This Week In The News (03/09-03/13)

Coronavirus in LA: Mayor Garcetti Bans Non-City Employees From City Hall, Large Gatherings Banned

Thursday, March 12 (CBSLA) – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Carcetti announced the closure of City Hall for all non-city employees amid concerns of the coronavirus. The city of Los Angeles will also cancel or postpone all city gatherings of 50 or more people until further notice, while also halting non-essential travel for all city employees. “I know this is an anxious time for a lot of people, but Angelenos should stay focused on preparation and protection — not panic,” said Garcetti. “We will continue doing everything we can to help guide people through this situation, and working closely with our local, state, and federal partners to keep our communities safe, aware, and informed.” Cancellations and closures will likely continue as the results of those infected start to roll in. 

NBA Suspends Season Due to Coronavirus

Thursday, March 12 (ABC 7 Los Angeles) – The coronavirus is showing no signs of slowing and claims yet another of American’s entertainment sectors. The NBA announced it will be suspending its season due to the coronavirus. After a player tested positive virus, the NBA saw no other option but to halt all games for the season. The league offered this statement, “The NBA is suspending gameplay following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” it added. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine the next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.” Although The NCAA said earlier that all of its basketball games would be played without fans, and the NBA had rumored to consider the same methods of hosting games with no audience, that remains to be seen. No decision has been made aside from suspending the season until further notice. 

Riverside County Halts All Mass Gatherings Over Coronavirus

Thursday, March 12 (KCAL 9/CBS Los Angeles) – Riverside County is the latest to join the ban against public gatherings. On Thursday, Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said that all gatherings of 250 people or more are banned. With 8 confirmed cases in Riverside alone, which includes 6 people from the Coachella Valley and two cruise ship passengers, state officials are asking their community to take added precautions by washing hands diligently, not touching your face, and staying more than six feet away from other people. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, and fever. 

Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 23 Years for Rape, Sexual Assualt

Wednesday, March 11 (Fox 5 San Diego) – Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years for rape and sexual assault in a New York court. Nearly a hundred women have come forth in a show of solidarity amongst victims. One of the cases involved a once-aspiring actress that was living in New York at this time of the assault. “It takes a very special kind of evil to exploit connections to leverage rape,” said the 2013 rape accuser. More than 90 women, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Uma Thurman, eventually came forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Pedestrian Rushed to Hospital After Being Hit by Car in Intersection

Tuesday, March 10 (Fox 5 San Diego) – Tuesday morning a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and suffered serious injuries in the Mission Bay area. The 25-year-old victim was rushed to UC San Diego Medical Center for treatment. The driver remained at the scene to answer questions from officers. An update on the status of the victim has yet to be released. 

California Boosting Coronavirus Testing, Partnering With Labs and Hospitals, Issues Executive Order on Large Gatherings

Thursday, March 12 (CapRadio) – California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that he will head the charge to accelerate efforts to get proper testing to the people that need it the most. In a collaboration with commercial labs and hospitals, it is expected to change the number of tests in circulation and hasten the turnaround time for results. Newsom also signed an executive order that would allow the state government to commandeer hotels and medical facilities as quarantine zones to treat COVID-19, should the outbreak spread. 

3 Former Track Athletes Suing NCAA, Coach Over Alleged Abuse

Wednesday, Mar 11 (KTLA 5) – In a lawsuit filed against the NCAA, Former Olympic high jumper Erin Aldrich is one of three former student-athletes who allege that they were sexually abused by a track coach and accused the governing board in charge of operations didn’t do enough to protect them. Erin Aldrich claimed track coach John Rembao began grooming her for a romantic relationship when she was a junior in high school. Only until she watched the documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’ did she see that she could not die with the secret. Since then multiple victims have come forth. The cases are ongoing. Rembao was suspended Dec. 18, 2019, for undisclosed allegations of misconduct by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an organization that investigates sexual abuse and assault claims in Olympic sports.

Managing the Commercial Impact of the Coronavirus: Implications for Remote Working and Data Security 

Thursday, March 12 (The National Law Review) – The OCVID-19, better known as the coronavirus, has now turned up in over 100 countries, with over 120,000 cases worldwide, and it’s only just begun. In the United States, there have been more than 1,000 reported cases across at least 45 states, resulting in 38 deaths. The coronavirus has impacted domestic and foreign travel, the NBS, amusement parks, school, with other closures to follow. It begs the question about the income of so many Americans. What will happen a month from now? As the coronavirus situation unfolds, businesses must properly manage workers to work from home. Increasing numbers of employees are expressing concern to their supervisors and colleagues that they want to work from home out of an abundance of caution. This presents an interesting twist on worker’s compensation claims that could roll in from remote workers not physically in the office or on-site. No would be a good time to set clear guidelines as it pertains to ‘office hours’ while working remotely. And also make clear that injuries that occur outside of the mandated time frame will likely not be covered under worker’s comp. This will give supervisors documentation and clear standards so they can better manage teams.

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