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Just 55% of Angelenos are staying home, a figure that has been fixed since June, despite desperate pleas from officials in recent weeks.
Many experts say the “stay home” messaging just isn’t working anymore. My latest story: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-07/coronavirus-stay-home-messaging-la-harm-reduction
Many experts say the “stay home” messaging just isn’t working anymore. My latest story: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-07/coronavirus-stay-home-messaging-la-harm-reduction
LA took the unusual step of banning all outdoor gatherings last week. That means no masked walks with a friend, no distanced meet-ups at a park. Many experts say this harsh approach may backfire.
“We are failing in our public health messaging.” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-07/coronavirus-stay-home-messaging-la-harm-reduction
“We are failing in our public health messaging.” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-07/coronavirus-stay-home-messaging-la-harm-reduction
LA should be taking advantage of its outdoor spaces, especially in the winter, when much of the rest of the country had to be indoors. But LA — and now throughout California, in the regions where a new stay-at-home order went into effect today — is decidedly not doing that.
The problem with this harsh approach is that it risks losing people, even the ones who are trying to follow the rules. I took this picture on Saturday, when the ban on outdoor meet-ups was already in effect. People are doing it anyway and, from what I could see, trying to be safe
But telling people that low-risk activities are actually dangerous shames them, and also may lead to confusion, experts say. Policies should be targeted at the highest-risk activities in order to conserve people’s limited energy for making these sacrifices.
The alternative philosophy here is known as harm reduction, an approach aimed at giving people tools to make safe decisions as opposed to telling them they just can’t do something. It’s been advocated for even by people on the frontlines, like this physician.
Interesting data point: LA’s percentage of people staying home has fluctuated between like 54% and 56% for five months. California’s overall, however, wavers between 45% and 55%, so maybe other parts of the state are more susceptible to changes in messaging/policies
LA’s officials say harm reduction hasn’t worked, because when they ask people to use the precautions — distancing, masks — they don’t always and then outbreaks continue. So they have no choice but to shut it all down.
