Coronavirus blamed for 17 deaths in Downey

Coronavirus decontamination tents at PIH Health Hospital - Downey. Photo by Eric Pierce

DOWNEY — Seventeen people have died in Downey after contracting the coronavirus, according to newly-released statistics from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

The data does not reveal many details about the fatalities, including whether the deaths were Downey residents or if they occurred at Downey hospitals.

One of the fatalities was confirmed as Robert Olvera, a volunteer coach with the Downey Razorbacks youth football league. He died Tuesday, according to friends and family members.

Officials now are grappling with restarting the economy even as cases of the virus climb daily across L.A. County.

“The longer our businesses stay closed, the more likely it is that many of them, particularly our small businesses, will never reopen,” acknowledged Supervisor Janice Hahn. “We cannot stay locked down forever, so we need to learn to live with this virus and that means allowing businesses to reopen quickly and safely with commonsense safety protocols in place.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger expressed a goal for reopening on July 4. But local officials said waiting until July 4 would cause irreparable harm to Downey businesses.

“The economic damage will be too great if we don’t take measures to begin allowing our small businesses to reopen,” Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Frometa wrote on Hahn’s Facebook page. “People are now living under this ‘new normal’ with face coverings and social distancing measures.

“It’s time. We can not wait until July. The impact to our economies will be disastrous.”