The coronavirus pandemic is correlating with a drop in the number of reported instances of child abuse in the region.Calls to child abuse hotlines in both San Diego and Riverside counties dropped in as mandatory stay-at-home orders started to take effect in March.On Wednesday, March 12, there were 402 calls to the San Diego hotline. The next day, Thursday, March 13, the hotline saw 243 calls. Local school districts began to announce school closures that day, virtually all of which took effect the following Monday. The hotline has averaged less than 150 calls per day since then, with just 100 calls April 11.Riverside had a similar drop — the county reported a 49% reduction in calls in the week of April 11 compared to the week of March 7. The sharpest decline in call volume was
