Bay Area COVID Roundup: Tough New Stay At Home Restrictions; 'Dark COVID Winter Has Arrived'; Cash-Strapped Business Owners May Have To Close For Good
By CBS San Francisco Staff
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- With a surge in coronavirus cases, the information you need to know is coming fast and furious. Here's a roundup of the COVID stories we've published over the last 24 hours.
San Mateo County Will Not Enact Stay At Home Order
BURLINGAME -- San Mateo health official say while they appreciates the measures taken by other Bay Area Counties that announced early stay-at-home orders Friday, their efforts remain focused on following the state's existing guidelines and process. They emphasized the public's responsibility to comply with safety protocols to slow the spread. Jeff Silverman, the owner of UK Hair on Burlingame Ave., says he expects to get more clients from other counties, after their stay-at-home orders go into effect. Hair salons will be closed in nearby counties in the next few days. Silverman has seen this kind of influx before. "Everyone was coming here from Alameda County, Santa Clara, San Francisco, which was great you know for business for us, because we were down at least 50%, but the concern was are people coming from other counties, are their numbers going to start to climb," he said. Read More
Pleasanton Business Owners, Residents Dread Economic Effect of Stay-at-Home Order
PLEASANTON -- The stay-home order imposed by five Bay Area counties means a tough year for many local businesses is going to get even tougher. Outdoor dining will no longer be allowed which means all of the time and money restaurants spent creating outdoor dining areas will go to waste just when they were banking on holiday dollars to pour in. It was a busy Friday night in downtown Pleasanton but it may not last much longer. "It's really a shock," said Esteban Blancas with Nonni's Bistro. Blancas says he will now have to lay off several of his employees. "I cannot explain it. It's sad, it's frustrating. It's a little of everything," he said. Gov. Newson announced the new stay-at-home order Thursday which goes into effect when any a region falls below 15 percent of hospital ICU capacity. Many people KPIX interviewed in Pleasanton were surprised Bay Area counties announced they would impose the shutdown early. Read More
Debit Card Distribution Weak Link in EDD Fight to End Unemployment Benefits Fraud
SACRAMENTO -- Lawmakers are trying to help millions of California residents who have been receiving their unemployment benefits via debit cards sent from the state Employment Development Department. Those cards are susceptible to fraud and identity theft and victims are demanding change. At present, Bank of America has an exclusive contract with the EDD. People receiving unemployment insurance benefits can only get those funds via a BofA debit card or by check. Security experts say debit cards without security chips are more susceptible to scammers who can "skim" data from the magnetic strips. One lawmaker is trying to change that and believes it could solve some of the rampant fraud problems. "EDD needs to figure out a way to ensure that people have the option for direct deposit," said California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. Read More
Bay Area Small Business Owners Fear New Coronavirus Shutdown Will Sound Their Death Knell
WALNUT CREEK-- Many restaurant owners told KPIX outdoor dining is the only reason they are still in business. The owner of Lokanta, Fevzi Dinc, a popular Mediterranean restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek, said take-out and delivery alone will not be financially sustainable after the latest stay-at-home order goes into effect. "I checked the numbers. It doesn't make sense to open," Dinc said. He said take-out orders only amount to about 10 percent of his business. Dinc considered whether to close for a month while the stay-at-home order is in effect. "We try to survive, that's all we can do right now. We have to follow the rules," Dinc said. Many business owners were caught off guard by the timing. The restrictions go into effect in Contra Costa County on Sunday night "I don't know of one person that has gotten covid from a hair salon so, to me, it does seem unfair," said Ashley Flowers, who manages Insignia Hair Salon in Walnut Creek. Read More
Santa Clara, San Mateo County Hospitals Prepared Early For Surge
SAN MATEO COUNTY -- A new COVID-19 shutdown order will go into effect in five Bay Area counties next week to stem the rising tide of cases, but four counties, including San Mateo, will remain open, for now. South Bay health officials say they are prepared for a surge. Only 14 percent of intensive care unit capacity remain in all of Santa Clara County as of Friday evening. On Thursday, 67 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals, setting a record. Hospitals there canceling surgeries to care for the influx of patients. "It takes at least 3 weeks for our actions to impact our trend in hospitalizations. It's a very long lead time," said Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Sara Cody. "In our county, we're already a little bit behind." Dr. Phuong Nguyen is the Chief Medical Officer for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Amid a steadily climbing surge of patients, this hospital is now relying more and more on the emergency measures it started taking back in March. Read More
'Dark COVID Winter Has Arrived;' Bay Area Health Officers Announce Regional Stay-At-Home Restrictions To Begin
SAN FRANCISCO -- Bay Area counties are moving ahead to adopt the state's new regional stay-at-home order in light of the spike in COVID cases and surge in ICU patients, Bay Area health officials announced Friday. The health officers from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco and the City of Berkeley announced their jurisdictions would enact California's regional stay-at-home order and not wait until the region falls below the 15 percent available ICU capacity that would trigger the three-week stay-at-home order. Alameda County and the City of Berkeley would enact the order Monday at 12:01 a.m. Contra Costa, San Francisco and Santa Clara County's order would be effective at 10 p.m. Sunday, while Marin County's order would begin at noon on Tuesday. The restrictions will remain in effect through January 4. Read More
Campaign To Recall Newsom Ramps Up In Light Of Impending Stay-At-Home Order
SACRAMENTO -- California's looming COVID-19 restrictions based on regional intensive care unit capacities are reigniting an effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. According to CBS 13, many Sacramento area business owners are now backing the push for a recall. The campaign was born in June of this year and now has half of the signatures it needs to call for a special election by March. Small business owners said Newsom's latest decision was the last straw. Read More
MLB Sues Insurance Providers In Alameda County Court Over Virus Losses In 2020 Season
OAKLAND -- Major League Baseball and all 30 of its teams are suing their insurance providers, citing billions of dollars in losses during the 2020 season played almost entirely without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. The suit, filed in October in California Superior Court in Alameda County, was obtained Friday by The Associated Press, says providers AIG, Factory Mutual and Interstate Fire and Casualty Company have refused to pay claims made by MLB despite the league's "all-risk" policy purchases. The league claims to have lost billions of dollars on unsold tickets, hundreds of millions on concessions, tens of millions on parking and millions more on suites and luxury seat licenses, in-park merchandise sales and corporate sponsorships. It also cites over a billion dollars in local and national media losses, plus tens of millions in missed income for MLB Advanced Media. It says all of those losses should be covered by their policies. Read More
San Mateo County Maintains Purple Tier Guidance, Skirts Stay-At-Home Order
REDWOOD CITY -- While much of the Bay Area on Friday decided to adopt the state's regional stay-at-home order restrictions early, San Mateo County officials announced that would instead continue to follow California's purple tier guidelines until further notice. "The County of San Mateo remains focused on following the state's existing metrics and process, while reinforcing the public's responsibility to comply with existing safety measures -- especially avoiding gatherings -- to slow the spread of COVID-19 during the holiday season," the statement released by the county read. So far, health officials with Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties have not made announcements in regards to regional stay-at-home order beyond that the state's plan is being reviewed. Read More
Stimulus Package Update: Are Politicians Finally Ready To Make A Deal?
SAN FRANCISCO -- The coronavirus surge continues to negatively affect the economy. And politicians finally seem to be feeling the pressure. Centrist Democrats and Republicans proposed a $908 billion coronavirus relief package early this week. The plan, meant to jumpstart talks on a stimulus package, would help state and local governments, small businesses and individuals as the pandemic rages across the economy suffers. Since the announcement, both parties have expressed some willingness to compromise. House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have said they believe the bipartisan proposal should be the jumping-off point for further negotiations. Read More
Warriors Release 1st Half Schedule Of Shortened 2020-21 Season
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden State Warriors will begin the season with four straight road games, with a home opener set for New Year's Day, according to the first-half NBA season schedule released Friday. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA has shortened the season to 72 games. Also in response to the pandemic and to reduce travel, the league has implemented a "series" model, where in some instances teams will play two consecutive games against each other at the same venue. That will be the case when the Warriors host the Portland Trail Blazers on January 1 for their home opener at the Chase Center and again on January 3. Another home series for the Warriors include two against the Los Angeles Clippers set for January 6 and 8. The Dubs will have two road series in the first half of the season, against the Dallas Mavericks (February 4 and 5) and the San Antonio Spurs (February 8 and 9.). Read More
