Birthday Party In Pasadena Exposes 30-40 People To Coronavirus

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As we’ve heard from many of you, the coronavirus is forcing everyone to alter their day-to-day lives in very particular ways. In today’s Mis Ángeles column, Erick Galindo examines how his 60-year-old mother went from scoffing at technology to becoming, in his words, “a badass Latina with mad YouTube skills”:

“As my family’s personal tech support, I’m the one who’s been a key witness to my mother’s transformation from someone who never had her phone on her to what she used to call a ‘boba,’ her choice term (it means silly fool in Spanish) for people who stare at their screens.

I admit, I was worried when I got a Facebook friend request from an Elvia Galindo, with a stylish photo of moms and pops at some quinceañera… But Elvia has quickly caught on. And she’s not a boba, she’s actually using the technology to thrive during the quarantine, just like she thrived without technology before it.”

Elvia’s ability to adapt is impressive, but what’s even more remarkable is her ability to turn that into action. It would be easy to sit back and let the pandemic wash over us, passively waiting to resume “normal” life. But life isn’t going back to how it was before; it never does.

Elvia Galindo, for one, is embracing the change. We should all be so wise.

Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.

— Jessica P. Ogilvie

The Past 24 Hours In LA

L.A., California, The World: There are now at least 30,296 coronavirus cases and 1,468 deaths in L.A. County. There are at least 62,477 cases and 2,545 deaths in California. Worldwide, there are over 3.9 million cases and more than 274,000 deaths. L.A. public schools are unlikely to reopen by July.

L.A. Communities: Members of China’s Muslim Uighur population living in Southern California are especially fearful for the fate of their homeland; here’s how Filipino/Filipina health care workers, who make up a large share of California’s medical workers, are holding up; columnist Erick Galindo shares how his first-generation mom is embracing all things digital while staying at home; a bill introduced Tuesday would require California to collect data on how the coronavirus pandemic affects the LGBTQ community.

Money Matters: For local governments still sporting scars from the last recession, this downturn is both familiar and entirely new; more Californians are out of work now than during the last recession, with the entertainment industry hit especially hard.

Health: L.A. County health officials are working to determine the link between COVID-19 and Kawasaki syndrome, a rare disease that typically affects young children; the county’s mental health hotline is seeing a surge in calls; there is a smaller gap between Latino coronavirus cases and the population rate than experts previously thought; about one-quarter of the county’s 360 nursing homes have tested all residents and staff; county officials are working to help people who have recently been released from jail and need psychiatric services.

Reopening California: The state’s Phase 3 of reopening could be less than a month away, and Gov. Gavin Newsom encouraged people to shop at local businesses rather than big-box stores; L.A.’s flower market reopened yesterday, but social distancing doesn’t seem to be happening there; a plan to promote more space for residents to walk, bike and play in their neighborhoods has been postponed.

L.A.’s Arts And Food Scene: AirTalk’s film critics join Larry Mantle to review the latest on-demand offerings, including “Becoming,” “Rewind,” “Spaceship Earth,” and “Driveways”; the popular buffet chain Souplantation, which was founded in San Diego in 1978, is closing all 97 of its restaurants.

Your Moment Of Zen

KPCC/LAist’s Amber Lung snapped this pic on a walk in her neighborhood recently, and then “a ladybug landed on [her] sunglasses.“

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