Health experts are worried Labor Day celebrations across the nation could spell more trouble for the fight against the coronavirus.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact across the world and also in cities across Northern California. The latest number of confirmed cases in the U. S. can be found at the CDC’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U. S. page . (The CDC updates the webpage on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.)Health experts are worried Labor Day celebrations across the nation could spell more trouble for the fight against the coronavirus. This comes as the number of states are seeing an increase in cases tripled in just one week — going from 10 to 30 states. Experts say it could take weeks to determine how activities over this holiday weekend affect the number of coronavirus cases across the country. Parking lots at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach will be closed Sunday after more than 1,000 people crowded at the beach Saturday for a Burning Man event. Mayor London Breed called the actions of the beachgoers “reckless and selfish.”The mayor said the crowd put people’s lives at risk and putting the city’s COVID-19 progress at risk.”We’ve heard people may return tonight. Don’t do it,” Breed tweeted. “We will be closing the parking lots at Ocean Beach. Law enforcement will be patrolling.”The mayor asked that San Franciscans stay home and stay safe, despite people wanting to get together during the Labor Day Weekend. California has a total of 727,239 cases of COVID-19, according to latest data released Saturday morning. The state reported nearly 5,000 new cases Friday. The seven-day positivity rate stands at 4.1 percent. A total of 13,643 Californians of died of the virus, the state reported. Alameda, Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties reported new COVID-19 cases Saturday as the Bay Area approaches a total of 92,000 cases across the region. As of Friday morning, California had a total of 722,283 cases of COVID-19 and 13,490 people had died. Marin County has been approved to move into ‘Tier 2’ of reopening on Sept.8. That means indoor malls are allowed to open at 50% capacity, personnel care services are allowed to open indoors and places of worship are allowed to open with 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. To find out what else can reopen under ‘Tier 2′ click here. California reported 5,106 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 163 more deaths related to the virus. The average number of new cases over the past seven days in the state is now at 4,775, with today’s numbers being slightly higher. California has a total of 722,283 cases and 13,490 people have died. More than 11 million Californians have been tested so far, according to state data. The Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District said its west sidewalk will be closed on Monday, September 7 due to operational needs over the Labor Day holiday. People biking across the Bridge will be redirected to the east sidewalk, which will remain open for bicyclists and pedestrians throughout the weekend. Officials are warning you to be careful with social distancing. The Bay Area has now reached 90,701 cases and the death toll stands at 1,206. There have been 773 new cases and 31 more deaths in the past 24 hours. Fifteen schools in Marin County have been granted waivers to reopen for in person learning on Tuesday. The assistant superintendent said they’ve had great experience with reopening already. They ran programs all summer long in their special education and alternative education programs, which they’ve been able to learn from. They’ll have to follow 30 guidelines to reopen. Learning hubs are being set up in the community for kids that will not being going back. The hubs will provide an environment for connectivity or just having a place in to do work.”Classrooms look very different. Desks are spaced and we have in some cases areas delineated to let students know that’s their area. There’s a six foot separation between the teacher and the students that will be maintained. A separation between students will also be maintained. And so all those protocols are in place. It makes the classroom look a little different. In some cases, partitions, clear plexi-glass partitions are being utilized, so students can continue to work in a group environment to be protected from each other. And, outdoor for sure. Schools have really taken a long, hard look about how to utilize the outdoor spaces that we have for instruction, and that’s really been a strong recommendation from public health,” said Ken Lippi, Asst. Superintendent, Marin County Office of Education. Today, Marin County will find out if it can move on to the next tier of the state’s reopening plan. New virus cases have dropped enough for the county to qualify for Tier 2 starting next week. If it remains there for two weeks all schools can reopen for in-classroom instruction. There areAlameda County is set to allow hair salons and barbershops to reopen for indoor services starting Friday, as long as the businesses follow strict safety protocols. The change comes after Gov. Newsom’s announcement that hair salons can open indoors in any county — even those classified as “purple” — as long as local health officers give them the green light to reopen. We’re closely tracking what can and can’t reopen in the Bay Area. See the latest county-by-county here:The Santa Clara County Health Department is holding a press conference on how residents can stay safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the Labor Day weekend. UCSF researchers are calling for more COVID testing of essential workers, especially among the Latinx community. A new study conducted at the Mission’s 24th Street BART station reinforces what researchers have been saying for months – that Latinx people are testing positive at higher rates that other groups. Demographic data collected during the six-day study revealed the majority of people affected are low-wage earners who live in high-density housing. A warning if you’re thinking about spending the holiday weekend on the beach. Officials are reminding everyone beaches in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties are closed to try and stop the spread of coronavirus. The closure is from 5 a.m. Saturday through 5 p.m. Monday with the exception of a few hours on Saturday and Sunday evening. As with previous closures, you’re still allowed to walk across the sand to participate in water activities, but sunbathing and beach walks are off-limits. California’s Public Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly is giving an update on the state’s COVID-19 response and testing. Dr. Ghaly said the state is creating a standalone COVID-19 data reporting system, with details announced later Tuesday, which will be ready to go in October. He also discussed the new framework for counties to reopen amid the pandemic. Officials also say they’re working with communities in the Central Valley, where they’re seeing a higher rate of transmission, increasing capacity, supplies and testing for staff at hospitals. Ghaly also said, “We are continuing to learn how to address this broad geography in our response around COVID-19. I’m sure we’ll have some counties that experience increased transmission in the months to come. We feel better equipped… to address those.”Dr. Ghaly is also urging the public to stay home and not join large gatherings on Labor Day Weekend, as beach closures may push more people to have inside gatherings. “We encourage people to have small experiences that are short and outside,” he said. Personal services like hair salons, barbershops and nail salons have approval to open outdoors in San Francisco starting today. Mayor London Breed is hinting at a big announcement about future plans at 11:30 this morning. State lawmakers and Governor Newsom beat a midnight deadline to extend a bill on eviction moratoriums. The state’s moratorium on evictions expired Wednesday and now new protections are in place for renters that will last thru February 2021. Get the full story here On Monday, California reported 4,147 new cases with a seven-day positivity rate of 4.9%. The state’s total now adds up to 704,085 cases. The seven day average of new cases is 5,067 cases and the two-week average is 5,432 cases. Nationally, the United States has surpassed six million cases according to data from Johns Hopkins University. See the latest Bay Area numbers here. San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced face shields, masks, and sanitizers from the state will be distributed to thousands of small businesses and their workers in neighborhoods most impacted by COVID-19. Several private schools in Contra Costa County have applied for waivers to bring elementary-aged students back into the classroom. The East Bay county is designated as a purple county – which means it has widespread COVID transmission and must keep schools online. Schools are allowed to apply for waivers, although only two waivers have been granted in the Bay Area so far. Enrollment at City College of San Francisco dropped 18% from last fall, according to the Examiner. A spokesperson says it’s because of the “uncertainty” surrounding the pandemic and challenges with distance learning. San Francisco State saw a decrease of 8% this fall. The pandemic is also affecting housing at SF State; only 364 students are living on campus out of 4,500 available beds. California has a total of 693,839 cases of COVID-19, an increase of 4,981 cases in a 24-hour-period, according to latest state date released Saturday morning. The seven-day positivity rate is at 5.5 percent. California saw an increase of 144 deaths related to COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the death toll to 12,834. More than 4,000 patients are hospitalized with the virus and nearly 1,300 are in the ICU, the data shows. A new study finds restaurant sales are down in San Francisco by 91 percent since the pandemic began in Mid-March. Eater SF reports: the chamber of commerce received data from credit card companies on city businesses. The data does not include cash sales, although most businesses now accept credit cards because of concerns of spreading the virus. A round of new reopenings is set for Alameda County today, including hair salons, nail salons and wineries — with a big asterisk. The county is only allowing businesses to reopen for very limited outdoor activities. What that means is hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, waxing services, skincare services and massage shops can all offer services outside, as long as they follow the rules laid out by Gov. Newsom earlier this summer Gov. Newsom denounced the new guidelines set by the CDC which now says people do not have to get tested if they came into contact with someone who contracted COVID-19. “I don’t agree with the new CDC guidance, period, full stop. It’s not the policy in the state of California. We will not be influenced by that change. We’re influenced by those who are experts in the field who feel very differently.” See more on today’s press conference here 23 more COVID-19 deaths in Bay AreaHealth officials say there have been 23 more deaths and 1,518 new COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area in the past 24 hours. UCSF gives update on COVID-19UC San Francisco professors and health experts are giving an update on COVID-19 and the flu season. The Alameda County Public Health Department has issued a new health order that will allow several outdoor activities and services to resume on Aug.28. Those include outdoor swimming pools and outdoor hair salons, nail salons, barbershops, waxing services, skincare and non-medical massages. However, services that would require a person to remove their face mask like eyebrow threading and waxing and eyelash treatments are excluded from this order.
