How can it be that there are still so many social distancing holdouts, people who refuse to acknowledge the seriousness of the coronavirus and move through the world with a pre-pandemic blitheness?
Empty streets can be deceiving. They do not necessarily mean that all of us who have the luxury of doing so are safely at home doing all we can to contain the contagion.
So many people don’t have the choice to stay home. They have essential jobs staffing our hospitals and our food markets, driving our buses, delivering our mail. I am not talking about them.
But you don’t have to go far to find those who do have the choice but still aren’t making the effort to follow the new rules aimed at our mutual safety.
The coronavirus shutdowns took a lot of us by surprise. We should have been prepared
When I go out into my neighborhood, as I still am able to do each day to escape from my house and stretch my legs and breathe fresh air, I take great pains to stay at least six feet away from everyone else — even if that means sometimes jumping onto a lawn or into the street. I now wear a homemade mask to try to protect others, though I pull it down from time to time on a solitary walk when there’s no one else anywhere near me.
Commuters crowd to catch a bus at 7th and Alvarado streets in Westlake.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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But unmasked runners who have staked out the dead center of a sidewalk whoosh past me without warning or effort to make space. I see construction crews everywhere, working shoulder to shoulder, wearing masks — if they have them — on top of their heads like tiny clown hats. People still zigzag on the streets, staring at their cellphones, earbuds in, oblivious to others. Many seem to think that, if they’ve got on masks and gloves, social distancing isn’t required of them.
Even a trip to my friendly neighborhood supermarket has come to feel to me like a rough game of dodgeball, where everyone’s hurtling my way, moving too fast, grabbing for the last paper towels, and I can’t get myself out of their range because of the narrowness of the aisles.
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For a short while, social distancing maybe felt a little bit over the top. Holing up, at least for the luckier ones among us, maybe felt more like an adventure in homesteading or glamping than an essential act of survival. But that was in that halcyon time several weeks ago when we were still rejoicing in our shedded commutes and in our increased family togetherness. When we were celebrating community and creativity rather than dwelling on angst. When cutout hearts in windows and chin-up messages scrawled in chalk still were enough to cheer us up and keep fear at bay.
I couldn’t love #mydayinla more than I do right now, in the midst of this isolating and potentially terribly lonely coronavirus crisis.
That was before the word even from the White House grew dire, before our federal government told us that, if we do a really good job of social distancing and containment, we might see `only 100,000 to 240,000 Americans die.
How do we process such numbers? I know I’ve had a hard time lately.
Maggie Medina, left, Juanita Gomez and Vanessa Reagan tailgate in the parking lot at the Westfield Valencia Town Center to meet while keeping their distance.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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In the light of day, I reach out to people. I try to reassure them. I try to boost their spirits. We’ll make it, I say. We’ll get through this together.
But at night, more and more frequently, I stay up too late and then jolt awake too early out of fear.
Fear that those I know and love will get sick. Fear that those I know and love will die. Fear that those who have the least will suffer the most, often without the comfort of others. Fear that the relatively few who still are failing to act with care will continue to imperil the lives of the many.
I know a lot of people are experiencing the strain of this duality — trying to stay positive while increasingly anxious.
These are some of the unusual new scenes across the Southland in the age of the coronavirus outbreak.
And I’m guessing that for some, ignoring our situation’s seriousness is a coping mechanism along the lines of, if I don’t see the virus, it won’t see me.
And that would be fine if ignoring the problem only affected the ignorer.
But we know that it doesn’t.
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We’ve all heard about the Sacramento church that continued to hold services and is now linked to more than 70 confirmed coronavirus cases, about the deadly toll on a Washington state choir that rehearsed even as people were dying of the virus an hour’s drive south in Seattle.
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A Palm Springs resident finds the serenity of a closed golf course the perfect place for afternoon reading during the coronavirus pandemic at Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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June Gilmore, of Laguna Woods, uses a loud speaker and sign to make her point while her husband, Brian Gilmore, honks his horn while joining mostly Laguna Woods seniors protesting after learning nearby Ayers Hotel will be used to treat homeless COVID2019 patients.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Adeline Hernandez, 2, of Riverside seems perplexed by the yellow caution tape as she approaches the closed off swing sets during the coronavirus pandemic at Ryan Bonaminio Park.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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A family walk with dogs as they cross quiet Hillside Road in Rancho Cucamonga. as many residents observe stay-at-home orders due to coronavirus pandemic in Rancho Cucamonga.
(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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A man dressed as Superman tries to give out free masks so people can protect themselves from CONVID-19 along Washington Blvd. in Marina Del Rey.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All In This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location, at the South Bay Galleria, in Redondo Beach.
(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Spyder Surfboards store owner Dennis Jarvis, right, and his son Luke, work on building skateboards as part of their “drive-thru” skateboard building at their flagship store in Hermosa Beach, CA,
(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Aniza Serrano hands out one of 400 free orchids that were ordered for the now canceled Easter services in front of the church in East Hollywood.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Grocery carts block off the front parking area as Best Buy is open for curbside pickup only during the coronavirus pandemic.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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On Sunset Boulevard in Los Feliz, Greg Barris, (in cowboy hat) picks up fresh produce he ordered through County Line Harvest, a local vegetable farm.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Chantael Duke, 32, sits on the steps off of Sunset Boulevard in Los Feliz. She lost her two jobs due to coronavirus closures.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Juliann Hartman, center, and her husband, Butch, wave signs they created to cheer up people mid-pandemic on Calabasas Road in Calabasas.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Grace Carter, 15, of Riverside, practices a dance routine at home after dance classes and school were canceled. She has to use the Zoom app on her iPhone to practice with her dance group."It’s hard. My bedroom is a smaller space. I miss all my friends at the studio, " Grace said.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Dusk falls in a deserted downtown Los Angeles on April 2.
(Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
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A man works from his home in Long Beach.
(Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
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Jerome Campbell takes a walk along Ocean Boulevard at dusk in Long Beach.
(Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
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A San Bernardino County healthcare worker takes a sample at a coronavirus drive-through testing site at the county fairgrounds in Victorville.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A Metro general service employee disinfects a bench in Boyle Heights.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Vendors sell masks along San Pedro Street in the garment district of Los Angeles.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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A runner jogs past the Pottery Barn in Pasadena. Some businesses in the area have boarded up their stores.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Raquel Lezama and daughter Monica Ramos collect meals for the family at Manual Arts High School. Lezama was laid off from her $17.76-an-hour job at a Beverly Hills hotel.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Homeless artist Matteo defends his work against removal by the Los Angeles Sanitation Department and police in Venice.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Kylie Wortham, who was laid off because of the coronavirus, relaxes with a book in a hammock overlooking the beach in Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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People wearing face masks shop at the Santa Monica farmers market.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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A medical staff member enters Cedar Mountain Post Acute Care Facility in Yucaipa after 51 residents and six staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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The Iron City Tavern in San Pedro tries an incentive to lure takeout customers.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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The streets of San Pedro are quiet as people remain in their homes due to the coronavirus.
(Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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Healthcare workers gather outside UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center to call for further action from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kristen Edgerle of Victorville collects information from a blood donor before drawing blood at The Richard Nixon Presidential Library blood drive during the coronavirus pandemic in Yorba Linda.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Jonathan Sanchez, manager of Choppy’s Produce Company at the LA Wholesale Produce Market, stands with an excess of inventory in the wake of the coronavirus Covid19 shutdown as LA’s produce wholesalers are seeing their business decline over 80%.
(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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A woman has the sidewalk all to herself while walking along California St. in downtown Ventura. Foot traffic is very light as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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A city worker, wearing a protective suit and mask, sweeps around the Echo Park Community Center that is one of several recreation centers in Los Angeles that has been converted for homeless housing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The center is filled to capacity with over 30 beds available to the homeless.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Shauna Jin of Los Angeles, with her dog, Bodhi, practices social distancing with John Kiss of Los Angeles at the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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A maintenance worker cleans the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles. The park is closed to the public because of the coronavirus.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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A lending library had some additional useful items, including a roll of toilet paper and cans of beans and corn, in a Hermosa Beach neighborhood.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters drive by the Getty House, the home of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, in Hancock Park. Tenant advocates are demanding a total moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus crisis.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Security guard Marcos Ayala of East Los Angeles helps the Hermosa Beach Police Department close off the Strand and a two-mile stretch of Hermosa Beach.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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The Strand and oceanfront of Hermosa Beach are closed in an effort to prevent crowds and slow the spread of the coronavirus.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Mong Noiboonsok, left, and Rena Chastan have lunch at Crystal Springs picnic area in Griffith Park.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Venice residents Emily Berry and Gavin Kelley take a break at Venice Beach. Berry, a cocktail waitress at Enterprise Fish Co., lost her job due to the coronavirus outbreak, and Kelley, a manager at a performing arts school with a focus on music, said that he still has a job and that classes at the school will resume online this coming Monday.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Israel Torres touches up a new sign at a closed store along the boardwalk in Venice Beach.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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The JW Marriott at L.A. Live is sharing a message of hope with red lights in 34 windows, creating a 19-story display on the hotel’s north side.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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A Playa del Rey beach is nearly empty after L.A. County announced the closure of all beaches and trails in an effort to reduce crowds and slow the spread of the coronavirus.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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The Manhattan Beach Pier is locked, and a city sign explains why in three repeated messages: “Lot closed,” “COVID-19” and “Social Distancing.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Juan Diaz Jr., a lifelong Dodgers fan, prays that the season will start by May in front of Dodger Stadium on what would have been opening day.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Hayley, CEO and founder of Love My Neighbor Foundation, right, dances with Crystal Armster, 51, while she and her colleagues continue to feed the homeless on skid row amid the pandemic.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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A masked passenger on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department wear protective gear while handing out coronavirus test kits at a parking lot on Stadium Way near Dodger Stadium.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Dede Oneal waits for a coronavirus test at the Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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A man in a mask passes a closed restaurant along Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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The Westfield Topanga mall parking lot in Canoga Park is empty amid coronavirus closure rules.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Artist Corie Mattie paints a mural on the side of a pop-up store as a man takes a picture in West Hollywood.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Medical assistant Zoila Villalta works with Rosie Boston, 32, of Glendale, who is donating blood for her first time at L.A. Care Health Plan downtown.
(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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A bus plies a route on the empty streets of downtown Los Angeles.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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The lights are on, but the Santa Monica Pier is closed.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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A couple wait for a bus outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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With all Los Angeles schools closed until further notice, LAUSD buses sit idle in Gardena.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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A lone traveler makes his way to catch a flight in Tom Bradley International Terminal.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Chandly Burres looks for items on the sidewalk at a deserted Venice Boardwalk.
(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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Denise Young looks on as her daughter, Allison, 9, a fourth-grader at EARThS (Environmental Academy of Research Technology and Earth Sciences) Magnet School in Newbury Park, receives a Chromebook.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Hollywood Boulevard is devoid of the usual crowds.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Michael Ray, 11, plays before a movie at the Paramount Drive-In.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
We’ve heard about the likely links between Mardi Gras and the quick spread of coronavirus in New Orleans, between spring break parties and outbreaks in Florida. It’s hard to avoid absorbing ample evidence that even small crowds can lead to big spreads — and yet we still crowd in together even in spaces where we don’t have to and then moan when our beaches and our park trails are shut down.
I closely observe the world around me. I observe many people trying their hardest. Some of my neighbors are staying inside so completely that days go by when I don’t even see them on the street and I know I have to email, text or call to make sure they’re still OK. I also observe people acting carelessly — and I say so now when I have to, when their actions endanger me, though I know they are outside my control.
What is within my control is what I do myself — which makes me increasingly grateful for my home and heartbroken for those who don’t have one.
At home, I can control my environment. I can scrub down my counters and wash my hands as often as I like. I can keep my front door firmly shut, no visitors.
I can make sure that doing the right thing for me, I am also doing the right thing for all.
On Sunday, the pastor of Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi, Calif., was greeted by several police officers in the parking lot about an hour before he intended to hold an in-person service despite coronavirus restrictions.
In a settlement with the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, Yikon Genomics must pull its unauthorized product from the market and refund anyone who bought it.
