workers nor guests should expect to provide: clinical proof that they are not a threat to those around them, shown with test results indicating they already were exposed to the virus and now have antibodies that could protect them from reinfection.

“We will not go to that step. We don’t feel the appropriate authorities are going to put up testing stations on every block for commerce to open back up,” said Mark Davis, chief executive of Sun Hill Properties, which manages the hotel. “That’s unrealistic.”

Antibody tests have been touted as a way to provide people with so-called “immunity passports” that would allow them to hold jobs without worrying they are contagious. And while many businesses seek them, the reality is that while production is growing the tests are not yet commonplace, and even the best among them will not provide all the answers businesses want.

Public health officials are using them to get a more accurate picture of the virus’ prevalence in communities, but relying on them to screen individual workers exposes the tests’ shortcomings: Not only can the tests give false positives and negatives, but scientists don’t yet know how much protection the antibodies even provide — or for how long.

Last month, the World Health Organization went so far as to warn governments against issuing immunity passports because there is currently no proof that antibodies can protect patients from being reinfected. While many scientists are optimistic since other coronaviruses such as SARS created powerful immune responses, not all diseases do and the science is not there yet.

“We are sort of building the car as we are driving it. We are talking about making society-level decisions on the basis of lab testing, and as a person who does lab testing for a living that really makes me nervous,” said Susan Butler-Wu, associate professor of clinical pathology at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.

Questions linger about the reliability of tests now on the market, including from China, that detect virus-fighting proteins in the blood formed in response to an infection. U.S. public health labs and established private companies, such as LabCorp. and Quest Diagnostics, are developing and expanding their antibody testing capabilities. But the tests won’t be available on a mass scale before states reopen their economies, already beginning in fits and starts across the nation.

The tests are different from PCR tests, which show whether a person has an active infection. After a slow start, the U.S. is ramping up its PCR testing capacity, though even these tests are not easily accessible to everyone. CVS announced its stores will be offering the tests free of charge nationwide and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announcing a plan last week to make them free to all Los Angeles County residents.

PCR tests will be needed by businesses to keep sick workers at home, but they don’t hold the promise of antibody tests, which can show a person fought off the virus but perhaps wasn’t even aware of it due to having mild or no systems — possibly 25% of the population by one government estimate.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced April 22 that the state had ordered 1.5 million antibody tests from Abbott Laboratories to be used to detect the prevalence of disease across the state, with one of the governor’s top health advisors warning that they cannot yet confirm immunity.

The shortcomings of current antibody testing were laid out in a review released April 22 by the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins, which concluded that using the tests to create “immunity certificates” either by government or business was “not a justifiable step at this time.”

One complication is that there are multiple versions of the tests, including rapid diagnostic tests similar to home pregnancy kits that simply detect the presence of antibodies. More sophisticated tests can determine the level of antibodies or even whether a patient’s antibodies actually kill the virus.

Those most advanced tests, which are not yet commercially available, can take nearly a week and are processed at labs that need to operate at high biosafety levels since they use cell cultures with live viruses. But even these tests can’t show how long a patient may retain immunity, which would require the results of studies done over time.

“We are presuming that people who have had the disease and recovered, that they have some level of immunity for some period of time,” said report coauthor Gigi Gronvall, an associate professor at the Bloomberg School, who is optimistic studies will confirm this. “But it’s really hard to say ‘You’re good to go.’”

Confounding the matter are scores of tests that hit the U.S. market after the Food and Drug Administration allowed companies to sell their products following self- certification of their accuracy. On Monday, in response to a swarm of unreliable tests, the FDA announced that commercial test makers have 10 days to submit test data and apply for a so-called Emergency Use Authorization or face removal from the market. The data must show the tests can capture the presence of antibodies at least 90% of the time, while having a false positive rate of no higher than 5%.

The FDA said it is already reviewing more than 200 antibody tests from manufacturers, but as of Monday only a dozen had been issued the authorizations. That has given businesses seeking to reopen little to work with. Dr. David Nazarian, a Beverly Hills physician, said several patients who own companies have tapped him to test more than 200 employees for antibodies, including a jewelry company whose workers started making personal protective equipment for front-line health workers. He’s also hearing from many developers of new tests.

“I don’t know how many emails a week I get trying to sell us antibody kits,” said Nazarian, who has a concierge practice that offers enhanced care. “A lot of it is garbage.”

Nazarian said he ran out of a rapid, finger-prick test by Cellex, a U.S. company that was the first to receive an emergency use authorization by the FDA. He is now offering Chinese-made rapid tests distributed by Premier Biotech, which were used by USC and Stanford researchers in conducting two population studies that found a higher prevalence of coronavirus than expected in Santa Clara and Los Angeles counties.

This sparked questions about the accuracy of the Premier test, but a new study backed by the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub found the test performed relatively well. It produced false positives less than 3% of the time and, according to a Premier spokesman, has been submitted for an emergency use authorization. Nazarian also offers the Abbott test, which far exceeds the new FDA standards, but it requires a blood draw and lab analysis. The test received a use authorization April 26 and the Illinois company expects to ship as many as 4 million tests this month and 20 million in June.

The White House issued a report last week noting that antibody testing will play a key role in returning the country to normalcy and said it is exploring a strategy of giving two tests to each person under certain circumstances, which can sharply improve the so- called predictive value of the tests. The FDA also issued guidance last week suggesting a second screening using a test from a different test maker in the case of a positive result.

Nazarian said he’s tried to conduct his own reliability studies by gathering stored blood samples. Another concern is that patients may test positive but actually only have antibodies for the common cold, which is caused by another coronavirus — so-called cross reactivity. “I have discarded test kits at a loss,” Nazarian said.

Still, there is a benefit to testing, he believes, because it’s highly likely studies will show the antibodies provide immunity for some period of time — given the strong immune responses to other severe coronaviruses and the successful therapeutic use of blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. The test, he said, offers peace of mind as long as employees understand they need to continue such practices as social distancing. “They could be at a lesser risk,” Nazarian said.

Michael Hackman, chief executive of Hackman Capital Partners, which owns three production studios in Culver City, Manhattan Beach and the Fairfax District, is a patient of Nazarian.

He said he has been in discussions with the doctor and Hollywood colleagues about what role antibody tests — given their current limitations — can play in reopening facilities like his studios, which employ hundreds and attracted thousands of production company workers each day prior to the shutdown.

Discussion has revolved around using the antibody tests in possible conjunction with PCR testing, strict disinfection procedures and following practices such as social distancing. All of that can create a safer environment, Hackman said, especially in an industry where actors and crews work in close quarters.

“You have to look at it somewhat on the basis of playing out the odds. We are not going to be able to guarantee that any work environment would be 100% free of the risk of someone contracting the coronavirus, but each one of those steps creates a factor which reduces your chance of getting it,” he said. Thorny issues remain, however, including the costs of mass testing and who will foot the bill. Some antibody tests have been priced at well over $100, but Nazarian said economies of scale could bring his prices down to $75 for broad workplace testing. And then there are the medical privacy rights afforded workers through a variety of federal laws, which typically would not allow employers to take the temperature of workers or require them to submit to testing.

However, because there is a declared pandemic, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued guidelines allowing such intrusions. Experts warn, though, that doesn’t mean that other provisions of employment laws are no longer in force. “We always have to remind employers in these conversations that all the laws are not out the window,” said Wade Symons, leader of the regulatory resource group at Mercer, a human resources consulting firm.

Given the unreliability of some of the tests on the market, there is a practical worry: Positive test results could give people a false sense of security when the test is wrong.

“We are not factoring in human nature. How rigorous and careful are you going to be about social distancing, with disinfecting, with all of these things, if you in the back of your mind know that you have a quote unquote positive test?” noted USC’s Butler-Wu.

Still, there appears to be big interest in the testing if the experience of one L.A. company is any measure. Scanwell Health, a startup that has an approved at-home test for urinary tract infections, recently developed a home test to detect coronavirus antibodies. Employers have taken notice of the test, which has been submitted to the FDA for an emergency use authorization.

“We have talked to every type of company you could imagine. This is a problem that doesn’t just affect Fortune 500 companies,” said Dr. Jack Jeng, chief medical officer for the company, which is developing at-home, smartphone-enabled diagnostics and counts the Founders Fund, led in part by Peter Thiel, as one of its backers.

The kit is based on a test made by Innovita, a Beijing biotech that has received clearance for its test by Chinese authorities. It can detect antibodies from a finger prick of blood dropped into a test cassette that provides a result. The diagnosis is done by a telemedicine doctor who examines a photo of the cassette taken through the company’s smartphone app, which adjusts for color and clarity.

Innovita has reported that its test studied in a clinical trial was able to detect antibodies with 87.3% accuracy with no false positives. Jeng said that in response to the new FDA guidance issued Monday, Scanwell will work with the manufacturer to provide data to the FDA showing the test is more sensitive when conducted two weeks after infection. Scanwell is already separately validating the performance of the tests.

The company also is involved in a large clinical trial with the Wake Forest Baptist Health system and software developer Oracle. It is part of an effort by North Carolina to track the virus in the state and it will gauge the immunity provided by antibodies over 12 months. Scanwell is hoping that studies being conducted around the world will provide evidence long before then that antibodies provide some immunity.

“We have to think about the alternative,” Jeng said. “The alternative is not having any testing information and just reopening without any data.”

BUSINESS

Your guide to our clean energy future Coronavirus: L.A. County staying on ‘slow path’ to recovery; 58 more deaths tallied, but hospitalizations drop again – Daily Bulletin

NEWS • News Coronavirus: L.A. County staying on ‘slow path’ to recovery; 58 more deaths tallied, but hospitalizations drop again Deaths of another 58 people from complications related to the novel coronavirus were reported Tuesday.

   

https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:22:10 PM] Coronavirus: L.A. County staying on ‘slow path’ to recovery; 58 more deaths tallied, but hospitalizations drop again – Daily Bulletin

Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer. Photo: Facebook video screenshot

By DAVID ROSENFELD | [email protected] | The Daily Breeze  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 2:51 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 2:51 p.m.

In the interest of public safety, critical coronavirus coverage is being provided free to all readers. Support reporting like this with a subscription to Daily Bulletin. Only 99¢ for a 4-week trial.

Support local journalism

Despite permission by Gov. Gavin Newsom to reopen some retail businesses throughout the state on Friday, May 8, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer offered no new guidance Tuesday on whether the county’s businesses would be cleared to reopen amid the coronavirus S outbreak — and again expressed wariness about moving too quickly.

Le https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:22:10 PM] Coronavirus: L.A. County staying on ‘slow path’ to recovery; 58 more deaths tallied, but hospitalizations drop again – Daily Bulletin

“Nothing has changed about this virus since March,” said Ferrer. “The virus didn’t get less deadly or

any less infectious.” By

The daily statistics on the county’s efforts to “flatten the curve” of the virus’ growth, meanwhile, provided a mixed bag of news. The death toll, after dipping for a couple of days, surged back up to nearly 60 new deaths. But the county also reported that the number of COVID-19-related M hospitalizations declined for the fourth straight day.

County Supervisor Hilda Solis during the daily briefing also declined to offer additional details as to when retail businesses could expect to open. Both officials said an announcement would come “later this week.” Under the state order, counties can be more restrictive but not less.

TOP ARTICLES 1/5

.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;}

READ MORE Vehicle registration and other DMV services so much “We’re looking at what criteria allows us to move from one stage to another, but we have to be mindful about what responsibility we have to keep people as safe as possible,” Ferrer said. https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:22:10 PM] Coronavirus: L.A. County staying on ‘slow path’ to recovery; 58 more deaths tallied, but hospitalizations drop again – Daily Bulletin

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is also standing firm on a cautious, deliberate approach, saying the city might wait a week longer to open bookstores, florists, clothing stores and other retail shops.

“One of the saddest things would be to open too quickly and not only see more deaths and hospitalizations but also to tell business they have to close again,” Ferrer said. “We have to do everything we can to be on a slow path toward recovery.”

Ferrer’s assessment Tuesday came as the county RELATED ARTICLES announced 58 additional deaths and 1,638 new cases.

Whicker: Everybody else is playing golf, Ferrer said the exceptionally high number of confirmed so why not L.A.? cases was a result of a testing backlog over the weekend and also a higher number of tests that were performed in Stage 2 of California coronavirus plan general. There were now 27,815 confirmed cases, much of underway, here’s what it means them already recovered, and roughly 182,000 people who Whistleblower: Trump officials ignored have been tested. warning on drug, virus As a bright spot in the data, the county experienced Has the legal system been knocked out Tuesday the fourth straight day of reported declines in the by coronavirus? Ask the lawyer number of people hospitalized, now at 1,779 with roughly

California sues Uber, Lyft, says 19% requiring hospitalization at some point overall. coronavirus burden being pushed to taxpayers

A total of 1,313 people have died in L.A. County from complications related to the novel coronavirus, nearly half of them at nursing homes. Ferrer again said the county was stepping up its efforts to contain the spread of the virus among the most vulnerable, including continue to test both residents and staff who are asymptomatic.

“This is an alarming rate and we all need to work hard to ensure that we are doing everything possible

so our most vulnerable residents are as safe as they can be in these congregate centers,” Ferrer said.

Ferrer again outlined the necessary tools the county must have in place to contain the spread of the virus after the health order is eased:

1. Hospital capacity to make sure health care facilities can handle a potential surge in COVID-19 patients, and that those facilities have enough personal protective equipment. “We do know as we reopen more people will be out and about and we see more cases,” Ferrer said. “We have to be sure we have capacity in our hospitals to be able to treat a small increase in the number of people who show up for hospital care.” 2. Testing capacity looking not only at the number of tests per day but where those tests are being conducted to make sure they are being used strategically. 3. Contact tracing to identify close contacts of those infected. Ferrer said the county currently has more than 1,000 people assigned to this task to reach roughly five contacts per infected person. The county would also accept help from the state to track cases, Ferrer said. 4. Tracking effectiveness and how well the county was able to contain outbreaks. “We cannot have a surge in cases and feel comfortable with continuing to loosen restrictions,” Ferrer said. 5. The ability to track cases by populations such as age, poverty, race and ethnicity, and especially where new cases were occurring. Current data suggests African Americans and native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were being disproportionately effected, largely because of underlying health conditions and access to care, Ferrer has said. 6. Protecting the most vulnerable to make sure those with the greatest risk of serious illness can easily access testing.

Local leaders have faced increasing pressure to open up businesses, parks, beaches and other sites. Protesters have urged state and local leaders to loosen Safer at Home restrictions, a feud that focused locally on efforts to open Orange County’s beaches, shut down by Newsom anew last week after throngs flocked there during a weekend heat wave.

More Orange County beaches were given the go-ahead Tuesday to open sections of coastline, with Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Dana Point gaining approval from the state to allow limited access for recreation.

The California Natural Resources Agency made the announcement Tuesday afternoon that state agencies found the plans submitted by the three cities were consistent with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order and “beach access can be restored in these communities.”

L.A. County beaches will likely open in several methodical phases, according to a plan county officials https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:22:10 PM] Coronavirus: L.A. County staying on ‘slow path’ to recovery; 58 more deaths tallied, but hospitalizations drop again – Daily Bulletin

proposed last week. First would come recreational activities, including surfing, swimming, paddling and other water sports, as well as running and walking, the not-yet-approved outline proposed. But sunbathing and gathering in large groups would remain banned, to ensure social distancing as the fight against the coronavirus continues.

Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error

Tags: All Readers, Coronavirus, Top Stories Breeze, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories LADN, Top Stories LBPT, Top Stories PSN, Top Stories SGVT, Top Stories WDN

SPONSORED CONTENT Little Known Trick To Avoid Gutter Cleaning (It's Genius) By GutterProtection

David Rosenfeld | Reporter David Rosenfeld has been working as a professional journalist for nearly 20 years at newspapers, magazines and websites. He's covered murder trials, interviewed governors and presidential candidates and once did a flip in a biplane for a story assignment. Before joining The Daily Breeze in 2018 to cover El Segundo, Hawthorne and aerospace, he worked at The Beach Reporter in Redondo Beach. In his free time, David loves outdoor sports such as https://www.dailybulletin.com/...?utm_content=tw-ivdailybulletin&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/5/2020 3:22:10 PM] BREAKING NEWS Students accused of sexual misconduct get stronger protections under new federal rules

CALIFORNIA

Reopening Los Angeles will be slow as coronavirus cases and deaths keep mounting

The streets are quiet May 5 in Little Tokyo. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said dierent cities would need to take dierent steps to emerge from the coronavirus- induced shutdown. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By COLLEEN SHALBY, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN, RONG-GONG LIN II

MAY 6, 2020 | 8:19 AM

Some California businesses are expected to be able to reopen beginning Friday in the first major lifting of the state’s stay-at-home ban, which has been in effect for nearly two months. But the extent of this shift is going to depend on regional conditions, and it still remains unclear how quickly Los Angeles County will see significant changes.

Officials in both Los Angeles and the Bay Area — where the coronavirus has hit the state hardest — have urged caution in reopening. They say lifting stay-at-home orders too early could cause more outbreaks and hurt the economy further in the long run.

On Tuesday, Garcetti said he supports working in the next few days and weeks on the reopening of “low-risk spaces,” such as trails.

ADVERTISING

Promote health. Save lives. Serve the vulnerable. Visit who.int

Garcetti did say wholesale flower distributors have been allowed to reopen, under certain circumstances, because they are exempt from the state’s COVID-19 orders as agricultural businesses.

Flower markets are being monitored, and they could be shut down if they do not follow the city’s social-distancing guidelines. Sunday is Mother’s Day, which is regarded as one of the busiest times of the year for florists.

CALIFORNIA

These California businesses can reopen this week, and these can’t May 4, 2020

Garcetti said Monday that different cities would need to take different steps to emerge from the pandemic-induced shutdown and that city and county officials were still trying to determine the safest course.

“Our timing on opening may vary from other parts of the state,” he said. “I will reopen our city with careful consideration, guided by public health professionals.” The mayor said he did not expect city businesses to be able to offer curbside delivery on Friday in step with Newsom’s outline. L.A.'s Safer at Home order is in effect until May 15 and Garcetti said that he hoped steps restricting commerce could begin to be rolled back by then.

Los Angeles County has been hit harder than other region in California, and that has heightened the concerns about reopening too early.

Los Angeles County officials confirmed 58 new COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, bringing the number of coronavirus- related fatalities in the county to 1,313. Of those who have died, 647 were living in institutional settings — the majority of which were nursing facilities.

Officials reported an additional 1,638 cases — a high number largely caused by a backlog in data reporting. So far, there have been 27,815 confirmed coronavirus infections in the county.

“We do know as we reopen, more people will be out and about, and we’ll see more cases,” said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. “Nothing has really changed about the virus since March. The virus didn’t get less deadly. The virus didn’t get less infectious. The virus is still out there.”

CALIFORNIA

Will reopening California bring more coronavirus cases, deaths? 1 hour ago

Still there have been some hopeful signs.

Los Angeles County, home to 55% of California’s COVID-19 deaths despite having only one-quarter of the state’s population, saw its reported weekly death toll flatten for the first time: 315 deaths in each of the past two weeks.

L.A. County saw a 2% decline in confirmed and suspected COVID-19 hospitalizations last week compared to the previous week.

Los Angeles schools will start fall classes on Aug. 18, but no decision has been made on whether campuses will reopen by that date, Supt. Austin Beutner said Monday.

Education officials in L.A. and across California are wrestling with how and when to bring the state’s 6.1 million students back to campuses that have been shuttered since mid-March — as they continue to adjust to the difficulties of distance learning and move to strengthen online summer school offerings. ADVERTISEMENT

In his remarks Monday, Beutner noted that it’s difficult to set a timetable for reopening campuses.

“The timing remains uncertain because the science is still uncertain,” Beutner said. “At a minimum, a comprehensive system of testing and contact tracing will need to be in place and the implications of the testing widely understood before schools can reopen.”

The district is in discussions with state and local health authorities and working with a team of UCLA experts in infectious diseases, virology, epidemiology and testing to guide them on reopening scenarios.

Such guidance is “critical,” he said, “because it will be the science, and only the science, which can provide a foundation for the safe return of our school community.”

CALIFORNIA

UC could reopen just one-third of its dorm rooms this fall May 4, 2020

Newsom on Tuesday tried to set expectations, stressing that social-distancing practices would remain in place as more people would be put at risk when restrictions were lifted.

“We have to maintain the core construct of our stay-at-home orders,” he said at a news conference.

Times staff writers Howard Blume, Taryn Luna and Hannah Fry and City News Service contributed to this report.

CALIFORNIA CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.

Enter Email Address

SIGN ME UP

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times

BUSINESS What a reopened California will look like — and businesses’ odds of survival

Plastic partitions separate diners on Tuesday in Bangkok. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP / Getty Images)

By SAM DEAN, PATRICIA ESCÁRCEGA, HUGO MARTÍN, BILL SHAIKIN, RYAN FAUGHNDER

MAY 6, 2020 | 5 AM

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 1/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times

Businesses in California may start opening again as soon as Friday. But it won’t be business as usual. Social distancing and sanitation protocols are likely to stay in place until testing, contact tracing and a vaccine become widely available. State and local officials are working to hash out exactly what that will mean for reopened businesses, but the basic principles are familiar enough by now: Staff and customers must wear masks; the number of people allowed in an establishment must be reduced to allow for six- foot spacing when possible; anything that people touch needs to be disinfected, frequently.

Restaurants and retail are likely to reopen with these restrictions within weeks, according to recent guidance from Gov. Gavin Newsom and health officials. Businesses involving close contact and larger crowds — movie theaters, bars, hair salons, gyms — will need to wait months. And those that involve mass gatherings, like sporting events and concerts, are unlikely to reopen until the threat of the novel coronavirus has largely passed.

But can businesses even afford to open their doors under these restrictions? Or can they figure out new ways to turn a profit?

The answer depends on the sector. Retail stores might be able to sell enough under social distancing — assuming anyone is looking to shop. Movie theater owners say they can still keep the lights on with half-capacity crowds, but not if there aren’t any new movies to screen. Restaurants, which operate on margins as slim as spaghetti in the best of times, might just muddle through as long as the booze flows.

But tango lessons? Dodger games? That’s a little more complicated. Here’s what experts and business owners across the consumer economy are thinking a reopened world will look like — and how it’ll affect their bottom lines.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 2/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times

Restaurants and Bars

Upturned chairs at L.A.'s Grand Central Market, where takeout has continued during the lockdown but seating is banned. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Newsom, a former restaurateur himself, has been most explicit with his ideas for what a post-lockdown restaurant might look like: masks and gloves on staff, temperature checks at the door and, most important for the bottom line, half capacity to encourage social distancing.

If restaurants manage to weather weeks of lost revenue and mounting debts, how they fare under social distancing may come down to where they fall on the fanciness spectrum. Fine dining, with more spacious dining rooms and higher prices, might be able to pull it off. Strip-mall favorites and tightly packed bars might struggle harder to make ends meet.

Niki Nakayama, chef and owner of the 26-seat Japanese kaiseki restaurant n/naka, expects her restaurant will be able to stay profitable at 50% capacity, but it will require her to cut back on the number of staff working every night.

“Maybe we would have to alternate the shifts so that everybody gets to work, but just not together at the same time,” she said.

A normal dinner service at n/naka seats about 50 guests in one evening, but Nakayama thinks her restaurant can break even by serving 20 to 25 people every https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 3/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times night. The restaurant has low overhead costs and the advantage of being one of the most highly sought reservations in Los Angeles. It also operates in a 1,350-square- foot bungalow, which makes distancing easier.

Bartender Bryant Orozco mixed up cocktails in a pre-COVID Madre restaurant. (Elizabeth Lippman)

Ivan Vasquez of Madre, a Oaxacan restaurant and bar with locations in Torrance and Palms, is optimistic that his more casual restaurants can survive for at least a few months at 40% or 50% capacity — especially if he leans on high-margin alcohol sales.

“I’m going to aggressively promote happy hour specials,” said Vasquez, who is petitioning the city of Los Angeles to ease restrictions so he can sell alcohol on the sidewalk patio in front of his Palms location. Alcohol, including to-go margarita kits, makes up 50% of his current revenue.

But smaller restaurants and bars will face huge challenges to stay profitable in the social distancing era, said David Combes of Botanical Hospitality Group, operators of West Hollywood’s E.P. & L.P.

“Profitability for most venues at 50% capacity will be very difficult,” he said. E.P. & L.P.’s 225-seat rooftop bar has many fixed costs, including hosts, managers, bar staff, servers and bus staff and “requires all cylinders firing for profitability,” he said.

He plans on making investments in new furniture, sanitizing stations and potted plants to help ensure physical distancing between guests.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 4/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times ADVERTISEMENT

“We hope to be doing at least 75% of our normal revenue, but I don’t know if that’s possible at 50% capacity,” Combes said.

“We don’t see breaking even is really possible. We’re just creating triage strategies to get as close to breaking even as possible for as long as we have these restrictions,” he said.

—Patricia Escárcega

Retail

Shoppers were out Tuesday at the FIGat7th open-air mall in downtown L.A., where the food court and several businesses are open. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

If you’ve been to a grocery store in the past six weeks, you’ve seen a glimpse of what all shopping will be like under social distancing. The number of customers inside will be limited, everyone will be wearing masks and nightly deep cleanings will become the norm.

That model has worked for essential businesses, where demand is high and customers are willing to tolerate some risk to get necessary supplies. But nonessential retailers like clothing and electronics stores might be forced to get creative with new ways of shopping, as industry analysts predict that more than 15,000 stores could permanently close this year.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 5/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times “Without a strategic plan, it’s not going to be profitable to open back up,” said Michael Brown, a partner at the consulting firm A.T. Kearney specializing in consumer and retail business. Large chains would be wise to start by opening a few stores with limited staffing, he said.

Macy’s announced a plan in late April to reopen its 775 locations within six to eight weeks, pending government approval. Stores in the South are slated to reopen first, with plexiglass barriers in front of cash registers; the suspension of hands-on services, such as bra fitting and ear piercing; limited access to fitting rooms; and a 24-hour cool-down period for clothes that have been tried on or returned. Still, the company expects its reopened stores will bring in only 15% to 20% of their typical revenue at first.

But with durable merchandise and rent payments piling up, any sales are better than no sales for retail. New technology might make safe shopping easier, said Deborah Weinswig, chief executive and founder of Coresight, a global retail and technology advisory firm. The SARS outbreak in 2003 spurred Chinese businesses to create contactless payment systems that have now become the norm in that country, she said, and the U.S. could see a similar spike in adoption now.

Retailers that have been slow to embrace using their brick-and-mortar outlets as online sales pickup points could also innovate to deal with the viral impact.

“We should be able to shop an entire mall from one app,” Weinswig said. “Each mall in a way is ultimately a platform, and if you’re Simon [Property Group], you have many different Amazons.”

For individual stores, the recipe could be to operate more like boutiques: shorter hours, less merchandise on shelves, and a focus on personal customer service over free-range browsing. Brown cited the showroom model of some brands that began online, like Bonobos and Boll & Branch, as a possible future for more companies, allowing customers to try on freshly sanitized samples in-store and then order for pickup or delivery.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 6/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times

A Bonobos “guideshop” in La Brea. The brand’s stores are for trying on clothing only, making them a possible model for socially distanced retail. (Koury Angelo / Bonobos)

Some essential retailers that have kept their doors open in L.A. have been reaching back to an even older model: the full-service general store.

Golden Saddle Cyclery, a Silver Lake bike shop, has reduced its hours and limited customers to entering the store one at a time (with a socially distanced line on the sidewalk outside), and has also entirely walled off most of the shop. Customers can ask to see — but not handle — merchandise hanging on the walls. No try-ons are allowed, and no returns.

“Before, one person could really man the bike shop, run the register while other customers browse,” owner Kyle Kelley said. “Now from the moment someone walks in, you’re basically spoon-feeding them.”

His main advice to retailers opening up: “If it’s possible, do not let anyone in your store, and do not let people touch your stuff — having to go through your store and sanitize it is one of the most stressful and frustrating things you can do in your life.”

—Sam Dean

Hotels

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 7/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times

Maria Medina cleans a guest bathroom at Chicago’s St. Clair Hotel, which recently improved its hygiene protocols as a result of the coronavirus crisis. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune )

The impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the travel industry has been described by experts as being nine times worse than the fallout from the terrorist strikes of Sept. 11, 2001. As of late April, nearly eight out of 10 hotel rooms in the U.S. were empty, according to the data firm STR, and unless demand rebounds in the next three to six months, many hotels will be forced to close permanently.

Hotels that have not closed due to a slump in demand are removing items from the rooms that guests are likely to touch, such as notepads and room service menus, and shifting to “no contact” room service delivery. Hilton announced plans to lean on its fully contact-less digital key process, which allows guests to check in, access rooms and check out entirely from their smartphones.

In some hotels, rooms are now left vacant for 24 to 72 hours between guests to allow for a thorough cleaning, said Alan X. Reay, a hotel consultant and president of Atlas Hospitality Group. But hotels will have a hard time surviving if they operate at reduced capacity to encourage social distancing.

“If you go for a phased approach, the economics don’t work,” he said, adding that the cost of operating a hotel with 30% occupancy is about the same as operating it with 100% occupancy, since utilities, insurance and core staffing make up the bulk of the operating budget.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 8/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times Before the coronavirus crisis hit, several major hotel companies launched new brands with small rooms and large lobbies where guests could mingle and socialize.

“That won’t work in today’s post-COVID climate,” Reay said.

Marriott’s Moxy Hotels, such as this one in Washington, D.C., have a combination of smaller rooms and larger public spaces that may be an awkward ﬁt for travelers who value social distance. (Marriott International)

Reay believes travelers unwilling to fly or mingle with other guests will prefer hotels without lobbies or elevators near drive-to destinations, such as Santa Barbara, San Louis Obispo or Laguna Beach.

John Thatcher, the innkeeper at the Desert Hot Springs Inn in the Coachella Valley, has seen his business drop by about 70% since the coronavirus outbreak hit.

In between guests, Thatcher said, each room undergoes a thorough cleaning with disinfectant, including scrubbing door knobs and remote controls with alcohol. The hot mineral pool is open, but only one guest is allowed in the water at a time, and guests need to keep distance in common areas.

“We were really killing it since August and September,” he said. “It all came to a screeching halt.” Still, Thatcher said he has received a steady stream of inquiries about room availability, so he expects business to return to normal once the state lifts its stay-at-home orders.

—Hugo Martín

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 9/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times Hands-on Services/Personal Care

A stylist at a salon in Marietta cuts hair on the ﬁrst day Georgia reopened salons, spas, gyms and bowling alleys. (Jenny Jarvie / Los Angeles Times)

In the 21 years since Molly Scargall opened Goo, her hair salon on Fairfax, she’s seen the neighborhood around her transform from a Jewish high street centered around institutions like Canter’s Deli to one where teens camp out overnight for the newest Supreme drop.

But reopening in the social distancing era is a new kind of change. Close-contact businesses like hair salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, gyms and dance studios are in Phase 3 of the state’s planned reopening, which Newsom has said may be months away. Once that happens, the social atmosphere of many of these small businesses will have to be replaced with strict schedules, medical-style precautions and long hours.

“Before, I could have a color client under the dryer and another client in my chair, and you could overlap,” Scargall said. “Now it’s just going to be more hours if I want to hit the same revenue.”

Goo is spacious enough to allow for social distancing, and Scargall plans to distribute masks, gloves and disposable capes. She also just ordered a forehead thermometer.

“I’m just crossing my fingers like everybody else,” Scargall said. “And luckily after being in the business for 20 years, my clients are more than clients; they’re friends https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 10/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times and family at this point.”

In the fitness business, many in-person workouts can be spread out on a gym or studio floor. But it does, in fact, take two to tango.

Makela Brizuela of Makela Tango gives instructions to students during a lesson on March 11. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

“If they let us open, I will suggest that we meet 10 people at a time, with masks and with gloves, and we will not be touching,” said Makela Brizuela, owner of Culver City’s Makela Tango. “It’s not the same thing as hugging a person, not the same as having a person in your arms and feeling everything, but we will be dancing from six feet apart.”

During the lockdown, Brizuela has made do by teaching tango over video calls to a die-hard group of students who have kept their memberships alive during the closure.

Brizuela, who is quarantined by herself, has used broomsticks to demonstrate a partner’s leg movements and dedicates one class a week to discussing the music and history of tango.

She doesn’t know if she’ll be able to reopen after the shutdown.

“I know in three to four months, I’m going to have a debt of $15,000. I don’t know if people are going to come back or not — my life got destroyed financially, and I know many of my students are in the same boat.” https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 11/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times —S.D.

Sports

Cruz Azul and America played a match behind closed doors March 15 at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. (Hector Vivas / Getty Images)

Sports stadiums and arenas will be among the last businesses to reopen in the state, according to Newsom’s plan. But unlike live music venues and theme parks, whose revenue is largely based on people paying to attend, sports venues have already gone a long way toward making their product virtual.

Gate revenue — tickets, parking, hot dogs and beer — is no longer the primary driver of income for teams and leagues. According to a PwC study of the North American sports industry, fees for media rights have exceeded gate revenues since 2017.

The prospect of a televised sports event with no fans might not be aesthetically pleasing, but the financial incentive to get the games back on the air is strong. The NBA and NHL would like to resume their interrupted seasons that way, and Major League Baseball expects to start its delayed season that way soon.

Playing for the audience at home also lets sports organizations avoid lawsuits from broadcasters, who might sue to get out of contracts that provide billions to the major North American leagues.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 12/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times “The loss of not coming back, not having the games broadcast and not having the television revenues and some sponsorship revenues and some pay-per-view revenues is far more significant than the loss of playing to smaller or no audiences,” said Marc Ganis, whose Chicago-based Sportscorp Ltd. advises owners in all major sports leagues.

The structure of salary caps in most American sports leagues — with the notable exception of MLB — will likely help teams financially weather the coronavirus cash drought. In those leagues, “roughly 50% of the loss will get covered by the players,” Ganis said. “If the revenues go down, the players will get less money. They don’t have to negotiate that. It’s already there.”

One less obvious place where teams stand to lose out on major revenue: real estate development.

In California, teams have acquired real estate from cities to plan commercial and residental developments that finance stadium construction. The Rams, Angels, Ducks and San Francisco Giants have such developments in process, but the recession could jeopardize the ability of those teams to secure tenants.

—Bill Shaikin

Movie Theaters

A screening of “Trolls World Tour” at the Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre in Montclair. Drive-ins may enjoy a resurgence as a way to enjoy movies without the hassle of social distancing and sanitation measures. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 13/16 5/6/2020 What California reopening will look like, from food to retail - Los Angeles Times ADVERTISEMENT

Movie theater owners are optimistic that once they’re allowed to open, they’ll be able to keep going even with strict social distancing in place. But they’re worried they might not have any movies worth screening.

Multiplexes will need to block out seats to create enough space between patrons, skipping rows or laying out reserved seats like a checkerboard. Some have considered temperature checks for moviegoers. Training workers in strict social distancing and sanitary standards — think gloves and masks at the snack counter — will likely become the norm, as will thorough cleanings of auditoriums between screenings.

All of that cuts into revenue, but the heads of the largest theater chains think they can make the math work.

Sean Gamble, chief operating and financial officer of Cinemark, explained on a call with investors in mid-April that most theaters operate at 40% to 50% capacity anyway, except for a handful of peak weekend screenings.

“Even on a weekend, we’re able to handle a reduced degree of seating capacity because that still tends to be our norm,” Gamble said, enabling the company to conform with social distancing and “do so very profitably.”

But as studios continue to push back major releases, many theaters might hold off on opening until a blockbuster weekend. AMC has said it would be wise to open only “directly in advance of the release of major new movie titles.”

Some are planning repertory schedules to fill the gap. Liberty, Mo.-based B&B Theatres, which operates 50 cinemas, hopes to open with classics including “The Goonies” and “Groundhog Day” and plans to reopen its two drive-in locations on May 15, before the rest of its circuit, to get people back in the movie-going habit.

“We’re trying to bring people joyful stuff,” said B&B executive vice president Brock Bagby. “‘Groundhog Day’ is perfect right now, because people feel like they’re living in ‘Groundhog Day.’”

—Ryan Faughnder

BUSINESS CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-06/reopening-economy-restaurants-retail-movies-sports 14/16 ADVERTISEMENT

CALIFORNIA

Ventura County moves toward a phased reopening of some businesses by week’s end

Visitors practice social distancing at the beach in Ventura. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

By PRISCELLA VEGA STAFF WRITER

MAY 5, 2020 | 4:53 PM

Ventura County is gearing up to allow some of its businesses to open by the end of the week after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his latest plans for easing stay-at-home restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses such as bookstores, clothing stores, florists and sporting goods stores will be eligible to open for curbside pickup, according to County Executive Officer Michael Powers. Associated manufacturers and supply chains for these retail stores will also be allowed to open.

The county is expected to receive more guidance from the governor’s office before Friday on how such openings should be handled.

“Social distancing will stay with us for a while,” said Rigoberto Vargas, the county’s public health director, during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

Vargas told the board that health officials are proceeding with optimism and caution, and that they’ll monitor the opening in case they need to reinstate stay-at-home measures.

Powers, board members and county Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin commended residents for abiding by state and county rules, even with restricted access to beaches.

Levin reflected back to 10 weeks ago, when the pandemic started to have an impact on everyday life and when he first estimated that there would be 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the county. His estimate later dropped to 250. As of Tuesday, the county had reported 19 coronavirus-related deaths.

“It’s so easy to forget what you prevented by your actions,” he said.

As of Tuesday, Ventura County had reported a total of 595 COVID-19 cases. The county also reported 22 current hospitalizations, with 11 patients under intensive care. There have been 416 recovered cases.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Ventura County Fair, an annual summertime event that attracts nearly 300,000 attendees per year.

CALIFORNIA CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.

Enter Email Address

SIGN ME UP

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. ADVERTISEMENT

CALIFORNIA

California allows more Orange County beaches to reopen

Protesters wave ﬂags along Paciﬁc Coast Highway in Laguna Beach on Saturday, protesting an order by Gov. Gavin Newson to close Orange County beaches. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times )

By HANNAH FRY, PRISCELLA VEGA, PHIL WILLON

MAY 5, 2020 | 12:24 PM UPDATED 1:20 PM Less than a week after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of all Orange County beaches to stem the spread of the coronavirus, state officials have announced that three beach cities will be permitted to reopen their stretches of coastline this week with certain limitations.

Dana Point, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach submitted plans to Sacramento that would allow the public to immediately access the coastline. The plans, approved Tuesday, include a range of measures to avoid overcrowding and allow safe physical distancing, according to the California Natural Resources Agency.

Under Huntington Beach’s plan, people are now permitted to use the beach from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. with the stipulation that they remain active. Sunbathing is be allowed. Parking meters along Pacific Coast Highway and the beach’s bike path are available for use, but the pier and the city’s beach parking lot will remain closed.

State-operated beaches within the city limits also reopened with the same active- recreation protocols, according to Huntington Beach officials.

Is your California beach closed? We’re keeping track

“We’re delighted to be reopening our beaches for active recreation, which will allow our community to once again enjoy the recreational and mental health benefits from spending time in the Pacific Ocean,” Mayor Lyn Semeta said in a prepared statement. “The new active recreation rules that we’re instituting will allow for continued beach access in a manner that emphasizes the need to practice safe social distancing.” Officials in Dana Point and Seal Beach could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. The details of their plans were not immediately clear. The move came a day after similar plans for Laguna Beach and San Clemente were approved by the state.

The only coastal city that has not yet gained approval from the state to reopen is Newport Beach. The city, just a few miles south of Huntington Beach, also submitted a plan to Sacramento on Saturday to safely reopen their coastline, said city spokesman John Pope.

SPONSORED CONTENT Looking For Allergy Relief This Season?  By Flonase Nasal congestion? Runny nose? Sneezing? Itchy, watery eyes? Get relief that gets the job done and beat your worst allergy symptoms.

“We have been closely coordinating with Huntington Beach about strategies to enhance the management of our beaches,” Pope said. “Despite repeated attempts by city staff to connect with state officials, we have not yet received any information on an approval or modifications, or when a decision might be made.” Newsom last week ordered a “hard close” of all Orange County beaches. The order came after an April heat wave sent thousands to the sand in some beach communities. Newsom called the images circulating of people congregating on Orange County’s shores “disturbing.”

The closure prompted a legal showdown between cities and the state, as well as outrage from the public. Some argued that the governor was targeting Orange County based on photographs that did not show the full scope of what was happening on the beaches.

Newsom on Tuesday praised local leaders in Orange County beach cities for working with his administration to reach an agreement. Just days ago, city leaders in Huntington Beach and Dana Point voted to take legal action against the governor.

TRAVEL

What’s open and closed this week: Beaches, parks and trails in Southern California 2 hours ago

Newsom said his administration had been negotiating with those beach cities since the weekend and said he hoped to make future announcement about beach access in Orange County in the near future.

“It’s a spirit of collaboration and cooperation that is necessary as we move forward,” Newsom said during his daily COVID-19 briefing in Sacramento.

On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to submit a plan to the state that would allow county-operated beaches to reopen for active recreation.

Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, who proposed the item, said it would help put county beaches in line with what was happening in nearby cities and allow people to get out and recreate along the coast.

“We want people to walk and jog and run and enjoy water sports but to keep moving,” she said, “and the state is fully behind that.”

Supervisor Don Wagner opposed the motion, along with Supervisor Michelle Steel, saying any restrictions on beach activity were arbitrary and that it was appalling that the county would bow to rules the the governor put in place without input from local officials.

“This is exactly what we shouldn’t be doing as a government,” Wagner said.

CALIFORNIA

The stories shaping California ADVERTISEMENT

CALIFORNIA

Woman’s arrest at San Diego beach prompts ‘equity in enforcement’ questions

By KAREN KUCHER

MAY 5, 2020 | 5:56 PM

SAN DIEGO — A San Diego city councilwoman and the head of the local NAACP office are asking questions about “equity in enforcement” after a video showing an African American woman being arrested at a San Diego beach was shared on social media over the weekend.

The video shows the woman, who was spotted by lifeguards walking her unleashed dog Friday on a beach in Ocean Beach, taken to the ground twice by officers and handcuffed, once on the sand and once on asphalt. For the record: 5:56 PM, May. 05, 2020 Because of incorrect information provided by San Diego police, this story originally misstated when dogs are prohibited on San Diego beaches. Dogs can be on beaches until 9 a.m.

The video is more than nine minutes long and ends after the woman is placed into a patrol car. She is wearing a white, one-piece bathing suit and appears to be barefoot.

At one point in the video, an officer can be heard telling a bystander: “Just go away.”

ADVERTISING

Promote health. Save lives. Serve the vulnerable. Visit who.int

The woman, while being handcuffed for the second time, tells the bystander: “No, don’t go away ... film that.”

Councilwoman Monica Montgomery issued a statement Monday calling for “equity in enforcement” after viewing the video on social media. She asked police leaders and the mayor’s office to look into the matter. Woman Arrested Face Down in the Sand for W…

“The footage is particularly concerning and disturbing, as this incident occurred on the heels of protests that clearly violated the public health orders. No arrests were made,” Montgomery, chair of the city’s Committee on Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods, said in a statement. “My office is demanding answers as to why this young woman did not receive equitable enforcement and treatment.”

Montgomery said she did not know the woman or details about the incident but said she thought the way the woman was treated was troubling.

“I have been concerned since my campaign about equitable enforcement in the city of San Diego,” she said.

She said bringing the issue to the “public eye” and discussing it could help improve the situation.

Police officials said the 36-year-old woman was walking in an area where unleashed dogs are prohibited from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. They said the woman refused to talk with lifeguards and police and tried to walk past them. She was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public and resisting arrest after she slipped off her handcuffs twice, officials said. She was booked into jail after she was turned away from detox for being uncooperative.

“The San Diego Police Department has a strict non-bias-based policing policy and does not tolerate policing based on factors such as race, gender or national origin,” according to the statement.

Several people who watched the video noted that others who were unmasked and walking dogs in the area were not cited by police, said Francine Maxwell, president of the local NAACP chapter. Maxwell said the “same old problems” remain as residents try to follow health orders requiring facial coverings and keeping six feet apart in public areas.

“Over this past week, the NAACP San Diego branch has become greatly concerned about what appears to be racial discrimination by law enforcement in enforcing the social distancing mandate,” she said in a statement. “In San Diego, we reviewed a video of an African American female aggressively detained by police officers while walking her dog on the beach — while other beachgoers with their dogs were allowed to enjoy their day.”

Last month, Maxwell said she witnessed her own father, who is black and has dementia, being approached by a police van that “jumped the curb” as he was walking alone in a park when parks were closed. Two days later, local protesters, many not wearing masks or following social distancing rules, were allowed to demonstrate in downtown without being cited.

“I am left ... wondering just what it was that made those officers feel that jumping a curb and driving up on a lone pedestrian was a sensible way to enforce a public health measure,” she wrote at the time. “Was their need to enforce their will on a black man really that strong? There was no need to charge their vans into the ‘Freedom Rally’ two days later, so we have to wonder.”

As for Friday’s incident, Maxwell said several people who have seen the video have questioned the “roughness of the arrest” and wondered why a female officer wasn’t called to assist. “Bystanders were offended by the way she was being flipped around,” she added.

Officials said they will review the conduct of officers involved in the arrest to determine if any policies were violated.

Kucher writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

CALIFORNIA

The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.

Enter Email Address

SIGN ME UP

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Karen Kucher

Twitter Email Facebook

Karen is a staff writer and editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune. She has covered everything from county government and higher education to animal issues and ADVERTISEMENT

CALIFORNIA

Newsom calls reopening Yuba and Sutter counties a ‘big mistake’ amid coronavirus crisis

Anthony Frank, center, and his wife, Melia Campbell, of Plumas Lake, enjoy their ﬁrst night out in weeks at Silver Dollar Saloon in Marysville. Silver Dollar Saloon, in Yuba County. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

By PHIL WILLON, TARYN LUNA

MAY 5, 2020 | 2:47 PM SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday criticized two rural Northern California counties that are allowing businesses and restaurants to reopen, saying their decision to defy his statewide stay-at-home order has put their communities at increased risk for a new coronavirus outbreak.

Sutter and Yuba counties, both north of Sacramento, allowed businesses to reopen on Monday after a similar decision was made in Modoc County in California’s northeastern corner. Officials in the three counties argued that they were less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than hot spots such as Los Angeles and the Bay Area and said the shutdown was hurting their local economies.

“They’re making a big mistake. They’re putting their public at risk. They’re putting our progress at risk,” Newsom said during a COVID-19 briefing in Sacramento on Tuesday. “These are real exceptions. The overwhelming majority of Californians are playing by the rules doing the right thing.”

But Newsom did not say if the state would take any action to enforce the stay-at-home order and other statewide restrictions in those counties.

ADVERTISING

Promote health. Save lives. Serve the vulnerable. Visit who.int

Instead, the Democratic governor encouraged officials there to abide by his more measured plan for reopening, which was announced Monday and will allow some retail stores across the state to reopen as early as Friday if certain safeguards are put in place. From left, Jeremiah Pino, Lydia Perez, sit with server Aimee Roux, right, as they enjoy their ﬁrst night out in weeks at Silver Dollar Saloon in Marysville. “This is nice, enjoying the evening out with friends,” said Perez. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

Under the new statewide COVID-19 guidelines, the governor said bookstores, music stores, toy stores, florists, sporting goods retailers and others can reopen for pickup, and manufacturing and logistics can resume in the retail supply chain. Newsom said more detailed guidelines on the businesses that can resume limited operations would be released later this week.

Shopping malls, gyms, bars, barbershops, salons and similar establishments must remain closed under Newsom’s order, and in-restaurant dining remains prohibited.

Newsom said some of the restrictions would be eased if county health officials, in concurrence with their county board of supervisors, can verify that they have adequate healthcare facilities and personal protective equipment to care for COVID-19 patients, and the capability to test, isolate and track those who have the virus. Newsom said that if a county has a low number of COVID-19 cases, that will be considered when the state issues variances.

In spite of those requirements, however, Dr. Ngoc-Phuong Luu, health officer for Yuba and Sutter counties, issued new orders on Friday that allow restaurants, retailers, shopping malls, gyms, fitness studios, salons, spas and tattoo parlors to operate. CALIFORNIA

A visual look at the coronavirus crisis April 30, 2020

“They put those businesses at risk, not only the health of their communities at risk. I would encourage them just to do the right thing and know that we are committed to working with them as we have been,” Newsom said. “We have a process and protocol to do that. And so we believe in ready-aim-fire — not, ready-fire-aim”

The governor’s comments came during a visit Tuesday to Display California, a small business in Sacramento, to highlight his plan to ease restrictions.

Newsom also faced defiance in Southern California after he ordered the closure of all Orange County beaches last week. The governor took that action after thousands of beachgoers flocked to the the coast during the recent heatwave, ignoring Newsom’s pleas to stay at home and maintain a safe distance from others.

On Tuesday, the state announced that three Orange County beach cities — Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Dana Point — will be permitted to reopen their stretches of coastline this week with certain limitations, including taking steps to avoid overcrowding and allow safe physical distancing.

CALIFORNIA POLITICS CALIFORNIA LAW & POLITICS CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.

Enter Email Address

SIGN ME UP

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Phil Willon

Twitter Instagram Email Facebook ADVERTISEMENT

CALIFORNIA

Lifting stay-at-home order too soon would cause more deaths, Northern California officials say Jeremiah Pino, Lydia Perez, center, and server Aimee Roux enjoy their ﬁrst night out in weeks at the Silver Dollar Saloon in the Yuba County city of Marysville on Tuesday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

By RONG-GONG LIN II STAFF WRITER

MAY 5, 2020 | 6:06 PM

SAN FRANCISCO — Santa Clara County’s executive officer cautioned Tuesday against moving quickly to lift the shelter-in-place order.

The death toll in California is still going up at significant numbers, Dr. Jeffrey Smith told the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. A Times analysis showed that 495 coronavirus deaths were reported statewide in the seven-day period that ended Sunday. While the weekly death toll represented a 9% decrease compared to the previous week, it also represented nearly one-quarter of the state’s death toll up to that point. “You can still see that it’s still gone up pretty significantly in recent times,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of talk in California about relaxing shelter-in-place [orders]. I just want to point out that we’re still, in California, going up dramatically. So there’s no clinical evidence that shelter-in-place [orders] should be relaxed at this point.”

Echoing statements by other medical experts, Smith said loosening the stay-at-home orders would result in more infections and deaths.

CuriosityStream Sponsored

Kids Documentaries & Shows

Learn More ⌃

With many states now significantly relaxing stay-at-home orders, Smith noted the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation was now forecasting a national death toll of more than 134,000 by early August, close to double the current total of 70,000. The institute now forecasts a California death toll of 4,700 by early August, also roughly double California’s current number of more than 2,300.

Dr. George Rutherford, a UC San Francisco infectious disease expert, said on KGO-TV that the institute’s estimates so far had been spot-on. Separately, a private projection by the Trump administration forecasts the daily death toll nationwide to rise to about 3,000 a day on June 1, the New York Times reported. The average daily death toll nationally last week was 1,800 fatalities a day.

Such a daily death toll would be staggering, Rutherford said. “Just remember, 3,000 deaths per day is 90,000 deaths per month. There were 56,000 Americans who died in Vietnam; 44,000 that died in the Korean War, and that was spread out over years,” he said.

“Relaxing shelter-in-place will cause new people to die,” Smith said. “Relaxation that’s more rapid and more widespread will be more risky.”

So far, Santa Clara County has joined five other Bay Area counties in implementing one of the nation’s strictest shelter-in-place orders, and the county has opted for an extremely slow loosening of its rules. For example, although construction in L.A. County was never ordered halted, the Bay Area put the brakes on most construction. That restriction was repealed just Monday in a new health order. The Bay Area’s stay-at- home order has been extended to May 31.

The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.

Enter Email Address

SIGN ME UP

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer, said the Bay Area’s most populous county is seeing cases and hospitalizations flatten or decrease, and has ample hospital bed capacity. But the county still does not have an adequate supply of personal protective equipment, including masks, gowns and gloves, only one-fifth of the needed testing capacity, and needs to do more to increase the county’s capability to investigate new illnesses.

When asked if the governor’s announcement about the statewide loosening of stay-at- home orders would affect the Bay Area, Cody said health officials were still seeking more specifics from the state as to what was allowed to be opened.

One elected official, Santa Clara County supervisor Mike Wasserman, expressed concern about the potential duration of the shelter-in-place order and said he hoped all small businesses — from barber shops to jewelry stores — could be allowed to reopen as soon as possible.

“We can’t shelter in place forever,” Wasserman told health officials. “We do know if we don’t let more people go back to work sooner than later, our economy will effectively go on life support.”

County officials asked for more patience, saying increased testing and disease investigating capabilities were crucial before lifting stay-at-home orders further.

“We’re working really hard,” Cody said, “because we do know that many, many in our community are suffering from the economy and the social isolation of being at home. So I hear you loud and clear. And I am worried, too.”

Smith added that sticking with the shelter-in-place order longer the first time might end up being the better move, not only from a health perspective, but also from an economic one. During the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, while Philadelphia moved too slowly to deal with rising flu outbreaks, St. Louis acted far more quickly, closing many public places swiftly, and, “strangely enough, their economy came back faster than Philadelphia’s,” Smith said.

A recent study found that cities that moved more aggressively to close down the city as the flu hit experienced a better economic recovery afterward. “It’s never an either-or,” Smith said, “it’s always how do you accomplish both good goals. And we’ve got two good goals.”

Smith said this pandemic was one of only four worldwide in the last 102 years and the only one in modern history caused by a coronavirus, a type of virus that until now has been associated with the common cold.

In just a matter of a few months, 256,000 people who have been infected with the coronavirus have died, while the 1957-58 flu pandemic killed 1.1 million people, the 1968 flu pandemic resulted in 1 million deaths, and the 1918 pandemic resulted in 50 million dead worldwide.

CALIFORNIA CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.

Enter Email Address

SIGN ME UP California doesn’t need quick re-opening. It requires rebuilt confidence – Press Enterprise

BUSINESS • Opinion Columnist California doesn’t need quick re-opening. It requires rebuilt confidence Lives vs. livelihoods is a debate with few easy answers.

   

By JONATHAN LANSNER | [email protected] | Orange County Register  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 5:50 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 5:50 p.m.

 

https://www.pe.com/...nfidence/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social[5/6/2020 9:21:23 AM] California doesn’t need quick re-opening. It requires rebuilt confidence – Press Enterprise

1 of 6 A man on a scooter rides past a side that says You Can???t Quarantine Love in Santa Monica on Thursday, April 30, 2020. (Photo by Keith  Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG) S

California’s economy doesn’t need a quick reopening. It needs a deliberate, healthy and successful M one. By It’s easy to understand why many folks are anxious to get back on the road to whatever the new normal will bring the business climate. At least 1 in 5 California workers lost their jobs due to business limitations designed to limit the spread of the killer coronavirus. M

Lives vs. livelihoods is a debate with few easy answers. I know many folks have bills to pay. Or they’re owed money by somebody out of a job. Or their business or entire industry — like mine — is hanging on by a thread. I see the passion of the protestors.

But I also know there’s a largely silent majority who speak volumes with their compliance to “stay at home” orders. Many of these people also face financial distress and personal sacrifice but view business limitations as needed pandemic mitigation.

Look, we’re talking a deadly, contagious disease. So far, thanks in large part to an early call to “stay at home” from Gov. Gavin Newsom, coronavirus has sickened and killed far fewer than originally projected.

Plus, the state is slowly reopening with modest first steps. Opinion surveys suggest most Californians seem to be in no rush: 75% of 1,015 adults polled in mid-April said they’d prefer “shelter in place as long as it is needed” vs. “stop sheltering to stimulate the economy,” according to the California Health Care Foundation.

A newer survey from Reform California, a group that’s no fan of the state’s handling of the crisis, shows only 41% of 1,265 Californians surveyed think the state “flattened the curve enough that it can now safely reopen now.”

Considering the leaning of these folks who paid for the poll, that’s not much support for a fast return to the business-as-usual.

Now Reform California’s results from May 1-2 polling expose deep tensions over continued business limitations. Opinions vary by geography — from only 28% who say “reopen now” in San Francisco

(hard hit by the virus) to 50% in the Southern California region outside of Los Angeles (with far less medical impact). And, no surprise, there’s political variations, too — only 21% of Democrats say “reopen now” to 41% of independents to 70% of Republicans.

My view is that forcing a large-scale reopening when emotions aren’t solidly behind the move — no less, medical science — won’t do anything to restore consumer confidence. And without widespread buy-in, it’s a reopening destined to flop, economically speaking.

Dollars vote

What day, what pace, or under what conditions California’s economy “reopens” isn’t the critical puzzle piece to the financial future.

No, the key deciding force will the public at large. When will they feel comfortable enough to go back to performing at work and spending at local stores as they did before the pandemic?

The consumer will vote with their dollars. Two recent surveys of California shoppers, from the Conference Board and Chapman-CMC, show soaring pessimism since the pandemic arrived.

Attention, real estate watchers: Sign up for The Home Stretch newsletter. It’s a free, twice- weekly review of what’s important for housing around the region. Subscribe here!

Getting paychecks may help to reverse that trend. But more cash in more wallets alone won’t bring public psyche anywhere near to the upbeat feel of the good ol’ days. You know, early 2020.

Proponents of a quick reopening say high-risk folks can self-quarantine. Meanwhile, others get to return to work with proper protections and social distancing, especially in parts of California with low infection rates to date.

Few will argue with these concepts as the logical next steps. Anti-shutdown protests and crowds seen at the rare restaurant reopening showed us unmasked people in crowded settings using no medical common sense. That instills doubts that mandated precautions will be strictly maintained.

When pondering the economic power of any reopening, remember, the self-quarantine group is far bigger than you’d think. It includes many loved ones of the elderly and the medically weak. And what of folks who are supposed to be helping to educate their kids at home?

If that large group — and folks who support their cause — are uncomfortable with the level of renewed business and congestion, it’s a good bet they’ll be distantly participating in the economy. Their “protest” will be quiet. They’ll eat at home. Shop online. Vacation differently. Stay away from public events.

I know many business owners want a shot at even a small slice of their old cash flow vs. none in this “stay at home” era. But a meager business recovery due to reluctance from this unsure majority will be unsatisfying. And it could be disastrous for people betting on a sharp rebound.

Second wave

Rush a reopening, or mismanage it, and we could have a second wave of the disease. And the second wave may happen, anyway.

Scary thought knowing we are on an extremely uncharted path. Imagine the harsh societal — and business — questions that such a scenario brings. I cannot imagine a sadder outcome, and forget dollars and cents. What of lost lives in what’s essentially a mistimed bet that deaths won’t soar?

In this worst-case scenario, consumer confidence will be shattered. Nobody will believe in leadership, both political and business. And maybe even worse: Who’ll listen to the medical profession, seen as guilty of leading the decision-makers astray?

Plus, does anybody know how to do a second shutdown? Is there enough political will, or discipline, to pull it off? And if we get there — a situation I’d wish on nobody — how do we reopen for the second time?

The large majority of Californians may not be thinking that far out. But they discretely want a cautious approach like the plans suggested by the governor.

Just look at that poll from Reform California, harsh critics of Newsom. It gives him a 64% approval rating on the job he’s done handling the pandemic response.

https://www.pe.com/...nfidence/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social[5/6/2020 9:21:23 AM] ADVERTISEMENT

CALIFORNIA

Will reopening California bring more coronavirus cases, deaths? Friends play spikeball, a game perfect for social distancing, on an open but restricted San Buenaventura State Beach on Saturday in Ventura, Calif. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

By RONG-GONG LIN II, IRIS LEE, PHIL WILLON, HANNAH FRY

MAY 6, 2020 | 5 AM UPDATED 7:21 AM

SAN FRANCISCO — California is seeing signs that the increase in coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations is slowing, but there remains wide debate about whether the progress is enough to dramatically ease Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order.

The state has recorded its first week-over-week decline in reported COVID-19 deaths, according to a Times data analysis. Two weeks ago, California reported its highest one- week toll — 542 fatalities among people infected with the coronavirus. Last week, the weekly death toll dropped 9% to 495. Although it was an improvement, last week’s number was still the third-highest over the course of the pandemic.

Even hard-hit parts of the state have seen some relief.

You May Be Entitled to a Recovery

Class Action Settlement Open

California COVID-19 deaths

500

400

300

200

100

0 March 2-8 March 9- March 16- March 23- March 30- April 6-12 April 13-19 April 20- April 27- 15 22 29 April 5 26 May 3

Times reporting Los Angeles Times

300

200

100

0 March 2-8 March 9- March 16- March 23- March 30- April 6-12 April 13-19 April 20- April 27- 15 22 29 April 5 26 May 3

Times reporting Los Angeles Times

Hospitalizations have been flat on a weekly basis in the five Southern California counties, as well as the San Joaquin Valley and San Diego County, while dropping noticeably in Northern California. L.A. County saw a 2% decline in confirmed and suspected COVID-19 hospitalizations last week compared to the previous week.

ADVERTISEMENT Los Angeles County coronavirus hospitalizations Average daily number of hospitalized patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infection

2,000

1,500 Not in intensive care

1,000

500 In intensive care

0 April 7-13 April 14-20 April 21-27 April 28-May 4

California Health and Human Services Agency Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Bay Area hospitalizations Average daily number of hospitalized patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infection

600

400 Not in intensive care

200

In intensive care

0 April 6-12 April 13-19 April 20-26 April 27-May 3

Includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties Times reporting Los Angeles Times

Still, California has not seen the sustained 14-day decline in coronavirus cases that the White House has suggested as a key criteria before easing stay-at-home orders. The state reported its highest weekly coronavirus case total April 20-26, with 12,122 cases. Last week, 9,967 cases were reported, an 18% decline but still the second-highest weekly total reported during the pandemic.

California coronavirus cases

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0 March 2-8 March 9- March 16- March 23- March 30- April 6-12 April 13- April 20- April 27- 15 22 29 April 5 19 26 May 3

Times reporting Los Angeles Times

Newsom announced Monday that some lower-risk retailers would be allowed to reopen with modifications by Friday — such as sporting good stores and florists for curbside pickup — marking the state’s first major easing of the social distancing rules that have been credited with slowing the spread of the coronavirus and leaving California with far fewer fatalities than hot spots like New York and New Jersey.

But many health officials are urging caution, saying reopening the economy rapidly would cause cases and deaths to increase again.

Santa Clara County executive officer Dr. Jeffrey Smith noted Tuesday that the state death toll is still going up in significant numbers. Last week’s death toll made up nearly one-quarter of California’s cumulative tally of fatalities. “There’s a lot of talk in California about relaxing shelter-in-place [orders]. I just want to point out that we’re still, in California, going up dramatically,” Smith said. “So there’s no clinical evidence that shelter-in-place should be relaxed at this point.”

Echoing statements by other medical experts, Smith said loosening up the stay-at-home orders will result in more infections and deaths.

With many states significantly relaxing stay-at-home orders, Smith said, the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is now forecasting a national death toll of more than 134,000 by early August, close to double the current total of more than 71,000. The institute forecasts a California death toll of 4,700 by early August, also roughly double the current number of more than 2,300.

California faces a particular challenge because some parts of the state have been hit much harder than others. Nineteen rural counties have no confirmed deaths, and in some suburban regions the number of deaths has been limited. But Los Angeles County has recorded more than 1,300 deaths and on Tuesday added more than 1,500 new cases — the highest single-day total — to a cumulative total of more than 27,000 cases.

That helped fuel a single-day record of coronavirus cases reported in California, with 2,557 new diagnoses reported, for a cumulative total of 58,724.

Tracking the coronavirus in L.A. County “We do know as we reopen, more people will be out and about and we’ll see more cases,” said Los Angeles County public health director Barbara Ferrer. “Nothing has really changed about the virus since March. The virus didn’t get less deadly. The virus didn’t get less infectious. The virus is still out there.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, echoed similar concerns on the national level.

“There are regions, areas, counties, cities in which you can [begin to reopen] safely now. But there are others that if you do that, it’s really dangerous,” Fauci said on CNN Monday. “How many deaths — and how much suffering — are you willing to accept to get back to … some form of normality sooner rather than later?”

Newsom on Tuesday tried to set expectations, stressing social-distancing practices would remain in place as more people would be put at risk when restrictions were lifted.

“We have to maintain the core construct of our stay-at-home orders,” he said at a news conference. Cases statewide As of May 5, 9:30 p.m. Pacific 58,724 2,379 confirmed deaths

County Cases Deaths

Los Angeles 27,866 1,315

Riverside 4,454 184

San Diego 4,160 150

Orange 2,873 61

San Bernardino 2,329 101

Statewide deaths by day

100

See the full California coronavirus tracker

The economy will start to reopen, but that doesn’t mean people can “go back to normal,” Newsom said. Since COVID-19 is still present, the reopening relies on Californians remaining cautious and following safety protocols.

The governor criticized two Northern California counties that are allowing higher-risk businesses, like malls, gyms and restaurant dining rooms, to reopen, saying their decision to defy his statewide stay-at-home order has put their communities at increased risk for a new outbreak.

Sutter and Yuba counties, with a combined population of 171,000 people and both north of Sacramento, allowed many businesses to reopen on Monday after a similar decision was made in Modoc County, which has fewer than 9,000 residents in California’s northeastern corner. Officials in the three counties argued that they were less affected by the pandemic than spots such as Los Angeles and the Bay Area, and said the shutdown was hurting their local economies.

Newsom also faced defiance in Southern California after he ordered the closure of all Orange County beaches last week. The governor took that action after thousands of beachgoers flocked to the coast during the recent heatwave, ignoring Newsom’s pleas to stay at home and maintain a safe distance from others.

Is your California beach closed? We’re keeping track

The move came a day after similar plans for Laguna Beach and San Clemente were approved by the state, and several days after the Huntington Beach City Council voted to take legal action to block Newsom’s beach closure. Newsom is allowing regions to retain local stay-at-home orders that are stricter than the state’s.

California has recorded more than 2,300 fatalities, far fewer than New York’s more than 24,000 and New Jersey‘s more than 7,000 — a fact experts partially attribute to early social distancing rules.

Lin reported from San Francisco, Lee and Fry from Southern California, and Luna from Sacramento. Times staff writers Colleen Shalby, Soumya Karlamangla and Sean Greene contributed to this report.

CALIFORNIA CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The stories shaping California Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.

Enter Email Address

SIGN ME UP

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Rong-Gong Lin II

Twitter Instagram Email Facebook

Rong-Gong Lin II is a metro reporter, specializing in covering statewide earthquake safety issues. The Bay Area native is a graduate of UC Berkeley and started at the Los Democracy Dies in Darkness Coronavirus Live updates U.S. map World map FAQs Newsletter Your life at

As states reopen, here’s how you protect yourself from the coming surge By Leana S. Wen

May 5, 2020 at 1:04 p.m. PDT

Leana S. Wen is an emergency physician and visiting professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Previously, she served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.

The federal government’s social distancing guidelines ended last week. As states lift their shelter-in-place orders and reopen parts of their economies, I am deeply worried that the next phase of the coronavirus pandemic will bring much more suffering and many more preventable deaths. What should concerned policymakers and residents do? Two things:

First, prepare for a massive surge.

More than 40 states have announced plans to lift restrictions, even though only a handful have met the minimum criteria for reopening as outlined by the White House coronavirus task force. The consequences of this are all too predictable, because the science around covid-19 has not changed: Without a vaccine or cure, the only thing keeping the disease in check has been keeping people separated from one another. Once social distancing is relaxed, covid-19 will again spread with explosive speed. AD

But, of course, that might not be apparent for weeks or even months. That’s because of the lag between new exposures to the virus and the subsequent increase in infections, hospitalizations and deaths. As everyone knows by now, the incubation period — the time between exposure and symptoms — is up to 14 days. It could take another week or two before people become ill enough to seek medical care, and another week or more for those who are severely ill to succumb to the virus.

The danger here is that policymakers and the public will jump to the wrong conclusions if they don’t immediately see the numbers increasing. Instead of breathing a sigh of relief, they should prepare for the surge that will inevitably arrive a month or so from now: What New York went through at its peak will happen in communities across the country. Hospitals will become overwhelmed with ill patients. Staff will be forced to ration personal protective equipment. There will be shortages of intensive care unit beds and ventilators.

The difference is that this time there will likely be numerous outbreaks at once. That will strain the nation’s capacity to respond. Also worrisome is that many of these outbreaks will occur in rural communities that already struggle with lack of hospitals and health-care workers. AD

Our only advantage now is that we can easily see it coming a month ahead. The more people return to life as usual, the more hospitals should prepare for an influx. Elected leaders, public health officials and hospital CEOs should be urgently preparing for this expected surge.

Now is also the time to fully implement pandemic response plans to shore up health-care capacity across the country. In addition, no state has yet set up the testing, contact tracing and quarantining needed to contain the virus. State and local officials should do their best to ramp up these public health capabilities as they call upon the federal government to put forth the national coordinated effort to secure needed supplies and staff.

Second, stay safe for yourself and for those around you.

AD Just because you now can go out in public doesn’t mean you should. This is not the time to plan family gatherings, dinner parties and play dates. Restaurants, retail shops and salons might be open, but is going worth the risk?

Residents in reopening states should follow the same public health guidance as when they were under shelter-in-place orders: Stay six feet away from people. Wash your hands frequently. Wipe down surfaces that others are touching.

If you must return to work, be an advocate for your health: Ask your employer what practices are being put into place to protect workers and customers. Inquire about telecommuting, staggered shifts and other possibilities. Risk is cumulative: The more people you have contact with, the higher your risk of contracting the virus. Do your best to continue to limit your interactions with people outside of work.

AD And try to reduce the risk for others, as well. Wear a mask when in public. Drive, walk or bike if you can, and reserve public transportation for those who have no other choice. Keep a daily diary of where you’ve been and with whom you spent time — that way, if you’re found to have covid-19, it will be easy to trace your contacts. Most important, stay home if you can. Social distancing is a privilege that many do not have.

It will be tempting to see reopening as a return to our way of life before the coronavirus, but it will be anything but. As a society, we have made the decision to reopen before the science says we are ready. We are knowingly going back to where we were in mid-March, before the first exponential surge in infections and deaths. That surge will come again, but this time no one can say they didn’t see it coming.

Danielle Allen: The White House strategy for reopening is coming together

Jennifer Rubin: The politics and price of premature opening

Jeremy Samuel Faust and Carlos del Rio: The metric that could tell us when it’s safe to reemerge 76°

LIVE NOW / KTLA 5 Morning News

WEATHER ALERTS /There are 4 areas under alert. Click for alert details.

CALIFORNIA Newsom had the right to ban church services during pandemic, federal judge rules 76°

Demonstrators hold signs demanding their church to reopen during a rally to re-open California on May 1, 2020, in San Diego. (SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

by: Associated Press Posted: May 5, 2020 / 04:34 PM PDT / Updated: May 5, 2020 / 08:24 PM PDT

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had the right to ban church assemblies in the interest of public health during the coronavirus outbreak, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Newsom’s stay-at-home order did not violate the constitutional rights to free assembly and religion when the Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi was ordered to cease holding services, Judge John Mendez ruled in Sacramento.

Pastor Jonathan Duncan had continued to assemble his congregation after the governor banned public gatherings in March despite warnings it was in violation of state and local orders. The church of fewer than 50 members said it was obeying federal guidelines to prevent spread of the virus.

Lodi police entered the church during a service attended by about 30 worshipers in late March and said they were defying the governor’s order. The church responded with a “cease and desist” letter sent to the city and argued they had a First Amendment right to gather and practice their religion.

“Constitutional rights cannot be suspended by a virus,” the church’s attorney, Dean Broyles, said at the time.

Police posted a notice on the building that it’s nonessential use created a public nuisance. San Joaquin County health ofcials then warned the church’s landlord, Bethel Open Bible Church, it could face a misdemeanor charge if it allowed assemblies to continue.

Duncan planned to hold Palm Sunday services on April 5, but couldn’t get in the church because his landlord had changed the locks. Police threatened to cite anyone who entered the property. Duncan said in a statement that he was disappointed with the ruling but would continue76° to ght for the right to worship.

“It is time for pastors and religious leaders across the state to rise up and start pushing back against these draconian stay-at-home orders that completely fail to take into account the true essentiality of religion in our society,” Duncan said.

The church was one of several that initially deed the governor’s order. Most houses of worship have moved to online services, though Broyles said “more churches than you would think” are not complying with the order.

The church argued in its suit against Newsom, Lodi police and county health ofcials that the order was an abuse of power that criminalized communal worship while allowing people to frequent department stores, liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries and other businesses deemed essential.

The judge said that argument missed the point because shoppers were going to those businesses to purchase specic items, not to commune with each other. A more relevant comparison would be restaurants, concerts, movies and sporting events — secular places people gather that were also ordered closed.

Mendez said state and local stay-at-home orders were a valid exercise of emergency police powers and didn’t violate the church’s constitutional rights. Mendez noted that the Supreme Court over 100 years ago upheld the government’s right to exercise police powers to promote public safety during a public health crisis.

“During public health crises, new considerations come to bear, and government ofcials must ask whether even fundamental rights must give way to a deeper need to control the spread of infectious disease and protect the lives of society’s most vulnerable,” Mendez wrote.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which led a brief supporting the public ofcials, applauded the ruling because it upheld an order that applies to secular and religious gatherings. Newsom rightly begins reopening California – San Bernardino Sun

OPINION • Editorial Newsom rightly begins reopening California

   

https://www.sbsun.com/...ning-california/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_medium=social[5/6/2020 9:21:13 AM] Newsom rightly begins reopening California – San Bernardino Sun

California Gov. Gavin Newsom gestures during a news conference at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services in Rancho Cordova, Calif. A conservative organization has petitioned the California Supreme Court to block the state’s first-in-the-nation plans to give money to immigrants living in the country illegally who are hurt by the coronavirus. The Center for American Liberty argued that the $75 million plan announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week is barred by both state and federal law. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool, File)

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | [email protected] |  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 1:00 p.m.

In downplaying the likelihood that rights-based lawsuits against the state’s shutdown orders will succeed, former federal judge Oliver Wanger told the Fresno Bee that “the Constitution is subordinated to the need to protect the public.” Fortunately, many Californians — including some local officials — aren’t quite ready to subordinate the protections enumerated in our nation’s founding document.

Most Americans have been willing to grant their governments additional latitude during an unusual public-health crisis, but that doesn’t mean they have abandoned their right to question the specific edicts issued by mayors, governors and the president.

Last week, hundreds of Californians gathered peacefully at the state Capitol even though the California Highway Patrol had banned such protests. After Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a hard shutdown of Orange County beaches, thousands of local residents engaged in orderly protests near the surf.

Newsom had announced that he would not be swayed by protests or political considerations as he decides when to lift stay-at-home orders. On Friday, the governor seemed to be feeling the pressure as protests mount, state finances tank and widespread joblessness is causing strains on the social- safety net. He promised that the lockdown rules could be eased in days rather than weeks and provided a list of allowed outdoor activities.

TOP ARTICLES 1/5

.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;}

READ MORE Trump: COVID 19 task force not dismantling just On Monday, the governor followed through with his promise and said some low-risk businesses (bookstores, sporting goods shops, florists, music stores) may reopen for curbside pickup. Laguna Beach and San Clemente also got the go-ahead for limited beach openings. “This is a very positive sign and it’s happened for only one reason: the data says it can happen,” Newsom said at a briefing.

We’re sure the decision was based on data, but suspect the public pushback didn’t hurt. The governor was getting resistance from local officials, too. In 9,000-population Modoc County, in the state’s northeastern corner, officials reopened “nonessential” businesses on Friday. The county has no reported cases of coronavirus.

Other counties are taking a similar approach. Yuba and Sutter counties allowed re-openings beginning on Monday. Kern County rescinded its emergency orders on Friday. Rural counties are much different than densely populated urban counties. Newsom has recognized the importance of

regionalism, so it’s good that he appears to be respecting these local decisions.

Most people are not carrying signs at the Capitol, but are RELATED ARTICLES quietly getting back to their lives. “Apple’s Mobility Trends

Reopening Riverside County while report shows that traffic in the U.S. and other countries like protecting life and liberty: Jeff Hewitt Germany has pretty much doubled in the past three weeks,” reported Forbes’ John Koetsier. Mandated employment is a flawed policy for app-based drivers In other words, Newsom might have no choice but to continue following the public’s lead. We’re still a free and No, the politicians didn’t save us from COVID-19 self-governing people who shouldn’t abandon our rights and Constitution — even during a health emergency. The Inland Empire needs to invest in upgrading its democracy

Transforming Patton State Hospital to offer emergency shelter: James Ramos

We encourage Newsom to continue making decisions based on transparent public health data while continuing to respect greater flexibility for localities with stronger understanding of the needs and capacities of their own communities.

We likewise encourage Newsom to err on the side of the least restrictive policy options available. By doing so and exercising the heavy hand of the state only when he can clearly and transparently justify it, he’ll be showing the sort of leadership California needs from him in these difficult times.

Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error

https://www.sbsun.com/...ning-california/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_medium=social[5/6/2020 9:21:13 AM] CORONAVIRUS TAXES

California wires mask dealer half a billion dollars, then claws it back

BY LAUREL ROSENHALL PUBLISHED: MAY 5, 2020

Ground crew at the Los Angeles International airport unload pallets of medical protective equipment from a China Southern Cargo plane upon its arrival on April 10, 2020. California has scrambled to cut deals for millions of masks and other gear. AP Photo by Richard Vogel IN SUMMARY It's a look into the chaotic marketplace as states combat a pandemic: California's massive deal with novice medical supplier Blue Flame mysteriously falls apart, and Maryland calls for an investigation into the company's conduct there.

On March 26, as the coronavirus pandemic was mounting and governors across America scrambled to secure medical supplies, the state of California wired almost a half-billion dollars to a company that had been in business for just three days.

The recipient: Blue Flame Medical LLC, a Delaware-based company headed by two Republican operatives who jumped into the medical supply business on March 23. The pair — Mike Gula from Washington, D.C., and John Thomas of Southern California — had vowed, in their words, to help “fight Covid-19 with the industry’s broadest product selection from hundreds of suppliers.” Within hours of the enormous wire transfer, the deal was dead and California was clawing its money back — $456.9 million, nearly half of what the Legislature had allocated for the state’s pandemic response. The payment to Blue Flame and cancellation of the deal six hours later were revealed in copies of checks, wire transfer receipts and emails obtained by CalMatters through a public records request.

It’s unclear why California decided to make such a large purchase for 100 million face masks from a new and untested company. Days ago, Maryland canceled its own order with Blue Flame and asked the state attorney general to investigate the company for its failure so far to deliver the supplies. And California Democratic Rep. Katie Porter also has raised questions about the company’s credibility.

Blue Flame’s attorney, Ethan Bearman of Los Angeles, said today he had no information about the California situation but criticized Maryland’s actions. He described it as “beyond comprehension” that Maryland is disputing the contract and said the company “fully intends” to honor it.

Still, California’s broken deal provides a look at the chaotic marketplace of medical supply procurement and the dollars at stake in the crisis that has killed nearly 70,000 Americans.

The federal government left it up to states to purchase the masks, gloves and other gear that can protect workers from contracting COVID-19. That spike in demand — combined with a global shortage of supplies — created a cottage industry of new suppliers and brokers. Now the FBI is warning states about “rapidly emerging fraud trends” in the procurement of medical supplies governments are desperately seeking to combat the pandemic.

After the Blue Flame purchase fizzled, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced reaching a deal to buy nearly $1 “IT’S BEEN A WILD, billion worth of face masks from a Chinese company called BYD. The masks have begun to arrive in California WILD WEST OF PPE but Newsom has refused to release that contract or any SALES AND OFFERS. details, arguing that doing so could imperil delivery of the supplies in the fragile and unpredictable THE PRICING AND marketplace. SOME OF THE “It’s been a Wild, Wild West of PPE sales and offers,” CONDUCT IS SCARY.” said Thomas Tighe, president of Direct Relief, a nonprofit aid agency that sends supplies including personal protective equipment (PPE) to disaster sites. “The pricing and some of the conduct is scary.” Direct Relief president Thomas

Tighe Tighe doesn’t have any experience with Blue Flame Medical, the company at the center of California’s mysteriously canceled deal. But he said he’s seen the normally low-key business of masks and gloves become a hotbed of confusion and competition as new actors dive into the fray.

“A strong desire to protect our health workers does lend itself to being exploited for financial gain by folks who are out to make money,” Tighe said.

Blue Flame’s president has described the venture as an altruistic effort to help the United States deal with the pandemic by tapping into connections he and his business partner established through politics.

“We realized that I actually had some very good relationships with quite a few PPE manufacturers, all over the world,” John Thomas said April 15 on his “Thomas Guide” podcast.

“So we quickly put together an organization called Blue Flame. And we, I believe, are now one of the largest, if not the largest, supplier of COVID-19 supplies.”

Thomas, a political strategist, and Gula, a political fundraiser, drew attention in Washington, D.C., as soon as they launched. “Republican fundraiser looks to cash in on coronavirus,” read the headline on a March 27 Politico article, which said Gula was leaving politics to devote himself to the new business. Thomas told The New York Times that their political connections helped them find suppliers and customers, but that they formed the company to help people, not to get rich.

Before launching Blue Flame, the pair worked together earlier this year on the campaign of Republican Don Sedgwick, who was seeking the Orange County congressional seat held by Porter. Sedgwick lost in the March primary.

Now Porter is raising concerns about Blue Flame and asking the federal government to ensure that such companies are charging fair prices. Blue Flame’s founders have no experience providing medical supplies, and the company may amount to “a costly and burdensome middleman from which states and localities must now purchase supplies,” Porter wrote in an April 8 letter to the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Due to the life or death nature of the nationwide PPE shortage, we are concerned Blue Flame is indicative of a potentially growing trend,” Porter wrote. “WE REALIZED THAT I ACTUALLY HAD SOME VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH QUITE A FEW PPE MANUFACTURERS, ALL OVER THE WORLD. SO WE QUICKLY PUT TOGETHER AN ORGANIZATION CALLED BLUE FLAME. AND WE, I BELIEVE, ARE NOW ONE OF THE LARGEST, IF NOT THE LARGEST, SUPPLIER OF COVID-19 SUPPLIES.”

Blue Flame co-founder John Thomas

Porter declined an interview request from CalMatters. Blue Flame’s Thomas told the Orange County Register that her letter is “absolutely absurd” and dismissed Porter’s criticism as a politically motivated attack against the advisers of her former campaign rival.

On his podcast, Thomas said his company is trying to help states avoid fraud in their quest for medical supplies.

“There’s a lot of bad actors right now going on in this marketplace — fraudulent inventory, price gouging, all these horrendous things, which is the last thing you should be doing in a crisis,” Thomas said. “And it’s the exact opposite of what our company Blue Flame was started to do.”

The state of Maryland canceled its $12.5 million order with Blue Flame on Saturday — and asked the state attorney general to investigate — because the company did not deliver the face masks and ventilators the state ordered on April 1.

“Unfortunately, despite numerous requests for information and order status, Blue Flame Medical has yet to deliver any items under this order, or provide any pertinent data as to a pending shipment,” Maryland’s director of procurement wrote in a letter to the company obtained by the Washington Post.

Maryland had ordered 1.5 million N95 masks and 110 ventilators, according to a purchase order The Washington Post posted, and paid Blue Flame nearly $6.3 million upfront. California’s order was a lot bigger — and so was its upfront payment. The state ordered 100 million N95 masks from Blue Flame, and its $456.9 million payment amounted to a 75% deposit on the total bill, said Andre Rivera, a deputy director at the state Treasurer’s Office.

Emails show a frenzy of activity as state employees hammered out the details involved in wiring the funds to Blue Flame’s bank in Virginia. At 8:23 a.m. on March 26, a manager at the Treasurer’s Office emailed another bank involved in the transaction:

“Hi Ana, I released a large wire transfer to Chain Bridge Bank just now. Can you please check on it and ensure it is completed quickly?” Natalie Gonzalez wrote.

She then informed her colleagues in state government that the money had been wired. An attorney in the “AFTER A VERY Controller’s Office replied at 9:11 a.m.: “A big thank you to all involved in getting these payments out the door. It EVENTFUL MORNING is very much appreciated.” WITH THE BLUE The bank manager emailed Gonzalez at 1:20 p.m. and FLAME PURCHASE, said the wire transfer was completed. At 2:03 p.m., an WE ARE NO LONGER official at the Department of General Services MOVING FORWARD announced that the deal was off. “After a very eventful morning with the Blue Flame WITH THIS VENDOR.” purchase, we are no longer moving forward with this vendor,” deputy director Andrew Sturmfels wrote in an March 26 Email by California email. General Services Deputy director “Please provide my team… with whatever info and Andrew Sturmfels paperwork we need to submit in order to walk back the warrants and null the wire transfer request.”

In a subsequent email Sturmfels wrote that the “wire transfer was processed on (the State Treasurer’s) end but not completed. Funds are with (State Treasurer’s Office).”

Rivera confirmed in an interview with CalMatters that California’s state treasurer got the money back. “The wire was returned exactly the same day when it was canceled,” he said.

But he referred questions about why California placed the order with Blue Flame and why the deal fell apart to the Department of General Services, which has not responded to multiple interview requests.

California lawmakers allotted $1.1 billion for the state’s pandemic response when they passed a sweeping emergency measure in mid-March. Newsom’s administration has also dipped into a state disaster relief fund, and has said it expects the total cost of managing the crisis to reach $7 billion.

While the state has cut many deals with private companies in response to the coronavirus, few of them — other than the $1 billion contract with BYD for face masks — come close to the sum it sent Blue Flame. Most arrangements are for under $20 million, according to a review of contracts the state released under a public records request. The state agreed to pay three companies between $2 million and $4 million each to refurbish or supply ventilators. It leased an arena in Sacramento for use as a temporary hospital at a cost of up to $3 million, and leased a hospital near San Francisco for $17.5 million. It’s paying a life sciences company up to $13.1 million to test Californians for COVID-19.

Masks, though, will play a critical role in getting California back to some semblance of normalcy as businesses are gradually allowed to open after nearly two months of being closed by public health orders.

“The PPE side of this is so foundational in our ability to open up,” Newsom said Tuesday during a visit to a small business in Sacramento.

“We’re very pleased in this state to have had substantial success in the last week in procurement of tens of millions of new masks that are now coming in, almost on a weekly basis.”

So far, the state has prioritized delivering them to health care workers, first responders and nursing homes, Newsom said, but will soon also distribute them to grocery, transit and retail workers.

“As these product lines begin to open up and we have more of this product, we will start getting it out to the front line.”

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU CALIFORNIA

Kern County city gets hit with triple whammy: Lockdowns, oil slump and prison closing

The McKittrick oil ﬁeld in the town of McKittrick in Kern County on State Route 33, has over 1,100 producing wells. With the falling price of oil, some pump jacks that need repair are being left idle. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

By SUSANNE RUST

MAY 6, 2020 | 5 AM

TAFT, Calif. — The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is slamming cities and towns across the state.

But for Taft, a city of roughly 9,300 people in far western Kern County, there have been a few extra punches to the gut.

With prices and demand for oil down, the thousands of pump jacks that ordinarily bob up-and-down on the horizon are at a virtual standstill. That is adding to the misery on main street, where restaurants, gyms, stationery shops and other stores have been ordered closed.

And then there’s the fact that another major employer, the privately owned Taft Correctional Institute, closed its doors on April 30 after sending hundreds of uninfected prisoners to coronavirus hot spots across the country. The decision to close the federal prison was made last fall, long before the pandemic struck, but now the economic pain is hitting.

“It’s been a rough couple of months,” said Mayor Dave Noerr, who is pivoting as fast as he can to get his town’s economy up and running again.

Taft sits at the base of the San Emigdio and Temblor mountain ranges, between the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista oil fields, in the southwest corner of the San Joaquin Valley. The smell of oil in the air along Mocal Road, just to the northwest of town, is unmistakable. In the Midway-Sunset oil ﬁeld outside Taft, Calif., men work on well “abandonment,” which is a process that renders an oil well closed for good. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Once known as Siding Number Two — a stop off the Southern Pacific railway — Taft was subsequently named Moro, then Moron, before town leaders settled on naming the area after then-President Taft in 1912.

It’s been the geographical center of the California oil industry, where companies such as Chevron and Aera siphon up crude from the vast reserves pooled under this remote, dry region dotted with sage brush, clover and buckwheat.

On April 27, Taft’s City Council voted unanimously to open up for business on May 3, in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders.

But two days later, Kern County officials asked Noerr to stand down.

Unwilling to give up, the mayor penned a letter with four county supervisors and state Senate Minority Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), requesting the governor modify stay-at-home orders.

“Local government should have the flexibility and discretion to navigate reopening stages in a timeline that works best for their communities,” wrote Noerr and those co- signing the letter. Noerr sits on a Kern County advisory board that is evaluating how best to respond to the governor’s orders.

“I hate to say it, but the civil unrest we have been seeing seems to be having a positive effect,” he said, referring to protests over the weekend and the governor’s decision to reopen beaches around the state.

Several counties and cities have pushed back against Newsom’s emergency orders. In the far northeastern part of the state, Modoc County opened up for business on Friday. Sheriffs in Del Norte and Humboldt counties announced they would not enforce the orders.

Kern County has also opted not to enforce the restrictions. “I see no reason why we should remain closed,” Noerr said in an interview, last week, not wearing a mask. He said the overall economy of the town likely has shrunk by 40%. He doesn’t yet have the numbers to show the true impact.

Sitting at the base of a bronze statue dedicated to the 20th century oil worker pioneers who built the city and the region’s oil industry, Noerr pointed to Kern County’s COVID-19 numbers, which show that Taft now has 16 cases, and that hospitalization rates in the county have started to dip.

Dave Noerr, mayor of Taft, Calif., stands in front of the Taft Oilworker Monument. “It’s been a rough couple of months,” says Noerr, who is pivoting to get his town’s economy running again after the coronavirus lockdown. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

“If you were to compare those numbers to the levels of domestic abuse, child abuse, alcohol abuse and drug abuse situations over the past few weeks, you’d see the virus pales in comparison to the damage being done by the shutdown,” he said.

When asked for those numbers, he said he didn’t have them and referred questions to the police department.

“I think we should open up the hair salons, and nail salons,” he said. “We need to let people go to those places where they can start to feel better about themselves.”

Noerr, who has the support of the oil industry — several oil company and trade group officials referred a reporter to the mayor for information about the oil industry in California — believes the business will rebound soon. And he said it should be an American priority to support the nation’s oil industry.

“Why are we buying oil from overseas when we can make it right here, in California, with some of the strictest environmental and workers’ rights regulations in the world?” he said.

The closing of the privately owned federal prison was another setback for the town.

According to emails and news reports, the decision was made last fall by federal prison officials concerned about structural issues with some of the buildings.

On April 29, a burrowing owl sat on the coiled-razor wire fencing snaking the perimeter of the vacated facility. Correctional officers went in and out of the building, emptying the site of filing cabinets, chairs and microwave ovens.

Coronavirus Journal Two Times journalists are embarking on a journey throughout California to cover the nation’s most populous and diverse state during the coronavirus crisis.

MORE FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

OPINION Opinion: Trump’s nominee to oversee intelligence says the right things, but so did Barr 1 hour ago Victorville man charged with 3 counts of murder in deaths of woman and her sons – San Bernardino Sun

NEWSCRIME + PUBLIC SAFETY • News Victorville man charged with 3 counts of murder in deaths of woman and her sons

   

https://www.sbsun.com/...n-and-her-sons/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social[5/5/2020 1:51:06 PM] Victorville man charged with 3 counts of murder in deaths of woman and her sons – San Bernardino Sun

Louis Gabriel Lucero (Courtesy San Bernardino County Sheriff)

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY | [email protected] | The Press-Enterprise  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 1:44 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 1:44 p.m.

A Victorville man pleaded not guilty Tuesday, May 5, to three counts of murder in the slaying of a woman and her two sons, whose bodies were found in the desert after the woman went missing from the home she shared with the accused man, authorities said.

Louis Lucero, 35, remained in custody on a no-bail hold at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga after entering his pleas.

Multiple murder is a special circumstance that allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty, although a decision on whether to pursue capital punishment is generally made later in a case.There was no mention of it in Lucero’s court file on Tuesday.

Lucero was arrested in Colorado on April 30, a day after San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies began investigating the slayings of Erlinda Villareal, 42, and her two sons, ages 9 and 12. M

TOP ARTICLES 1/5

.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;}

READ MORE Writer TV producer and former rapper Jensen Karp Their bodies were found the evening of April 29 by an off-roader in Apple Valley. Earlier in the day, deputies had gone to the Victorville home that Villareal and Lucero shared, and found it empty.

Detectives believe the woman and her sons left the Victorville home with Lucero, were slain at an unknown location, then were left in the desert.

The complaint filed against Lucero does not fully identify the boys, using only their first names of Jesus and Jose, each with a last initial of M. The document does not distinguish the boys by age. Lucero is not their father.

In addition to the three murder charges, a filed allegation states Lucero had a prior felony conviction. He denied that in the Tuesday hearing.

Lucero was sentenced three years and eight months in prison on Aug. 3, 2017 in San Bernardino

County Superior Court after pleading guilty to two counts of grand theft of a firearm.

As part of that plea deal, other cases against him were dismissed, including a 2016 case in which he was charged with felony infliction of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, along with other charges, records show.

RELATED ARTICLES Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Inmate convicted of murdering wife in Contact Us Eastvale dies after assault in Vacaville Report an Error prison

1 dead, 1 wounded in Saturday night Rialto shooting

Conviction, death sentence upheld for El Monte man in 2001 slayings of 3 Rialto teens

Man suspected in killing of Victorville woman and 2 young sons is arrested in Colorado

Riverside police investigating fatal shooting south of downtown

Tags: Breaking news, homicide, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories PE, Top Stories RDF,

https://www.sbsun.com/...n-and-her-sons/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-sbsun&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social[5/5/2020 1:51:06 PM] Body found off Highway 18 near Big Bear Lake now a homicide investigation – Press Enterprise

NEWSCRIME + PUBLIC SAFETY • News Body found off Highway 18 near Big Bear Lake now a homicide investigation

   

https://www.pe.com/...stigation/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social[5/6/2020 9:18:29 AM] Body found off Highway 18 near Big Bear Lake now a homicide investigation – Press Enterprise

The Glory Ridge Road turnout at Highway 18 in the San Bernardino Mountains. (Courtesy Google Maps)

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY | [email protected] | The Press-Enterprise  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 5:10 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2020 at 5:13 p.m.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives are investigating after a man was found dead off Highway 18 near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains, the department said Tuesday, May 5.

The sighting of the body, on the side of the mountain at a highway turn-out area at Glory Ridge Road, was reported at 4 p.m. Sunday, the department said. Deputies from the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station and fire department personnel responded.

Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation. The man’s identity was not released as of Tuesday afternoon by the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

The department asks anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Gerad Laing at 909-387 -3589. Anonymous information can be given through WeTip at 800-782-7463 or wetip.com.

Read Article

RELATED ARTICLES What Your Dog Is Trying To Warn https://www.pe.com/...stigation/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social[5/6/2020 9:18:29 AM] LAPD officer who shot fellow cop in Apple Valley charged with assault – Press Enterprise

NEWSCRIME + PUBLIC SAFETY • News LAPD officer who shot fellow cop in Apple Valley charged with assault

   

By JOSH CAIN | [email protected] | Los Angeles Daily News  PUBLISHED: May 5, 2020 at 1:21 p.m. | UPDATED: May 6, 2020 at 12:14 a.m.

A Los Angeles police officer has been charged with assault after allegedly shooting another officer early Sunday at an off-road recreation area near Apple Valley.

Ismael Tamayo, a 44-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, was arrested at around 1 a.m. after sheriff’s deputies said he fired at another officer he was camping with at the Stoddard Wells Off-Highway Vehicle Area. Another officer, identified as an LAPD supervisor, was with them but was unharmed.

The 48-year-old victim was hit in the upper body, sheriff’s detectives said. He was airlifted to a trauma center, and is expected to survive.

https://www.pe.com/...h-assault/?utm_content=tw-pressenterprise&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow[5/6/2020 9:20:15 AM] LAPD officer who shot fellow cop in Apple Valley charged with assault – Press Enterprise

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office charged Tamayo with one count of assault with a firearm. He’s expected to be arraigned Wednesday at the Victorville courthouse.

Read Article

A spokesman for the D.A.’s office declined to comment on the charge.

On Sunday, LAPD officials, including Chief Michel Moore, expressed frustration over the shooting incident, calling what happened “disturbing,” according to a statement. Moore said the shooting by one of his own officers gave him “great concern.”

“I am committed to determining what and how this occurred,” he said.

Sheriff’s deputies initially booked Tamayo on suspicion of attempted murder. San Bernardino County officials have repeatedly declined to give more information about Tamayo’s arrest.

The D.A.’s office said Tamayo used a Glock .40 caliber handgun in the shooting. Detectives haven’t said whether they believe the weapon was Tamayo’s LAPD issued sidearm.

MORE FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

CALIFORNIA Newsom calls reopening Yuba and Sutter counties a ‘big mistake’ amid coronavirus crisis 34 minutes ago