Coronavirus Update: Shelter-In-Place Day One; Stanford, Verily Accelerate Testing; Bay Area Cases, Death Toll Rising
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The tsunami of news about the current coronavirus outbreak and now the shelter-in-place can be overwhelming. To help you navigate through what you need to know -- KPIX.com/KPIX 5 News/CBSN Bay Area -- will be publishing a news roundup each morning of the top coronavirus-related stories from the last 24 hours so you can start your day with the latest developments impacting you, your family and your daily life.
Coronavirus Patient Talks About Symptoms
San Francisco Doctor: "I Am An ER Physician And I Have COVID-19"
SAN FRANCISCO -- University of California, San Francisco emergency room doctor Rosny Daniel has been on the front lines in the Bay Area's battle against the coronavirus. Now, he's become a patient. Daniel took to the social media platform Medium to talk about his life since he tested positive for the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus over the weekend. Read More
Shelter-In-Place Day One
Day One Of Coronavirus Shelter-In-Place Leaves San Francisco A Ghost Town
SAN FRANCISCO -- A shelter-in-place order affecting approximately 7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday left city streets empty, stores and businesses shuttered and residents hunkered down in their homes in a desperate attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The order that went into effect at midnight early Tuesday left only "essential" businesses open -- including grocery stores, financial institutions, pharmacies, hardware stores and gas stations. Read More
'Like Driving To A Funeral'; Oakland Pub's St. Patrick's Day Spoiled By Shelter-In-Place
OAKLAND -- For Crogan's Irish Pub in Oakland's Montclair, St. Patrick's Day is usually the biggest day of the year. But this year's holiday marked the end of the first day of a three week long shelter-in-place order for much of the Bay Area. As the pub deals with the shelter-in-place like everyone else, they're trying to take it one day at a time to figure out how to navigate the next few weeks. Read More
Gov. Newsom Places California National Guard On Alert
SACRAMENTO -- Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday placed the California National Guard on alert to prepare to potentially protect local communities in fighting the spread of coronavirus throughout the state. The National Guard emphasized that Newsom's action is not a mobilization order--it's a notification for the National Guard to prepare for potential activation. Read More
San Francisco, San Jose Cannabis Dispensaries To Stay Open During Shelter-In-Place Order
SAN FRANCISCO -- Following the closure of marijuana dispensaries and delivery services in San Francisco per the regionwide shelter-in-place order that began Tuesday in response to the novel coronavirus, city officials announced the businesses could reopen. "The Department of Public Health today clarified that since marijuana has medical uses, dispensaries will be allowed to operate as essential businesses just as pharmacies are allowed to do," Mayor London Breed said during a news conference at City Hall late Tuesday. Read More
Monterey County To Order Shelter-In-Place After Confirming 2 Cases
MONTEREY -- Monterey County confirmed two cases of novel coronavirus Tuesday and said it will enact a shelter-in-place order at midnight Wednesday, following suit with seven Bay Area counties trying to curb the global spread of the novel coronavirus. The two cases were confirmed at the Monterey County Public Health Laboratory after COVID-19 testing began on March 6, and the lab has conducted nearly 100 tests since then, according to the county. They were likely transmitted through international travel, the county added, and they are now isolated at home until they are cleared by the Monterey County Health Department. Read More
Sonoma County Health Officer Issues Shelter-In-Place Order
SANTA ROSA -- With seven other San Francisco Bay Area counties in the midst of their first day of a shelter-in-place order, Sonoma County officials issued their owner order on Tuesday. The order is effective midnight on Wednesday, March 18 and will be in place for three weeks, until April 7. Read More
Coronavirus Update: Oakland City Hall, Civic Center Closed To Public During Shelter-In-Place
OAKLAND -- Government buildings will be closed to the public and parking enforcement will be limited in Oakland during a regionwide shelter-in-place order that went into effect Tuesday in response to the spread of novel coronavirus. Read More
Coronavirus Impact On Bay Area Businesses
Workers Across Industries Struggling To Survive During Shelter-In-Place
SAN FRANCISCO — Local governments are doing what they can to help people who are out of work during the Bay Area shelter-in-place. That relief can't come soon enough for thousands of workers, especially in the service industry. Read More
Despite Lack Of Customers, Essential Businesses Still Open During Bay Area Shelter-In-Place
SAN JOSE -- With sweeping new shelter-in-place orders in effect to help slow the spread of coronavirus in the Bay Area, many may be wondering exactly which "essential businesses" are remaining open. The Marco Polo Laundromat on South Bascom in San Jose is keeping the lights on and the water flowing during these times of crisis. Read More
Tesla Factory To Close After Disputed 'Essential Business' Claim Amid Coronavirus Shelter Order
FREMONT -- The Tesla factory in Fremont will not be allowed to operate after a reported claim that the electric car manufacturer had been designated an "essential business." A Los Angeles Times story cited an Alameda County spokesman as saying the county had declared Tesla an essential business that was allowed to remain in operation during the Bay Area-wide shelter at home order. Read More
Target Reduces Store Hours To Keep Up With Purchases Affected By Coronavirus Spread
SAN FRANCISCO -- Target stores across the Bay Area and the U.S. will have reduced hours to help stores replenish their stocks and deep clean their facilities to help stop the coronavirus spread, the retailer announced. The Minnesota-based retailer also joined other stores in carving out an exclusive shopping time for seniors at the start of the day. Read More
Macy's Closes Stores Across U.S. And In Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO -- Macy's announced it was closing all of its nearly 600 stores across the U.S., including 98 in California by the end of business Tuesday. This includes all Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Bluemercury, Backstage, Bloomingdale's the Outlet, and Market by Macy's stores, the company said. Read More
Zanotto's Market Offers San Jose Seniors Exclusive Shopping Time During Coronavirus Sheltering
SAN JOSE -- Zanotto's Market in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose is looking out for its senior customers in a special way. They want to give this vulnerable population a designated time to shop for groceries while the store is in its cleanest state. From 8 to 9 a.m. this morning, Zanotto's Market was open to only those who were 60 or older. The shoppers who took advantage were thankful for this store special. The line was long during hour exclsuively for senior shopping, but all was in order as people were let in one-by-one as others exited the store. Read More
San Francisco Mayor Announces Eviction Moratorium For Small Businesses
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor London Breed on Tuesday announced an additional moratorium on evictions in the City that will apply to small and medium-sized businesses in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The mayor made the announcement with a Twitter post Tuesday afternoon at around 2 p.m. A press release on the Mayor's official website stated the moratorium "..will prevent any small to medium-sized business from being evicted due to a loss of income related to lost revenue or other economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic." Read More
Senators Blast Google For Facemask Ads Amid Coronavirus, Demand FTC Action
MOUNTAIN VIEW -- Two Democratic senators asked the Federal Trade Commission to pursue enforcement action against Google Tuesday saying the company is continuing to allow ads for the sale of facemasks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said that despite Google announcing a ban on ads for protective facemasks last week, their staff were easily able to find Google ads for facemasks over the past week. Read More
Coronavirus Impact On Bay Area Sports
Warriors Steve Kerr Says USA Basketball Plans 'Up In The Air' For Tokyo 2020
SAN FRANCISCO -- With his team's NBA season on hold because of the coronavirus, Golden State Warriors head coach and USA Olympic assistant coach said Tuesday plans were 'up in the air' when it comes to this summer's Tokyo 2020 Games. Kerr said on a conference call Tuesday that he has had some recent contact with U.S. head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs as plans for the Olympics continue.
PGA Championship at San Francisco's Harding Park Postponed
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco's TPC-Harding Park golf course will have to wait a few more months to host its first PGA championship. Golf's second major tournament of the year has officially been postponed. The PGA Tour released a statement Tuesday announcing the cancellation of all tournaments through the middle of May and will reschedule the PGA Championship later this year. Read More
Former Warriors Star Kevin Durant Among Nets Who Test Positive For Coronavirus
SAN FRANCISCO -- Former Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant announced Tuesday he was one of four members of the Brooklyn Nets who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Durant confirmed the test results to @TheAthleticNBA. He said he was feeling fine asked "everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We're going to get through this." Read More
San Francisco Giants Establish $1 Million Fund To Assist Idled Stadium Workers
SAN FRANCISCO -- With the start of Major League Baseball season push back until at least May by the coronavirus outbreak, the San Francisco Giants announced Tuesday they were establishing a $1 million fund to help struggling stadium workers. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Monday that opening day has been pushed back to mid-May at the earliest following a conference call with executives of the 30 teams. He said the decision came after the federal government restricted events to have 50 or less people for eight weeks as a way to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Read More
Other Bay Area Coronavirus Headlines
Gov. Newsom: Most Schools To Remain Closed Through Summer Break
SACRAMENTO -- With most California schools already closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Newsom said Tuesday, few if any are to reopen this school year. "Don't anticipate schools are going to open up in a week," said Newsom in a press conference at the state's emergency headquarters on Tuesday. "It's unlikely that many of these schools — few if any — will open before the summer break." More Read
Verily Sets Up Drive-Thru Coronavirus Testing Sites In Santa Clara, San Mateo Counties
SAN JOSE -- Mobile drive-thru coronavirus testing is ramping up in the Bay Area, albeit slowly and selectively. Two sites, one at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds and the other at the San Mateo County Event Center, are invitation-only, operated by Verily Life Sciences, a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Read More
San Francisco To Expedite Hiring Of 100 Nurses To Help Coronavirus Response
SAN FRANCISCO -- In response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday issued a declaration to expedite the hiring of more healthcare workers. The city will fill 100 nursing vacancies through invitation-only hiring events, with a focus on emergency and intensive care unit nurses, according to the declaration. New nurses could be hired on-the-spot instead of going through the normal six-month long hiring process. Read More
San Jose State Confirms First Case Of COVID-19
SAN JOSE -- San Jose State University confirmed its first case of coronavirus on Tuesday: an off-campus student who is recovering at home. The announcement was made in a letter to the SJSU campus community by Patrick K. Day, VP for Student Affairs, and Barbara Fu, the Acting Medical Director for the university's Student Health and Wellness Center. Read More
First Coronavirus-Related Death Of Homeless Person Sets Off Race To Find Shelter In Santa Clara Co.
SAN JOSE -- Homeless advocates were highly critical of the response of public health officials and local governments to the first reported death of a homeless man or woman from novel coronavirus in the state of California. "The inaction, the talk and the endless promises that are made are frustrating. The people here should have been housed anyway in my opinion. And it took a pandemic to get them a port-a-potty and a hand washing station," says Pastor Scott Wagers who regularly ministers to the homeless at a sprawling encampment at Roosevelt Park on the outskirts of downtown San Jose. Read More
Coronavirus Spread Complicates Bay Area Census Count
SAN FRANCISCO -- Along with nearly every facet of American life, the 2020 U.S. Census is being reshaped -- sometimes in complex and unforeseen ways -- by the COVID-19 coronavirus and people's response to it. The decennial effort to count every person living in the United States kicked off last Thursday, when tens of millions of invitations to participate were sent out across the country.
Stanford Researchers Hope To Soon Conduct Over 1,000 Coronavirus Tests Daily
STANFORD -- Stanford researchers are hoping that they'll soon be able to conduct around 1,000 coronavirus tests daily to provide to patients and hospitals in the Bay Area and beyond. On Monday, Stanford Medicine said in a press release that their Clinical Virology Lab is testing hundreds of samples from COVID-19 patients daily, adding that within the next week, the lab hopes to be able to conduct over 1,000 daily tests, with results typically being delivered in 24 hours.
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