Across Los Angeles, we just finished up our second weekend staying safer at home. By keeping our distance and changing up our normal routines, millions of us made the choice to do right by our neighbors, our seniors, our loved ones, and our own health.

Believe me when I tell you: that decision will save lives.

From the very start of the COVID-19 crisis, we have poured everything we have into our response. Keeping vital services up and running. Strengthening our health care system. Supporting the Angelenos hardest hit by the economic blow from this emergency.

And we have seen stunning acts of heroism from women and men on the front lines — people keeping us safe simply by going to work: our doctors, nurses, and health professionals. Our grocery clerks, warehouse employees, food delivery and truck drivers. Our first responders and critical government workers. 

All of them have earned our gratitude for their service. And now, I want to share a few updates on our actions to protect our city in the midst of this crisis.

COVID-19 testing:

We know that testing is a critical step to tracking and slowing the spread of this virus. So we’re ramping up our efforts to expand access to tests in communities across L.A., starting with our most vulnerable and at-risk Angelenos:

• Folks who are over age 65 or have chronic underlying medical conditions and are experiencing symptoms –– such as cough, shortness of breath or fever;
• Individuals who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19.

To date, our City teams have administered 6,741 tests. By Thursday, we’ll push that number to 13,000 tests completed –– and to handle our growing testing capacity, we just opened our fifth testing location.

Please go to Coronavirus.LACity.org/Testing to see if you or someone you love is eligible for testing, and help share this information with your family and your community.

Expanding medical resources

There can be no doubt where this crisis will hit next: our hospitals. We're already seeing a growing number of patients occupying emergency rooms and intensive care units across L.A. and throughout California.

To remain ready ahead of this coming surge, we are acting to add to the supply of hospital beds in our city and take some pressure off of local medical facilities and staff.

We took a significant first step on Friday with the arrival of the USNS. Mercy, bringing 1,000 beds to our port to serve non-COVID patients.

This week, we are taking another step: turning part of our Convention Center into a federal medical station with medical supplies and cots –– bringing vital resources to the task of caring for the growing number of patients set to walk through our hospital doors in the days and weeks ahead.

Stopping community spread

We’ve all spent a lot of time learning about physical distancing. It's also important that you know how to protect your loved ones and your community in the event that you become sick or have been in close contact with someone who is sick.

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone who has, you can find detailed instructions on what to do in a dozen languages at the L.A. County Department of Public Health website. (See "What You Should Know"; "What if I'm Sick"; "What if I'm Exposed")

If you are experiencing symptoms, stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think it is an emergency.

Here’s the latest rundown of other vital steps to respond to this crisis:

• Closing parks, trails and beaches: To reduce the spread of this deadly virus, we have closed all City of L.A. sports and recreation facilities. The County of L.A. has also closed public trails, beaches, and piers. Note that our City parks remain open during regular hours for walking and running, but please maintain physical distancing of at least six feet with others. 
• Protecting Angelenos from eviction: This crisis has left many Angelenos worried about covering their rent. If you can afford it, you should continue to do so. But for those of you that aren’t able to pay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your City has your back. We’ve instituted an eviction moratorium to protect families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more at HCIDLA.LACity.org.
• Moving homeless Angelenos indoors: We’re opening thousands of emergency shelter beds to help get homeless Angelenos indoors more quickly. On Friday, we opened five additional emergency shelters at our City’s rec centers, bringing the total to 13 across L.A. We have more than 500 camper trailers on their way from the State, and we’re working with LAHSA and state and local partners to open 900 motel and hotel rooms for isolation and quarantine for homeless Angelenos who are at the highest risk for COVID-19. If other motels and hotels want to step up and help, they can sign up at Coronavirus.LACity.org/Rooms.
• Expanding job opportunity: The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a massive toll on our communities, so we launched the LAJobsPortal to connect Angelenos who have been laid off or had their hours cut to job opportunities and other resources.
• Manufacturing more protective gear: We launched L.A. Protects, a new partnership that harnesses the power of L.A.’s manufacturing industry to help us reach our goal of making 5 million non-medical masks to protect workers in grocery stores and other essential industries. Manufacturers can sign up at Coronavirus.LACity.org/LAProtects to participate.
• Mobilizing health care workers: To bolster our health care system and  prepare for the surge in medical cases, we’ve called on medical professionals to lend a hand, paid or pro bono. Already, more than 3,000 have joined this cause, and if you want to work or volunteer, please sign up for our new City of L.A. Emergency Medical Corps. 
• Enforcing Safer at Home: To help safeguard our communities, we launched the Business Ambassador program –– which deploys City workers and Mayor’s Crisis Response Team volunteers to work with businesses that may be violating the Safer at Home emergency order and help ensure compliance. If you want to report concerns about a business that may be violating the order, use this form.

You can help

With this crisis sweeping our city and country, Angelenos have shown who we are at our best: we give back. We help each other. We treat our neighbors, our front line workers, everyone with kindness and respect. Even as we keep our physical distance, we find ways to deepen our social connections.

We witness that every day. But we’re also seeing it in tangible ways. Some of us are donating to the L.A. Emergency COVID-19 Crisis Fund to provide critical equipment to first responders, relief for healthcare workers, support for families and small businesses, and assistance for our homeless neighbors. Others are contributing to the Angeleno Fund, which will provide direct financial assistance for families experiencing extreme financial hardship, many of them immigrants or independent workers who do not qualify for other benefits.

Please share all of this information with your family and friends. You can continue to find updates and resources at Coronavirus.LACity.org, and make sure you’re signed up for notifications from the City at NotifyLA.org.

None of our sacrifices right now are easy. But we’re making them to show how much we love our city. That’s L.A. love.

Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay home.

Eric Garcetti
Your Mayor