Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Testing Shortages Force Extreme Shift In Strategy By Local Health Officials
California’s capital region is among the areas that have had to shift response to the coronavirus outbreak because of a shortage of test kits in the U.S. (Jenny Gold and Anna Maria Barry-Jester, )
‘We Need To Meet This Moment Aggressively’: Newsom Calls On Public To Take Drastic Actions To Help Slow Spread Of Coronavirus: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new state measures to combat the coronavirus Sunday, urging that bars close and restaurants reduce capacity, and setting in motion plans to help protect the most vulnerable: senior citizens, anyone with a chronic illness and the homeless. Newsom asked all Californians 65 and older to isolate themselves at home, as well as anyone with chronic health conditions. To keep the virus from spreading through the state’s surging homeless population, Newsom said teams are focused on getting people out of encampments.
Newsom again stopped short of using the full force of his authority to mandate response measures to protect Californians from the virus that has resulted in six deaths and 335 confirmed cases in the state. It’s unclear how the government will help coordinate the delivery of meals to an estimated 5.7 million California seniors and millions of other Californians who suffer from heart, respiratory, kidney and immune system disorders.
In addition, Newsom said California is procuring hotels and motels to shelter the homeless as part of the effort to slow the spread. In addition, the state is sending 450 travel trailers to locations around the state to help shelter many of the 108,000 unsheltered homeless people living in California
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle; the Los Angeles Times; CalMatters; the Sacramento Bee; and the Bay Area News Group.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Sunday night announced an emergency action to close bars, nightclubs, restaurants — with the exception of takeout and delivery — entertainment venues and gyms in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Pilot Website To Help Expedite Testing Process Launched, But Some Are Dubious After Giving It A Try: A new visitor to the site—which was touted as a fix to the flawed testing process—who is hoping to get tested must first answer a yes/no question: “Are you currently experiencing severe cough, shortness of breath, fever, or other concerning symptoms?” If you answer “yes,” the screening ends abruptly with this message: “Based on your symptoms, in-person COVID-19 testing through this program is not the right fit. We suggest that you seek medical attention.” A Verily spokesperson said turning away the sick “is meant to ensure that anyone who has severe symptoms does not visit our mobile testing sites because they are not prepared to provide acute medical attention.” Read more from the Los Angeles Times and CalMatters.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Sacramento Bee:
Gov. Gavin Newsom Says No ‘Martial Law’ To Combat Coronavirus
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is issuing “guidelines,” not edicts to implore people to minimize social exposure to limit spread of coronavirus, saying it’s not time to order Californians to do things they are already doing on their own. On Sunday, he said he has “confidence” that people and businesses will follow his recommendation to close all bars and for all people over 65 to self-quarantine, arguing it’s not necessary for him to make the guidance an enforceable order. “If you want to establish a framework of martial law, which is ultimate authority and enforcement, we have the capacity to do that, but we are not feeling at this moment that is a necessity,” Newsom said. (Bollag and Chance, 3/15)
Sacramento Bee:
New Coronavirus Cases In Sacramento, California Have Tripled
Thirty-two people in Sacramento County have now been afflicted with the coronavirus, county health officials disclosed on Sunday morning, a near tripling in the last six days. That is up from 17 cases previously reported on Thursday, and 11 cases on Monday. One of them is a woman at an Elk Grove assisted living home who died on Tuesday and a second resident of the facility. County officials declined to release details on the new cases. (Bizjak, 3/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
As Infectious Diseases Rose In State, Public Health Spending Fell
California’s fight against the coronavirus comes amid long-term budget cuts that public health officials fear will slow efforts to combat the pandemic. Even as cases of infectious disease have risen, per-capita spending has dropped 18% since 2008 at the California Department of Public Health, one of the lead agencies responding to the COVID-19 crisis, a Chronicle analysis of expenditures reveals. Two state programs designed to fight outbreaks and respond to emergencies have also experienced a decline in spending. (Palomino, 3/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Could Coronavirus Collide With Fire Season? California Is Preparing For It
Northern California may still be grappling with the novel coronavirus outbreak when it begins to face the more familiar threat of dangerous wildfires, and emergency officials are already contemplating that possibility. It’s not clear exactly how long the new virus will cause disruptions such as school closures, event cancellations and quarantines — or whether its spread will be abated by warmer weather, like the common cold and flu. But California diagnoses of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, are expected to continue rising for the foreseeable future. (Morris, 3/16)
Los Angeles Times:
LAUSD To Open Resource Centers Amid School Closures
Los Angeles school officials were racing Sunday to organize the complex logistics of opening 20 meal pickup sites and 40 family resource centers to serve students who will be displaced from campuses beginning on Monday in an unprecedented shutdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The food distribution sites and resource centers are widely seen as vital in a school system where 80% of students are from low-income households and 18,000 are homeless. (Blume, 3/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus Self-Quarantine: When And How To Do It
You’re doing everything right to avoid getting the coronavirus — avoiding handshakes, eschewing large gatherings and, of course, washing your hands several times a day. And yet, you’re worried. Maybe you sat next to someone who was coughing in a movie theater. Or your spouse just returned from a business trip in Europe. Perhaps someone in your office building was diagnosed with COVID-19. Now you can’t help but wonder: Do I need to self-quarantine? (Netburn, 3/13)
Los Angeles Times:
Amid Coronavirus, Recovery Community Urges: Even If You Skip 12-Step Meetings, Stay Connected
It was time for the coveted sobriety chips, so Grace snapped on a pair of plastic gloves and kept a bit of distance as she doled out medallions to members who had gone 30, 60 and 90 days without a drink. Normally, she hugs the people gathered here in this church on the Westside, but on Thursday she offered them a small namaste bow instead. (Gerber, 3/16)
Los Angeles Times:
What If Schools Are Closed For Weeks? That's Reality In Parts Of Asia
Homework delivered via WhatsApp. “Minecraft” and Netflix instead of lectures and gym classes. Refrigerators as blackboards, harried parents, bored children — and no end in sight to what one 7-year-old calls a “nightmare.” School closures are just beginning to ripple across the United States as authorities try to contain the spreading coronavirus, but across swaths of Asia, the Middle East and Europe, children have already been kept home from classes for several nerve-racking weeks. (Bengali, Pierson and Kim, 3/13)
San Francisco Chronicle:
No Virus-Related Delays At SFO, But International Travelers Not Medically Screened
Travelers returning from Paris on Sunday said they breezed through customs at San Francisco International Airport and did not undergo medical screening for the coronavirus — a sharp contrast from many airports across the nation that saw chaos as staff scrambled to test passengers for symptoms. The lack of screening infuriated some passengers who feared it would spread the deadly virus and surprised those who expected a grueling odyssey through customs, only to find no lines and no wait times. (Sanchez, 3/15)
Sacramento Bee:
What’s In The New US Coronavirus Relief Bill?
A coronavirus relief bill backed by President Donald Trump has moved to the U.S. Senate for consideration. So what’s in the bill for ordinary Americans? The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill early Saturday on a bipartisan 363-40 vote after Trump voiced his support on Twitter, CNN reported. (Sweeney, 3/14)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus: CA Senate Cancels All Hearings Next Week
The California Senate has canceled all hearings next week, due to the spreading coronavirus, while the Assembly is continuing to hold them on a more limited basis. Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, issued the statement canceling the hearings on Friday evening, “in order to focus on an immediate response to COVID-19.” Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, has left the decision to cancel or postpone committee hearings to the discretion of the committee chairs. (Sheeler, 3/14)
Sacramento Bee:
First Northern CA Casino Closes To Stem Coronavirus Spread
Cache Creek Casino Resort announced Sunday evening it’s closing temporarily in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cache Creek’s announcement marked the first Northern California tribal casino to close. A day earlier, the San Manuel and Pechanga resorts in Southern California said they were suspending operations as well. Other casinos announced they were taking precautions, such as extra sanitizing and other moves. (Kasler, 3/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus: Los Angeles Restaurants And Chefs Scramble To Adjust
No drink refills or cash payment, more spacing between diners, thermometers at the front door: To contend with the rapid spread of novel coronavirus, restaurant owners and chefs in Los Angeles are adopting strict measures to prevent the spread of germs — and to keep business running as normally as possible. “We are taking things seriously” at Alimento in Silver Lake and Cosa Buona in Echo Park, owner Zach Pollack said in an Instagram post. “We’ve removed tables to increase space between guests, invested in the world’s last bottles of Lysol to disinfect server stations throughout the shift, and have changed the way we handle cash and table settings.” (Snyder and Peterson, 3/12)
Sacramento Bee:
Coronavirus Closes 7 Major California Ski Resorts
Seven of the Lake Tahoe area’s largest ski resorts, including iconic names like Heavenly and Sugar Bowl, announced Saturday they’re shutting down in an effort to halt the spread of coronavirus. The three largest Northern California resorts — Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood — will be closed for a week starting Sunday, its owner Vail Resorts Inc. announced Saturday. Separately, Alterra Mountain Co. said it is suspending operations at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, as well as Big Bear, Mammoth Mountain in the central Sierra and other resorts it owns around the country. (Kasler, 3/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Tahoe Ski Scene A Tangled Mess After Coronavirus Shutdown
As 3-4 feet of snow piled up Sunday at Lake Tahoe, visitors, skiers and employees in the snow sports industry found themselves trapped by closed ski areas and highways largely shut down. At Tahoe Dave’s, a ski rental shop in Truckee, a line of skiers and boarders were returning rental equipment they could not use. (Thomas and Stienstra, 3/15)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Family In Coronavirus Quarantine At Travis Air Force Base
The Gleason family set out on what was supposed to be a relaxing ocean cruise three weeks ago. They’ve ended up in a limbo that’s tested their resilience individually and as a family like never before. The Rocklin, California family was among the 2,500 passengers on the now infamous Grand Princess, the cruise ship where 21 passengers - at last official announcement - got sick with the coronavirus. For the last dozen days, it’s been one form of limbo after another for Jacob, a Trader Joe’s employee, Kaylen, a yoga instructor, and daughters Evelyn, 9, and Natalie, 6. (Bizjak, 3/15)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Declares State Of Emergency Over Coronavirus
Fresno County declared a state of emergency Sunday after health officials confirmed a second case of coronavirus and await results from dozens of tests... The second person to test positive with coronavirus was a middle-aged man who traveled outside the country. He’s recovering in isolation at home, Vohra said. (Calix, 3/15)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Unified Offers Meals For Students While School Closed
Fresno Unified plans to offer meals for its students at least for the first two days while school is closed due to coronavirus concerns. In a letter from Superintendent Bob Nelson, the school district outlines preliminary plans how and when meals will be offered. Starting Monday and at least through Tuesday, the school district said it provide breakfast and lunch for students at all school sites at their regularly scheduled times. (Anteola, 3/14)
Bay Area News Group:
Gilroy: 1 Dead From Coronavirus, Another Sick, Mayor Says
One person has died from COVID-19 in Gilroy, according to the city’s mayor, while another person is ill from the virus.Mayor Roland Velasco confirmed the death in a Facebook post late Sunday, noting that both cases involve “elderly” people. (Kelliher, 3/16)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Chaffee Zoo Temporarily Closing
The Fresno Chaffee Zoo announced Saturday evening that it will be closing temporarily. How long the popular zoo will remain closed is unclear. But the zoo did state that all programs and events are canceled or will be postponed, and full refunds would be available. (Anteola, 3/14)
Fresno Bee:
Table Mountain Casino To Temporarily Close, Due To Coronavirus
The Table Mountain Casino in Friant will close its doors at 6 p.m. tomorrow in response to growing coronavirus concerns, the casino announced late Sunday. The Table Mountain Rancheria Tribal Council and the casino’s board of directors met and reached the decision Sunday, according to a news release. The decision will be effective as of 6 p.m. Monday through March 31. “Table Mountain Casino remains unified in the protection of our guests, casino team members and their families, our tribal community, as well as the many vendors we utilize in our operations,” the release states. (Patton, 3/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Stadium Workers Union Asks Teams To Pay Wages During Shutdown
Sylvia Sosa measures her time working at Dodger Stadium by the stars. She is a bartender now, but she started at a humble concession stand.“Taking care of the mustard, relish, ketchup and nachos,” she said, “during the Fernando years.” She has worked at the ballpark for 45 years. She is retired from her full-time job, so the money from her Dodger Stadium job is important. The health insurance is critical. And, as of Thursday, she has no idea when she might work there again. (Shaikin, 3/13)
Stat:
The Coronavirus Dominated Every Aspect Of The Democratic Debate
This is politics in a pandemic age: A presidential debate conducted in a sterile television studio, podiums separated by an awkward six feet, and a former vice president insisting that he no longer touched his face. (Seconds before, he had touched his face.) The debate cemented the weeks-old reality that the novel coronavirus pandemic has come to dominate every aspect of American politics. And it provided the two remaining Democratic presidential candidates — who greeted one another not with a handshake but with an elbow bump — a chance to articulate a presidential message in the face of inconsistent, often inaccurate messaging from the Trump administration. (Facher, 3/15)
The New York Times:
Biden And Sanders Assume Fighting Stances, A Healthy 6 Feet Apart
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders began with an elbow tap. They stood behind lecterns six feet apart, in keeping with federal health guidelines. They rarely interrupted each other, initially, subsisting on mutually nonaggressive meditations on the menace of the coronavirus and how to corral it. “This is a national crisis,” Mr. Biden said early in Sunday’s debate. “I don’t want to get this into a back and forth in terms of our politics here.” (Flegenheimer and Ember, 3/15)
Reuters:
Three Takeaways From The Biden-Sanders Presidential Face-Off
Asked about the pandemic, Biden adopted a wartime posture, talking about immediate steps he would take as president and frequently referencing the White House Situation Room. He called for expanding hospital capacity, erecting temporary medical facilities and said unequivocally he would call on the U.S. military to help respond to the outbreak. "This is like we are being attacked from abroad," he said, also urging Sanders to put their ideological divide aside. (3/16)
The New York Times:
How Are Biden And Sanders Protecting Themselves Against Coronavirus?
After more than 30 minutes of posing questions almost entirely about policy and decision-making related to coronavirus, Dana Bash, one of CNN’s moderators for Sunday’s Democratic debate, took a moment to make the topic deeply personal. What, she asked former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, were they doing to protect themselves from becoming infected? (Stevens, 3/15)
NBC News:
Sanitizer. Skip The Handshake. No Audience. An Unusual Debate, Thanks To Coronavirus.
It was also almost certainly the first presidential debate in history to include the sentences "I'm using a lot of soap" (Sanders) and "I wash my hands God knows how many times a day" (Biden). (Seitz-Wald, 3/15)