Coronavirus Update March 8 2020

Over the past few days, we have seen the Coronavirus pandemic cause a whirlwind of cancellations, stock market swings, and a sense of growing fear in our community. Communities all over the world are feeling the effects of COVID-19 and I want to share critical facts as well as let you know some of what my staff and I are doing locally.

Yesterday the City Council met to pass emergency legislation including an eviction moratorium for both residential and commercial properties, asking grocery stores to open early for seniors as well my motion to figure out a way to have the city offer a week of food at a time to seniors. We also met with the heads of the Department of Sanitation, Transportation, and others to analyze how the city is responding to this crisis as well as find out where there is room for improvement.

Over the coming weeks we will continue to meet and I will update residents through my twitter, facebook and email. Though City Hall is closed to the public, my staff and I are still working and are readily available by phone and email. Additionally all of my upcoming events are POSTPONED, including the Blumenfield Community Bike Ride.

The two most important things we can all do is continue to abide by social distancing and wash our hands thoroughly. Even if you are young and healthy, this is a critical step to help keep seniors and people with compromised immunities as well as other pre-existing conditions safe. The life you save may be your parent or grandparent.

With at least weeks more of these measures projected by the CDC, one of the issues I’m worried about is loneliness among seniors. If you have an elderly family member or neighbor, please give them a call and see if they need anything. Even though my parents live across the street, one thing I’ve started to do is ‘face time’ with them during dinner so our family can at least share that small but essential slice of normalcy while avoiding direct contact.

Additionally, here are some key points I want to share:

• The city is working closely with the county who is lead on health issues, as well as the state and federal government.
• My Emergency Preparedness Community Action Team (BobCAT) has been activated and we have been working in coordination with community organizations to get them the goods they need.
• If you are a local business owner, there is assistance to help get you through this crisis.
• There is no food shortage and grocery stores will continue to be stocked. Hoarding is not just unnecessary, it’s actually harmful.
• Tap water is healthy to drink.

For up-to-date information, please check the LA County Department of Public Health as well as the City of Los Angeles’ COVID-19 portal. Together we will get through this, but now more than ever we must take steps to ensure that this virus does as little damage as possible.