Los Angeles Times - 18.03.2020

$2.75DESIGNATED AREAS HIGHER © 2020 D WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 latimes.com

WASHINGTON — The

Trump administration on

Tuesday proposed a $1-tril-

lion economic stimulus

package to counter the ef-

fects of the coronavirus, in-

cluding relief for small busi-

nesses and the airline indus-

try, and sizable checks for

Americans in the next two

weeks.

Treasury Secretary

Steven T. Mnuchin outlined

the request to Senate Re-

publicans at a closed-door

lunch on Capitol Hill and has

been in discussions with

House Democratic leaders.

“It’s going to be big and

it’s going to be bold,” Presi-

dent Trump said, praising

the bipartisan commitment

in Congress to move quickly.

Senate Republicans —

having taken a backseat to

the administration and

House Democrats on two

prior coronavirus response

bills — indicated that they

will take the lead on writing

the latest stimulus measure,

which is expected to track

the administration’s $1-tril-

lion request.

Senate Majority Leader

Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

said the Senate would re-

main in session until it en-

acts the measure.

“We are crafting the ma-

jor legislation that the

American people deserve in

the face of this major chal-

lenge,” McConnell said.

“And it is my intention that

the Senate will not adjourn

until we have passed signifi-

cant and bold new steps,

above and beyond what the

House passed, to help our

strong nation and our strong

underlying economy

weather this storm.”

Lawmakers on Capitol

Hill expressed widespread

support for a significant and

immediate economic stimu-

lus package — one that will

probably top the response to

the 2008 financial crisis.

During that time, lawmak-

ers quickly approved hun-

dreds of billions of dollars to

soften what would become

the Great Recession.

The fast-moving co-

ronavirus legislation reflects

the urgent need to flush cash

into a society that is rapidly

changing as workers stay

home, airlines cancel flights

and restaurants and institu-

tions close their doors to try

to contain the spread of the

virus. Mnuchin described

much of the assistance as

“business interruption”

funding.

A key component is ex-

White House

pushes ‘bold’

stimulus aid

The $1-trillion virus

relief plan would help

small business, airlines

and send ‘big’ checks

straight to Americans.

By Jennifer Haberkorn

[SeeStimulus,A9]

After more than 30 years
in advertising, Loretta and
Roddy celebrated their re-
tirement with a trip.
They left their home in
Orlando, Fla., for the Phil-
ippines on Feb. 4. At one
point, they traveled to Thai-
land. They had layovers in
Seoul on the way to the Phil-
ippines and the way back to
the U.S.
On March 8, they flew
into Los Angeles Interna-
tional Airport. They
planned to stay at Roddy’s
sister’s house in Walnut for
two nights and then fly back
to Florida on March 10.
What happened next is a
nightmarish and ultimately
tragic tale of missed signals
and bureaucratic stumbling
blocks that have shattered
the couple’s lives and family.
Loretta, 68, a breast cancer
survivor and diabetic, was
exhausted after the trip, and
the couple wanted to rest
and readjust to the U.S. time
zones.
But on March 9, their
children couldn’t get ahold

She died

but he

can’t get

tested

Man gave CPR to his

wife, L.A. County’s

first virus-related

death, but he doesn’t

meet strict criteria.

By Alex Wigglesworth

[SeeCouple, A11]

gests the coronavirus epi-

demic in the United States

could kill at least 2.2 million

Americans over the next few

months if left uncontrolled.

Dramatic moves to

stop social interactions —

closing theaters, casinos

and restaurants, canceling

sports events and other big

gatherings, shutting schools

and colleges — could signifi-

cantly reduce that death

toll, the study said.

But those efforts to slow

the spread of the virus —

mitigation, as public health

officials call it — bring their

own costs: throwing millions

of people out of work for po-

tentially a very long time.

The UCLA Anderson

School of Business predic-

ted Monday that the econo-

mic recession caused by the

tightening government re-

strictions would cost 2 mil-

lion jobs and raise the na-

tional unemployment rate

to 5% over the next few

months — up from 3.5% in

February. Administration

officials have warned Con-

gress the unemployment

rate could quickly soar into

double digits.

The forecast projected

WASHINGTON —The

coronavirus pandemic has

confronted governments

around the globe with the ul-

timate bad choice: Wreck

your economy or lose mil-

lions of lives.

While some initially hesi-

tated, leaders and legisla-

tors in the United States and

worldwide increasingly have

decided they have to accept

the severe economic pain.

“Everything else will

come back,” President

Trump said Tuesday even as

the economic downturn and

global turmoil deepened.

“Lives won’t come back.”

The costs in either direc-

tion are enormous.

U.S. officials know the

worst-case scenarios could

be extremely bad. The White

House has based some of its

new plans on a research

model developed by doctors

and scientists at Imperial

College in London that sug-

Grim dilemma:

Wreck economy

or threaten lives?

Global leaders come

to grips with financial

pain virus will bring.

By David Lauter

[SeeDilemma,A11]

Even before the city ordered the shut-

down of all restaurants in Los Angeles on

Sunday night, Chad Colby had a game plan.

In recent days, as fears about the novel

coronavirus swept through the country, the

chef-owner of Antico had started experi-

menting with takeout at his Larchmont

restaurant. He bought cartons and began

selling his coveted house-made ice cream by

the pint, and researched delivery apps to see

which had the lowest fees. He’s contemplat-

ing creating cook-at-home dinner kits for

families of four and on Tuesday announced a

pick-up-only pop-up in the Antico space

called Focacceria & Ice Cream.

“We’re going to try every possible way

that we can to — at this point, not make mon-

ey, at this point just to keep this business go-

ing,” Colby said of his 9-month-old restau-

rant. “Any income that we try to do right now

isn’t even necessarily to break even; it’s to

sustain the losses that are going to be com-

ing.”

With a strict mandate to close bars and

restaurants (excluding takeout and deliv-

ery) until at least the end of March, the

months ahead

DURING THErestaurant shutdown prompted by the coronavirus, Antico’s Chad

Colby says the goal is not to make money but “just to keep this business going.”

Mariah TaugerLos Angeles Times

L.A. chefs forced to get

creative in different ways

Restaurants try new strategies amid closures

By Andrea Chang

[SeeChefs,A10]

unity, the urgency height-

ened by the nation’s growing

sense of crisis.

The threat posed by the

novel coronavirus, which

has touched every Ameri-

can, provided a frightening

backdrop for an election day

unlike any other.

Ohio postponed its pri-

Joe Biden swept the Ari-
zona, Florida and Illinois
primaries Tuesday, taking a
long stride toward clinching
the Democratic nomination
on an extraordinary election
day shadowed by growing
fears of the coronavirus pan-
demic.
The former vice presi-
dent prevailed over Bernie
Sanders in convincing fash-

ion, forging a now-familiar

coalition of party moder-

ates, older and pragmatic

voters as well as African

Americans, who once more

supported Biden in land-

slide numbers.

It takes 1,991 delegates to

win the nomination at the

party’s summer convention,

and Biden’s powerful show-

ing Tuesday pushed him

past 1,100, lengthening his al-

ready sizable lead over

Sanders and leaving Ver-

mont’s senator with only the

faintest hopes of a come-

back.

Sanders immediately

faced renewed calls to step

aside in the interest of party

Biden cleans up in Arizona, Florida and Illinois

A MIAMIelection worker helps a voter, both of them

wearing gloves due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Eva Marie UzcateguiAFP/Getty Images

Crisis seems to benefit

former vice president

over outsider Sanders.

By Mark Z. Barabak

Duncan Hunter

gets 11 months

Former congressman

from San Diego

County is sentenced

for misuse of campaign

funds. CALIFORNIA, B

Brady is now

a Buccaneer

Star quarterback who

led New England to six

Super Bowl titles will

play for Tampa Bay

next season. SPORTS, D

Weather

Partly sunny, cool.

L.A Basin: 63/49.B

Printed with soy inks on

partially recycled paper.

■■■ ELECTION 2020■■■

MORE COVERAGE

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Hotels seeking

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Marriott will furlough

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will be tested

The team may have been

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TESTING FOR THE VIRUS

Carolyn ColeLos Angeles Times

DR. MARK V. MOROCCOoversees drive-through testing at UCLA Medical Center. At City Hall, the

L.A. City Council weighed ideas for easing the effects of economic and other hardships. CALIFORNIA, B

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[SeePrimaries,A8]