Hundreds of protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza shut down the westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge Thursday morning, just east of Treasure Island, causing a traffic jam and delays, California Highway Patrol said. 

CHP said the demonstration unfolded shortly before 8 a.m. and that there was no estimated time of reopening. CHP Chief Ezery Beauchamp told reporters at a news conference at about 9:45 a.m. that the agency hopes to reopen one lane in about 30 minutes.

Approximately 50 people were arrested and 15 vehicles have been towed, authorities said. Beauchamp said some people abandoned their cars and tossed their keys off the bridge.

Live video from KTVU and NBC Bay Area showed officers detaining about a dozen protesters with zip ties and towing them away in sheriff’s buses. The protest and arrests appeared to be peaceful. Several protesters chained their arms together inside of tubes to make removing them more difficult. 

Prior to the arrests, videos posted to social media showed demonstrators rallying with bullhorns, chanting slogans and waving large signs reading “stop genocide” and “no U.S. military aid to Israel,” facing a line of officers dressed in riot gear. Some protesters were lying down on the bridge, covered in white sheets, pretending to be dead. Pro-Palestine protesters claimed responsibility for the shutdown in a post on Instagram, saying they were sending a message to President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

The protest led to transit delays and bumper-to-bumper traffic for nearly two hours. The Transbay bus line was detoured to the West Oakland BART station, AC Transit said. 

Mayor London Breed tweeted that her office was in contact with CHP and the California Department of Transportation, “who are working to remove the protestors that are blocking traffic.” 

Commuters trapped in traffic expressed their frustration on X, formerly called Twitter.

“Was hoping to make our flight at SFO but looks doubtful now,” Jason Swartz wrote.

Mudit Goyal wrote on X that he was “missing the most important” doctor appointment because of the protests blocking the bridge. “Don’t terrorize the whole public. Go make noise near Moscone instead,” Goyal tweeted.

Moscone has been the site of several protests since the start of the APEC summit, and it’s where President Joe Biden was expected to give a speech Thursday morning. 

Protesters tangled the streets around the conference center on Wednesday to voice opposition to the ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference being held at the heavily barricaded Moscone Center. Tensions mounted as demonstrators confronted police, blocked APEC attendees from passing and chanted slogans about political causes that included climate change, economic inequality and Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Later on Wednesday, supporters of Chinese President Xi Jinping clashed with a group of pro-Tibet protesters outside the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, where Xi was set to appear following his meeting with Biden at the at the Filoli estate in San Mateo County.  

The meeting of Biden and Xi spawned smaller protests throughout the city and set picketers streaming down Market Street, where traffic was halted several times Wednesday due to demonstrators’ activities. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates at sfchronicle.com 

Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this report. 

Reach Reach Nora Michanec: nora.michanec@sfchronicle.com. Reach Jessica Flores: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores. Reach Dominic Fracassa: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com

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The Valero refinery in Benicia was shut down, probably for several days, after a problem caused coke particles to escape through a stack, creating health risks for people with respiratory problems, officials said Sunday.

Early Sunday, Benicia officials urged vulnerable people to immediately seek shelter, and they said the shutdown of the facility could result in visible flaring. By the afternoon, the city lifted its advisory because of improving conditions at the refinery.

Fire officials said they were monitoring “ongoing operational issues” with the refinery’s flue-gas scrubber, a device to control air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. Valero officials have not explained what caused the problem.

In an alert Sunday morning, city officials said the concentration of particulate matter from the refinery grew significantly over the past day. They said the emissions contain coke, a carbon by-product of the refining process, but that tests have not showed harmful levels of heavy metals.

Breathing in the material may cause discomfort and worsen underlying heart or respiratory conditions like asthma, the alert said.

“If you can see or smell the smoke, you probably want to get inside,” said Bela Matyas, the health officer for Solano County. “You don’t want to be breathing smoke unnecessarily.”

People with such conditions were told to stay inside, close all doors and windows, seal cracks with tape or damp towels and stay tuned for emergency announcements. Everyone else was told to limit outdoor activity.

“This is all advisory, precautionary at this point,” said Irma Widjojo, a spokeswoman for the city.

At 9 a.m. Sunday, Valero officials told the city it would begin a controlled shutdown of the entire refinery. At 12:30 p.m., the city said air quality was back to normal and lifted its alert for people with respiratory problems.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District slapped Valero with seven notices of violation in the past week for excessive visible emissions and creating a public nuisance. Fines may later result from the citations.

The air district sent inspectors back to the refinery Sunday and deployed a mobile monitoring van to drive through Benicia to collect emissions readings.

Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board will be notified, according to Widjojo.

Valero officials apologized for the incident in a statement Sunday.

The Benicia Fire Department said there were “visual opaque emissions” on and off in recent days, but they increased in frequency Saturday. There has not been an increase in emergency room visits for breathing problems, according to Matyas.

The air district and Solano County Environmental Health Services were assisting the Fire Department and Valero with air monitoring.

Two weeks ago, Valero notified city officials that fine coke particles had gotten into the refinery’s stack, which usually releases just water vapors, according to a statement from Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick. The maintenance issue was resolved, but coke continued to run through the stack while the system cleared it out.

County officials said at the time that coke itself is not a hazardous material, but that there was a potential for heavy metals to be present.

Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said residents have been asking why it took so long for Valero to shut down operations. Patterson said she wanted to know how the refinery can reduce public exposure to materials like coke.

“What are the protocols when you have a situation where it’s been going on for quite some time?” she said. “Why was it still in operation for several days even though they were having these emissions?

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov

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MONROE — Wells Fargo, one of the nation’s largest banks, has closed its Monroe branch and is expected to close several more branches in Connecticut soon.

The San Francisco-based company closed its store at 470 Monroe Turnpike, a location adjacent to a Stop & Shop in Monroe Plaza, on June 7.

“Wells Fargo has made the difficult decision to close our Monroe Plaza bank branch at 12 noon on Wednesday, June 7,” said Jacqueline Hlavenka-Sansone, a spokeswoman for Wells Fargo, in an email. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and customers can continue to bank with us at our other nearby locations, including our location in Trumbull approximately 6.2 miles away.”

Wells Fargo declined to say how many employees worked at the Monroe store, but Hlavenka-Sansone said all employees had been relocated to nearby stores.

This summer, the bank plans to close three more Connecticut branches — 108 Mill Plain Road in Danbury and 950 Post Road in Darien, both on July 26; and on August 16 at 761 Highland Ave. at Waterbury.

Despite these branch closures, Wells Fargo is still one of the largest banks operating in Connecticut. There are approximately 60 offices and more than 1,100 employees statewide.

“Branch continues to play an important role in the way we serve our customers and we continuously evaluate our branch network in light of changing customer needs, increasing use of digital banking, market factors and economic trends,” said Hlavenka-Sansone. “To find your nearest Wells Fargo ATM and branch, visit the ATMs/Locations link on wellsfargo.com or search for information using a Wells Fargo Mobile App on a mobile device.”

As of June 2022, Wells Fargo had approximately $9.8 billion in deposits in Connecticut, ranking fifth among banks operating in the state, behind Bank of America. Webster Bank, headquartered in Stamford; M&T Bank, which acquired Bridgeport-based People’s United Bank last year; and JPMorgan Chase.

Even though the company is closing some stores, Wells Fargo still appears to be in solid financial shape. The company surpassed its sales and profit targets last quarter, posting about $5 billion in profit.

Among other recent developments, Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $1 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by shareholders who accused the company of making misleading claims about federal regulatory compliance after a 2016 scandal involving the opening of fake accounts had surfaced.

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WALMART is shutting 21 stores nationwide this year, including four in Chicago, due to poor financial results at each site.

The most recent store closings continue a pattern in which Walmart shuts down a number of locations in various states each year, claiming that the locations are “underperforming” but not giving any further details.

Most recently, the chain has announced closures in 12 states, including Arkansas, Washington DC, Georgia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Washington State, and Wisconsin.

A spokeswoman cited store performance as one of the reasons for the closure.

The business said that four of its eight Chicago locations will be shutting down in April and claimed that these locations “lose tens of millions of dollars a year.”

The chain’s store closures come after Walmart CEO Doug McMillion issued a warning to shoppers.

“Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” McMillon told CNBC in December. If this issue isn’t addressed, “prices will be higher, and/or stores will close,” McMillon warned.

Follow our store closures blog for news and updates…

More on CVS closures

The Mobile, Alabama, store joins a growing list of CVS locations permanently shuttering.

The chain closed three locations in March and two more in April.

“It’s stressful for a lot of patients. The thought of switching pharmacies can be very daunting, especially when you have patients that have a lot of medication,” Sarah Walton, the company’s director of pharmacy operations, told WNYT as the company announced a closure in New York earlier this year.

“But we’ve done our best with estimating the number of patients that we think we can be getting with this closing.”

The company revealed plans in January to shutter 300 stores per year – the goal was to close 900 locations by 2026.

There are more than 9,600 CVS locations nationwide.

Pharmacy set to shut down

Customers in Mobile, Alabama, are preparing to lose a CVS location.

In a statement to 15 News, the local NBC affiliate, the company said it is working to help customers find new locations to fill their prescriptions.

“All prescriptions will be transferred to the nearby CVS Pharmacy at 4645 Airport Boulevard to ensure that patients continue to have uninterrupted access to the pharmacy care, programs and services they currently receive from CVS,” the company said.

“Patients can always choose to fill their prescriptions at any CVS Pharmacy, or the pharmacy of their choice, if another is more convenient.”

CVS didn’t specify why the store was closing but pointed to multiple factors leading to closures.

Retailer closes after a six-month run

Furniture retailer Coco Republic opened its doors in San Francisco’s Union Square with high hopes in the fall of 2022.

But now the chain is saying goodbye to its new shoppers, announcing the store will be completely shut down by the end of July — or whenever its inventory is completely sold out.

The closure is just one of many as downtown San Francisco continues to fare poorly in its ability to retain retailers over the past several months.

As crime picked up in the area, other stores such as Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and Office Depot also announced their departure from the area, partly attributed to high theft and crime as well as low foot traffic.

“It was a difficult decision and one that was not taken lightly,” a company spokesperson told SFGate.

7/11 rival closes its doors

Health Beat Natural Foods, which rivals convenience store chan 7-Eleven, is shutting down in Johnson City, New York.

This is because the owner of the store, Michele Moelder, is retiring.

She said in a Facebook post: “Thank you so much for 40 years of support! I’m onto the next chapter of life!”

“My goal when I opened was to educate and help people enjoy a healthier life by providing healthier food – vitamins and guidance! Continue on – please keep in touch!”

‘Retail apocalypse’

A variety of brick-and-mortar stores have struggled in recent years due to the rise of online sales.

This has been a leading cause of store closures in general.

Some have dubbed this trend as the retail apocalypse.

In particular, it has affected many stores that have a big presence in the malls including Macy’s, which has announced plans to close more than 100 locations by the end of this year.

And Foot Locker announced it would be shutting down 400 “underperforming” locations, all of which are mall-based stores

Dollar General rival closes

Dollar Tree at 1099 Route 46 in the Troy-Hills shopping center in New Jersey has closed.

A picture of a sign taken by local news outlet Parsippany Focus read: “This location has been permanently closed. Thank you to our customers.”

Another photo on the store that suddenly closed shows that the sign and facade have been removed.

The exact reason for and when exactly it closed is unclear.

But Dollar Tree is encouraging customers to shop at other local stores including one at 1440 US-46 in Parsippany and another at 461 US-46 in Fairfield.

Other retailers leaving San Francisco

Williams-Sonoma joins a long list of companies vacating their San Francisco dwellings.

Coco Republic, Nordstrom, and Whole Foods Market all announced their departure from the California city.

None of the companies have pointed directly to a rise in theft as the main cause of their departure.

Workers and police data suggests that theft has been a big reason for the exits.

“We invested extraordinary time and capital in our initial US flagship store in Union Square,” Coco Republic’s creative director and founder, Anthony Spon-Smith, said in a statement.

“But, ultimately, the safety and well-being of our customers and employees is our highest priority.”

Iconic kitchenware store shuts down

The popular kitchenware store Williams-Sonoma has been the only location in downtown San Francisco.

The company, well known for its gourmet-quality cookware, is closing after 30 years in the bay area city.

The four-floor, nearly 20,000-square-foot location, has been a Williams-Sonoma since 1993.

The store’s top floor featured a full-working kitchen.

Williams-Sonoma contracted professional chefs to teach cooking classes in the custom kitchen.

According to The San Francisco Standard, employees at the kitchenware brand said the location is expected to turn into a Chanel store.

Hooters rival closes doors for good

The Buffalo Wild Wings bar in northeast Columbia abruptly closed its doors just one week after announcing several other closures.

Last week a spokesperson for the chicken wing chain told CTV News Toronto that the “difficult decision” was made to close “a few” of its locations in Ontario.

The spokesperson did not specify the reasoning behind the closures, but said it “routinely evaluates locations to serve out guests best.”

Those that were axed included bars in Oakville, London, Ajax, Stoney Creek, and Vaughan.

Retailers who filed for bankruptcy: JCPenney

The popular department store declared bankruptcy in May 2020 and announced it would close over 800 stores.

Unfortunately, the company had acquired $4.5billion in net losses since 2010.

Only 670 JCPenney locations exist today, and more stores are slated to close this spring, including those in Oswego, New York, and Elkhart, Indiana.

Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Group have agreed to acquire the chain for $1.75billion.

Retailers who filed for bankruptcy: Party City

Party supply store Party City may have flourished pre-pandemic, but the coronavirus outbreak put a hit on both in-person events and the store’s financial performance.

Since filing for bankruptcy, the store has placed 12 locations up for auction so far.

Under a $150 bankruptcy loan, the chain said it will continue operating while restructuring its debt load.

In September 2022, Party City held $1.7billion in debt but was working to achieve a smaller and more successful fleet of stores.

Burger King closures: Michigan

EYM King of Michigan stated in a WARN notice it would also be closing 26 Burger King restaurants in Michigan in April.

The locations include:

• Dearborn Heights: 20401 W. Warren (16)
• Detroit: 2155 Gratiot Ave. (8)
• Detroit: 9871 Livernois (13)
• Detroit: 8201 Woodward Ave. (14)
• Detroit: 18021 Kelly Rd. (20)
• Detroit: 20200 Grand River Ave. (22)
• Detroit: 13600 W. McNichols Rd. (22)
• Detroit: 15500 W. Seven Mile (21)
• Detroit: 20240 Plymouth Rd. (25)
• Detroit: 12661 Mack Ave. (11)
• Detroit: 9239 Gratiot Ave. (9)
• Detroit: 17440 E. Warren (30)
• Detroit: 16245 Livernois Ave. (14)
• Ecorse: 3863 W. Jefferson Ave. (11)
• Ferndale: 10336 W. 8 Mile Rd. (26)
• Flint: 3625 South Dort Hwy. (25)
• Flint: 3801 Clio Rd. (18)
• Highland Park: 13324 Woodward Ave. (13)
• Livonia: 28203 Plymouth Rd. (10)
• Livonia: 34835 Plymouth Ave. (19)
• Royal Oak: 31456 Woodward Ave. (17)
• Southfield: 23660 Telegraph Rd. (19)
• Southfield: 30711 Southfield Rd. (7)
• Walled Lake: 1113 E. West Maple Rd. (8)
• Warren: 2411 E. 8 Mile Rd. (13)
• Whitmore Lake: 9774 E. M-36 (13)

Burger King closures: Utah

Utah is closing nine stores as Burger King plans to close 400 locations this year, they include:

• 171 East Gateway Dr, Heber
• 7810 South 1300 E, Sandy
• 10235 South State Street, Sandy
• 729 North Main St, Clearfield
• 1466 East 3500 North, Lehi
• 119 East Crossroads Blvd, Saratoga Springs
• 147 East Bangerter Highway, Draper
• 5390 South 1900 West, Roy
• 1660 West North Temple St, Salt Lake City

Burger King closures: Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota

The popular fast-food chain plans to close 5 locations throughout Kansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota.

The locations closing in Kansas include:

• 2201 East Kansas Ave, McPherson

The locations closing in Nebraska include:

• 3627 South Lincoln Avenue, York
• 2504 O St, Lincoln
• 4230 North 27th Street, Lincoln

The locations closing in North Dakota include:

• 3765 Gateway Drive, Grand Forks

Burger King closures: Montana

Montana has made the list of stores Burger King plans to close this upcoming year, they include:

• 1422 West Main Street, Lewistown
• 520 North 27th St, Billings
• 1211 9th Street West, Columbia Falls

Burger King closures: Minnesota

Burger King has announced that mass closures are being planned to protect the brand from further damage.

Here are the closures set to take place in Minnesota:

• 209 Nokomis Street, Alexandria
• 926 Central Avenue Northeast, East Grand Forks
• 528 Western Ave, Fergus Falls
• 21 Depot Street, Litchfield
• 205 Lake Street, Long Prairie
• 586 Southwest 1st Street, Montevideo
• 516 East Bridge Street, Redwood Falls
• 100 21st Street North, Moorhead
• 1611 US-12, Willmar

Burger King dealing with massive closures this year

Joshua Kobza of Restaurant Brands International, Burger King’s parent company, said that mass closures are being planned to protect the brand from further damage.

The fast-food giant surprised analysts with a 12.3 percent increase in global same-store sales in the first quarter of the year and an 8.7 percent increase in same-store sales in the U.S. after launching a $400million “Reclaim the Flame” campaign.

However, RBI chairman Patrick Doyle said that stores unable to meet sales goals will be asked to shut down in the coming months.

Additional Starbucks closures

This year, in total, Starbucks has permanently closed three locations in DuPage, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan, and Fresno, California.

Meanwhile, Starbucks has targeted other union stores too.

This includes another in Ithaca on College Avenue, which shuttered in June 2022.

Additionally, Starbucks shut down a union store in Boston’s Cleveland Circle. Massachusetts.

The company said it would close in March temporarily due to “plumbing issues.

Starbucks to close locations next week

The coffee chain is planning to close its remaining locations in Ithaca, New York on Friday, May 26.

The stores affected are on East Seneca Street and South Meadow Street.

While Starbucks has denied this was the case for the closure, these locations all voted to unionize.

The company told The U.S. Sun that it is a part of the closures are a part of its so-called Reinvention Plan, which involves transforming its store portfolio.

“We’ve gone to extraordinary efforts to staff, hire and support these stores so that our partners and customers are able to have the Starbucks experience they deserve,” Starbucks said.

Nike rival closes down after more than 40 years of business

SMS Sportsworld, which has been located in South Carolina’s Orangeburg Mall Circle for more than 40 years, plans to shutter forever following the sale of all of its merchandise.

The men who founded the sports equipment retailer 41 years ago, Dick Sheridan, Melicue Metts, and Richard Salley named it SMS after their own last names, The Times and Democrat reported.

Bobby Sheridan, Dick Sheridan’s son, is handling the store’s closeout as both Metts and Salley got out of the business over a decade ago, leaving Sheridan as the sole owner.

“My father, Mr. Metts, and Mr. Salley thank you for half a century of shopping here,” Bobby said.

He added: “We wish we could have stayed longer but it is time to go.”

Target closes struggling stores

Target announced it would be closing down four stores that couldn’t keep up with the chain’s financial expectations.

The areas affected include:

Bed Bath & Beyond closing its doors for good

Company leaders at Bed Bath & Beyond also announced the home goods giant is closing all 360 stores after filing for bankruptcy in April.

In addition, all the company’s 120 buybuyBABY locations will be going under as well.

Up to 30,000 jobs could be lost due to the store closures.

Tuesday Morning having struggles

With consumer spending being cramped by high inflation, many other brick-and-mortar shops are feeling the pressure.

Home goods store Tuesday Morning filed for bankruptcy in February and shortly after announced the closure of half of its retail locations.

At least 860 stores have reported their upcoming closures in 2023.

Stores in states including but not limited to California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, and Nebraska will be shuttering this year.

Best Buy cuts down on employees

After closing multiple locations, Best Buy has also released thousands of employees.

Overall, Best Buy cut down its employee base in the US and Canada from 125,000 in early 2020 to just 90,000 at the start of the year.

Best Buy is leaning into its digital growth as e-commerce sales now make up 33 percent of its revenue in the United States, up from just 19 percent three years ago.

Best Buy closings revealed

Best Buy has decided to close multiple stores in different locations after the company predicted overall sales to fall this year during its prior earnings call.

The shuttered stores include the following:

1. Farragut, Tennessee
2. Hixson, Tennessee
3. St. Joseph, Missouri
4. Two stores in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota
5. Shakopee, Minnesota
6. Blaine, Minnesota
7. Temecula, California
8. Pflugerville, Texas
9. Algonquin, Illinois

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The Jack in the Box restaurant in San Francisco’s Union Square neighborhood, which earlier this week was told by a San Francisco Superior Court judge to fix its faulty plumbing, has temporarily closed.

A note on the restaurant’s door Thursday morning said the location was “closed due to maintenance until further notice.”

The closure comes one day after The Chronicle reported an injunction had been ordered to make Jack in the Box “stop any leaks from the refrigerators and freezers up to and including unplugging the appliances” at the restaurant. The owner of the fast food restaurant did not respond to The Chronicle’s initial requests for comment.

Jack in the Box shares a building at Geary and Mason streets with Biscuits and Blues, which opened in 1995 and is one of the oldest blues venues in the city. For several months last year, the burger joint’s plumbing leaked water and feces into Biscuits and Blues, forcing the blues business to shut down. It remains closed.

The order does not specifically state which repairs need to be made at Jack in the Box. During a Jan. 29 court hearing, Gordon J. Calhoun, who represents the franchisee of Union Square’s Jack in the Box, Saeed Khan, said fixing the plumbing could require structural work on the building’s foundation, which would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The two businesses have spent the last 10 months in court trying to decide who should pay to fix the plumbing. Over the course of several hearings, Biscuits and Blues claimed it was Jack in the Box’s responsibility. The fast-food restaurant owner said it was the duty of the landlord. The landlord said the operator should pay for the work.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – After opening hours at several COVID test sites in San Francisco were temporarily reduced due to staffing issues, statewide computer problems forced health officials to completely close six test centers on Monday afternoon, and service could be suspended for even longer.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health tweeted at 1:30 p.m. that the city of Color’s COVID-19 test partner’s computer problems resulted in a number of locations being closed.

CONTINUE READING: COVID: Stay Home: Sonoma Health Officer Urges Residents to Stay Home Amid the Omicron Wave

On Monday evening, Color tweeted from Palo-Alto that the service would be suspended until Tuesday due to outages and that people with postponed appointments would be contacted with alternative test options.

Due to failures affecting our software, we have temporarily suspended the service at our @ SF_DPH test locations until Tuesday, 1/11. When your appt. was postponed to Mon 1/10 or if you have an appt. for Tuesday 1/11 we will contact you by e-mail / SMS with alternative test options.

– Color (@Color) January 11, 2022

The computer difficulties weren’t limited to San Francisco.

The test locations that closed were Alemany, SOMA (7th / Brandan), Southeast Health Center, 20 Norton, Ella Hill Hutch, and Bayview Opera House.

UPDATE: Due to a nationwide computer problem at our COVID-19 test provider @Color, 6 test locations will be closed today: Alemany, SOMA (7./Brannan), SEHC, 20 Norton, Ella Hill Hutch and Bayview Opera House. Please do not visit these pages for testing at the moment. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/SyoT3DTo07

– SFDPH (@SF_DPH) January 10, 2022

“We’re working with Color to accommodate those who had appointments today,” read a subsequent tweet. “We’ll provide updates as soon as we learn more and have the next steps.”

Local residents were advised to refer to an online list of other test locations in San Francisco.

Color shared the following statement about the failure:

“We have temporarily suspended service at our test locations in San Francisco until the end of today to ensure that people don’t have to wait unnecessarily. We manage intermittent outages that have impacted our patient registration and sample collection software, and our team is actively working to resolve this situation. We will restore service to these locations as soon as possible. For those whose dates have been postponed today, Color will be in touch with alternative test options. Please do not access these websites for testing at this time. Don’t call 911 or go to the emergency room unless it’s a medical emergency. We apologize for the stress and inconvenience this caused. “

The issues also emerged in Hayward, another city that has partnered with Color for their COVID test locations.

Problems started around 9:00 a.m. Monday morning at the Cherryland COVID testing facility on Mission Boulevard in Hayward when nurses noticed a slowdown in the computer system. The check-in process, which can usually be completed in seconds, took more than ten minutes per patient.

The Hayward site also took advantage of Color Labs, whose website was repeatedly frozen and unresponsive on Monday morning.

The system worked intermittently before staff decided to close the site around 1 p.m. early Monday afternoon.

“We did it! Thank you God!” exclaimed McGee. “They said they would cancel everything. We weren’t happy about that. “

At 1 p.m., nonprofit service provider La Familia – who runs the website – shut it down and told the hundreds of people in line to go home. Aaron Ortiz, CEO of La Familia, said the site had similar problems last week.

“We need to have a meeting with the state lab and we need to have a meeting with the county to see what the next steps are,” he said. “We just can’t keep allowing this to happen to the church. Or I have to see if I can switch to another laboratory. “

Rosa Cruz waited several hours for a test before she was rejected. Her employer requires a negative test before she can go back to work.

“We can not do anything. So we won’t be available to go to work, ”said Cruz.

CONTINUE READING: US flights on west coast grounded after NORAD alerted a North Korean missile launch

Ortiz said that despite the increased demand for testing, Color should be able to perform its services as promised.

“I understand we have an uphill climb and the system is overloaded,” said Ortiz. “But if you want to do this job, you have to be ready and willing to take on this kind of load at the same time.”

The frustration increased as more and more people, with varying degrees of success, tried to find a way to get a COVID test.

“I wanted to visit my family and when I tried to book one I was only able to do it for two weeks,” said Clare Fonstein of Walnut Creek. “The ones that were quick and available now had to pay you, so it was quite difficult to figure them out.”

Dave Jah visited the Bay from Los Angeles. He recently had the stress of getting a test to see his brother.

“Both in San Diego, where he goes to school, and in LA, we can’t find any tests within five miles,” he said.

Back in San Francisco, the health department had previously announced that it was suffering from a labor shortage related to an increase in Omicron cases among employees, forcing the department to temporarily reduce working hours at four test sites.

Health officials said the short-term reduction would result in about 250 tests being lost per day. The current 7-day average at SFDPH-affiliated locations is 6,000 tests per day.

“(The) SFDPH-affiliated test sites will experience temporary reduced hours due to COVID-related staffing shortages and due to an increase in test result turnaround times given the high demand for laboratories across the country,” health officials said in a press release.

One of the locations, the Southeast Health Center, will only see a reduction in opening hours on Monday and then resume normal operating hours on Tuesday.

The other three websites affected were:

• Ella Hill Hutch – a three hour reduction in the afternoon – new opening hours: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Alemany – a two-hour reduction in the evening – new opening times: 8 am-6pm
• SOMA (7./Brannan) – shortened by three hours in the morning from Tuesday – new opening times: 12 noon-6 p.m.

Given a steep spike in the demand for tests since early December, the number of tests being done at the sites has doubled, according to the San Francisco health authorities.

“We want to emphasize that we are assuming that this is a temporary period and that the sites will continue to operate well beyond their intended capacity,” officials said in the press release. “In addition, SFDPH is working to minimize the impact of this temporary reduction by allocating additional resources to increase capacity, including over 150,000 rapid tests that will arrive earlier this week.”

The SFDPH-affiliated sites currently account for approximately 60% of the tests conducted at on-site sites across the city.

Over the weekend, Dr. Susan Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer Zuckerberg San Francisco General, said her emergency room was overwhelmed with people checking for COVID tests.

“We have never seen anything like this in previous surges,” she said. “So please don’t call 911, don’t go to an emergency room either because you want a COVID test or because you have mild COVID symptoms.”

“Most cases of COVID are mild and you can stay home,” added Ehrlich. “If you have symptoms, when you feel sick, you should stay at home, take care of yourself, and try to stay away from other people as much as possible.”

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Betty Yu contributed to this report

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through: Aaron Tolentino, Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Oct 19, 2021 / 3:20 PM PDT
/ Updated: Oct 19, 2021 / 7:15 PM PDT

An In-N-Out burger location was shut down by the San Francisco Department of Public Health last week because staff failed to properly verify customers’ vaccination records, the popular burger chain said in a statement.

In-N-Out said it duly posted signs of local vaccination regulations but refused to strictly enforce them, reports the KTLA sister station KRON.

“We refuse to become a government’s vaccination police,” said Arnie Wensinger, In-N-Out’s chief legal and business officer. “We strictly contradict any government dictation that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business.”

Since August, San Francisco has required proof of vaccination for people entering certain indoor businesses, including bars, restaurants, gyms, and major events.

Similar guidelines will apply in the city of Los Angeles, which is home to many In-N-Out locations, effective November 4th.

Located on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, the restaurant has since reopened, but with no indoor dining. The restaurant is the only in-n-out location in San Francisco.

KRON reached out to the city health department for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

In San Francisco, according to the city’s latest data, 83% of eligible residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – After opening hours at several COVID test sites in San Francisco were temporarily reduced due to staffing problems, nationwide computer problems forced health authorities to completely close six test centers on Monday afternoon.

The computer difficulties weren’t limited to San Francisco.

CONTINUE READING: COVID: Sonoma Health Officer Restricts Large Gatherings For 30 Days, Voluntarily Urges Residents To Stay Home Amid The Omicron Wave

The San Francisco Department of Public Health tweeted at 1:30 p.m. that the city of Color’s COVID-19 test partner’s computer problems resulted in a number of locations being closed.

The test locations that closed were Alemany, SOMA (7th / Brandan), Southeast Health Center, 20 Norton, Ella Hill Hutch, and Bayview Opera House.

UPDATE: Due to a nationwide computer problem at our COVID-19 test provider @Color, 6 test locations will be closed today: Alemany, SOMA (7./Brannan), SEHC, 20 Norton, Ella Hill Hutch and Bayview Opera House. Please do not visit these pages for testing at the moment. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/SyoT3DTo07

– SFDPH (@SF_DPH) January 10, 2022

“We’re working with Color to accommodate those who had appointments today,” read a subsequent tweet. “We’ll provide updates as soon as we learn more and have the next steps.”

Local residents were advised to refer to an online list of other test locations in San Francisco.

Color, a company based in Palo Alto, shared the following statement about the outage:

“We have temporarily suspended service at our test locations in San Francisco until the end of today to ensure that people don’t have to wait unnecessarily. We manage intermittent outages that have impacted our patient registration and sample collection software, and our team is actively working to resolve this situation. We will restore service to these locations as soon as possible. For those whose dates have been postponed today, Color will be in touch with alternative test options. Please do not access these websites for testing at this time. Don’t call 911 or go to the emergency room unless it’s a medical emergency. We apologize for the stress and inconvenience this caused. “

The issues also emerged in Hayward, another city that has partnered with Color for their COVID test locations.

Problems started around 9:00 a.m. Monday morning at the Cherryland COVID testing facility on Mission Boulevard in Hayward when nurses noticed a slowdown in the computer system. The check-in process, which can usually be completed in seconds, took more than ten minutes per patient.

The Hayward site also took advantage of color labs, whose website repeatedly froze and became unresponsive on Monday morning.

The system worked intermittently before staff decided to close the site around 1 p.m. early Monday afternoon.

“We did it! Thank you God!” exclaimed McGee. “They said they would cancel everything. We weren’t happy about that. “

At 1 p.m., nonprofit service provider La Familia – who runs the website – shut it down and told the hundreds of people in line to go home. Aaron Ortiz, CEO of La Familia, said the site had similar problems last week.

“We need to have a meeting with the state lab and we need to have a meeting with the county to see what the next steps are,” he said. “We just can’t keep allowing this to happen to the church. Or I have to see if I can switch to another laboratory. “

CONTINUE READING: BART train with equipment problems causes major delays at SF Civic Center station

Rosa Cruz waited several hours for a test before she was rejected. Her employer requires a negative test before she can go back to work.

“We can not do anything. So we won’t be available to go to work, ”said Cruz.

Ortiz said that despite the increased demand for testing, Color should be able to perform its services as promised.

“I understand we have an uphill climb and the system is overloaded,” said Ortiz. “But if you want to do this job, you have to be ready and willing to take on this kind of load at the same time.”

Back in San Francisco, the health department had previously announced that it was suffering from a labor shortage related to an increase in Omicron cases among employees, forcing the department to temporarily reduce working hours at four test sites.

Health officials said the short-term reduction would result in about 250 tests being lost per day. The current 7-day average at SFDPH-affiliated locations is 6,000 tests per day.

“(The) SFDPH-affiliated test sites will experience temporary reduced hours due to COVID-related staffing shortages and due to an increase in test result turnaround times given the high demand for laboratories across the country,” health officials said in a press release.

One of the locations, the Southeast Health Center, will only see a reduction in opening hours on Monday and then resume normal operating hours on Tuesday.

The other three websites affected were:

• Ella Hill Hutch – a three hour reduction in the afternoon – new opening hours: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Alemany – a two-hour reduction in the evening – new opening times: 8 am-6pm
• SOMA (7./Brannan) – shortened by three hours in the morning from Tuesday – new opening times: 12 noon-6 p.m.

Given a steep spike in the demand for tests since early December, the number of tests being done at the sites has doubled, according to the San Francisco health authorities.

“We want to emphasize that we are assuming that this is a temporary period and that the sites will continue to operate well beyond their intended capacity,” officials said in the press release. “In addition, SFDPH is working to minimize the impact of this temporary reduction by allocating additional resources to increase capacity, including over 150,000 rapid tests that will arrive earlier this week.”

The SFDPH-affiliated sites currently account for approximately 60% of the tests conducted at on-site sites across the city.

Over the weekend, Dr. Susan Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer Zuckerberg San Francisco General, said her emergency room was overwhelmed with people checking for COVID tests.

“We have never seen anything like this in previous surges,” she said. “So please don’t call 911, don’t go to an emergency room either because you want a COVID test or because you have mild COVID symptoms.”

MORE NEWS: UPDATE: Man arrested on arson after 2-alarm house fire displaced 7 people in San Jose

“Most cases of COVID are mild and you can stay home,” added Ehrlich. “If you have symptoms, when you feel sick, you should stay at home, take care of yourself, and try to stay away from other people as much as possible.”

The post Laptop Points Shut Down COVID Testing Websites in San Francisco, Hayward – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Anaheim (AP) – Frankie Montas reached 10 in 7 innings and Oakland took advantage of an early mistake in Los Angeles in Starling Martes’ athletics debut and defeated the Angels 4-0 on Thursday evening.

Marté, who was trading left-hander Hess Luzard of the Miami Marlins this week, made a one-on-four run and scored once. A scored three times with one hit in the opening session.

Angel’s right-hander Dylan Bundy gave up three runs with only two hits but went four times and hit the batter in 4 1/3 innings. Bandy (1-8) returned to rotation while Alex Cobb handled the blisters on his right index finger.

Angels Designated Hitter Shohei Ohtani made the MLB’s 37th home run on Wednesday, delving into three of the previous four games, running three times and hitting four on thugs.

Montas (9-8) gave up three hits on three walks and scored ten strikeouts for the third time in the last four starts. A has two straight wins and six straight wins against the angels.

A’s’Mark Canha (left) celebrates with Ramon Laureano and Starling Marte (right) after Oakland closed the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim on July 29, 2021. (AP Photo / Kelvin Kuo)

Mark Canha was hit by Bandy’s pitch and started the match, and Marté went on his first at-bat with Auckland. The road to Matt Olson put a strain on the base before Jed Lowrie ran aground trying to win Kana.

Ramon Laureano gave A a 3-0 lead after playing a double left field with two runs.

Oakland couldn’t take the lead until after seven innings when José Quintana returned home from third place, with Elvis Andrus taking advantage of the 4-0 with a false pick-off throw at first base.

Quintana made 2 1/3 innings and 6 strikeouts in the longest outing since joining the bullpen. This includes the strikeouts of the first five batter he faced. Angel’s right-handed Austin Warren has withdrawn all four thugs he faced on his Major League debut.

Marté’s first hit with A was five singles.

Arrival gift

In his first game against Athletics Marté started in midfield and Laureano switched to the light field. Manager Bob Melvin said the decision was not a difficult one.

“It wasn’t even a conversation with Ramon,” said Melvin. “Ramon actually came up to me and said, ‘Play this guy in midfield.’ That wasn’t the problem there. Everyone is happy to welcome him. Make him as comfortable as possible. I will. “

Laureano had 75 of 82 starts in the center before Thursday. Marté played all 63 games at the center for the Marlins.

Coach room

Angels: OF Mike Trout made a follow-up visit to his doctor this week after an MRI and all signs were positive, according to manager Joe Maddon. Trout, who has been out since May 17, ran the base twice last week but hasn’t tested his right calf tension since then.

next

A sends the right-hander Chris Basit (10-3, 3.46 ERA) to the hill on Friday, the Angels face Patrick Sandoval (3-4, 3.52) and the left-hander returns to the hill after a no-hitter-no. – Batter on Saturday in Minnesota.

© Copyright 2021 AP Communication. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Montas Records 10 Ks as Shut Out Angels from A – CBS San Francisco Source link Montas Records 10 Ks as Shut Out Angels from A – CBS San Francisco

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ANAHEIM (AP) – Frankie Montas scored 10 in seven goalless innings and Oakland took advantage of some early bad decisions in Los Angeles in Starling Martes’ debut at the Athletics and defeated the Angels 4-0 on Thursday evening.

Marte, acquired in a trade this week by the Miami Marlins in exchange for left-handed Jesus Luzardo, walked 1 for 4 and scored in the first inning. The A’s scored three times with just one hit in the opening session.

Angel’s right-hander Dylan Bundy gave up three runs with just two hits but went four and hit a batter in 4 1/3 innings. Bundy (1-8) returned to rotation with Alex Cobb struggling with a blister on his right index finger.

Angels designate hitter Shohei Ohtani, who scored his 37th home run in MLB on Wednesday and went low in three of his previous four games, went three times and hit in four at-bats.

Montas (9-8) gave up three hits with three walks and had 10 strikeouts for the third time in his last four starts. The A’s won their second game in a row and their sixth straight win over the Angels.

A’s’ Mark Canha, left, celebrates with Ramon Laureano and Starling Marte, right, after Oakland ruled out the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim on July 29, 2021. (AP Photo / Kelvin Kuo)

Mark Canha was hit by a bundy pitch to open the game while Marte made his first record appearance with Oakland. A walk to see Matt Olson invited the bases before Jed Lowrie went out to meet Canha.

Ramon Laureano followed with a double-run double into the left field to give the A’s a 3-0 lead.

Oakland didn’t extend their lead until the seventh inning when Jose Quintana’s faulty pickoff throw at first base allowed Elvis Andrus to move home from third and take a 4-0 lead.

In his longest outing since moving to the bullpen, Quintana walked 2 1/3 innings with six strikeouts, including the first five batter he faced. Angel’s right-handed Austin Warren retired all four thugs he faced on his Major League debut.

Marte’s first hit with the A’s was a single in the fifth inning.

ARRIVAL GIFT

In his first game with the A’s, Marte got the start in midfield, while Laureano was moved to right field. Manager Bob Melvin said the decision wasn’t difficult.

“It wasn’t even a conversation with Ramon,” said Melvin. “Ramon actually came up to me and said, ‘Play this guy in midfield.’ That wasn’t an issue there. Everyone is just happy to have it. We want to make it as comfortable as possible for him. “

Laureano had made 75 of his 82 starts in the center before Thursday. Marte played all 63 of his games for the marlins in the center.

TRAINER ROOM

Angels: OF Mike Trout had a follow-up visit with a doctor this week after an MRI and all signs were positive, according to manager Joe Maddon. Trout, who has been out since May 17, ran bases twice last week but hasn’t tested his right calf trunk since then.

NEXT

The A’s will send right-hander Chris Bassitt (10-3, 3.46 ERA) up the hill on Friday, while the Angels will counter with Patrick Sandoval (3-4, 3.52) while the left-hander will return to the hill after his near no-hitter on Saturday in Minnesota.

© Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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