Struggling to Stay Home: How COVID-19 Shelter in Place Policies Affect Los Angeles County’s Black and Latino Neighborhoods

Author(s): Ong, Paul; Gonzalez, Silvia; Pech, Chhandara; Diaz, Sonja; Ong, Jonathan; Ong, Elena; Aguilar, Julie | Abstract: This report examines the relative difficulty or ease of complying with mandates to stay home in Los Angeles County. State, local, and municipal officials are managing the spread of COVID-19 through “shelter in place” or “stay at home” orders.1 As California starts to reopen the economy by lessening restrictions to some lower-risk businesses,2 the burdens for sheltering in place adds to mounting evidence about the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on communities of color.3 For the nation’s largest jurisdiction, confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise, even as other California regions have seen a decline in the number of reported infections and deaths.4 The ability for some residents and neighborhoods to shelter in place reflects entrenched inequalities in resources, health, environment, and access to care. This report provides empirical evidence to support policies and programs that address inequities facing residents and neighborhoods unable to comply with shelter in place mandates, and provides genuine opportunity as California rebuilds in the wake of COVID-19.