Coronavirus Reopening Roundup: Uptick In New Santa Clara Cases; Yosemite National Park Reopening For Visitors
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.
Santa Clara County Experiencing Increase In New COVID-19 Cases
SAN FRANCISCO -- As the Bay Area reopens, a concerning trend has emerged out of Santa Clara County. On Monday, county health officials reported 33 new cases of COVID-19 and 1 new deaths. Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody has warned that too quick of a pace of reopening the county from several months of being shelter in place will result in an increase in cases. "We are beginning to see a little bit of an uptick in our hospitalizations, which likely reflects the easing we did in the middle of May," Cody said during the Board of Supervisors meeting. Santa Clara County has been the hardest hit in the San Francisco Bay Area region by the spread of the virus. County statistics show that 2973 local residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the outbreak began with 145 deaths and currently 73 people being hospitalized. Read More
Bay Area College Grad Finds Job Prospects Daunting In Age Of Pandemic
SAN FRANCISCO -- Serena Troung has embraced her new hobby with gusto, growing tomatoes, green onions and cucumbers out of a makeshift garden bed located on the balcony of her apartment. The activity is a positive distraction for the 22-year-old as she finishes her senior year at UCLA while sheltering in place inside the campus apartment she shares with roommates. "It's a ghost town," Truong said of UCLA campus. "It's so quiet and it's also really eerie ... Like I've never seen the campus so empty, so quiet." Truong's long-anticipated graduation ceremony has been canceled. It's a situation Truong's family has struggled to accept. Read More
UC Berkeley Study: COVID-19 Safety Measures Stopped 500M Infections, 60 Million In U.S.
BERKELEY -- Emergency health and safety measures taken in six major countries have prevented more than 500 million infections during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, according to a study published Monday by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The report, published in the journal "Nature," is the first peer-reviewed analysis of local, regional and national coronavirus containment and prevention policies in China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, France and the United States. The researchers estimate public health and safety measures like travel restrictions, business and school closures and shelter-in-place orders have prevented about 530 million infections between January and April 6, when the study ended. Read More
California Movie Theaters May Reopen This Week With Limited Seating
SACRAMENTO -- California movie theaters can begin opening later this week if they limit theater capacity to 25% or no more than 100 attendees, under state guidance released Monday. The guidance adds movie theaters to a long list of other businesses that can start reopening as the nation's most populous state relaxes its stay-at-home order. Restaurants, churches, hair salons and retail stores have already reopened in many counties. Soon that reopening will expand vastly in counties that can meet certain metrics including number of cases, positive test rates and testing and tracing capabilities. Other entertainment venues that can reopen later include bowling alleys, mini golf courses and arcades. Read More
Virtual Golden State Warriors Kids Camp Still A Slam Dunk
OAKLAND -- The Golden State Warriors moved from their headquarters in Oakland last year, but basketball still goes on at facility they called home for decades. The courts are quite right now, but the show goes on for the Warriors Basketball Academy -- virtually. Coaches teach in front of a camera via video chat, and young ballers practice from their homes. Shooting techinqiue group sessions over Instagram Live? Welcome to 2020. Bay Area camps will happen this summer, but with a much smaller capacity. The Warriors have found a way to adapt and include everyone. Read More
Yosemite Reportedly Opening Thursday, Reservations Required
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK -- After being closed for nearly three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Yosemite National Park is set to reopen to the general public. According to the Fresno Bee, the park will reopen Thursday, but reservations will be required for day-use visitors, and the number of visitors would be reduced by about half. The park's backcountry had reopened Friday, but only for visitors with existing wilderness or Half Dome permits. Under the reopening plan, only about 3,600 vehicles per day would be allowed into the park, 1,700 for day-use, along with 1,900 for overnight visitors. Reservations would be made through recreation.gov. Additional details are expected to be announced Monday afternoon, the newspaper reported. Read More
Richmond Ferry Service To Resume After Months Of Service Due To Pandemic
RICHMOND -- Ferry service will resume from Richmond next week after being suspended in March due to shelter orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority announced Monday. The service resumption will begin June 15, along with the doubling of service on the San Francisco Bay Ferry's Vallejo route, according to WETA, the agency that operates the ferries between several Bay Area cities. The agency had suspended ferry service to Richmond, Harbor Bay and South San Francisco and reduced service on the Vallejo and Alameda/Oakland routes on March 17. The increasing of service on the Vallejo route is in response to ridership increases, according to WETA. Read More
Santa Clara County Reopening: Businesses Urged To Flush Out Water Pipes
SAN JOSE -- San Jose Water is reminding businesses and other properties preparing to reopen as novel coronavirus restrictions ease of the importance of first flushing water pipes. "Water that sits inside a building's pipes for long periods of time can become stagnant and may become discolored or cause unwanted contaminants to leach from a building's pipe materials," said Francois Rodigari, the agency's director of water quality. "Bacteria may also grow in the stagnant water. This is why flushing the water within the pipes is highly recommended before resuming use." Flushing should be done at each point of use—showers, all sink faucets, ice machines, drinking water fountains and coolers—by letting the water run for about 10 minutes from both the hot and cold taps. Read More
State School Chief Unveils Game Plan For Return To Classrooms
SAN FRANCISCO -- California's Department of Education released a detailed guide Monday for the safe reopening of schools in the age of face masks and physical distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It makes clear that schools will look dramatically different for California's 6.2 million students and staff, who can expect temperature checks upon entering schools and buses, face masks for teachers and students and extensive hand washing throughout the day. It also offers suggestions for how to offer classroom instruction with smaller class sizes such as rotating students into campuses two days a week, while the remainder of days they stay home for distance learning. Read More
Oakland A's Broadcaster Dallas Braden Concerned For MLB's Future
SAN FRANCISCO -- Oakland A's broadcaster Dallas Braden hasn't been able to call games in 2020, but his other job as a podcaster has kept his head in the game. It's been over a decade since Braden became just the 17th pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game. A's fans won't forget the emotional embrace he had with his grandmother Peggy Lindsey after recording the 27th out at the Coliseum. The Stockton native never pitched another full season after 2010, but he now has a pipeline to some of the game's biggest names via the Starting 9 podcast. Phillies superstar Bryce Harper and baseball mega-agent Scott Boras are among the many that have joined his podcast since the pandemic shutdown. Read More
Airbnb Making Comeback After Months Of Customers Sheltering-In-Place
SAN FRANCISCO -- Here's another sign that summer travel is rebounding: Airbnb said it's experiencing a surge in bookings as customers emerge from several months of being cooped up in their homes because of COVID-19. Airbnb revealed that it had more US bookings between May 17 and June 3, which encompassed Memorial Day on May 25, than the same time period a year earlier. That signals Americans are ready to travel, albeit primarily within the United States. CEO Brian Chesky said he's noticed travelers are preferring to stick to drivable domestic destinations within 200 miles of their home. The malaise of international travel restrictions is making it difficult for people to explore outside of their home countries. Read More
US Government's Supply Of COVID-19 Drug Remdesivir Runs Out At End Of Month
FOSTER CITY -- The US government's current supply of remdesivir, the only drug known to work against Covid-19, will run out at the end of the month, Dr. Robert Kadlec, a US Department of Health and Human Services official, told CNN. The government's last shipment of the drug will go out the week of June 29. Foster City-based Gilead Sciences, the company that makes the drug, is ramping up to make more, but it's unclear how much will be available this summer. "Right now, we're waiting to hear from Gilead what is their expected delivery availability of the drug as we go from June to July," Kadlec said. "We're kind of not in negotiations, but in discussions with Gilead as they project what the availability of their product will be." Read More
