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COVID-19 Reopening Roundup: Officials Urge Stay-At-Home July 4th; State Launches 'Wear A Mask, Slow The Spread' Campaign

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.


UCSF Contact Tracer Finds Mission District Latinos at Higher Risk of COVID-19
SAN FRANCISCO -- As the number of COVID-19 cases increases, the latest numbers show it is Latinos who continue to be disproportionately infected by the virus. Statewide, Latinos are 39 percent of the population but now make up 56 percent of the COVID-19 cases, according to the California Department of Public Health. Allison Wong, a UCSF medical student and contact tracer who is focusing on the Spanish-speaking patients in San Francisco, said it does not appear parties or protests are major factors. Instead, she said, the bulk of the infections appear to stem from the fact that more people are working and living in environments where it's difficult to get enough social distance. Read More

South Bay Small Business Owners Cheer Santa Clara County Plans for Reopening
SAN JOSE -- The county that enacted the first stay-at-home order in the Bay Area took a major step in reopening its economy Thursday. "This marks the end of a phased reopening and the beginning of a new stage," said Santa Clara County public health officer Dr. Sara Cody. "We need to adapt. This virus has adapted to us and we need to adapt to the virus." Instead of naming specific businesses that will be allowed to reopen, Cody announced "risk reduction" measures for all businesses to meet, which include social distancing, wearing masks and capacity limits. The new protocol requires that no more than one employee is allowed per 250 gross square feet and no more than one customer per 150 square feet of open space. Read More

San Rafael Boosts Outdoor Dining as New Virus Cases Prompt Reopening Rollbacks
SAN RAFAEL -- The Fourth of July weekend is almost here and health departments across the Bay Area are asking people to stay home. It's a hard ask as people are itching to break free from quarantine and dine out. In San Rafael, Fourth Street was shut down for several blocks so restaurants could expand their dining rooms outdoors. Despite coronavirus concerns, a sizeable crowd showed up to dine al fresco Thursday evening. "It's such a breath of fresh air," said Gray and Martha Dougherty. "Sitting in living room chairs in the middle of the street -- how can you beat that? It feels amazing." Read More

State Employment Development Department Swamped With Unemployment Claims
OAKLAND -- Jobless claims in California continue to climb as the state slows the reopening of businesses. The Employment Development Department on Thursday reported 196,616 new claims for the week ending on June 27, bringing the total number to 7,081,284 jobless claims since the beginning of the pandemic. The EDD reported it has paid out a record $37.5 billion to jobless Californians over the past three a half months but state lawmakers criticized the agency for not processing claims fast enough. Many unemployed people said they've waited weeks for their checks and their calls to the EDD hotline go unanswered. Like millions of the newly unemployed, Patricia Tierney had viewed the Employment Development Department as a safety net agency, a place that she could turn to for help. She said, so far, the EDD has provided nothing but frustration. Read More

Fremont, Danville Find Virtual Solutions For Stay-At-Home July 4th Festivities
FREMONT -- With fireworks canceled, parades canceled and big barbecues discouraged outside of your social bubble, Bay Area residents are being advised by health officials not to leave their house this Fourth of July holiday. "The best thing to do is to stay home, celebrate with members of your household and to be able to celebrate virtually with others," San Francisco Director of Public Health San Francisco's Doctor Grant Colfax said Thursday. One thing that has not been canceled in the tech-savvy Bay Area is creativity. The Fremont Fourth of July committee borrowed an idea from the City of Portland's canceled Rose Parade and turned the stars and stripes extravaganza into a porch parade. "Now, we're not going to have the houses come along with us. We're going to have people going out and judging the houses to see what they look like," said Fremont Porch Parade host Brandon Sass. Read More

Mandatory Mask Enforcement Problematic; Voluntary Compliance Urged To Prevent More Closures
PACIFICA -- Beaches will be closed and Californians are supposed to stay home and wear a mask when necessary. It's a sweeping set of coronavirus rules for the holiday weekend and on Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom took a lot of questions about enforcement. He acknowledged that is not something he can't quite do himself, so what does enforcement look like? "Look, we're not going to everybody's backyard and enforcing, you know that and they know that," Governor Newsom said. "People know what the right thing to do is. I encourage them to do the right thing, and to mitigate the spread." Calling, again, on those 'better angels' the governor made another 4th of July plea for Californians to play by the rules. Read More

Santa Clara County Issues New COVID-19 Health Order, Outlines Plan To Reopen Gyms, Hair Salons
SAN JOSE -- Santa Clara County health officials announced details of a new health order Thursday afternoon amid a surge in new coronavirus cases as well as detailing the forthcoming reopening of some businesses. "We need to adapt. We need to adapt to a new way of living and a new way of being," said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. The new order established what Dr. Cody described as "long-term risk reduction measures." The new order will allow for certain additional activities to resume, but it also puts in place significant additional containment measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Read More

San Francisco Health Department Warns Of Potential Coronavirus Surge
SAN FRANCISCO -- Early signs of a coronavirus case surge Thursday has health officials in San Francisco warning residents about what is being called an alarming rate of infections and hospitalizations. City leaders are trying to prevent a steeper spike in cases after the holiday weekend, once again urging locals to "flatten the curve" with their behavior. On Thursday, new SF Department of Health figures showed there were six confirmed cases for every 100,000 residents. The city's goal is to reduce that number to 1.8. The weekly rate of change in COVID-19 positive hospitalization has spiked to 61 percent, even higher than the 57 percent that led to a similar warning Wednesday. Read More

'Wear A Mask, Slow The Spread'; California Launches Major Public Awareness Campaign On Masks
SACRAMENTO -- California is launching a multi-million dollar public awareness campaign in several languages to encourage people about the importance of wearing masks to slow the spread of coronavirus. During his Thursday press conference to update the state's coronavirus response, Governor Gavin Newsom said the campaign will involve advertisements on TV, radio, internet, social media and billboards across the state. The governor said that the state has over 400 billboard sites that will advertise the message of wearing a mask as part of the campaign. "Wearing a mask is foundational and -- again -- it's mandatory in the state of California," said Newsom. Read More

Beach Hazard Warning Issued For Bay Area Through Holiday Weekend
SAN FRANCISCO -- The National Weather Service issued a beach hazard warning for the San Francisco and Monterey bay areas this weekend due to a long period swell and increased risk of rip currents. The southerly swell will affect beaches across the coast of the Bay Area throughout the holiday weekend, with swells of up to 4 feet expected by Saturday and Sunday. The highest risk of rip currents will also span from Thursday night to Saturday, according to the NWS. Steeper beaches along the coast will have larger waves and coastal erosion is possible due to the high swell. People entering the water will face the possibility of cold water shock if they are not prepared for water temperatures in the 50s. Read More

Free Hayward COVID-19 Test Site Turning People Away After Hitting Capacity
HAYWARD -- With the Bay Area seeing an increase in cases and the number of people wanting to get tested for the coronavirus, a free testing site in Hayward has been seeing more people showing up each day than it can handle. The free testing site at Hayward Drive was the first free site to open in the Bay Area. While last week they were testing well under the sites capacity, this week, they are having to turn people away. The line of cars at the site was already stretching a quarter mile down the road just before the scheduled 9 a.m. opening. Daniel Cambido was back for the second morning in a row after getting turned away Wednesday when the line was closed off just after 12 p.m. Normal closing time for the site is 4 p.m. Read More

Dozens Of School Principals Quarantined After COVID-19 Exposure During Campus Reopening Meeting
SAN JOSE -- More than 40 school principals in the San Francisco Bay Area are in quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus during an in-person meeting last month to discuss reopening campuses, according to a newspaper report. A person who attended the June 19 meeting by administrators of the Santa Clara Unified School District tested positive a few days later, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday. District Superintendent Stella Kemp confirmed the exposure to the school board during an online meeting last week, the Chronicle said. "Given the complexity required in the development of our reopening plan, some of our staff meetings are taking place in person," Kemp said. "Of course those meetings are being conducted under the strict guidelines provided to us by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department." Read More

To Stop Parties, Airbnb Won't Let Some Guests Book Homes
SAN FRANCISCO -- Airbnb will ban some younger U.S. guests from booking homes in their area as part of a continuing effort to crack down on unauthorized parties, after a deadly party house shooting in the East Bay last Halloween. The San Francisco-based home sharing company said U.S. guests under age 25 with fewer than three positive Airbnb reviews won't be allowed to book entire homes close to where they live. Airbnb wouldn't reveal how it defines what is "close." Those guests will still be allowed to book entire homes elsewhere, and they will be allowed to book hotel rooms or private rooms within homes, the company said. Guests under 25 with at least three positive Airbnb reviews and no negative reviews won't be subject to the restrictions. Read More

Tesla 2nd Quarter Deliveries Rise Despite COVID-19 Shutdown Of Fremont Factory
FREMONT -- Tesla says it delivered more electric vehicles worldwide in the second quarter than it did in the first. The increase came even though coronavirus restrictions forced it to shut down its only U.S. factory for much of the period. The company says it delivered 90,650 vehicles from April through June as it rolled out the new Model Y SUV in the U.S. and China. That's a 2.5% increase over the first quarter's 88,400. But it was a 4.8% drop from the second quarter of 2019, when Tesla delivered 95,200 vehicles. Coronavirus restrictions adopted in the Bay Area forced Tesla to close its only U.S. assembly plant in Fremont for almost two months starting March 23. The plant reopened in May, but not before CEO Elon Musk got into a dispute with Alameda County officials by ordering some workers back to the factory in early May and opening up in defiance of local health orders at the time. Read More

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