Mayor Eric Garcetti continues to keep Los Angeles informed; Wednesday, April 15. The elected public official shared in full transparency, there is no certain date for life to go back to the way it was. Mayor Garcetti shared five pillars to get L.A. on the right track to strategically lift quarantine guidelines and construct a new normal. The Los Angeles Mayor believes Testing, surveillance, immediate response, Hospital Capacity, and ongoing research will give L.A. a fighting chance and continue our progress post pandemic. The L.A. elected official broke down the health aspect, but also the economic disproportion that needed to be addressed.
There is no projected date for L.A. to participate in huge gatherings, Mayor Garcetti mentioned that Los Angeles may be far from being ready from huge events such as concerts or football games. However, the city is on track for small and medium group gatherings. Keeping the whole Los Angeles region in mind, the Mayor stated that it’s not just about one life, all lives are put at risk among crowded areas. Mayor Eric has always put life preservation as the main priority. Along with the rest of Los Angeles, the mayor wants to open the L.A. economy back up and get back to thriving revenue. However, there must be careful supervision and caution as Los Angeles inches back to life outside.
The five pillars orchestrated by the Mayor and his office, are in place to guide decisions and get the Los Angeles economy in the recovery stages. The first pillar is consistent testing, the antibody testing may hold clues to the level of exposure of COVID-19. The “serosurvey” have been conducted on 10,000 random people to get data reflecting the number antibodies that are present, due to a reaction to a virus circulating within the immune system at some point.
The main factor for testing results is to provide researchers with a better idea of how far the coronavirus has spread throughout the country. In addition to the general COVID-19 testing, the more information that comes forth from testing, the closer L.A. will be to the recovery stage. The second pillar is surveillance, Mayor Garcetti declared a practice for advancement in surveillance to catch spikes and outbreaks sooner. This pillar is followed immediately by the next factor, which is rapid response to waves of COVID-19 spread. The last pillar is building a stronger health care system and accessibility to hospital and medical equipment. Coronavirus has shown the gaps in vulnerability within the healthcare system, Mayor Garcetti foresees a new future where all aspects of healthcare is stronger and prepared.
The L.A. public official recognized the financial resources that are being stretched and challenged across the Los Angeles region. The L.A. budget is in constant flux, Mayor Garcetti mentioned all the program cuts, roll back in overtime, and pay cuts each city department is undergoing; the city budget is being reworked this week. The mayor also addressed the issue of senior citizens not being able to get food, Eric Garcetti stated that he added more meal plans to be available. The only requirements is to be over the age of 60 and to live in Los Angeles. Moving through the daily challenge of the Stay at Home Order, Mayor Garcetti has been looking for the best practice to get L.A. into the recovery stages. Although there is no for sure date for life to return to working and dwelling outside, The L.A. County officials are working through the waves of COVID-19 to get the Los Angeles economy back on track.
