LOS ANGELES 

For nine nights culminating on Christmas Eve, the oldest street in Los Angeles typically comes alive with a festive re-enactment of the nativity story, as children playing Mary and Joseph go door to door seeking shelter where she can give birth to Jesus.

If the procession were held this year, they would find many of the businesses on Olvera Street shuttered.

The Mexican market, known as the birthplace of Los Angeles, has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with shops and restaurants closed and others barely hanging on. California is enduring by far its worst outbreak of the coronavirus, and Los Angeles is among the locations seeing the greatest spike.

“It’s pretty grim right now,” said Edward Flores, owner of Juanita’s Café, where under the state’s health order meals can only be served to-go and business is down 90%. “I know of six (businesses) that have gone belly up. These are my neighbors and my friends. To see them fail through no fault of their own is heartbreaking.”