Pasadena: The rose city stricken by COVID-19
For a city that’s known for it’s iconic football game and parades, Pasadena has always been a city that has felt connected to everything I appreciate in a local community. From museums like the Norton Simon and the Huntington Library to Old Town where you can find good eateries or just drive down route 66 as you cruise down Colorado Boulevard taking in the sights and sounds, there’s something for everyone to like in the city. That was once a time ago as the COVID-19 pandemic has stripped away everything that has made Pasadena unique. As we near the one year anniversary of the pandemic in the United States, businesses in Pasadena have struggled to stay afloat and have been under criticism when it comes outdoor dining.
With the introduction of outdoor dining, restaurants in Pasadena have stayed busy with the city even closing down lanes on Colorado Blvd. to allow restaurants to set up seating for customers. As the pandemic got worse and Stay at Home Orders were set in place, one of the main concerns that has caused Pasadena to gain attention in the media has been when it comes to the continuation of outdoor dining. According to Pasadena Now, the city has its own heath department which allows the city to set up their own guidelines instead of having to oblige to California’s department which has banned outdoor dining multiple times throughout the pandemic.
For someone like me who is majoring in journalism, this is a topic I want to take a deeper look into due to the fact that Pasadena has been a city that I have spent a lot of time getting to know and appreciate. With this situation being out of the norm, it would be interesting to understand how employees at these restaurants have handled the pandemic and if they feel safe working especially in a city that has disregarded state heath orders.
When it comes to how I gather my news, I am a big fan of watching local news stations like KTLA and ABC 7 while occasional reading the L.A. times at my Grandparents who still get a daily paper. With the trend towards reading the news online, I would believe that locals in Pasadena also find their news online as I learned of Pasadena’s outdoor dining rules on Twitter.
