Beyond the Headlines: People of the Pandemic, Los Angeles

The People of the Pandemic portrait series celebrates and amplifies the voices of the unsung heroes we never knew we would need. In the coming weeks, we'll be spotlighting various people and places around the world. The first collection was shot in London; this album captures the spirit of LA.

Brittni

ICU Nurse

"We're running out of supplies. Each nurse gets one mask to use for their entire shift - and we've been warned that we should hang on to masks, in case we need to use it multiple days in a row. They tell us that using bandanas is okay, but it makes us really uncomfortable in light of how much we've learned about the virus.

"I'm really proud of my coworkers. Even the older nurses that have been assigned COVID patients haven't refused them. Even people with babies at home haven't refused them. I have a friend who lives with her 85-year-old grandpa and she takes the COVID patients too."

"I didn't think it would really affect me emotionally, but after my first COVID patient… when I left the room it was hard to hold back the tears. He was 50 years old and had no existing health conditions. He deteriorated within two hours, was intubated and wasn't doing well. It's really intense.

"Even if I was asymptomatic and not worrying about myself, I could bring it home to my fiancé and two roommates. I have a friend of a friend in New Jersey who just lost both of her 50-year-old parents to the virus."

Jerry

Postal Service

"People are really anxious about how they're getting their letters and how we handle packages."

"Everybody's just trying to stay in good spirits, but for me, it's been fine. I've just been keeping moving, keeping busy, trying to stay as healthy as I can. That's the key. As long as I got my protective gear on, I feel safe."

Mariela

The Source Café, Hermosa Beach

"We're just blessed to be here and to be healthy - and to still be able to give everyone this amazing food."

Mariela’s colleague

The Source Café, Hermosa Beach

"We'll try to stay open as long as we can, but it's really hurting us. We're putting our own health at risk. We're really trying to hold it together"

Greydon

Liquor store employee

"During the panic week everyone stocked up, but now it's slowed down. Nobody's doing great. It's not like it's just affecting us, though. We're switching over to a delivery service while we try to figure it out."

Shiva

Artist on Venice Beach

"I've tried to embrace it. I've started an online shop. I went from having a pop-up shop on the boardwalk to online sales so it wasn't so bad."

"Clients are like - no one's around, why don't you paint it now? What else are you supposed to do right now, other than what you love?"

Judy

Dry Cleaner

"I'm worried about everything, like how I'm going to pay bills. I've got no employees left. I told everybody two weeks ago: 'There's nothing to do, so don't come.' So I just come by myself. At least I don't need to pay myself.

"The business is nothing. It's not slow… there's nothing there, it's zero. My feeling is that everything is gonna get worse than this. What can we do? We're just going day by day."

Mischa

Community Support Worker, Safe Place for Youth

"When you think of first responders, you think of nurses and doctors, but for people experiencing homelessness, it's the access centres, outreach staff and case managers that are the emergency responders on the front line. If our system isn't operating, all of those people will be disconnected from vital lifelines.

"At our access centre, we've had to minimise our services. We've tried to identify the most essential needs: food, hygiene, clothing, water. Our doors are closed, but we have tables outside with staff handing out those items, and we continue to provide two meals per person, every day."

Mischa

Community Support Worker, Safe Place for Youth

"We're all told to stay home, but not everybody has that luxury in this city. Not all of our neighbours have homes. They don't have bathrooms, they don't have access to sinks or soaps. You can't stay inside if you don't have a house. You can't practice social distancing if you live on the street. Public spaces are the only places you can go to.

"The pandemic has really made people realise how dangerous it is to be out on the streets."

@PeopleofthePandemic

When all this is over, let's remember that it wasn't the CEOs, billionaires or celebrities that kept us alive. It was the janitors, doctors, nurses, scientists, bin men, bus drivers, cleaners, postal workers, supermarket employees and many more. They are our heroes. Let's share their stories and celebrate them.

@PeopleofthePandemic

When things go back to "normal", let's create a new normal in which we recognise who and what are truly important.

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Beyond the Headlines: People of the Pandemic, London