COVID-19 Reopening Roundup: Single Day Record For New Cases; Renters Face Dire Future; Emotional Farewell For Beloved Nurse
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The tsunami of news about the current coronavirus outbreak and now the reopenings can be overwhelming. To help you navigate through what you need to know here's a news roundup of the top coronavirus and reopening-related stories from the last 24 hours.
Good News -- Neighbors Helping Neighbors
East Bay Couple Steps Up To Care For Others Affected By Pandemic, Even As They Were Stricken
SAN PABLO -- On a recent summer day, Jennifer Arrouzet delivered donated hot meals to San Pablo first responders. It's one of many acts of charity she and her husband Todd have done for others in the East Bay. And it's an activity she is grateful to be able to do. In March, the Arrouzets came down with what doctors thought was COVID-19. At the time, widespread testing wasn't available, so the couple quarantined themselves for weeks, leaving their restaurant Cafe Soleil to be run by staff. Todd recovered quickly, Jennifer did not. "She actually went into the ambulance and it happened so quick, and they would not let me go to the hospital to see her," recalled Todd Arrouzet. "So you're thinking this could be the last time you're seeing somebody and it's just a very scary thing to go through." But even while sick, Jennifer Arrouzet was determined to help others so she put the word out over social media, and began asking for donations of PPE. Masks came pouring in. Read More
For Uplifting Stories Of Neighbors Helping Neighbors Visit Our Better Together Section
New Alameda COVID-19 Testing Center Overwhelmed On First Day; Closes Temporarily
ALAMEDA -- Officials temporarily shut down a new Alameda COVID-19 testing site early Thursday after hundreds flocked to the facility on its opening day. On the facility's website, officials said more than 1,000 people had been given tests on Wednesday. "The testing site saw attendance beyond expectations," officials said. "Simultaneously, there was an unanticipated and unfortunate issue with liability insurance coverage. To allow for the site to be reconfigured to ensure safe and efficient testing and to address insurance issues, the new facility is temporarily pausing operations. CityHealth Urgent Care and the property owner are working on a solution to resume safe operations as quickly as possible." Read More
Child Killer John Beames Is Latest San Quentin Death Row Inmate To Die From Coronavirus
SAN QUENTIN -- John Beames, a child killer from Tulare County, appears to be the latest death row inmate to die from the coronavirus outbreak at San Quentin State Prison, according to prison officials. Beames was pronounced dead Tuesday at an outside hospital from what appears to be complications related to COVID-19. An exact cause of death will be determined by the coroner. He was 67 years old. In 1994, Beames was convicted of the torture and beating death of the 15-month-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend. An autopsy revealed that the toddler died of a fierce blow to the abdomen that nearly severed her liver. The girl's mother was sentenced to 25-to-life in prison for allowing the abuse to continue. Beames was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in Tulare County in 1995. Read More
Bay Area Health Expert Predicts COVID-19 May Impact Our Lives For Years To Come
OAKLAND -- California set an alarming new record on Wednesday with nearly 13,000 new coronavirus cases, surpassing New York for the most in the country. Now, a Bay Area health expert is making a grim prediction that COVID-19 may impact our communities for up to ten years. Dr. Jeff Smith is the executive officer in Santa Clara County. Two weeks ago, he predicted the virus will spiral out of control again and now he is even more concerned about the Fall. "We're not even near the end of the problem," said Dr. Smith. On Wednesday, Smith made an announcement that he knew, he would eventually have to make. "I just told all county employees, not to expect to come back to work or anything near normal until at least the end of February and not even then," he said. Read More
Renters In Oakland, Cities Nationwide May Lose Their Homes When COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium Ends
OAKLAND -- When California placed a moratorium on evictions it was to prevent people who lost work from ending up homeless. But the back rent is piling up and experts say if something isn't done the results could be disastrous. Nearly two-thirds of homes in the city of Oakland are rentals and housing advocates say 10-20,000 residents may be at risk of eviction because of the pandemic. Orlando Zepeda is afraid he's about to become one of them. "I'm very concerned," he said. "Right now, I just got laid off work, so, I am very worried about not having the money to pay all the rent that I owe." He has a lot of company according to a nationwide survey from the data firm, Apartment List. Before the pandemic, the people who failed to make housing payments on time hovered at about 3 to 4 percent. Read More
COVID-19 Concerns, Social Unrest Raising Stress Level For Many In Bay Area
ALBANY -- Between health and economic concerns from the coronavirus and rising tension related to ongoing protests and divisive politics in an election year, people are tense. Viral videos of confrontations in stores are just one type of crazy behavior visible during these crazy times. UCSF Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Dr. Elissa Epel explained. "Uncertainty is particularity challenging for the human mind, because it tells us we can't relax; we need to stay vigilant because we don't know what is going to happen next," said Dr. Epel. As humans, people are social beings. The social isolation brought on by the shelter-in-place order is another abnormal condition contributing to higher stress levels. Read More
Mayor Breed Announces Increase In San Francisco's COVID-19 Testing Capacity
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Wednesday that the city will increase its COVID-19 testing capacity by adding appointments at existing sites and adding new mobile pop-up testing sites. Breed said the city will increase the Embarcadero testing site's daily capacity by 400 appointments per day. The city will also deploy two pop-up testing sites that will rotate to areas like Bayview-Hunters Point and the Excelsior District that are facing particularly high rates of infection. A third, permanent testing site is expected to launch in August in the southeast part of the city, Breed said. City officials are still taking community input about the location of the testing site, which will launch with the capacity for up to 500 tests per day. "This new capacity, along with the requirement for private partners to do their part, will help us make testing more easily available, especially for symptomatic or high-risk individuals," Breed said. Read More
San Mateo County Extends Eviction Moratorium Through End Of August
EDWOOD CITY -- San Mateo County's Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to extend the countywide moratorium on residential evictions from July 28 to Aug. 31. The temporary moratorium protects renters from eviction if they cannot pay rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also suspends evictions in certain no-fault cases. At the end of the moratorium, tenants have up to 180 days to pay the owed rent. Residents around the county are struggling to pay rent, due to the high cost of living in the Bay Area and the negative economic impact of the pandemic. San Mateo County's unemployment rate was 10.8 percent this June, compared to 2.2 percent in June 2019, according to data from California's Employment Development Department. A San Mateo County staff report described many county residents as "rent-burdened", as they spend up to 50 percent of their income on rent. Read More
NFL Requiring Face Coverings If Fans Are Allowed At Games
SANTA CLARA -- If you want to watch football in person you're going to have to mask up. The National Football League announced on Wednesday that fans who attend games will be required to wear face coverings. Brian McCarthy, the league's vice president of communications, tweeted on Wednesday, "For those wondering, yes, it is league-wide: fans at NFL games this season will be required to wear face coverings." It is still unclear how many teams will host fans in the upcoming season, as there is currently no league-wide policy on the matter. Other professional leagues, such as Major League Baseball, will begin the season without fans in the stands (though fans can boo or cheer their favorite players through MLB's website). Read More
San Jose Closes Stretch Of San Pedro Street To Unveil Downtown Outdoor Dining Program
SAN JOSE -- San Jose has joined cities around the Bay Area in implementing a "safe streets" program to give people and businesses room to spread out. Just after sunrise, crews began shutting down San Pedro Street between Santa Clara and St. John streets, placing concrete barriers in the roadway to block vehicle traffic. The city calls it an Al Fresco Dining Street Closure, which restaurants have been hungering for and talking about for months. "You know it takes a Herculean effort between all the agencies and groups that have to pull this together; the city, the public safety, all those departments," said Autumn Young Interim Managing Director at San Jose Downtown Association. "And the permit process, which normally takes a really long time has been truncated. So, we're pretty rapid for our world." Read More
Gov. Newsom: California Sets Single-Day Record With Nearly 13,000 New COVID-19 Cases
SACRAMENTO -- Just hours after California's total number of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed that of New York state, Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced another grim milestone with the state confirming a record of nearly 13,000 new positive tests in a single day. "Yesterday, we had 12,807 individuals who tested positive for COVID-19. 12,807 represents the highest reported number in our state," Newsom said during a press briefing from inside a personal protective equipment warehouse in Sacramento where he highlighted the state's efforts to obtain and distribute PPE. Over the previous seven-day period, the governor noted the state had averaged 9,420 cases per day, up significantly from the previous week's average of roughly 8,300 per day as the trendline continued to increase. The seven-day positivity rate had also risen to 7.6 percent as of Wednesday, which Newsom said was concerning. Read More
Santa Clara Health Officer: Lack Of Coordination Hampering COVID-19 Response
SAN JOSE -- Santa Clara County's top health officer said Tuesday that a disorganized reopening process erased much of the progress made during the initial shelter-in-place. Dr. Sara Cody made the observation while updating the Board of Supervisors on the coronavirus response on Tuesday. "We successfully not only flattened but crushed the curve," Cody told the board. "In mid-May we only had one or two cases reported per day. And then of course starting in mid-May we had easing of the shelter in place order." Cody also added that because there hasn't been a coordinated response to the virus nationwide, she believes the pandemic will continue for many more months. Read More
California Eclipses New York State In Total Number Of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
SACRAMENTO -- Health officials revealed early Wednesday that California's confirmed coronavirus cases have topped 409,000, surpassing New York for most in the nation, but the state still trails the Empire State in deaths associated with the virus. According to John's Hopkins University tracking data, California now has about 1,200 more cases than New York. State health officials said over the last seven days, California has been averaging 9,198 new cases a day. However, New York's 72,302 deaths are by far the highest total in the country and nine times more than California's tally, and its rate of confirmed infections of about 2,100 per 100,000 people is twice California's rate. California is by far the most populous U.S. state, at nearly 40 million people, while New York has about 19.5 million. Read More
Emotional Vigil For Beloved Alta Bates Nurse Who Died Of COVID-19
OAKLAND -- Dozens of friends, family members and colleagues of Janine Paiste-Ponder held up their cellphones, many containing her photo, during an emotional ceremony for the beloved registered nurse at Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center who died recently because of COVID-19 infection. Many also held up large photos of Paiste-Ponder, who passed away on Friday, days after she and another nurse, Toya Randle, in her unit tested positive for the virus. "Janine was an exceptional nurse," Randle said in a news release. "She was funny, she always helped. She was our friend, she was our sister, she was our coworker. And I can't believe she is gone." Randle called on hospital officials to do more to protect its employees. Read More