Coronavirus Reopening Roundup: Supreme Court Upholds Newsom Church Service Order; Sonoma Sheriff Remains Defiant
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 and reopening-related stories from the last 24 hours so you can start your day with the latest updated developments.
Good News -- Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Pleasant Hill Teen Ryan Joseph Completes Amazing Recovery From Hospital Bed To High School Grad
PLEASANT HILL -- There are few words to describe the courage College High School senior Ryan Joseph has displayed over the last two years. He went from a promising prep wrestler to battling for his life after suffering a crippling back injury to an inspiration for his classmates who will graduate with him on Friday. It was two years ago, during a wrestling match that Joseph suffered an injury that left him paralyzed.. Earlier this year, before the COVID-19 pandemic prematurely ended the wrestling season, Joseph came back to the same event where it all happened with a special message. Read More
For Uplifting Stories Of Neighbors Helping Neighbors Visit Our Better Together Section
Coronavirus Reopening
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Newsom Limits On Church Services
WASHINGTON -- A divided Supreme Court on Friday rejected an emergency appeal by a California church that challenged state limits on attendance at worship services that have been imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Over the dissent of the four more conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals in turning away a request from the South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista. The church argued that limits on how many people can attend their services violate constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and had been seeking an order in time for services on Sunday. The church said it has crowds of 200 to 300 people for its services. Read More
Sonoma County Sheriff Agrees To Enforce Local Health Order, Then Changes Mind
SONOMA COUNTY -- After a confusing day in Sonoma County Friday, it appeared the county sheriff will not be enforcing the the more restrictive local health department's current shelter order over the state's more relaxed restrictions. Earlier this week, Sonoma County Health Director Dr. Sundari Mase announced that she had decided against following the governor's guidelines to move into the next stage of reopening business, including hair salons and barber shops. Dr. Mase has ordered an additional two-week delay prior to expanding openings. "It is very important to understand that Sonoma County's health orders are aligned with the health orders of the State of California, which allows individual counties to take more restrictive measures," explained Dr. Mase. Read More
Sausalito Gradually Reopening Downtown Parking Lots To Reduce Congestion
SAUSALITO -- The gradual reopening of municipal parking lots in Sausalito will continue this weekend in an effort to reduce congestion in the city's downtown area, city officials said Friday. Municipal Lots 1 and 2 will remain open all weekend. Lots 3 and 4 will stay closed, but will open if needed. Residents, along with downtown merchants and their employees who are displaced by the closed lots should park in metered spaces on the street with their parking permits displayed on the rear bumper or their parking card on the vehicle's dashboard. Read More
Citing Rise In COVID-19 Cases, Alameda County Officials Leave Current Health Order In Place
ALAMEDA COUNTY -- Health officials in Alameda County on Friday confirmed that they would not be easing the current coronavirus shelter order as much of California progressed towards Stage 3 reopening, citing a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. County officials cautioned residents that data indicated it would be unsafe to relax the requirements of the most recent health order that was issued on May 18. "We currently have the highest rate of case increases in the Bay Area alongside a large increase in
hospitalized cases. It is imperative that we proceed with caution. In-person gatherings are prohibited at this time," said the release issued by the Alameda County Health Department Friday. Read More
Trump Announces U.S. Will End Support For World Health Organization During COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON -- With new U.S. economic numbers highlighting the rough road ahead for a hoped-for rebound, President Donald Trump on Friday took aim at the World Health Organization and China, blaming both for their roles in the pandemic's devastation. Trump announced that the United States will end its support for WHO, charging it didn't respond adequately to the health crisis because of China's "total control" over the global organization. Trump said Chinese officials "ignored" their reporting obligations to the WHO and pressured the agency to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered. Earlier Friday, U.S. Commerce Department statistics showed a record-shattering 13.6% drop in spending in April, a day after a federal jobs report showed another 2 million-plus Americans went out of work last week. Read More
San Mateo County Churches, Retail Stores, Beaches To Reopen On June 1 With Restrictions
REDWOOD CITY -- A newly-revised coronavirus stay-at-home order issued by San Mateo County health officials Friday will allow places of worship, retail stores and beaches to reopen with some restrictions, starting June 1. San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow issued the revised order which outlines modifications and restrictions that places of worship and retail businesses will have to follow. The new directive's reopening timeline is within the governor's Resilience Roadmap, but it leads the reopening pace set by other Bay Area counties. The health order requires places of worship to mark regions in 6-foot increments to indicate where individuals should stand; aisles should be designated as one-way to support social distancing. Read More
Gov. Newsom Believes Pace Of Reopening State Rests With COVID-19 Testing
SACRAMENTO -- From the earliest days of California's COVID-19 outbreak, Gov. Gavin Newsom has believed the key to a successful return to a new normal level of everyday life rested on the ability to provide large scale testing within the state. It's a belief he still has months later and is guiding his decision as to the pace in lifting the restrictions of his historic shelter in place order that shuttered businesses and schools and forced millions to remain homebound. "The most important thing that has occurred that allows me more confidence in our capacity to deliver the promise we can safely and responsibly reopen the economy in the state of California is that our testing has substantially increased in this state," he said. Read More
Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Fest Canceled; Weigh-In Still Taking Place
HALF MOON BAY -- The 50th Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival will not take place this October, the latest large event to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee Board of Directors made the cancellation official Thursday. The committee also announced the cancellation of the upcoming 4th of July parade, which is also organized by the group. "We've been holding out hope the situation would improve but it has become clear there is not a realistic path forward for this year's festival due to the uncertainty we face as well as the government-issued guidelines prohibiting large public gatherings for the foreseeable future," committee chairman Cameron Palmer said in a statement. Read More
San Francisco Launches Large Scale COVID-19 Testing In Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley And Sunnydale
SAN FRANCISCO -- Health officials, alarmed by a significant uptick in COVID-19 cases in San Francisco's Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood, announced Friday the launch of a wide-scale testing program for residents who live in the area. In a press release detailing the program, officials said there has been 194 confirmed cases among Bayview Hunters Point residents as of May 28, 2020. Southeast neighborhoods including Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale have seen existing social inequities such as homelessness, unemployment and food access exacerbated by the pandemic. Read More
State To Hire Nearly 2,000 Temporary Staffers To Help Manage Surge In Unemployment Applications
SAN FRANCISCO -- The state Employment Development Department plans to hire nearly 2,000 temporary full-time and hourly staff members in the coming weeks to hasten the delivery of unemployment benefits to workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The EDD is collaborating with the California Department of Human Resources, the California Highway Patrol and California Correctional Health Care Services to screen, interview and hire about 1,800 state employees. Those hired will be trained to work in the state's unemployment call centers, process unemployment insurance claims and analyze documents from applicants and their former employers to determine their applicable benefits. Read More
Reopening: Concerned Half Moon Bay Officials Reopen Coastal Beach Parking Lots
HALF MOON BAY -- Half Moon Bay officials announced they were reopening beach parking lot along the San Mateo County coastline, but also raised concerns late Thursday about the impact a weekend surge on out-of-town visitors could have on their community. Those concerns were further reinforced by their experience over Memorial Day weekend. "Memorial Day weekend on the coastside was, unfortunately, not a pleasant time for the people who live and work in Half Moon Bay," official said in a press release. "With the crowds of visitors came reports of mounds of trash, cars parked haphazardly on neighborhood streets, people walking through sensitive habitat and erosion-susceptible areas and even using lawns as restrooms, beach-goers using the still-under-construction (and blocked-off) Poplar Beach access stairs and other careless behavior." Read More
