Watch CBS News

COVID-19 Reopening Roundup: Official Says State Watch List 'Fundamentally Flawed'; Day, Todd Lead Fanless PGA Championship; In-Person Voting Rules Set

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.


PGA Championship: 'I Drove It Really Nicely'; Jason Day Grabs First-Round Lead At PGA Championship
SAN FRANCISCO -- Australia's Jason Day, who has battled a bad back all season long, carded five birdies and no bogeys Thursday to grab a share of the first-round lead on opening day of the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park. On a wind-swept afternoon round, Brendon Todd -- who has led more rounds during this COVID-19 shortened season than any other golfer -- wrestled with the elements to card seven birdies and two bogeys to end the round at 5-under par. "It feels really good to finish with a two-putt to get a share of the first-round lead on a difficult afternoon," Todd said. "It (the weather) really changed the last two holes." Read More

California Sets In-Person Voting Rules Amid Coronavirus
SACRAMENTO -- Worried about the unpredictable coronavirus wreaking havoc on the November election, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Thursday to let counties offer fewer in-person polling places in exchange for opening the sites earlier. The change follows another law Newsom signed in June requiring counties to mail ballots to every active registered voter ahead of the Nov. 3 election. It's part of the state's strategy to keep people from gathering at polling places and risk further spread of the coronavirus that has killed nearly 9,900 Californians. "This November will have the most unusual election, at least in my lifetime, but there will be an election," said state Sen. Tom Umberg, a Democrat from Santa Ana and the author of the bill. Read More

Judge Orders COVID-19 Tests at California Detention Center
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge Thursday ordered coronavirus testing of everyone held at a California immigration detention center, saying authorities had shown "deliberate indifference to the risk of an outbreak." U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has "lost the right to be trusted" that the agency will take safety measures at the Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the newspaper said. Mesa Verde is owned by a private ICE contractor and houses 121 men challenging or awaiting deportation proceedings. Read More

San Francisco Crowds Gather to Watch PGA Championship Despite COVID-19 Barriers
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco began hosting the PGA Championship, the largest golfing event in the world, on Thursday, yet it might as well be happening anywhere else around the world because no one here can watch. But some are trying. Not far from PGA Championship's 11th green and the 12th tee box there was a small but determined gallery, even for a tournament that officially has no spectators. They've been gathering around TPC Harding Park, trying to stare through the screens surrounding the course. "Yeah, we came out to walk around the lake," explained Sue Martin. "We knew the PGA was here so we're trying to see if there are any spots that we could look through." Read More

San Mateo County Health Officer Calls State COVID-19 Watch List 'Fundamentally Flawed'
SAN MATEO COUNTY -- The Health Officer for San Mateo County on Thursday issued a scathing criticism of California's current COVID-19 watch list and policy for closing businesses, calling the state's system "fundamentally flawed." San Mateo County Health Officer Scott Morrow outlined his criticism of the state's testing data and what he called the "arbitrary and constantly changing framework that the State has set up to put counties on the watch list" in a message that posted to the San Mateo County Health website on Thursday. "I wish to apologize to all the businesses that were closed this week," the statement read. "I am not supportive of these actions and, for San Mateo County, I believe they are misdirected and will cause more harm than good. This action is a bit like looking for your lost keys under a streetlight even though you lost them miles away." Read More

San Francisco Health Officials Postpone Release Of Some Info Due To Glitch In States COVID Data
SAN FRANCISCO -- Recent issues with the California Department of Public Health's electronic reporting system have led in San Francisco to temporarily suspend posting some COVID-19 data online, city officials said Thursday. Counties across the state announced underreported COVID-19 case numbers early this week due to a glitch in the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE) disease reporting system. In response, CDPH has directed all laboratories to report positive COVID test results directly to county health departments until the issue is fixed. San Francisco's Department of Emergency Management said the city's positivity rate, case investigation and contact tracing were disrupted less than other counties' metrics because of a March health order directing all laboratories testing San Francisco residents or conducting tests in San Francisco to report all results, both negative and positive, directly to the city. Read More

California's High Unemployment Rate Signals More COVID-19-Related Hardships
SAN JOSE -- For the second straight week, first-time jobless claims were down nationwide and in California. But the state's rate is still about five times higher than it was pre-pandemic with over 432,000 new claims. Californians who have lost their jobs appear to be losing some hope of ever being called back to those positions. "I can't work, and it's just frustrating," said Ruth Palfreeman, a San Jose massage therapist who's been laid off twice since the pandemic began. When KPIX first met her last month, she was excited and getting to restart her job. But that reopening lasted just days and her massage tables have been empty ever since. Now she's afraid the pandemic has claimed her job permanently. Read More

Sonoma Co Approves Fines for Failing to Follow COVID-19 Prevention Orders
SONOMA COUNTY -- The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance Thursday that allows government employees to issue citations for individuals and businesses that don't follow state and local orders for stopping the spread of COVID-19. Local law enforcement and other government agents can now issue fines of $100 for individuals and $10,000 for businesses that fail to take mandated precautions against the coronavirus. The board unanimously approved the ordinance on an urgency basis, which means the county implements it immediately after its passing. Among the infractions that can lead to $100-fines for individuals are -- Failing to wear facial coverings and not practicing safe social distancing (maintaining 6-foot separations from non-family members) when in public. Read More

Dr. Deborah Birx: Central Valley Among Latest Areas Of Concern For COVID-19 Rise
SAN FRANCISCO -- The White House coronavirus task force is warning states about an uptick in coronavirus test positivity rates in a number of new cities this week and raised concerns about California's Central Valley. Task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said there are encouraging signs across the South, a region hit hard by a surging pandemic in recent weeks, but she outlined new areas of concern in a private phone call with state and local officials Wednesday, according to a recording of the call obtained by the journalism non-profit Center for Public Integrity. "We are concerned that both Baltimore and Atlanta remain at a very high level," Birx said on the call. "Kansas City, Portland, Omaha, of course what we talked about in the Central Valley (in California)." Read More

'The Virus Infects The Heart Itself': Cardiologist Says COVID-19 Linked To Variety Of Cardiovascular Ailments
SAN FRANCISCO -- The spread of COVID-19 around the world has become the biggest story of 2020. Each month, doctors and medical professionals are learning more about the virus's impact on short-term and long-term health.  Dr. Jennifer Haythe is a cardiologist at Columbia University's Irving Medical Center in New York and is one of the many doctors who was on the frontlines when COVID-19 first started spreading through the country. Dr. Haythe spends her days researching the heart and explains how this virus is impacting the heart in several different ways. "Early on, we started to see manifestations including acute heart failure syndromes, which we often see with the flu and other viruses," said Dr. Haythe in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "There were patients that had a lot of arrhythmias. We started to see irritable heart pictures where people were having fast heart rates and potentially lethal arrythmias. We also saw myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart. Read More

Santa Clara Co. Opens Multiple COVID-19 Testing Sites For Appointments - 'Convenience Is Key'
SANTA CLARA COUNTY -- Beginning this week, Santa Clara County will provide appointment-based testing sites on a consistently scheduled, rotating basis, according to County Supervisor Joseph Simitian. Testing sites will take place in cities including Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale. "Convenience is key," Simitian said. "If we want more people to be tested, providing locally available and convenient sites is essential." The new sites will require an appointment, which will be open for scheduling three days before the testing date. Appointments can be scheduled online at: https://scl.fulgentgenetics.com/appointment/screen/landing. Read More

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.