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COVID-19 Reopening Roundup: Counties Pumping Brakes On Reopenings; Deadly Outbreak At Livermore VA Facility

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The tsunami of news about the current coronavirus outbreak and now the reopenings 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 so you can start your day with the latest updated developments.


Santa Clara County Plans to Enter Next Phase of Reopening as San Francisco Hits the Brakes
SAN JOSE -- Santa Clara County residents learned Friday that the community was ready and poised to enter the next reopening phase by the end of next week. Public Health Officer Sara Cody made the announcement that, although there was an increase in COVID-19 cases, she planned to release details of the next step in the middle of next week. "I anticipate issuing a new order next week," Cody said. "Thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of our residents, the prevalence of COVID-19 in Santa Clara county does remain much lower than in most other places." Cody has recently received criticism from some members of the community for being much slower to reopen the county than others in the Bay Area. Santa Clara County was hit hard by the virus in the beginning of the pandemic, and Cody was the first to enforce its stay-at-home order in the region. Read More

Researchers Turn to Pool Testing for Efficient Tracking of Coronavirus Outbreaks
SAN FRANCISCO -- In California, the new surge in COVID-19 cases is causing alarm. "Every day we have record-breaking highs and that means the pandemic is far from over," said internal medicine physician Maja Artandi of Stanford Healthcare. On Friday, Gov. Newsom addressed a possible change in testing strategy to something called group- or "pool" testing. "You see this at blood banks, they do this," he pointed out. The idea: samples taken from different people's nasal swabs are combined -- pooled -- into one large sample then tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Read More

'Failed Experiment' To House Homeless In RV Park Costs San Jose $1.3 Million
SAN JOSE -- San Jose homeless advocates are demanding answers about how a city program to house people in trailers during the pandemic failed. A small group gathered just outside the gates of Happy Hollow Park. Inside the parking lot, 90 refurbished FEMA trailers, which were a gift from the state of California, sit empty in what the city calls a "failed experiment" to house the homeless. "If you invest $1.3 million in a project, you should have something to show for it. And all they have to show for it are empty trailers," said homeless advocate Shaunn Cartwright. The $1.3 million was used to refurbish and set up the trailers like an RV park. The city paid another $700,000 on a contract with homeless housing provider Abode Services to operate the park until October. Read More

Contra Costa, Santa Clara Counties Reassess Reopening Timeline; Both Counties On State Watch List
MARTINEZ -- Health authorities in Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties are reassessing their timelines to continue reopening sectors of the economy because of data showing an increasing spread of coronavirus cases. Changes to the Contra Costa reopening timeline would affect businesses and activities scheduled to resume July 1, including indoor dining, bars, gyms, hotels and some personal care services, including nail salons and tattoo parlors. The two counties are among 15 counties in California that have been put on a state watch list for "targeted engagement" and additional resources from the state to manage its pandemic response. One of the counties on the watch list is Imperial County, which has been advised to roll back its phased reopening plans back to the original stay-at-home order because of the surge in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. Read More

1 Dead, 18 Infected In COVID-19 Outbreak At Livermore VA Facility
LIVERMORE -- Officials at a Livermore VA facility on Friday afternoon confirmed that the facility is investigating a coronavirus outbreak that has left one resident dead and infected 18 other residents and staff members. A spokesperson for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, which the Livermore Community Living Center (CLC) is part of, on Friday afternoon confirmed that they are investigating an outbreak that involves ten residents and nine staff members at the facility who recently tested positive for COVID-19. The campus is located at 4951 Arroyo Road in Livermore. Read More

San Francisco Delays June 29 Openings Of Salons, Museums Over Rising COVID-19 Cases
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor London Breed announced the  reopening of certain businesses set for Monday, June 29th will be delayed amid concerns about the rising numbers of coronavirus infections. Hair salons, barbers, museums, zoos and tattoo parlors were among the businesses slated to reopen early next week. "COVID-19 cases are rising throughout CA. We're now seeing a rise in cases in SF too. Our numbers are still low but rising rapidly," the mayor said in a series of tweets about the delayed reopening posted Friday. Breed said the city say 103 new cases on Thursday, compared to 20 new cases when the city reopened outdoor dining and in-store retail on June 15th. Read More

Marin County Rolls Back June 29 COVID-19 Reopening For Some Businesses
SAN RAFAEL -- Prompted by a spike in coronavirus cases locally, Marin County announced Friday it will delay the reopening of some businesses that had been told they could restart operations on July 29. As of Thursday the county had recorded 54 new cases -- its highest single-day number since the pandemic began. As well, Marin County has a pandemic-high number of COVID-19 patients in hospital, 12, with five of those in intensive care. With more than 500 inmates found to be infected during the past two weeks, San Quentin State Prison is compounding the surge in cases. A number of critically-ill prisoners have been transferred to local hospitals. More than prison staff, some of whom are county residents, have been infected. Read More

Muir Woods Set To Reopen Monday With Restrictions
MARIN COUNTY -- Muir Woods National Monument will reopen to the public on Monday -- one of the last sites in the National Park Service to welcome people back after closing because of the coronavirus. When the park is open and the summer is in full swing, there can be thousands of people lined up the entrance to Muir Woods. While the COVID-19 shutdown eliminated the crowds, come Monday they'll be back. Muir Woods has been closed for more than three months, a closure that has prevented tens of thousands of visitors from around the world from seeing some of the largest trees on earth. Muir Woods was not among the Marin County businesses or locations forced to roll back planned openings on Monday due to the recent spike in local coronavirus cases. Read More

Rescheduled 2020 Bay To Breakers Race Canceled For Virtual Event Due To COVID-19
SAN FRANCISCO -- The 2020 running of the Bay to Breakers, which had already been rescheduled to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been canceled. John Kane, CEO of the Capstone Event Group which organizes the race, said, "After postponing the iconic Bay to Breakers race from May to September, we made the difficult decision to transition to a virtual event." Kane said San Francisco city officials, along with race organizers, were not confident that it would be safe to host the large crowds and thousands of runners that gather for the annual race, which has been run for more than a century. Read More

San Francisco Studio Hosts All-Star Virtual Benefit Concert For Local Music Venues
SAN FRANCISCO -- Light Rail Studio in San Francisco on Sunday will host a fundraising "webathon" to help save some of the city's  financially struggling live music venues amid the COVID-19 shutdown. The three-hour livestream event "Because the Night," is aimed at raising money and awareness about the plight of Bay Area venues that are part of the Independent Venue Alliance. The organization was born in the spring as the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged to shut down businesses. Operators from such landmark venues like the Bottom of the Hill, El Rio, the Rickshaw Stop and the Chapel banding together in order to amplify the cause of these key cultural hubs that have received little assistance from either city or federal government officials. Read More

Seriously Ill COVID-19 Infected San Quentin Inmates Transferred Under Guard To Local Hospitals
SAN QUENTIN -- A COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin State Prison continued its rapid spread Friday with 545 confirmed cases among the inmate population with 16 of the most seriously ill having been transferred under guard to local hospitals for treatment, according to state officials. "As of June 25, there were 16 incarcerated people from San Quentin State Prison out to hospitals," officials said on an email to KPIX 5. Officials said security at those hospitals was foremost in the agency's mind."Transporting inmates to medical facilities is not new and CDCR (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) has had policies and procedures regarding medical guarding and transportation for decades," officials continued in the email. "Round-the-clock custody coverage is provided at the hospital when an inmate is admitted." Read More

Imperial County Advised To Reinstitute Stay-At-Home Order As COVID-19 Cases Overwhelm System
SACRAMENTO -- An unmanageable surge in coronavirus patients in Imperial County along the border with Mexico has prompted Governor Gavin Newsom and the state health department to advise the county to pull back from phased reopening and reinstitute stay-at-home orders. Newsom said Imperial County has been on the state's watch list for additional resources from the state because of concerning developments in those counties with regard to the pandemic. Most of the 15 counties being monitored by the state, including Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties, have received variances from state to advance their phased reopenings; however, Imperial County was not one of them. While the state's positivity rate on coronavirus testing has increased to 5.3 percent over the last 14 days, by contrast in Imperial County the positivity rate is approaching 23 percent. Read More

Santa Cruz County Reopens Beaches As Wave Of Coronavirus Cases Set Record Totals
SANTA CRUZ -- Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, Santa Cruz County reopened its beaches to the public on Friday. Just a few months ago, deputies were warning people not to get on the water, or else they'd get fined. But after months of people ignoring the order, the county gave in, and the beaches are back open again. The original closure on May 2 made it illegal to be on the beaches from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with fines up to $1,000. At first, locals followed the rules. But as time went on, the county said so many people were flouting the rules and going to the beach anyway, that it became impossible for police to enforce it. Read More

Vitas Sued For Allegedly Requiring Sales Reps To Visit Bay Area Care Homes Amid COVID-19
SAN MATEO -- A sales representative for the hospice and palliative care firm Vitas claims in a lawsuit that the company has endangered both its own employees and the staff and residents of Bay Area nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic by presenting its sales as an "essential service." Kristina Eisenacher of San Mateo claims that her supervisors at Vitas required her to enter health facilities to generate business even after the facilities had stopped letting family members enter to visit loved ones - and despite a recommendation from her doctor that she not do so because she may be especially susceptible to the coronavirus. Eisenacher alleges in her lawsuit, filed June 16 in Alameda County Superior Court, that Vitas Healthcare, the nation's largest provider of end-of-life care, told her to get the doctor's recommendation reversed and then retaliated against her by putting her on unpaid leave. Read More

Giants Season Ticket Holder, Fan Photos Will Fill San Francisco Oracle Park Stands
SAN FRANCISCO -- When San Francisco Giants players walk up to the plate at Oracle Park for their COVID-19 shortened season, they will be cascaded by the faces of smiling fans. Unlike past seasons when those fans were live in the park, under the new COVID-19 crowd restrictions, the majority of those faces will be virtual. The Giants will report to the park next month, preparing for an abbreviated Major League Baseball season which will feature just 30 home games beginning in late July. The team has not announced how many fans may be allowed to attend the games with social distancing restrictions in place, but they do not want their players greeted by empty seats so they are taking a cue from professional teams in Korea. Read More

Overseas Flights Returning To San Francisco International Airport
SAN FRANCISCO -- After months of being nearly a ghost town, the travel pace was picking up at San Francisco International Airport Friday as flights for foreign destinations were restarting after their COVID-19 slumber. Among the major reopenings, was an announcement by United Airlines that it would be restarting its twice weekly flights to Shanghai's Pudong International Airport via Seoul's Incheon International Airport on July 8. United will operate service with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from San Francisco to Shanghai on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Customers traveling from Shanghai will return to San Francisco on Thursdays and Sundays. Read More

NASA Releases Unique Look At COVID-19 Impacts On San Francisco Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/AP) -- A coalition of the world's top space agencies have launched a unique dashboard to show the impact of COVID-19 from images captured by their satellites including views of the San Francisco Bay Area. Using data from 17 satellites, three space agencies have created a website that serves as a global dashboard for temporary changes observed from orbit. The European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and NASA Thursday unveiled the Earth Observing Dashboard. The data, which will be expanded in the future, monitors 30 environmental indicators, 17 economic signals and three agricultural indices. Read More

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