Life in Los Angeles During the Pandemic

[Shelby]

The Wuhan Virus has changed life as we know it. Over 40,000 people have died in the US alone, most of them very recently, all at once.

So what's life like in LA now?

I can hear songbirds. I've never heard songbirds in LA before, ever. I almost never hear crows anymore, and those loud b*stards are the only birds I normally hear in this seaside town. (Where I thought I'd hear seagulls!) So this is a change for the better.

My whole family spends a lot more time together in our tiny box. It makes it clear what living in a tiny box is really like.

We're spending next to nothing on gas. Most non-essential purchases have ceased. Driving in LA is almost like driving in a normal city; not fun, but not awful. The streets are NOT deserted, there are way too many people driving who knows where, and they're still jerks who should have their licenses taken away.

Street-sweeping and moving your car from one side of the street to the other has been suspended. This is good, as it's one less thing to worry about. It's bad, because there's never a time when you can easily find a parking spot, because so many people are staying put. The only way there's enough places to park is that the city has a few public parking lots that they've temporarily converted for residents who have no other place to park, and aren't driving anyway. Because they PURPOSELY build without allowing enough parking in this town. Yep, that's true, and it's on purpose. I can document it if you get rude about it.

There are still idiots out biking and jogging. I hope they die.

I can hear my bored neighbors. They shout, they sing, they're off-key, and they're inconsiderate. I hear them congregating in my courtyard, yammering away with each other. Apparently they feel they are immortal. I hope they learn the hard way.

Shopping for groceries is a necessity, and stressful. It's pathetic that we have to risk our lives for a dozen eggs. Is it really worth it? And hoarders should be stood up against the wall and shot. I haven't been able to buy disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer in what, weeks, a month and a half? I was very sanguine about it for a while, but now it's getting ridiculous and we're almost out.

I still have to go into a bank and withdraw rolls of quarters to do laundry in my apartment complex. Again, risking my life for clean underwear. I pay way too much money in rent. So why do they have to charge me additional money separately just so I can do my laundry? They didn't put washer-dryers in the apartments, saving money by only buying two washers and two dryers for twenty-three apartments. Why, in addition to fighting with my neighbors over queuing up for these limited resources, do I have to go out and risk my life for rolls of quarters? I can only hope that karma is real.

[Shelby]

Pandemic update, four-plus months in.

My town has mandated wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, and theoretically fining violators. Street sweeping has resumed once per month. Schools are still closed, and won’t have in-person classes this fall, for the foreseeable future. Many business types are supposed to remain closed. We are no longer mandated to remain home. Businesses are supposed to have PPPs in place for employees and customers. Los Angeles County is still one of the worst-hit areas in the country, and has been balancing on a knife-edge as far as re-implementing stay-at-home rules.

So what are the effects?

More traffic now that folks can leave their homes. Parking is still a challenge. It looks like there are a few shared scooters and bicycles being rented. Kids gearing up for online classes in a few weeks. There are a few more things on the shelves at the grocery store, but not many, and there aren’t people lined up outside anymore. Restaurants in my town have been given the go-ahead to build serving areas along the streets where cars are supposed to be able to park. My neighbors still consider masks and social distancing to be optional, apparently.

My conclusion is that folks just got tired of taking precautions, and their behavior is getting worse. And so other folks will die who wouldn’t have been exposed had everyone taken this situation seriously.

[Shelby]

Update, Month Ten

The virus in Los Angeles County is the worst it's ever been. People just don't get it, and act foolishly, and endanger us all.

I still see people without masks. People don't allow me six feet of space. People are still out and about.

Santa Monica still makes us go out and move our cars for street-sweeping, one week per month, so that's two days I'm outside. I have to check the mail periodically, to pay bills. I have to go to the post office to mail those checks out, because they've locked down my local mailboxes.

Government hesitates to get folks riled up with regulations, but the "honor system" is useless. Sadly, too many innocents will suffer.

[Shelby]

Update, Month Fifteen

Well, the US government opened things up last month. California waited an extra month, and only opened things last week. They assume most people are vaccinated, and tell them they don't have to wear masks anymore. They've opened just about everything to full capacity.

But in Los Angeles County, the only place I've been tracking, only between 40-60% of the populace have been vaccinated. A substantial portion refuse to be vaccinated. Children under twelve can't be vaccinated. Anyone can be a carrier, and the vaccine doesn't make you less likely to catch the virus -- it only makes you less likely to die if you DO catch it. And while that's nice, it means that re-opening is crazy.

We don't have a cure. We don't have a treatment. We have a substantial portion of the population who are either under twelve or who won't get vaccinated. The virus is mutating. We don't know for how long the shots will last before they will require a booster, and we don't know if we'll be able to get the boosters out in time. Or even if most of the folks who got vaccinated the first time will bother to get boosters.

Now folks who just refuse to wear a mask can pretend they've been vaccinated. Here in LA County we test about 40,000 per week, with a 0.5% positive rate. We have about ten deaths per day, and an average of between 200-300 folks in the hospital. This has been going on for weeks.

Sucks if you're one of the ten who die every day. But no one else cares.