COVID-19 Reopening Roundup: Telsa Factory COVID-19 Cases; Berkeley Schools 'Heartbreaking' Decision; Alameda County Hopeful For Outdoor Dining Return
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 here's a news roundup of the top coronavirus and reopening-related stories from the last 24 hours.
Southbay Businesses On Emotional Roller Coaster After Being Forced To Close A Day After Reopening
SANTA CLARA -- The surge in COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County prompted a quick end to what had been a happy re-opening for many businesses including salons, spas and gyms. Now, after another shutdown order just hours after the re-opening, workers feel confused and disappointed. "It's a wave of emotions. I'm definitely upset. We just want to come back to work. This is how we make our living," said Jacquiline Gallegos, a hair stylist at Bishops Cut and Color, in Santa Clara. Ashley Mulato's excitement about coming back to work didn't even last one full shift. Read More
Tesla Workers Speak Out After Industry Blog Reports Dozens Of Workers Tested Positive For COVID-19
FREMONT -- Workers at Tesla were speaking out after an industry blog reported that more than a hundred employees have tested positive for coronavirus and more than a thousand have been exposed. The workers raised serious concerns about their health and safety at the Fremont plant, but they say those concerns are being ignored. "I feel abandoned, we all feel abandoned," says Tesla employee Branton Phillips. Phillips says the company is leaving its workers in the dark about coronavirus cases at its Fremont plant. "One day somebody is sick and we know that, next day the 3 to 4 guys that worked around him are also gone and we're not told anything," he says. Read More
San Ramon Valley Unified Facing Difficult Choices For A Safe COVID-19 Back-To-School Plan
SAN RAMON -- Schools across the Bay Area are facing tough decisions about how to offer classes during the pandemic and one of the most contested was in the San Ramon area. Tuesday was decision day for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. School officials had to decide what going back to school was going to look like."This is one of the toughest decisions we will ever have to deal with," said board member Rachel Hurd at the virtual public meeting. The board was grappling with whether to continue remote learning, send kids back to campus 5 days a week, or create a hybrid system split between in-class and at-home learning. "Kara" is an emergency room nurse and mother of young twin girls living in the district. She doesn't see how at-home schooling could possibly work. Read More
Alameda County Officials Approve Plan To Seek Variance To Reopen Outdoor Dining
OAKLAND -- The Alameda County Board of Supervisors gave their unanimous approval Tuesday to a plan to ask for a variance from state-imposed COVID-19 restrictions that would allow local restaurants to once again offer outdoor dining. It was not known when the official paperwork would be filed by county health officials and if the state would approve the variance. Currently, Alameda County is on the state watchlist. But Tuesday's vote gave residents at least a hope of someday soon returning to al fresco dining. For several weeks, local residents have been able to enjoy a meal with social distancing and outside seating at local restaurants as Alameda County health officials began rolling back COVID-19 restrictions. Then on Friday night, county officials were told by the state in the wake of a rise of new COVID-19 cases statewide they needed to shut down outdoor dining and return to just takeout and delivery options for meals bought outside the home. Read More
Surge In COVID-19 Cases Forces State Officials To Narrow Criteria On Who Can Be Tested
SACRAMENTO -- With coronavirus cases rising fast, California overhauled its guidelines Tuesday for who can be tested, prioritizing people who are hospitalized with symptoms, those in close contact with infected people or when necessary to control a local outbreak. The new guidelines say people without symptoms and not in essential jobs won't be prioritized for testing until results can be turned around in less than 48 hours. The changes come as the state faces testing shortages and long wait times for results as new outbreaks pop up around the state. To stem the surge of cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday closed malls, hair salons, gyms and other indoor businesses in most of the state, and barred inside religious services. "While other states across the nation increase the need for testing, we have certainly seen increased turnaround time issues," explained California Health & Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly during a conference call with the media Tuesday. Read More
Contra Costa Supervisors Extend Moratorium On Evictions, Rent Increases Due To COVID-19 Pandemic
MARTINEZ -- Extensions of a temporary prohibition on rental tenant evictions and of a residential rent increase moratorium, as many renters are losing some or all of their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were both approved by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The supervisors first approved the eviction moratorium and rent freeze in March, as the pandemic was beginning, and extended them in May. The latest urgency ordinances were set to expire Wednesday. Tuesday's urgency ordinance will extend the eviction prohibition through Sept. 30, and the rent freeze through Jan. 31, 2021. The supervisors on Tuesday pledged to revisit both before Sept. 30. The protections are for tenants who can prove they've lost income because of the coronavirus -- a layoff tied directly to a pandemic-related business loss or closure, for instance -- or that they've had out-of-pocket medical bills related to the coronavirus. Read More
Oakland's Popular Burger Boogaloo Festival Postponed Until 2021
OAKLAND -- Organizers of annual East Bay punk festival the Burger Boogaloo on Tuesday announced that the already postponed eleventh anniversary edition of the fest would be pushed until July of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The planners behind the popular yearly garage-punk celebration held every July in Oakland's Mosswood Park posted the news on its Facebook page Tuesday morning. Previously announced headliners Bikini Kill and Circle Jerks, perennial host John Waters and the rest of the performers scheduled to appear will be playing the new dates on July 10-11 of next year, according to the festival's co-producers, SoCal punk imprint Burger Records and Bay Area rock promoters Total Trash Productions. "While we're disappointed we have to change the dates, we feel next summer will be a better time to host the event. John Waters, Bikini Kill, Circle Jerks, Plastic Bertrand and the rest of our incredible lineup will be returning," the post read. "All tickets already purchased will be honored. If you have questions please email burgerboogaloo@gmail.com." Read More
Santa Rosa Closing Public Counters At Most City Offices Until August 2 Due To COVID-19
SANTA ROSA -- In response to new statewide restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the City of Santa Rosa is closing most of its public counters until at least August 2. The closures take effect Wednesday, July 15. Public counters at City Hall, Finley and Steele Lane Community Centers, the Parking Division, Planning and Economic Development and most other city departments will be closed. There will be limited public access at the Santa Rosa Police Department, but COVID-19 restrictions such as mandatory masks will be enforced. The SRPD public counter will be open Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Read More
BART Joins Public Transit Agencies Nationwide In Call For Federal Pandemic Relief Funding
OAKLAND -- BART joined a nationwide group of public transit agencies Tuesday to call on the federal government to allocate between $32 billion and $36 billion in relief funding for public transit in its next COVID-19 pandemic relief funding package. BART General Manager Bob Powers and executives from 12 transit agencies like the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York and Seattle's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority cautioned that the pandemic could easily derail the country's public transit agencies over the next 18 months. Executives with each transit agency detailed how ridership has plummeted upwards of 90 percent during the pandemic, causing eight- and nine-figure monthly shortfalls in fare gate revenue. For BART, the agency's current 89 percent loss in ridership amounts to a gap of $40 million in monthly revenue. Powers estimated that the pandemic could cut revenue by roughly $975 million over the next three years. Read More
Slugging A's Counting On Fast Start In Shortened Season To Challenge Astros
OAKLAND -- With a months-long layoff, the attention surrounding Mike Fiers has significantly subsided. He can go about his business behind the scenes again just as he prefers it. As the whistleblower in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, Fiers has reiterated he wants nothing more than to move forward with the season. Finally, he might be able to do that. The Oakland Athletics are on the cusp of starting the shortened 60-game season and ready to chase another playoff berth, knowing those mighty Astros likely stand in the way of an AL West crown. Read More
Trump Administration Rescinds Rule Requiring Foreign Online Students To Leave Country
BOSTON -- Facing eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, including the University of California system, the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic. The decision was announced at the start of a hearing in a federal lawsuit in Boston brought by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said federal immigration authorities agreed to pull the July 6 directive and "return to the status quo." A lawyer representing the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said only that the judge's characterization was correct. Read More
Hawaii Delays Quarantine Waiver Over Rising COVID-19 Cases In California, Mainland
HONOLULU -- Hawaii's governor said Monday he will wait another month to waive a 14-day quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers who test negative for COVID-19, citing increasing virus cases in Hawaii, "uncontrolled" outbreaks in several U.S. mainland states and a shortage of testing supplies. The testing plan, as announced last month, was scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1. It''s now postponed to Sept. 1. A popular travel destination for Californians, Hawaii's announcement comes as California rolls back parts of its own reopening due to a rising number of cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19. Read More
Air District Asks Employers To Extend Work From Home With 'Cut The Commute Pledge'
SAN JOSE -- The Bay Area Air Quality Management District along with Santa Clara County asked Bay Area employers to sign the "Cut the Commute Pledge" that extends teleworking for employees and maintains air quality progress after shelter-in-place orders are eased. Employers who sign the pledge would commit to extend teleworking by at least 25 percent of employees if their work allows it. Employers would also vow to include a formal work-from-home policy as part of the employee benefits package in attempt to improve both the air quality and quality of life for Bay Area residents. In the first seven weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bay Area saw a 32 percent reduction to CO2 emissions. This is in large part due to the significant decrease in vehicle traffic, as transportation is the top source of air pollution in the region. Read More
Berkeley Unified Superintendent Recommends Distance Learning In 'Heartbreaking' Decision
BERKELEY -- The Superintendent for the Berkeley Unified School District is recommending the start of the upcoming school year to begin online, as rising COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area prompt other districts to do the same. "As you may know, school districts across the state are making a similar decision to begin in Distance Learning, but as your Superintendent, this is a heartbreaking recommendation to make," Superintendent Brent Stephens said in a letter to the school community. "I know that this will come as difficult news for many families and students, and particularly for parents and guardians of younger children, as distance learning places them in a very challenging predicament," Stephens went on to say. Read More
Doctor Warns Focus On COVID-19 Causing 'Disruption' In Cancer Screenings, Treatments
NEW YORK -- The spread of COVID-19 has created many scary situations for people with pre-existing conditions. There is a lot of fear and anxiety these days for cancer patients who need leave the house to get treatment or people who are trying to schedule cancer screenings. Dr. Pat Basu is the President and CEO of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and he says COVID-19 has had a major impact on cancer patients and cancer treatment across the country. "These are unsettling times for all of us, but particularly in the world of cancer it presents some unique challenges," said Dr. Basu in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. Read More
Demand For Robot Cooks From Bay Area Firms Rising As Kitchens Combat COVID-19
HAYWARD -- Robots produced by Bay Area companies that can cook - from flipping burgers to baking bread - are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers Robot food service was a trend even before the coronavirus pandemic, as hospitals, campus cafeterias and others tried to meet demand for fresh, customized options 24 hours a day while keeping labor costs in check. Robot chefs appeared at places like Creator, a burger restaurant in San Francisco, and Dal.komm Coffee outlets in South Korea. Now, some say, robots may shift from being a novelty to a necessity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says the risk of getting COVID-19 from handling or consuming food outside the home is low. Still, there have been numerous outbreaks among restaurant employees and patrons. Read More
