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4 years agoon
LOS ANGELES — Californians endured a weekend of stepped-up restrictions aimed at keeping them home as much as possible while health officials got ready for a week with a possible dramatic surge in coronavirus cases.
The mayor of the Los Angeles warned that that families should prepare for isolating themselves at home in ways so they will not infect others in their households.
California was stocking up on ventilators and fixing outdated models in anticipation of shortages. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday the federal government sent 170 broken ventilators from a national stockpile. Engineers at Bloom Energy, a fuel cell maker in San Jose, were fixing them and sending them to hospitals.
In Southern California, people were kept off beaches and hiking trails. A stay-at-home order restricts people to all but essential outside activities such as buying food and outdoor exercise near home that doesn’t put them within 6 feet of others.
Officials closed California’s 280 state parks to vehicular traffic on Sunday, citing overcrowding. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area also closed its extensive trail system in Los Angeles County.
“This was the first time that we saw across Southern California our iconic beaches and trailheads, the parks that define who we are, the views that greet us at our best and worst moments weren’t there except in our imaginations,” Garcetti said.
In Northern California, cloudy, drizzly weather led many to obey the order but the restrictions could be tested soon with a forecast of dry, warm weather ahead.
San Francisco’s subway and light rail system closed Monday, with service replaced by buses. Rail ridership has dropped by more than 90%.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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