Health officials in five counties in the San Francisco Bay Area issued a new stay at home order on Friday as the number of Coronavirus cases Surges and hospitals fill. The changes will take effect for most of the area on Sunday at 10 p.m. and will last until January 4th.

The majority of counties have not yet reached Governor Gavin Newsom’s threshold announced on Thursday that requires such an order if 85% of ICU beds in regional hospitals are full, but officials said hospitals in the region would be overwhelmed in the coming weeks would be if Newsom’s order were to apply.

“We don’t think we can wait for the state’s new restrictions to take effect. This is an emergency, “said Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa health officer.

The order came the same day the state had another record daily number of 22,018 cases and hospital admissions topped 9,000 for the first time.

Restaurants have to close indoor and outdoor catering, bars and wineries have to close, as well as hairdressing and nail salons and playgrounds. Retail stores and shopping centers can operate with only 20% customer capacity. Gatherings of any size with people outside a household are prohibited.

Berkeley health officer Lisa Hernandez said people shouldn’t meet in person with someone they don’t live with, “even in a small group and even outdoors with precautions.”

More

“If you’ve got a social bubble, now it’s gone,” said Hernandez. “Don’t let this be the last vacation with your family.”

The new home stay order will severely cut the most profitable shopping season and threaten financial ruin for companies struggling after just 10 months of constant restrictions and slow sales due to the pandemic.

The new restrictions have been imposed in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Marin, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties. These counties, along with San Mateo County, were the first region in the country to order a lockdown on March 17, when the area of ​​7 million people had fewer than 280 cases and only three deaths. This time around, San Mateo County chose to wait for the threshold set by the governor, despite officials saying it would continue to share hospital beds with others in the area.

The Bay Area counties are so closely connected that it was much easier to implement a regional ordinance, officials said.

In Santa Clara County, the headquarters of Apple and Google, officials previously banned all high school, college and professional sports and placed a quarantine on people traveling to the area from areas more than 250 miles away, according to officials in cases Thanksgiving rose. Compliance officers were scattered across the county on Thanksgiving Day and continued to visit companies to make sure they were complying with capacity rules and other precautions.

Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s health officer, said the number of intensive care beds filled with COVID-19 patients has tripled in the last month and continues to increase. 67 new COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals on Thursday – a record.

As of Friday, the county of 2 million had 14% of ICU bed capacity left, which is less than the minimum of 15% required under rules set by Newsom, Cody said.

Frontline workers ask for help amid COVID-1 …

02:15

San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Grant Colfax, estimates the city, which is also a county, has a week to stabilize the spread of the virus. If hospital stays continue at the same pace, the nine hospital systems are expected to run out of intensive care beds on Dec. 27, he said. “The problem will be that no one can help because of the nationwide shortage of hospital beds,” he said.

All counties, with the exception of Marin, are on the most restrictive purple tier in the state’s pandemic plan for the economy, which has already forced most non-essential indoor activities to stop and a daily curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Public health officials have warned that the number of Thanksgiving gatherings by Christmas could inundate hospitals.

Over the past month, the state has imposed restrictions on 52 of the state’s 58 counties, including notifying people not to leave the state and putting an overnight curfew on all but essential travel, e.g.

But it didn’t work because data shows people are ignoring the rules, admitted Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s chief public health officer, entered Thursday.

The post San Francisco Bay Space counties difficulty stay-at-home order: “That is an emergency” appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

LATEST NEWS: “The vast majority” of CA under orders to stay home, says Newsomom

Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco and the city of Berkeley (which has its own health department) announced the new measures in a joint press conference on Friday afternoon.

The following will change when the order takes effect:

• Restaurants will be closed both indoors and outdoors. You can only take away or deliver.
• Bars and wineries have to close (inside and outside)
• Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons and other personal care services have to close
• All retail stores can remain open but must reduce capacity to 20%
• Private gatherings of any size are prohibited

RELATED: Here’s What’s Closed on an Order for Staying Home in the Bay Area

Schools that have already received an exemption to reopen can stay open. All “critical infrastructures” can also remain open.

The start date varies slightly depending on the county. Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties say their ordinances will go into effect on Sunday, December 6th at 10pm. In the Alameda district, the home stay order starts on Monday December 7th at 12:01 am on Tuesday December 8th at 12 noon.

In all cases, the order is valid for the stay at home until January 4th.

Health officials said it was too late to wait for the government order, which will be triggered when a region is down to 15% ICU capacity.

“The dark COVID winter that we feared would come has arrived in the Bay Area,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County Health Officer. “I and other Bay Area county health officials don’t believe we can wait for the state’s new restrictions to go into effect later this month. We have to act quickly to save as many lives as possible. This is an emergency. “

BAY AREA ICU CAPACITY: How close we are to the 15% threshold and the new California stay-at-home order

At the start of the main holiday season, health officials ask everyone to stay home and avoid all social gatherings.

“You shouldn’t hang out with someone you don’t live with. Even in a small group and even outdoors with precautions,” said Dr. Lisa Hernandez from Berkeley. “If you’ve got a social bubble, now it’s gone.”

The number of ICU beds left is most worrying in Santa Clara County, where it has just dropped to 14%, said health officer Dr. Sara Cody.

The “Bay Area” as defined by the state includes, according to the state, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma.

The six other counties not attending Friday’s press conference will not be forced to put further restrictions in place until the entire region is below 15% ICU capacity. However, each county is always allowed to implement stricter regulations than the state, just not looser restrictions.

As things stand, the Bay Area is expected to reach this 15 percent mark by mid-December. When this happens, the entire region will have to close more stores and place an order to stay at home similar to the one we had in March.

For a better experience, click here to view the full map in a new window

Copyright © 2021 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post Bay Space COVID-19 stay-at-home order begins for Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties; Marin County joins Tuesday appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

UNION CITY (KPIX) – California health officials said the number of ICU beds available in the San Francisco Bay Area continued to decline to 6.3 percent on Friday. As a result, many Bay Area health professionals are saying the stay at home order, which originally expires next week, is likely to be extended. San Francisco has already done this.

The possibility of a prolonged ban on outdoor dining worries many restaurant operators. The owner of Mexico Tipico in Union City invested thousands of dollars in its outdoor facilities and heat lamps. He was hoping to be able to use it again next week.

CONTINUE READING: Oakland Police are looking for clues in the 2011 murder of Bianca August

“All of the restaurants in this area are affected because there is now no store,” said Ricardo Soto, who manages Mexico Tipico. “The families who come down want to enjoy the food at the table, not to take away.”

Soto said an extension of the outdoor dining ban could result in further layoffs at his restaurant, but several restaurateurs said they weren’t surprised at the prospect of an extension.

“We panned so many times that I’m tired of spinning. I feel like I’m falling, ”said Eric Nielsen, a business associate at two restaurants in downtown San Jose. “We are concerned. This also feels vague. How does it look, even if we are open at the end of February? Are we actually open again for outdoor dining? And if so, I hope the public comes out again.”

David Canepa, head of San Mateo county, said he feels for the small businesses, but said ICU capacity is poor and that is exactly what the state sees in introducing the health regime.

CONTINUE READING: Talk to your children about COVID-19 vaccinations. The best health officials in the state offer some advice

“Right now we’re in lifesaving mode, make no mistake. So the actions we are taking today will really ensure that we are protected in the future, ”Canepa said.

The overseer said that about 5 percent of the county’s ICU beds are currently available. He urges the county health department to expand the health regime and follow San Francisco’s leadership.

“We don’t even calculate the numbers for December 25th, the Christmas numbers, and beyond that the New Years numbers,” said Supervisor Canepa.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong is an infectious disease specialist at UCSF. He said hospitals are likely to see more COVID patients in the coming days due to holiday gatherings.

“It is inevitable that we will have an increase (caused by the Thanksgiving holiday) in addition to an increase (due to Christmas) in addition to an increase (due to illegal New Years Eve parties). For example, if you look at the trip around Christmas, it actually passed Thanksgiving, which was already the highest travel time of the year, ”said Dr. Chin-Hong.

MORE NEWS: Santa Clara County exceeds 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered

He said the number of COVID patients should fall by the end of January.

The post Most Bay Space Keep-at-Dwelling Orders Prone to Be Prolonged – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The state may have approved San Francisco and other Bay Area counties as early as Jan. 8 to opt out of regional home stay ordinance if ICU capacity has improved, but the city does not appear to be awaiting instruction from the State.

RELATED: SF Doctor Explains Why New COVID-19 Variant Might Spread Faster

“We have proactively kept order at home and quarantine on travel to protect the Franciscans and in the hope that by acting quickly we can flatten the curve and reopen it faster,” said Mayor of London Breed in a press release. “That seems to be working, but we need more time to realize that we are going in the right direction and that the December break is not throwing us back.”

According to state rules, a region’s stay-at-home order may be lifted if the remaining ICU capacity exceeds 15%. The Bay Area’s current intensive capacity is 8.5%. Given current trends and an expected spike after the holidays, San Francisco officials are not confident that the situation will improve until Jan. 8.

Other counties in the Bay Area have worked with San Francisco in the past. When we asked the local health officials if they would renew their orders, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma counties said they would all be relocating in connection with the timing of the state. (We’ll update this story as soon as we hear from more counties.)

Under the stay-at-home ordering restrictions, most non-essential businesses such as gyms, cinemas, museums, salons, and barbershop are required to remain closed. Only retail stores can be open at 20% capacity. Restaurants may only be open for take-away and delivery.

All social gatherings of any size, indoors and outdoors, are technically prohibited.

INTERACTIVE: Here’s the reopening status of each county in the Bay Area

App users: For a better experience, click here to view the story in a new window

In addition to the stay-at-home order, San Francisco is also expanding its mandatory travel quarantine, which requires people coming from outside the Bay Area to be quarantined for 10 days after their return.

The perpetual restrictions are worrying business owners in the city, who have been grappling with numerous uncertainties as early as 2020.

“Look, after the year we’ve had, there’s no way we can plan a downturn. We’re down,” said Lori Regis, co-owner of Boullettes Larder restaurant in the San Francisco Ferry Building.

If lawmakers want to keep imposing these types of restrictions, Regis would like them to provide more financial support as well.

“Otherwise we will be there for another year. The gastronomy cannot recover quickly,” she said.

“When retail is open, you’re inside. You have that, but you can’t dine outside? So that’s a small (mixed message),” added Farshad Ghaffari of San Francisco.

“At the moment we are still in a total prohibition mode,” said supervisor Matt Haney, who also fears that mixed messages could have unintended consequences. “I am concerned that we are banning outdoor activities so we are forcing people into the house, which is much more dangerous and where most of the spread occurs, namely indoor gatherings.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect new ICU capacity numbers and to include responses from other local counties.

Copyright © 2021 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post San Francisco extends stay-at-home order, COVID-19 journey quarantine indefinitely appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco health officials extended the district’s stay-at-home order indefinitely Thursday as coronavirus cases rose and outdoor restaurants and a host of other businesses remained closed.

Individuals traveling to the county from outside the Bay Area must be quarantined for 10 days upon arrival, while gyms and personal care services, as well as outdoor restaurants, museums, and entertainment centers such as roller skating rinks must remain closed until the order is canceled.

The decision came as California had its worst coronavirus surge since the pandemic began, and a day after southern California health officials identified a more contagious strain of COVID-19. Given that intensive care unit capacity is unlikely to shift significantly in the coming weeks – and in anticipation of even more cases due to holiday gatherings – extending the order is the safest way forward, said Grant Colfax, Breed and Health Officer by Mayor London Breed, on Thursday.

“We have proactively kept order at home and quarantine on travel to protect the Franciscans and in the hope that by acting quickly, we can flatten the curve and reopen it more quickly,” said Breed in an explanation. “It seems to be working, but we need more time to realize that we are going in the right direction and that the December break is not throwing us back. There are glimmers of hope and now is not the time to let up. “

The most recent contract was awarded nationwide on December 3 and regionally strengthened two weeks later by the state when hospital capacity in the Bay Area fell below 15%. Although the state could try to overturn the order on Jan. 7, infection rates and intensive care unit capacity suggest it is unlikely, Breed said.

Retail businesses such as malls, hardware stores, and convenience stores may have 20% utilization, while standalone grocery stores may have 35% utilization. Low-contact retail – such as electronics and shoe repair shops – may only be operated in connection with the handover at the roadside.

Small outdoor gatherings are allowed, but only with one household and a maximum of 12 people or two people from two separate households. We strongly advise against unnecessary travel.

The post San Francisco extends stay-at-home order indefinitely as virus surges appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) – Hopes that the Bay Area could get out of the current COVID-at-home regulation was reality-checked Monday after Governor Gavin Newsom announced the region’s ICU capacity had fallen to a new low of 0.7%.

During its press conference on Monday to get an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in California, Newsom said that state director of health and human services, Dr. Mark Ghaly, likely on Tuesday, will announce the continuation of the stay-at-home order in the Bay Area.

CONTINUE READING: Asian-American attacks: victim’s grandson speaks out; Suspect arrested after stabbing 2 women in San Francisco

“Given the current ICU capacity, we can assume that the stay at home will continue unless these prognoses differ materially,” Newsom said.

The health order is triggered when the intensive capacity of a region falls below 15%. Currently, ICU capacities across the state were as follows:

Southern California: 0%
San Joaquin Valley: 0%
Bay Area: 0.7%
Greater Sacramento: 9.7%
Northern California: 35%

According to the state’s COVID dashboard, California has 2,710,801 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, resulting in 29,965 deaths. Other data from Johns Hopkins University showed the state topped 30,000 deaths.

Newsom re-listed the staggering number of casualties the pandemic has caused for residents of the state. Another 264 people died of COVID on Sunday, and an average of 476 people died per day over the past seven days. Another 5,681 people have died in the past 14 days, Newsom said.

The governor said there was evidence that the contagion rate had increased over the past week. While COVID hospital stays increased 6% in the past two weeks, they increased 0.3% in the past week. Similarly, there was a 13% increase in intensive care admissions in the last 14 days compared to a 5% increase in the last seven days.

Newsom said as part of California’s “all hands on deck” approach to adopting the COVID vaccine, the state has added the pool of those who can deliver COVID vaccines to dentists, pharmacy technicians, National Guard strike teams, paramedics, and rescue workers Doctors expanded assistants, midwives, psychiatric technicians, and others.

The governor also said the state was opening three major vaccination sites at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Padres Stadium in San Diego, and the CalEXPO racetrack in Sacramento to expedite vaccination for priority groups while maintaining social distancing with other facilities allow to be announced.

Later on Monday, Oakland Athletics and Alameda County’s health officials announced that the Oakland Coliseum would also host a drive-through vaccination clinic.

CONTINUE READING: Fate of the vacation San Francisco Bay Area schoolmates in the hands of Rome jury

Newsom recalled that the current focus for vaccination continued to be on the first group of subjects, particularly in the healthcare sector and among residents of long-term care facilities.

“These frontline workers – that’s why we want to vaccinate the vaccines – so many of them themselves are among those categories of vaccines and the residents who are most vulnerable in these congregation facilities,” Newsom said. “We’ve teamed up with CVS and Walgreens, who make up the lion’s share – not in every county. LA County is a big exception – but especially and in terms of content in all of these other community care facilities. “

ALSO READ: Santa Clara County Supes Call For More Transparency With Vaccination Information

Newsom said the state has built-in flexibility to administer the more than two million doses being delivered into the next stages and stages of vaccine priority groups in the event that doses are queued where no one is on hand to handle the dose to obtain.

“And we’ll fill in details when we start getting more doses … We’re obviously going to need more doses to get into this next phase, and we hope to learn more with the new one.” [Biden-Harris] Administration soon what their intention is to release more of the stock of cans, ”Newsom said. “And we’re going to start seeing more clarity and then meet your expectations and set some schedules, or at least some expected schedules, so we can deal with the fear that I know will be felt out there when we have this availability to have.”

Newsom said the state is investing $ 40 million in a media campaign in 18 languages ​​to get people to vaccinate.

During the Q&A session with reporters, Newsom was asked about concerns about the possibility of armed protests at the State Capitol in Sacramento following the deadly siege of the US Capitol last week

“The answer is pretty much taken for granted by anyone who has been near the Capitol, that everyone, I believe, is on high alert to make sure everyone is safe and secure,” Newsom said. People’s freedom of speech can be improved, but there is no violence. “

Newsom also said the National Guard would be activated “as needed”.

When asked about the possibility of President Donald Trump facing a second trial after instigating the US Capitol riot, Newsom said “I’m all for it” before returning his attention to the pandemic response.

MORE NEWS: The best chefs in the San Francisco Bay Area fight against Asian hatred

“I’m focusing on this vaccine distribution, I’m focusing on the climb, I’m trying to drive to get us through this extraordinarily challenging period,” he said. “I support it … but that’s not my focus right now. My focus is openly on you, your family and your safety when it comes to issues related to getting us through this very challenging wave of this pandemic. “

The post Bay Space ICU Capability Tumbles To 0.7%; Keep-At-Residence Order To Be Prolonged – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

San Francisco health officials announced an indefinite extension of the current home stay order and 10-day travel quarantine on Thursday morning.

San Francisco County was one of five counties in the Bay Area that early adopted the state’s new regional home-stay ordinance and chose to adopt that ordinance in early December, two weeks before the area’s ICU capacity fell 15% fell, causing the state to shut down the rest of the region.

The state ordinance for the Bay Area region is expected to expire on Jan. 8, when ICU capacity is back above 15% and isn’t back below that number for four weeks. On Wednesday, the state estimated the region had 7.5% capacity.

San Francisco officials believe Christmas and New Year gatherings in January will spark a new boom, so restrictions in the city will remain in place even if outside government is overturned.

Outdoor dining, indoor personal care services, and other activities are prohibited as part of the stay at home order.

The city’s travel policy, which requires a mandatory 10-day quarantine for all individuals traveling, relocating, or returning to the city from outside the Bay Area, was originally due to expire on January 4th.

Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s director of public health, did not provide details on how the city will enforce the order, but said anyone who does not comply could be affected by a misdemeanor.

SFGATE news editor Amy Graff contributed to this report.

The post San Francisco extends stay-at-home order, 10-day journey quarantine indefinitely appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

CBS San Francisco Employee Report

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – With a surge in coronavirus cases, the information you need to know comes fast and furious. Here is a recap of the COVID stories we’ve published over the past 24 hours.

CONTINUE READING: The retired Modesto detective was still convinced that Scott Peterson had killed the pregnant woman Laci

California Lifts Restrictive COVID-19 Stay-At-Home Order; ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’
SAN FRANCISCO – Governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday that California would lift a restrictive stay at home order for all five regions of California on Monday, paving the way for a return to limited dining, religious services and other activities. The state is now returning to the enforcement system, with most of the counties initially on the purple plain. State officials also lifted a curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sectors reopened include outdoor restaurants, gyms, places of worship, and wineries. Indoor retail stores can be 25% busy, along with personal care services like hair and nail salons. After the stay at home order was canceled, some shuttered stores did not take long to resume operations. Continue reading

Project House: Eviction Moratorium A lifeline for struggling tenants in the Bay Area, but it’s too late for some
SANTA ROSA – Legislators are running out of time to extend California’s eviction moratorium. If lawmakers don’t pass law this week, one in five Californians could lose their home. “I’m like really desperate so as you can see I cry a lot,” said Ofelia Camacho. The nationwide eviction moratorium is the only thing keeping Camacho’s parents and family of seven off the streets. “I feel like my parents helped the community a lot. We’ve spent a lot and we feel like the community doesn’t have their backs, ”said Camacho. Despite the moratorium, her landlord tried three times to evict her this year, mainly because there are allegedly too many people living in one house. Camacho’s father used to work in a local vineyard, but suffered nerve damage in his legs when heavy machinery fell on him. Even so, they managed to pay rent, sell items at the flea market, and take out loans from other family members. She is concerned that the generosity may run out soon. Continue reading

Marin County officials reveal what will reopen under Purple Tier
SAN RAFAEL – Hours after state health officials lifted a restrictive home stay order, Marin County’s health director released a list of businesses allowed to reopen in the county under the Purple Tier. After repealing the state at home, the state is now returning to the enforcement system, with most of the counties initially on the purple plain. “Everyone has sacrificed to get this surge under control and it is paying off,” said Dr. Marin County’s health officer Matt Willis in a press release. “When we return to the purple level, it is important to remember that the virus is still very active in our community. We could easily fall behind if we let go of our guard. “The county-by-county tier system uses various metrics to determine the risk of community transmission and applies a color code – purple, red, orange, or yellow – that corresponds to widespread, substantial, moderate, or minimal, respectively. Continue reading

The risk of triggering another surge is for business owners and nurses
SAN FRANCISCO – With the home stay order cleared, some wonder if it’s too early and if a relapse into the rising COVID-19 cases and hospital stays is inevitable. “It’s a calculated one, I’m not sure if ‘gambling’ is the right word, but there is an element of uncertainty,” said Dr. Kind of pure gold from UC Berkeley of the bed capacity in the intensive care unit and the like. “Counties are returning to color-coded plains, most of them purple and all of them in the Bay Area. In some counties, alfresco dining has already started, as has haircuts. Arthur Sebastian, owner of the Arthur Sebastian Salon in Cow Hollow, spoke to KPIX in May. Then he showed Plexiglas partitions and social distancing measures. Continue reading

Santa Clara Co. Hospital under fire because school workers were “cut” to the top of the line
SAN JOSE – A Bay Area hospital has come under fire after a group gained access to coronavirus vaccine at the head of the line. Santa Clara County suspended the distribution of vaccines to Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose after it became known that the hospital vaccinated school district employees who were not health care providers. The hospital currently only offers vaccines to first responders and health care workers, a group known as Tier 1A. Last Thursday, Los Gatos Union school district superintendent Paul Johnson emailed staff saying the Good Samaritan is offering vaccinations to school district staff. Program. Those who register for vaccination should register as if they were health care workers. Continue reading

CONTINUE READING: High winds topple tree in San Francisco; Hurt one person

California’s Secretary of Labor says criminal rings have looted at least $ 11 billion in unemployment benefits
SACRAMNETO – Sophisticated hackers, identity thieves, and overseas criminal rings stole over $ 11 billion in unemployment benefits in California last year, but the scale of the fraud could be far greater: billions more payments are being investigated. California Labor Secretary Julie Su told reporters on a conference call Monday that of the $ 114 billion the state paid for unemployment claims, about 10% – or $ 11.4 billion – has been confirmed fraudulent. Almost $ 20 billion more – another 17% – is viewed as suspicious, and much of that could be viewed as fraud, she said. “There is no such thing as a sugar coating in reality,” said Su. “California did not have adequate security measures to prevent this level of fraud, and criminals took advantage of the situation.” Continue reading

Santa Clara County Lifts Prohibition of Team Sports; Sharks return to the SAP center
SAN JOSE – Santa Clara County health officials announced changes to current COVID restrictions on Monday after the state lifted the home stay order, including an end to the ban on all team sports. All sports, including college and professional, are allowed to resume, according to county officials. The San Jose Sharks were supposed to be playing their home games in Arizona but could now host games at the SAP Center in San Jose if they followed proper protocols. “To ensure that all of these athletes and their staff limit exposure to the broader community and basically stay in their households or participate in their activities, there is clearly no social distancing in close contact sports,” said James, county counsel by Santa Clara R. Williams. Continue reading

San Francisco will offer al fresco dining and personal services starting Thursday
SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor London Breed announced Monday that the state’s repeal of the stay-at-home ordinance would allow San Francisco to ease COVID restrictions starting this Thursday. The mayor first briefed her on the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic since state health officials lifted the home stay order on Monday morning. The mayor said the city’s case rate fell from 372 cases per day to 261 new cases per day on Monday. There are currently 194 people hospitalized in the city with COVID, and the infection rate (R-effective) has dropped below one. The city’s ICU capacity is currently stabilized at around 26%, Breed said.
“The good news is that we are in a better place than we have been in a long time,” she said after showing the latest figures. Continue reading

Safari Park Gorillas Recover from Contagious COVID-19 Strain; The San Diego Zoo receives a vaccine for animals
SAN DIEGO – The gorillas at San Diego Zoo Safari Park are on their way to a full recovery after being diagnosed with COVID-19, zoo officials said Monday. San Diego Zoo officials say the eight-person troop eat, drink, and interact normally after several members’ feces tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The troops were infected with the B.1.429 variant of the coronavirus, which is on the rise in California and, according to official information, is more contagious than other strains. The troop was tested after some of the gorillas showed symptoms, including a slight cough, constipation, nasal discharge, and intermittent lethargy. Officials at the zoo took the troop’s silverback, Winston, an extra step due to his advanced age and concern for his underlying medical conditions. Continue reading

Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine works on variants but plans a booster for South African strain
SAN FRANCICSO – Moderna said new research shows its COVID-19 vaccine is effective against variants of the virus from the UK and South Africa. “Out of caution”, however, the company in Cambridge will develop a booster shot for the South African variety. “We are encouraged by this new data, which increases our confidence that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine should protect against these newly discovered variants,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, in a statement on Monday. “Out of caution and using the flexibility of our mRNA platform, we are bringing a new variant booster candidate against the variant identified for the first time in the Republic of South Africa to the clinic in order to determine whether it is more effective to increase the titre against this and possibly future variants. “Both the South African and British variants are spreading faster and are more infectious forms of the virus. Continue reading

MORE NEWS: Recall candidate Caitlyn Jenner refuses to allow transgender girls to participate in preparatory girls’ sports

California extends eviction moratorium to June 30th
SACRAMENTO – California officials announced Monday that the state plans to extend the current eviction moratorium through June 30 for those struggling to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal, which must be approved by state lawmakers, would extend a state law slated to expire in late January, preventing landlords from evicting renters who were unable to pay their rent between March and August because of the coronavirus pandemic. To be eligible, renters must pay at least 25% of their rent due between September 1st and January 31st. Governor Gavin Newsom issued a joint statement with Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Spokesperson Anthony Rendon to extend the eviction moratorium, which aims to protect Californians affected by COVID-19. “COVID-19 continues to devastate communities in our state, and too many Californians are one paycheck away from losing their homes or homes. These families now need protection and relief, ”the statement said. Continue reading

The post Keep-At-Residence Order Lifted, Companies Reopening; Hire Moratorium Too Late For Some; $11B Looted From Jobless Funds – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco has expanded both its travel advice and stay at home ordering service.

The city said Thursday it doesn’t appear that the Bay Area will have 15% of the available intensive capacity by Jan. 7. At this point, your home stay order should likely expire as long as the COVID numbers improve.

Earthquake wakes San Francisco on New Year’s Eve

Mayor of London Breed and Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax also expanded the travel advice that requires a 10-day quarantine for all people coming to San Francisco from outside the Bay Area, with a few exceptions for important travelers.

No expected date has been set for the cancellation of the orders.

“The renewal of both health mandates will continue until the Bay Area is no longer subject to the state’s regional residency ordinances. Once the state repeals its regional home stay ordinance, San Francisco will reassess key health indicators to see if they support easing current restrictions on businesses and activities and resuming the measured reopening process that adheres to the state framework oriented. “

San Francisco officials on December 31, 2020, vacation travel flood: Over 4 million flew after Christmas

Another reason a new expiration date has not been set is because the country has not yet recognized the consequences of people who ignored stay-at-home orders over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“We have proactively ensured that order remains at home and quarantine on travel is in place to protect the Franciscans and in the hope that by acting quickly we can flatten the curve and reopen it more quickly,” said Breed. “It seems to be working, but we need more time to realize that we are going in the right direction and that the December holidays are not throwing us back. There are glimmers of hope and now is not the time to let up. ”

The following activities must be temporarily closed until further notice:

• Personal services: hair and nail salons, hairdressers, tattoos, piercings, beauticians and massages must cease operations, including indoor and outdoor operations.
• Outdoor dining: Restaurants can only deliver or take away.
• Open-air museums, aquariums and zoos
• Indoor gyms
• Drive-in meetings. Driving in theaters and other performances offered in a drive-in context must be discontinued.
• Outdoor family entertainment centers
• Open-air bus and boat operators

Cliff House is closing for good: the final day of the SF restaurant

The following activities must still be performed at a reduced capacity:

• Sale. All retail stores such as shopping malls, hardware stores, convenience stores, equipment rentals, and specialty stores must reduce capacity to 20% (and implement a metering system. Stand-alone grocery stores can operate at 35% capacity.
• Retail with little contact. Service-oriented retail such as dog groomers, electronics repair services, and shoe repair services can only operate in a roadside context.

San Francisco closes holiday exhibits and parking lots for New Years Eve

The following activities can continue with changes:

• Hotels may only accept reservations from key workers traveling for work purposes or to support critical infrastructure, including accommodation for isolation and quarantine purposes. If a person from another state who is not traveling for essential purposes makes a reservation, it must be at least the number of days required for quarantine. The people specified in the reservation must be quarantined in the hotel or accommodation for the entire required time. Reservations made by non-essential CA residents may not be accepted or recognized.
• Small gatherings. Small outdoor gatherings must be limited to members of a household with a maximum of 12 people or a maximum of 2 people from 2 households. Face covering should always be left in place, except when eating or drinking. Indoor gatherings between different households are not permitted.
• Outdoor gyms. Outdoor fitness or fitness center activities, as well as outdoor fitness group classes (such as boot camps, dance, yoga, tai chi, etc.) are limited to groups of 12 people, including staff, and must maintain strict spacing requirements for face covering. Running groups are prohibited.

Daly City Gym is canceling home stay orders

• Youth sports. Youth sports activities associated with a childcare program, an after-school time program, or any other organized and supervised youth sports program may only be continued outdoors without competitions or spectators and with strict social distancing and face protection requirements.
• Indoor activities open to the public. Any facility that allows members of the public to access indoor areas, including shopping malls, grocery stores, corner stores, financial services, hardware stores, pharmacies, etc., must put in place a metering system to monitor capacity thresholds and ensure that capacity does not exceed the limits. In fact, a company needs to assign a specific person on the staff to monitor the number of people in the facility and to ensure that the 20% capacity threshold (or the 35% capacity for standalone grocery stores) is met at all times. In addition, special hours should be set up for the elderly and other people with chronic illnesses or a weakened immune system.
• Adult recreation. Non / low contact adult activities such as golf, tennis, pickle ball and bocce can continue outdoors subject to restrictions (golf is limited to two people and members of different households are not allowed to share a cart; tennis and pickle ball are for singles without sharing limited) equipment).

The post San Francisco extends stay-at-home order and necessary quarantine appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco small businesses will soon benefit from a new $ 62 million relief plan, Mayor London Breed said in a COVID-19 update Tuesday afternoon.

The financial relief includes grants and “very low to interest-free loans,” the city said.

“We have already lost too many of our small businesses during this pandemic and this relief plan will help many businesses get through these challenging next months as the vaccine is distributed and we can begin our recovery,” said Mayor of London Breed.

How the city describes the assistance proposals:

SF Relief Grants – up to $ 12.4 million: The proposed grant program will provide immediate help in stabilizing small business operations by offering grants ranging from $ 5,000 to $ 20,000 based on the number of employees each employer had in February 2020. This program will support small businesses run by colored people, women, long-term businesses who are hardest hit by home work and who are excluded from or otherwise inaccessible to state and federal programs. Companies must be located in San Francisco and / or have a corporate license in San Francisco to operate.

The Bay Area is increasing vaccination requirements for COVID-19

SF Community Investment Loans – Up to $ 50 Million: This proposed loan program aims to assist businesses by providing working capital, especially to those excluded from existing aid programs. This includes companies that typically have annual sales in excess of $ 2.5 million, including many restaurants. This plan also includes an emphasis on microcredit for businesses that may otherwise not be able to borrow capital.

Before the funds can be distributed, the board of directors must first pass an ordinance, which will be introduced this month.

The latest COVID-19 numbers

Dr. Grant Colfax said while the city has seen a 70% increase in COVID-19 cases since Thanksgiving, the increase in December holidays is 28%.

He also offered positive information on ICU beds in San Francisco – Colfax said the county still has ICU capacity to treat patients, but surrounding counties in the Bay Area continue to have shrinking capacity.

Across the region, the Bay Area has an ICU availability of 0.7% as of the last update.

Man arrested by the FBI for threatening to kill Nancy Pelosi on live TV

Vaccination efforts

San Francisco leverages community-health partnerships to deliver vaccinations for the most vulnerable.

“The health department will ensure that vaccines are offered to these populations,” Colfax said.

People aged 65 and over will be offered the vaccination this week as part of the San Francisco Department of Health’s clinical care system, Colfax said.

The county is also working with the Latino Task Force to ensure vaccines reach the populations with the highest prevalence of COVID-19 cases.

According to the Department of Health, San Francisco residents who identify as Hispanic or Latin American account for 43.3% of all reported COVID-19 cases, despite only making up about 15% of the population.

The post San Francisco’s stay-at-home order prone to stretch by means of January: Dr. Colfax appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.