The family blew kisses to Socorro Mojjaro Duran on her 91st birthday and sang “Happy Birthday” to her. Same as every year.
Her great-granddaughter, who also was celebrating her fifth birthday, dressed up in a princess costume.
Only this time, it was from a caravan of cars traveling down a residential street in Alhambra.
Social distancing has restricted normal gatherings and celebrations in the age of coronavirus, so we thought we would show you a few creative workarounds.
70th anniversary
Harry Polakow was surprised when he heard a knock on his front door. He and his wife Libby are in their 90s and not supposed to have company.
But Wednesday was the couple’s 70th wedding anniversary. And their Granada Hills neighbors were not about to let the coronavirus make them celebrate the day alone.
Carrying flowers, balloons and homemade chocolate cake, they’d gathered — six feet apart, of course — on the lawn, in the driveway and on the sidewalk to toast the pair and serenade them with the “Anniversary Waltz.”
— Sandy Banks
A virtual prom
After celebrating with their nephew via a family video feed to help make up for his canceled prom, the Stowe family from Riverside, in role-reversal costumes, greeted their neighbors keeping social distancing in Riverside. The Stowe family has been coming up with themes to dress in costumes for the past three Sundays to keep some fun in their lives. “We are trying to find little glimmers,” Julie Stowe said.
Not breaking tradition
Lucy Cavazos has celebrated Margaret Jones’ birthday with her for the last 20 years and wasn’t going to break that tradition. Jones currently resides in an assisted living facility in Redondo Beach that is not receiving visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
So, Cavalos and her daughter Amber, climbed onto a mechanical lift and were hoisted up to Jones’ second-floor window to keep the tradition alive.
Los Angeles Times’ visual coverage of the coronavirus crisis
It’s our visual prompt to stay away, but stay-at-home orders have given new purpose to caution tape.
Ridership on California’s largest transit system has fallen by more than half during the coronavirus outbreak as life in Los Angeles County has all but ground to a halt, officials say.
These are some of the unusual new scenes across the Southland during the coronavirus outbreak.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
