Coronavirus Roundup: Deaths In Contra Costa, Santa Clara; National Guard Deployed; Toll Takers Pulled From Bay Area Bridges
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.
National Guard Deployed
Gov. Newsom Deploys National Guard To Help With Food Distribution
SACRAMENTO -- The California National Guard has been deployed to a Sacramento warehouse to distribute food at food banks, according to the governor's office. On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed the guard to the Sacramento Food Bank on 3rd Ave. to begin preparing packaged food for distribution to isolated or vulnerable communities, the governor's office said. Read More
Coronavirus Dashes Spelling Bee Dreams
Coronavirus Pandemic May Have Ended Palo Alto 7th Grader's Dreams Of Winning Scripps Spelling Bee
PALO ALTO -- Vayun Krishana dreamed that his return visit to the Scripps National Spelling Bee would end with him correctly spelling the winning word. But those dreams were dashed -- at least for now -- when the famed contest called off its May competition on Friday in the wake of the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Organizers said they would try to reschedule the annual competition, but those plans still remain up in the air. Read More
New Cases Reported; Deaths In Contra Costa, Santa Clara
Santa Clara County Confirms 2 New Deaths
SANTA CLARA -- Health officials in Santa Clara County on Friday confirmed two new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the toll for the county to eight. County health officials said the seventh death was an adult male in his 80s who had been hospitalized on Tuesday, March 3. He died on Tuesday, March 17. The eighth death was an adult male in his 70s, but health officials did not provide information on when he had been hospitalized or the date he passed away. Read More
Contra Costa County Reports Its First Coronavirus Death
WALNUT CREEK -- Contra Costa health officials announced Friday that a patient in their 70s being treated in a local hospital has died of complications from the coronavirus, the county's first death during the current virus outbreak. While releasing few details, officials said: "The patient died Thursday in a hospital in Contra Costa County. The Contra Costa resident was in their 70s and had a pre-existing condition that put them at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, and a history of recent overseas travel." Read More
Marin County Reports 10 New Cases
SAN RAFAEL -- Ten additional COVID-19 coronavirus cases were reported in Marin County Thursday, boosting the number of cases to 25, the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday evening. It was the largest single-day increase since the county's first case was reported on March 4. Read More
Oakland Police Dept. Employee Contracts Coronavirus
OAKLAND -- A member of the Oakland Police Department has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the department's first reported case. Oakland police said the employee tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and has not been to work since March 15. The department did not specify whether the employee was an officer or another type of staff member. Read More
Shelter-In-Place
Newsom Orders Toll-Takers Pulled From Bay Area Bridges
SAN FRANCISCO -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered the temporary suspension of cash toll collection at the San Francisco Bay Area's seven state-owned bridges in order to minimize the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Toll takers will no longer be stationed at the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Francisco-Oakland Bay or San Mateo-Hayward bridges. The Golden Gate Bridge already had adopted all-electronic tolling back in 2013. Read More
BART Service To End At 9pm Daily Amid Coronavirus Sheltering, Plummeting Ridership
OAKLAND -- With a huge decline in the number passengers as a result of the coronavirus shelter at home orders, Bay Area Rapid Transit will be ending service at 9 p.m. daily beginning next week, the agency announced. BART says ridership levels have declined by 90% since the COVID-19 outbreak, which requires it to take action to reduce operating costs. Following a review of the ridership and train car loads this week, BART said the following service changes are in effect until further notice. Read More
'Essential' San Francisco Pot Dispensaries See Surge In Home Deliveries
SAN FRANCISCO -— As San Francisco's confirmed coronavirus cases continue to mount, local marijuana dispensaries report a surge in home deliveries to residents during the current shelter-in-place. Many residents who were obeying the shelter-in-place order were on a marijuana buying binge as they stock up for potential quarantines or simply light up in search of relief during anxious times and government lockdowns. San Francisco briefly shuttered its pot shops at the start of lockdown before allowing sales to resume. Read More
For South Bay Restaurants Struggling to Survive, Take-Out Is Both Lifeline and Tightrope
SAN JOSE -- The statewide stay-at-home order is causing business owners to think outside the box to keep their doors open or, for some, to keep up with demand. Al Vallorz, the owner of Tony & Alba's Pizza & Pasta, said sales at his business has been overwhelming. When the county of Santa Clara announced a shelter-in-place, he thought sales would decrease and planned to cut back on his employees' hours. He was wrong. Read More
Bay Area Restaurateur Has Tips for Healthy Eating at Home
BERKELEY -- While the statewide stay-at-home order is in place, even our diets may have changed as we make fewer trips to the supermarket. That means we might not be feeding our bodies with the nutritious foods needed to stay healthy. Many people hoarded grocery items this week, particularly non-perishable items. Fresh food is harder to get but there are still ways to eat healthy if you take time to prepare your menu. Read More
Spread Of Coronavirus Leads Faith Congregations To Connect Online
SAN JOSE -- Communities of faith shuttered by the emergency prohibition barring large public gatherings have been forced to get creative to connect with and minister to their congregations. "It is a time when we feel a need to turn to God and a need of each other," said Fr. Carlos Alberto Olivera who pastors the San Jose Chinese Catholic Mission. Read More
Castro Valley Gun Shop Owner Claims Store, Ordered Shut, Is 'Essential Business'
CASTRO VALLEY -- In a time of quarantines and stay-at-home orders, should a gun store be considered an "essential business?" That's the debate in Alameda County as sheriff's deputies order shut gun stores that continue to defy the shelter-in-place order. For the past week, the sheriff's office has repeatedly told Solar Tactical in Castro Valley to shut down and, on Friday, the store's owner finally closed up shop after the district attorney threatened him with prosecution. Read More
Tech Non-Profit In Oakland Loans Devices To Students For Remote Learning
OAKLAND -- With the coronavirus forcing many California school districts to emphasize online learning, some students are facing a major challenge: they still don't have computers. The nonprofit company Tech Exchange is helping families in need get computers, internet access and computers skills so students can continue their education for free. Read More
San Francisco Releasing 26 Jail Inmates To Help Stem Coronavirus Spread
SAN FRANCISCO -- More than two dozen inmates are being released from San Francisco county jails as part of the coronavirus public health emergency, the San Francisco Sheriff's Office said Friday. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office said a Superior Court order provided for the release of 26 sentenced prisoners with less than 60 days left to serve. Read More
New York, Illinois Join California With Lockdown Orders; Officials Wrestle With Enforcement
SAN JOSE -- As Illinois and New York state joined California on Friday in ordering all residents to stay in their homes to help stem the coronavirus spread, local leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area were wrestling over how to enforce the order. Lockdown orders now encompass the three biggest cities in America — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — as well as No. 8 San Diego and No. 14 San Francisco and restricted the movement of more than 70 million people in an effort to halt the spread of the virus. Read More
San Jose Police Chief Vows Enforcement Of Coronavirus Health Order On Non-Essential Businesses
SAN JOSE -- San Jose police on Friday announced it will begin enforcing Santa Clara County's health department order on sheltering at home and shutdown of non-essential businesses to stop the coronavirus spread. At a press conference Friday morning, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said officers in specially-deployed health order compliance patrol cars have been going to businesses and groups of people to remind them of the health order; giving them a copy of the order and asking for their compliance. Read More
Express Lane Tolls On Highways 237, 580, 680 Suspended
OAKLAND -- Express lane tolls on Bay Area freeways are being suspended through at least April 7 due to a dramatic decline in traffic caused by the shelter-in-place order that took effect this week to address the spread of the novel coronavirus. The change began at 5 a.m. Friday said officials of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Read More
Coronavirus Impacts Local Health Care
Bay Area Health Workers Forced to Improvise as COVID-19 Treatment Needs Outstrip Protective Gear Supply
SAN FRANCISCO -- Michelle Gutierrez Vo has been a nurse in the adult primary-care department at Kaiser Permanente in Fremont for 20 years. She is currently in self-quarantine after being exposed to the novel coronavirus but, upon her return, she says she won't have adequate personal protective equipment, PPE. So I have heard of people being asked to reuse the mask," said Gutierrez Vo via Skype. She says that, right now, management is rationing supplies. Read More
Coronavirus Separation Complicates Care For San Francisco's Homeless
SAN FRANCISCO -- Before the coronavirus changed the way people live in San Francisco and elsewhere, the City was already facing several crises. Homelessness and a drug epidemic were the big stories on city streets. One week into the Bay Area's shelter-in-place effort, those challenges are even more apparent on the streets. Read More
John Muir Health Closing Some East Bay Urgent Care Centers
WALNUT CREEK -- Facing a surge in patients, Walnut Creek's John Muir Health on Friday announced the closing of three urgent care centers in San Ramon, Orinda and Concord. "In order to provide care in the most safe and effective manner, we are temporarily consolidating our seven Urgent Care Center locations to four as of Friday. This change lets us move clinicians and staff to our four largest urgent care locations, which allows us to more efficiently and effectively provide care to our community," a release by the medical group stated. Read More
State To Lease Seton Medical Center In Daly City In Coronavirus Response
DALY CITY -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced plans to lease out Seton Medical Center in Daly City to help with the expected increase in hospitalizations due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The hospital's owners filed for bankruptcy back in 2018 and, although, community members have been fighting to keep it open the owners, Verity Health, announced earlier this month its intentions to close the facility. Read More
Oakland Launches Relief Fund For Vulnerable Residents, First Responders
OAKLAND -- Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Friday announced the launch of an emergency relief fund to serve the city's most vulnerable residents and first responders during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a news conference outside the Veterans' Building Senior Center, Schaaf said the Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund will help seniors and families in need of food security, small businesses, organizations that provide shelter and services for the homeless and funds to provide tests for the city's first-responders. Read More
Coronavirus Cancellations And Postponements
Google I/O Developers Conference Completely Canceled
MOUNTAIN VIEW -- Officials with Google announced on Friday that concerns over the coronavirus have led the company to cancel plans to hold the annual Google I/O developers conference "in any capacity." The Google Developers Twitter account posted about the cancellation at 12 p.m. Read More
San Francisco's Bay To Breakers Race Postponed To September Because Of Coronavirus Spread
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco's renowned Bay to Breakers footrace, normally held on the third Sunday in May, will be pushed to the fall because of the escalating coronavirus outbreak, organizers announced Friday. The race, famous for its costumed runners, "centipede" group runners, and random naked participants, will now be held on September 20. Read More
Famed Gilroy Garlic Festival Cancelled Over Fears Of The Coronavirus
GILROY -- The pungent smell of garlic, an annual Spring ritual in the Salinas Valley, will be missing this year as organizers of the famed Gilroy Garlic Festival announced Friday they were cancelling the 2020 event. Each year, the festival has lured thousands to the Salinas Valley town with delights ranging from garlic ice cream to the original garlic fries to shrimp scampi from the booths along Gourmet Alley, the gigantic outdoor kitchen where the world-famous "Pyro Chefs" put on a spectacular flame-up cooking shows. Read More
