Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti can't see his city holding any sporting events, concerts, or other large gatherings until there's a coronavirus vaccine, herd immunity, or "some sort of pharmaceutical intervention."

"It's difficult to image us getting together in the thousands anytime soon, so I think we should be prepared for that this year," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday, adding, "public officials have made very clear we have miles and miles to walk before we can be back in those environments."

The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday obtained an internal Los Angeles Fire Department email, which noted that during a Monday briefing with Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas, Garcetti indicated "large gatherings such as concerts and sporting events may not be approved in the city for at least one year." His spokesman confirmed the comments, saying Garcetti was "generally referencing studies of current and historical data and best practices for safely reopening our economy."

While Garcetti does not yet have a timeline as to when the city will once again allow large-scale events, he did say during a Wednesday night briefing that several things will have to be in place before any sort of normalcy resumes, including better real-time outbreak surveillance and more testing. Catherine Garcia