COVID-19 Roundup: Rare Syndrome Strikes Hispanic, Black Children; State Death Toll Reaches 10,000; Small SF Gyms Fight For Survival
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.
Oakland Teachers, District Wrangle With School Year Set to Start Monday
OAKLAND -- The first day of school is three days away and the Oakland Unified School District and teachers' union are still at odds over how classes will be conducted on Monday. That has a lot of parents and students nervous about what to expect. The good news is: both sides were still at the negotiating table Friday night. The bad news: there still is no deal. A source told KPIX both sides are getting closer. Whether there is a deal or not, school will start on Monday. "We're just confused as to what's going to happen," said parent Chiang Pinckney. "It's the first time we've been through anything like this and it's kind of scary." Here's what we do know. School will start in distance-learning mode. It will be like a soft opening for the first two weeks so teachers can get to know their students and their families. That information will help teachers develop a lesson plan. Read More
Livermore Reopens First Street To Help Businesses Hurt By COVID-19 Street Closures
LIVERMORE -- Street closures in downtown Livermore were supposed to help businesses survive the pandemic but they ended up hurting many retailers. So, the city has decided to reopen First Street this weekend. "(Business is) between 50 to 75% down on weekends," said Sherri Swanson, owner of Main Street Designs, a boutique. Swanson hopes her business will return to normal now that customers can drive and park in front of her store. Younger people are more willing to come out and do outside dining and that is not really our customer. We cater to older clientele," said Swanson. Livermore shut down parts of First Street on previous weekends to encourage outdoor dining with the idea that people will shop after they eat. That idea didn't pan out. Read More
Oakland Schools Plan to Open Next Week With All Online Classes
OAKLAND -- Officials with the Oakland Unified School District Friday said students will be learning from home for the foreseeable future as the new school year begins Monday. Board President Jody London expressed optimism Friday afternoon at a news briefing about the coming year. "We're going to get there," London said. "We're going to make it work." Yet negotiations with the teacher's union were still on Friday over how students will be learning. As of 3:30 p.m., an agreement had not been announced. Part of the back and forth has been about how much "daily live interaction" will be required between teachers and students. "Teachers are more prepared to do it online because we've already done it," said OUSD teacher Sarah Bin. Read More
CDC: Hispanic, Black Children More Likely To Be Hospitalized For COVID-19, Suffer Rare Syndrome
NEW YORK -- Racial disparities in the U.S. coronavirus epidemic extend to children, according to two sobering government reports released Friday. One of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports looked at children with COVID-19 who needed hospitalization. Hispanic children were hospitalized at a rate eight times higher than white kids, and Black children were hospitalized at a rate five times higher, it found. The second report examined cases of a rare virus-associated syndrome in kids. It found that nearly three-quarters of the children with the syndrome were either Hispanic or Black, well above their representation in the general population. The coronavirus has exposed racial fractures in the U.S. health care system, as Black, Hispanic and Native Americans have been hospitalized and killed by COVID-19 at far higher rates than other groups. Read More
Glitch Holding Up COVID-19 Data Fixed As California Death Toll Reaches 10,000
SACRAMENTO -- A top California health official says a technical glitch that caused a lag in collecting coronavirus test information has been fixed, but it could take up to 48 hours to get the data updated. Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Friday that up to 300,000 records might have been backlogged — but not all of them are coronavirus cases and some may be duplicates.
Ghaly said the problem began with a computer server outage in late July. He said in one case, a major lab didn't get any information into the state system for five straight days. Read More
So Far In MLB, West Is Best At Avoiding COVID-19 Disruption
SAN FRANCISCO -- It was a rarity at the time and provided a very 2020-style photo op: Oakland's masked first baseman Matt Olson chatting with Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout, who was also masked as he prepared to run the bases. Less that two weeks later, it's clear it was the start of the trend. When it comes to Major League Baseball's ongoing fight to avoid COVID-19, it's the West that's had the most success. Now it's trying to keep it that way. "I'm very excited about what's happening here in the West," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "I don't know if it's dumb luck — I think all of these organizations have sent really good messages." Read More
Hayward Contactless Food Distribution Program Moves To New Location
HAYWARD -- The City of Hayward's no-contact food distribution program, which helps hundreds of people each week, is moving to a new location. The food drive is now happening every Thursday at Chabot College from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. or whenever food runs out. Food boxes are assembled by the Alameda County Food Bank. Donations are also made by local businesses. The drive is open to all Bay Area residents. "We're averaging 380 families a week," said Zachary Ebadi, a community programs specialist for the city. "Doesn't matter if you're from Hayward or somewhere else in the Bay Area. We're going to take care of you." Read More
Pac-12 Commissioner Meets With Player Group Over COVID-19 Safety Demands
CALIFORNIA -- Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott met with representatives from the #WeAreUnited college player group, with much of the discussion focused on the conference's health and safety protocols. The call lasted two hours Thursday night and 12 players took part, according to a person familiar with the discussion who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private and the league had no official comment. The players have demanded the Pac-12 address a list of concerns about COVID-19 protocols, racial injustice in college sports and economic rights for college athletes. They have threatened to opt of of practices and games if their demands are not addressed by the conference. Read More
Fundraiser Aims to Save Iconic Sports Bar in San Leandro
SAN LEANDRO -- A well-known San Leandro sports bar may have to close after 74 years because of the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic on business, the bar's owners said this week. Financial struggles could shut down Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill at 15028 Hesperian Blvd., which has been open since 1946. "Nobody wants to be in this spot," owner Tina Ricardo said in an interview. "I hope to get it back open." It has been closed during the shelter-in-place order and still has bills to pay, wrote supporter Dr. Robert Gingery, a vascular surgeon, on a GoFundMe page to raise money for the bar. Gingery is friends with the owners, Tina and Ricky Ricardo. Read More
San Francisco Teachers, School Officials Reach Agreement On Distance Learning
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Unified school officials and the union representing the district's teachers reached a tentative agreement Friday on how they will move forward with distance learning at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year. Currently, San Francisco is on the state COVID-19 watchlist and its schools cannot hold in-class instruction. So the agreement covers the new remote instructional standards for at least the start of the academic year. The district agreed to provide students with adequate access to connectivity and laptops. Additionally, the schools will provide a one-time stipend of $400 for costs associated with distance learning, including equipment, improving home internet bandwidth, use of phone, or instructional materials not provided by SFUSD. For those who need a workspace, the district will make a good faith effort to assign staff to available workspaces appropriate to their content area provided it can do so in compliance with public health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Read More
Small San Francisco Gyms Campaign For Help In Staying Open
SAN FRANCISCO -- Frustrated owners of some San Francisco gyms have launched a social media campaign to stay afloat and get back to work. On Thursday, dozens of gyms and fitness studios around the city put up posts on social media telling people how they can help save the city's small, independent gyms. The steps: wearing a mask, booking outdoor workouts with gyms offering them, and raising awareness that gyms are suffering. "We are asking all of them to go online today and shout, be our voice because right now we are not being heard by the city," said Dave Karraker, co-owner of MX3 Fitness. "The city doesn't hear that we are all about to go out of business - something needs to be done." The San Francisco Independent Fitness Studio Coalition is demanding that the city classifies fitness as an essential service. Read More
