Los Angeles Times - 11.03.2020

$2.75DESIGNATED AREAS HIGHER © 2020 WSCE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020 latimes.com

In New York, Gov. An-
drew Cuomo sent the Na-
tional Guard to a suburban
enclave northeast of New
York City to prevent the nov-
el coronavirus from infecting
more people there, after 108
residents tested positive in
recent days.
In Santa Clara County,
where California is experi-
encing its largest outbreak
of the virus with 45 positive
cases confirmed, health offi-
cials continued to direct

residents not to congregate,

following a ban on large

events earlier this week.

In Sacramento, the

county health officer an-

nounced there would be no

more quarantines and min-

imal tracing to determine

how those testing positive

for the novel coronavirus

contracted the deadly, fast-

moving disease. Those with

symptoms face only volun-

tary restrictions on mingling

in the community.

“The cat is already out of

the bag,” said Peter Beilen-

son, Sacramento County’s

health director. “The com-

munity spread has already

occurred.”

The health director made

his comments before the

county revealed Tuesday

that a woman in her 90s had

died of COVID-19, the dis-

ease caused by the virus, in

an assisted living facility

In fight against

virus, officials

can’t settle on

single strategy

As community spread

grows, public response

varies by state and

county to county.

By Anita Chabria,
Melody Gutierrez,
Emily Baumgaertner
and Soumya
Karlamangla

[SeeVirus, A7]

Joe Biden won the Michi-

gan primary and three other

states Tuesday, cementing

his status atop the Demo-

cratic field and heightening

calls for Bernie Sanders to

stand aside and begin the

process of unifying the party

to face President Trump in

November.

On a roll since taking

command of the race in a re-

markable turnabout last

week, Biden also carried

Missouri, Mississippi and

Idaho, padding his delegate

lead over the Vermont sen-

ator and lengthening the

odds of Sanders mounting a

similar comeback.

Sanders had a big lead in

North Dakota in partial re-

turns. The two were essen-

tially running even in Wash-

ington state, with about

two-thirds of the vote tallied.

“The race for all intents

and purposes was over last

Tuesday. Michigan confirms

it,” said Paul Maslin, a veter-

an Democratic strategist

who is neutral in this year’s

nominating fight. “The pri-

maries in the rest of March

will make it mathematically

certain.”

Others, on different ends

of the Democratic Party

spectrum, echoed the senti-

ment as they threw their

support to Biden.

Appearing in Philadel-

phia, the former vice presi-

dent struck a solemn tone as

he thanked Sanders and his

backers for “their tireless en-

ergy and passion” and

sounded several notes — a

paean to the middle class,

the promise of “a bold, prog-

ressive vision” — that

seemed aimed at winning

their support.

“We share a common goal

and together we’ll defeat

Donald Trump,” he said.

“We’ll defeat him together.”

Sanders remained silent.

In a break with election

night tradition, his cam-

paign announced there

would be no public state-

ment or appearance by the

candidate after he flew

home to Burlington, Vt., to

await the results.

The balloting was mod-

FORMERVice President Joe Biden talks with Deaunte Bell Jr., 11, on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. On election

night, Biden reached out to Bernie Sanders’ supporters, saying that “together we’ll defeat Donald Trump.”

Paul VernonAssociated Press

Biden wins Michigan, 3

other states to pad lead

Adding victories in Mississippi, Missouri and Idaho, he

urges party unity while others call for Sanders to quit

By Mark Z. Barabak

ROME — In a cafe in the
north of this city, which over
the centuries has endured
plagues and tyrants, a
barista was performing a
quite un-Italian task: keep-
ing his espresso drinkers an
arm’s length apart to pre-
vent the spread of the co-
ronavirus among a quaran-
tined population of 60 mil-
lion.
These are strange,
deadly and unnerving times
in this country, where the
brush of a shoulder, the pat
of a back or an intimate
whisper define the flow of life
in piazzas, vestibules and
parks shaded by ruins and
umbrella pines. And Luigi,
the barista at Bar Due Pini,
was distressed that the ever-
spreading novel virus was al-
tering the natural Italian
rhythm.

In Italy, disruptions

to the rhythm of life

By Tom Kington
and Janna Brancolini

A WAITER prepares to close a restaurant in Rome.
Outside Asia, the coronavirus has hit Italy hardest.

Marco Di LauroGetty Images

Espresso drinkers keep a distance,

tourist spots close and din quiets

[SeeItaly,A4]

■■■ ELECTION 2020 ■■■

T

here’s a moment early in

the movie “Contagion”

when health officials lay

out what’s known about

the film’s villain, a novel

virus that is sweeping the globe and

leaving dead bodies in its path.

For many watching in 2020, the

scene hits a little too close to home.

In front of a whiteboard in a drab

government office, a health investiga-

tor with the Centers for Disease Con-

trol and Prevention, played by Kate

Winslet, reviews the basics: The virus

appears to spread through coughing

and sneezing. The particles released

can also land on surfaces such as

doorknobs and elevator buttons,

which then transmit the virus when

people touch their faces, she says.

To stop the spread of the patho-

gen, Winslet explains, officials need to

determine its contagiousness,

whether people without symptoms

can infect others and who exactly is

susceptible.

“So far that appears to be everyone

with hands, a mouth and a nose,”

quips a local health official.

Nine years after its release, “Con-

tagion” has become the movie du jour

as the world grapples with a very real

disease: COVID-19, caused by a virus

that has infected more than 100,

people in dozens of countries.

In late January, the 2011 thriller,

which also stars Matt Damon and

Gwyneth Paltrow, rocketed into

iTunes’ top 10 movie rentals chart and

became among the most popular

films on Amazon Prime and Google

COLUMN ONE

How ‘Contagion’ nailed it in 2011

The film is newly popular and eerily prescient amid coronavirus fear

By Soumya Karlamangla

[SeeMovie,A7]

Durst’s defense:

He found body

Lawyers say the real

estate heir discovered

friend Susan Berman

dead, panicked and

fled. CALIFORNIA, B

Claims against

Domingo upheld

L.A. Opera says its

inquiry has found

sexual harassment

allegations to be

credible. CALENDAR, E

Weather

Morning showers.

L.A. Basin: 69/53. B

Printed with soy inks on

partially recycled paper.

eral store to move into the

heart of Cool, population

3,900.

Buoyed by American

families tightening their

spending during the

Great Recession, Tennes-

see-based Dollar General

Corp. has thrived in recent

years. The retailer has ag-

gressively targeted wither-

ing rural communities over-

looked by major retailers

like Walmart, and its plain,

boxy stores now outnumber

McDonald’s restaurants in

the United States.

Townspeople like Loom-

is, a 76-year-old retired

teacher, fear the chain could

COOL, Calif. — Ponder-
ing the future of this blip of a
Gold Rush town in the Sier-
ra Nevada foothills, Carolyn
Loomis leaned on a well-
worn line about its name.
“I want Cool to stay cool,”
she said.
And what isn’t cool, in her
opinion, is for a Dollar Gen-

Gentrification:

It’s so not Cool

A California town

resists a proposed

Dollar General store

and new campsites.

By Hailey
Branson-Potts

ROSIE BORBA,the owner of Cool Florist and Gifts, worries that a Dollar

General proposed for a site across the street could put her store out of business.

Myung J. ChunLos Angeles Times

[SeeCool, A9]

Coronavirus crisis

may play favorites

The leadership vacuum

may make Joe Biden look

good to voters, Doyle

McManus writes. A

Election lessons

from 6 contests

Takeaways from ballot-

ing in several states that

could prove pivotal. A

L.A. school board

takes action

Emergency declaration

gives Supt. Austin Beut-

ner the authority to close

schools. CALIFORNIA, B

U.S. airlines cut

seating capacity

Delta and American

announce reductions

amid a rapid decline in

demand. BUSINESS, C

Changes to sports

tournaments

USC, UCLA, Big West

Conference and others

will bar fans from at-

tending events. SPORTS, D

Coachella festival

moves to fall

After much speculation,

postponement to Octo-

ber weekends is made

official. CALENDAR, E

[SeeElection,A8]