Coronavirus Roundup: Businesses Gear Up For Curbside Sales; Santa Clara County Slow Easing Restrictions
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 updated developments.
Good News -- Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Santa Rosa Auto Shop Shifts Gears To Make Custom Masks For Frontline Workers
SANTA ROSA -- The co-owner of a Santa Rosa auto restoration shop has been shifting gears to help protect frontline workers during the coronavirus shelter-in-place. Ryan Nelson usually upholsters and restores cars at Pacific Coast Custom Interiors. But these days, his Santa Rosa company is using the same tools to make about a hundred masks a day."We're in a unique trade. It's not often that a pandemic suits your skill set," said Nelson. Soon, the 11-year-old business Nelson owns with his mother and brother donated more than 500 masks. Read More
For Uplifting Stories Of Neighbors Helping Neighbors Visit Our Better Together Section
Coronavirus Reopenings
San Francisco Businesses Get Ready For Curbside Sales As COVID-19 Restrictions Ease
SAN FRANCISCO -- Retail businesses in San Francisco have the green light to begin curbside sales and pickups starting Monday, but that's still leaving many owners wondering how it will impact their business overall. Petra Bergstein, owner of The Caviar Company, has been packing up orders and delivering packages of high-end caviar. "They can call us ahead of time and we can just run it right down," said Bergstein. We've done it before COVID-19. We put it on ice and it's ready to go, so we're ready." A strong established presence online and an Instagram following of more than 10,000 have kept her business moving in the right direction, even before curbside sales kick-off. Read More
Oakland Cracks Down on Large Gatherings at Lake Merritt
OAKLAND -- Oakland's ban on food trucks and street parking around Lake Merritt got very little compliance on Friday. City leaders went ahead with the ban after seeing large crowds and gatherings there on previous weekends. City officials said Friday they would start to hand out tickets because people weren't taking the ban seriously. One taco truck defied the ban and sold food right next to the lake. A city employee and a park ambassador warned the business owner he could get a ticket. "I need to work," said food truck chef Alberto Avramow. "I need to get some income because I need to pay the lease. I need to pay expenses," he added. Read More
Contra Costa County Issues New Order Allowing Outdoor Vehicle Gatherings Such As Graduations, Religious Services
MARTINEZ -- Contra Costa County health officials issued a health order Friday that will allow outdoor gatherings to resume provided that attendees remain in their vehicles. The order, which goes into effect May 19, will offer a new gathering option for events like religious services and academic graduation ceremonies that have been canceled or moved online as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Gatherings could take place in large areas like parking lots for no more than three hours. Event hosts and staff members would be permitted to attend gatherings outside of a vehicle, but all other attendees must remain inside. Read More
Horse Racing Resumes At Golden Gate Fields Without Spectators
ALBANY -- For the first time in more than a month, Golden Gate Fields resumed live horse racing Thursday, but without spectators and with numerous modifications due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the track still closed to the general public, fans can watch races and place bets through a mobile app. Horse trainers and jockeys are being asked to wear masks and practice social distancing. "It was very exciting, no doubt. Any time you have this kind of delay and the fact that everybody didn't know really when this would end and when we would start up again, it was a big relief," said horse trainer Reid France. Read More
Monterey County Restaurant Accused Of Violating Shelter-In-Place By Allowing Table Service
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA -- The owner of a restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea has been charged by the Monterey County District Attorney's Office for allegedly providing table service and allowing customers to eat on the premises against health orders during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, prosecutors said Thursday. Jeffrey LeTowt, owner of The Tuck Box restaurant located on Dolores Street, is also accused of failing to wear a face covering while customers were present and not implementing social distancing protocols, according to the district attorney's office. Prior to the filing of criminal charges, the district attorney's office along with Carmel police and the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control had each warned LeTowt about the violations of the county and state health orders that are meant to limit the spread of the virus. Read More
Santa Clara County Will Continue Going Slowly In Easing Of Shelter-In-Place Orders
SAN JOSE -- Santa Clara County was the first Bay Area county to implement stay-at-home order and will likely be the last to lift them. Several Bay Area counties have slowly begun to lift restrictions and reopen their economies with more to follow on March 18. "If we did ease up, we would see a brisk return of cases, hospitalizations, and a brisk return of deaths," said Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County's Chief Health Officer. Dr. Cody issued that dire warning to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. Read More
Coronavirus Business Impact
Report: Business Impacts Will Linger Long After COVID-19 Pandemic Has Ended
BERKELEY -- As businesses start to reopen with the easing, there's a grim report about when and if they will be able to recover from losses they suffered during the pandemic. At Fieldwork Brewing in Berkeley, they've been able to stay fairly successful through their curbside pick service and beer delivery business. Still, they are not fully staffed to pre-pandemic levels. "It's unprecedented," said Barry Braden, the company's owner. "It's nothing that we ever expected we would be faced with as small business people but it's what we have." Read More
Pelosi, Dems Power $3 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package Through House; Bill Moves On To Senate
WASHINGTON -- Democrats powered a massive $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill through the House on Friday, an election-year measure designed to brace a U.S. economy in free fall and a health care system struggling to contain a pandemic still pummeling the country. The 208-199 vote, with all but one Republican opposed, advances what boils down to a campaign-season display of Democratic economic and health-care priorities. It has no chance of becoming law as written, but will likely spark difficult negotiations with the White House and Senate Republicans. Any product would probably be the last major COVID-19 response bill before November's presidential and congressional elections. Read More
California Restaurants Impacted By COVID-19 May Soon Be Allowed To Renegotiate Rents
SACRAMENTO -- Restaurants, bars, and cafes across California may soon be able to renegotiate their rents due to the coronavirus pandemic, under a proposal being considered in the legislature. State lawmakers introduced amendments to Senate Bill 939, a proposal by State Sens. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) that would prohibit commercial landlords from evicting businesses and non-profits during the pandemic. The amendments would allow establishments to renegotiate their lease if they've lost 40 percent of revenue due to COVID-19 restrictions and operate with reduced capacity due to social distancing. Tenants would also be able to terminate the lease without penalty if an agreement can't be reached with their landlord. Read More
Coronavirus And Transportation
Muni To Increase Service On Some Lines To Reduce Crowding
SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is increasing service frequency on several Muni bus lines starting Saturday to address crowding on some routes and because the agency's staffing availability has improved at this point in the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The 8-Bayshore, 14R Mission Rapid, 22-Fillmore, 38R-Geary Rapid, 49-Van Ness/Mission, N-Judah and T-Third bus lines will all run more frequently, while the 9R-San Bruno Rapid line will be restored next Monday and will run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. The restored 9R-San Bruno Rapid bus line is meant to alleviate crowding on the 9-San Bruno line and add more service to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, according to the SFMTA. Read More
Coronavirus And Schools
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Surprises Oakland School Officials With $10 Million Donation
OAKLAND -- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey stunned Oakland schools and city leaders Friday with a $10 million donation to a campaign aimed at providing computers and Internet access to all students in the Oakland Unified School District. On a Twitter post, Dorsey said: "$10mm to give EVERY single child in Oakland access to a laptop and Internet in their homes, closing the digital divide." Dorsey's donation came after a group of city officials including Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and district Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammel held an online news conference announcing the effort. Schaaf posted a clip of the meeting on her Twitter page, prompting the response from Dorsey. Read More
Coronavirus And Sports
Former Oakland A's Manager Art Howe Battling COVID-19 In Houston ICU
HOUSTON -- Former manager Art Howe, who spent seven years at the helm of the A's, winning 600 regular-season games, was in intensive care Friday in a Houston hospital with the coronavirus. The 73-year-old Howe, best known as the manager of the ''Moneyball'' Oakland Athletics playoff teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s, confirmed to Houston TV station KPRC 2 on Thursday night he has been dealing with the illness since first feeling symptoms of COVID-19 on May 3. Howe told the station he found out he was positive two days after being tested and tried to recover at home. He went to the hospital by ambulance on Tuesday, and remained in ICU. Read More
Cal Football Considering Hosting Pre-Season Camp Outside Bay Area
BERKELEY -- California coach Justin Wilcox said his staff has looked at potentially conducting preseason training outside the Bay Area if the college football season starts on time and restrictions are in place that won't allow the Golden Bears to hold camp on campus. Wilcox said Thursday it's one of many contingencies being considered by his staff, and likely other coaches throughout the Pac-12, because of the uncertainty about how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact college sports this fall. "When we talk about all this modeling, whether it's at a conference level or at an institutional level, we're looking at every scenario based on where we're at that current time. So whether that's June 1, June 15, July 1, July 15, Aug. 1, there's just these different points where we're looking at," Wilcox said on video conference Thursday. Read More
Shorter MLB Season Means 'More Emphasis On Winning Games,' Says KPIX's Dennis O'Donnell
SAN FRANCISCO -- What a 2020 MLB season could look like is starting to come into focus. On Monday, MLB owners proposed an 82-game season beginning in July, with the playoff field expanded to 14 games. The MLB Players Association has yet to respond. But all planning remains fluid given the ever-changing nature of the coronavirus pandemic. Whatever path the two sides choose, many details would need to be worked out, venues and health issues among them. The states of Arizona and Florida have made it clear that they would be interested in hosting baseball games. Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle recently highlighted some of the health concerns that would have to be addressed. Adequate testing and protection for at-risk players (those with pre-existing conditions) are among them. Read More
Coronavirus And Travel
Hawaii Discourages Tourists From Visiting Through At Least The End Of June
HONOLULU -- If you were planning on an early summer vacation in Hawaii this year, the state's governor hopes you think twice. Hawaii Gov. David Ige said in an online question-and-answer session that the mandatory quarantine for any travelers visiting Hawaii will continue through at least the end of June. The state has cracked down on visitors who fail to abide by the quarantine, in some cases telling scofflaws to leave the islands entirely. The quarantine rule was established in mid-March, and Ige said at the time that tourists should cancel their travel for at least 30 days. Read More
