area newsletter APRIL 2020 • CONEJO VALLEY
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Community News Ventura County lifts some restrictions in new stay-at-home order Ventura County has eased stay-at-home restrictions as it moves cautiously toward ending its shutdown. A modified new order, effective until May 15, allows for gatherings of as many as five people, outdoor activities including golf and hiking, as well as drive-in meetings including movies, concerts and religious services. It also opens parks as well as some nonessential businesses as long as they can operate with less than 10 employees. Those businesses will be required to continue to promote social distancing. Inperson sales of vehicles are also permitted. However, all retailers and other non-essential storefronts that require interacting with the public will stay closed. Restaurants will continue to only serve food for takeout and delivery orders. Indoor funeral services are now allowed as long as no more than five people are inside at one time. Graveside services can consist of no more than 10 people and social distancing must be practiced. The same applies to weddings. Previously, all public and private gatherings were banned. However, the order also says everyone over the age of 75 — and over the age of 70 with an underlying health condition — must stay home unless shopping for groceries, seeking medical attention or working in an essential government or health care role.
Former governors, business leaders tasked with reopening California Former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Disney's Bob Iger and Apple’s Tim Cook are among the members of the task force charged with leading California’s economic recovery. Former presidential candidate and entrepreneur Tom Steyer will head the advisory committee announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The 80-member task force also includes three additional former governors — Pete Wilson, Gray Davis and Jerry Brown — as well as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff. "We are now in a pandemic-induced recession,” Newsom said, adding that “work is already underway.” The committee will be guided by the state Senate and Assembly. Following 119 consecutive months of job growth, 3.1 people have filed for unemployment insurance since March 12.
Malibu resident Penn boosts city’s efforts to test for COVID-19 Resident and activist Sean Penn was back on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 in Malibu recently. The actor — who founded the emergency and disaster relief non-profit organization, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) — has been collaborating with officials to operate coronavirus drive-through testing facilities throughout Southern California. From April 6 to 11, more than 1,197 free coronavirus tests were given at the upper parking lot of Malibu City Hall. The tests included more than 400 for
Community News to work despite the pandemic. The couple delivered about 20 meals, following social distancing guidelines, keeping at least six feet away from others, even when delivering the food, as well as wearing masks and gloves. The couple originally moved to Canada after stepping down from the royal family, but have since decided to call California home.
first responders and essential workers. Penn and CORE returned to administer more tests April 17. The drivethrough offers two types of tests: a nasal swab as well as an antibody test delivered with a finger prick. Results take from two to three days with the nasal swab and five to seven days with the antibody test. Additionally, a COVID-19 rapid response unit from the non-profit Malibu Foundation conducted drive-through testing with Malibu Urgent Care.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle deliver meals to the vulnerable Marking one of their first public outings since moving to L.A., Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent time recently delivering meals to West Hollywood residents too sick to leave their homes. According to reports, the couple partnered with Project Angel Food, which delivers prepared meals to people with life-threatening illnesses. Markle was reportedly impressed by the group’s determination
Air cleanest in decades during shutdown The worst public health crisis in decades has led to the cleanest air in a generation. According to the March 2020 air quality index compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency, the air in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic shutdown hasn’t been this “good” since 1980, the earliest year such data is available. March had 24 days with a daily air quality score below 50, indicating air that’s healthy even for people with respiratory problems. March 2019 had 14 days that good by comparison — and that was the cleanest the air had been in more than a decade. In April, L.A. had some of the cleanest air of any major city on the planet, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company that monitors pollution. Some experts speculate the air hasn’t been this pristine in Southern California since the 1940s.
Spotlight
THE NEW NORMAL AND WHAT’S NEXT Like all viruses, the coronavirus is evolving. But so are we. How close we stand to each other. How often we wash our hands. How we react when someone coughs behind us. The question isn’t when will things return to normal, but what will normal actually look like? From how we work to where we eat to what we watch, here are some possibilities — none of them as dystopian as you might expect and a few that might even be considered upgrades.
THE OFFICE Less of a shock than a confirmation, recent events have made it clear the traditional office is all but obsolete. Thanks to email, chats and videoconferencing, people can easily work from home. Expect this transition to only accelerate after the pandemic has ended. Physical workplaces will disappear while employees become completely wired. For frontline workers, we can hope they might emerge better appreciated — and hopefully, better compensated.
COMPANIONSHIP Facetime, Skype and Zoom aren’t going anywhere, but if you want proof that humans still need actual warmblooded, in-person companionship just consider the number of people who adopted or fostered a dog, cat or other animal during the past few weeks. We are cautiously optimistic, but have you ever heard of another time when shelters everywhere were empty?
ENTERTAINMENT Whether we are watching Saturday Night Live being assembled via chat or the Rolling Stones performing from their individual homes for stuck-at-home fans, the shutdown has transformed even our concept of what entertainment looks like. The crisis has also accelerated one trend well underway: streaming sites are booming while movie theaters are empty. The question is, when the pandemic ends, will the crowds return? Pasjoli
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HEALTH CARE Some have suggested the COVID-19 pandemic could galvanize Americans to strengthen the social safety net and move toward universal health care. More realistically, healthcare technology will undergo the most lasting change. Telemedicine, which has been an after-thought for many patients, will become much more commonplace. In addition to expediting service, it will also improve care in general. Staying home for a video call keeps you out of the waiting room and away from patients who need critical care.
THE ENVIRONMENT One of the revelations of the crisis has been how quickly the planet and other species benefit with humans sidelined — whether how clear the air is in Los Angeles or how sea turtles are thriving from Thailand to Florida because beaches are closed. A pandemic should not be needed to remind people of their impact on the world. Hopefully, they don’t forget when it’s over.
EATING Even when the stay-at-home order is lifted, dining out is not going to return to prepandemic levels of social interaction. Gov. Gavin Newsom has already said servers may be masked, the number of tables will be cut in half and patrons may be prodded for their temperature. In the meantime, people may be ordering delivery, but they are also buying and preparing their own meals and perhaps discovering the simple benefits of cooking.
HOW WE TREAT OURSELVES AND OTHERS Is the handshake extinct? Whatever the long-term social repercussions of COVID-19 are, hopefully some things we have learned or relearned endure: wash your hands, wash your food, watch where you cough, stay home when you’re sick, pollute less, think about adopting or fostering an animal from your local shelter and maybe call your elderly loved ones more often.
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