Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
COVID Cuts A Lethal Path Through San Quentin’s Death Row
Executions have been on hold in California since 2006, stalled by a series of legal challenges. But COVID-19 is proving a lethal presence on San Quentin’s death row. (Dan Morain, )
‘A Herculean Task’: San Francisco Schools Unlikely To Reopen By Mid-August: It looks increasingly likely that few, if any, San Francisco students will be back full-time in classrooms this fall, but families won’t know for sure until the end of July -- less than three weeks before the scheduled first day of school. Reopening to all students will be virtually impossible by Aug. 17, given staffing and facilities challenges as well as shortfalls in funding to hire the necessary custodians and nurses and in critical supplies like soap and hand sanitizer, administrators and community members involved in the planning process told the San Francisco Chronicle. Alida Fisher, a parent of three city students and a community member on the district’s logistics committee, said that based on current conditions, there is no way that all students will be back in class in mid-August. “It’s an impossible task. It’s a herculean task,” she said. “I just don’t think we’ve got the human capital and the human capacity to do it.” Read more from Jill Tucker of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Take Safety Precautions Seriously In Yolo County — Or Face A $10,000 Fine: With coronavirus cases rising, Yolo County on Tuesday passed an urgency ordinance giving county code officers the authority to fine businesses up to $10,000 for refusing to comply with state and county safety measures, including not requiring patrons to wear masks and allowing indoor dining. The ordinance, which goes into effect immediately, is the first such crackdown by a county in the Sacramento region. “The recent rapid spike ... necessitates an increase in enforcement,” said Gary Sandy, chair of the county Board of Supervisors. The board voted 5-0 Tuesday to set up the fine system. Read more from Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
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
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Breaks Record With More Than 9,000 New Coronavirus Cases In A Day
California recorded more than 9,000 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, a record-breaking daily count as the outbreak continues to surge across the state. County public health departments recorded 9,018 new cases by Tuesday evening, with some still yet to report, bringing the total to 283,750 statewide. The previous record was set on Monday with 8,638 cases. Bay Area counties documented 470 new cases, for a total of 30,862. (Moench, 7/7)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Local Hospitals Halt Elective Procedures As COVID-19 Cases Climb
Two Bakersfield hospitals have temporarily stopped offering elective medical procedures in order to remain responsive to more urgent cases as local COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise and push local medical centers toward to their physical limits. The moves disclosed Tuesday by 144-bed Mercy Downtown and 78-bed Mercy Southwest are a reversal from early May, when local hospitals starved of revenues during the early days of the pandemic resumed elective procedures, which can include medically necessary surgeries such as cardiac catheterization. (Cox, 7/7)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Adds 3 More Deaths And 325 Cases Of Coronavirus
Fresno County added three deaths and 325 positive cases Tuesday to its running tally for the coronavirus pandemic. That’s a total of 6,924 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and 81 people have died in Fresno County from complications related to the virus. (Miller, 7/7)
Ventura County Star:
Coronavirus Update Tuesday: 69 New Cases Reported In Ventura County
Ventura County public health officials reported 69 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday. The latest figures show that 3,858 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since the first case was identified March 6. Most of the people, 2,082, have recovered from the virus and 50 people have died. The other 1,726 cases are under active quarantine, public health officials reported. (Diskin, 7/7)
Sacramento Bee:
El Dorado County Sees Surge Of COVID Cases In Tahoe Area
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors will hold an emergency meeting Thursday to confront a troubling surge in coronavirus cases in the Tahoe region that officials have linked to businesses and tourists not following mask and social-distancing recommendations. The alarm comes after a spike in new COVID-19 cases after the three-day July 4 holiday weekend that puts Lake Tahoe at the epicenter for the coronavirus in El Dorado County. (Sabalow, 7/7)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Quentin’s Coronavirus Outbreak Strains Marin, Bay Area Hospitals
San Quentin State Prison’s coronavirus outbreak is straining hospitals in Marin County, which is already dealing with spiking community cases. But the state is making progress to provide more medical care on site, the county’s health officer said. (Moench, 7/7)
Sacramento Bee:
Folsom Restaurant Marly & Moo Closes; Worker Has COVID-19
Old Folsom gastropub Marly And Moo will close for the next few weeks after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, the restaurant posted on Facebook on Tuesday. “Despite our best efforts and following protocol to the fullest put out by the CDC and OSHA, it has been confirmed that one of our employees has tested positive for COVID(-)19,” the post read. (Egel, 7/7)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Chez Panisse Sues Insurance Provider Over Coronavirus Coverage
Berkeley’s Chez Panisse became the latest high-profile restaurant to sue its insurance company over an alleged refusal to cover losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The suit filed Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco against AMCO Insurance Co. is the latest front in an ongoing battle between businesses and their insurers over whether business interruption policies cover financial losses caused by shutdown orders. (DiFeliciantonio, 7/7)
Los Angeles Times:
Orange County A Battleground Over State's Mask Orders
When Basilico’s Pasta e Vino took to social media to proclaim itself a mask-free location amid the coronavirus pandemic in late May, it prompted responses ranging from overwhelming support to stern admonishments from customers who pledged never to dine at the restaurant again. On Monday, officials at the Huntington Beach establishment had a message for those who have expressed anger about their policy. They updated the restaurant’s voicemail greeting, joking that they were “having some fun with the haters.” (Fry, 7/8)
The Desert Sun:
Palm Springs Chamber Of Commerce Gives Free Masks To Members
The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce said this week it received a new batch of free masks available to its members. Chamber members can call 760-325-1577 to receive a complimentary 50-pack of disposable masks to be given away to employees or customers. The masks were donated by Riverside County, according to the chamber. (7/7)
Ventura County Star:
Will COVID-19 In Ventura County Increase Affordable Housing Demand?
Millions of Americans have temporarily or permanently lost their jobs or had their hours reduced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In areas with high housing costs, such as Ventura County, many workers were hanging on to their housing by a thread even before losing income because of the virus. But long waitlists for Section 8 vouchers and affordable housing in the county mean those who find themselves in need of help with housing might face a long wait. (Rode, 7/7)
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘The Real Pandemic Is Homelessness’: Those On Bay Area’s Streets Share Stories Of Fear, Hope And Survival
For most of the 35,000 people who find themselves without a home on any given night in the Bay Area, the coronavirus crisis has been a gnarled mixture of blessing and fear. More than 4,500 of the sickest and most vulnerable have been shepherded into hotel rooms or spots in temporary trailer parks, a significant upgrade from the streets or a shelter bed. Perennially crowded shelters have been thinned out for more physical spacing, making them safer and more livable. Handwashing and toilet stations have been installed near usual homeless haunts in the main cities. (Fagan, 7/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout Relies On Two Untested Firms
As the Trump administration races to buy hundreds of millions of syringes for what is likely to be an unprecedented COVID-19 immunization campaign, success depends heavily on two small medical supply companies with little track record of fulfilling government orders of that magnitude. (Haberkorn, 7/8)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno State Basketball: Transfers Deon Stroud, Isaiah Hill
It’s an odd twist. The COVID-19 pandemic that played large for Deon Stroud and Isaiah Hill when they were deciding to transfer to Fresno State – to transfer home, really – has also been keeping them from setting foot on campus or starting practices with the Bulldogs. The NCAA cleared the way for student-athletes in football and men’s and women’s basketball to return to campus on June 1 for voluntary workouts, but more than one month later Fresno State has yet to reopen, awaiting approval from the California State University system and state officials. (Kuwada, 7/7)
Sacramento Bee:
Tiny Placerville Hospital Sets Community Engagement Standard
When researchers at a nonpartisan think-tank looked nationally for hospitals excelling at engagement with their communities, one capital region hospital stood out. Marshall Medical Center in Placerville ranked No. 2 in the nation out of roughly 3,000 evaluated on the Lown Institute Hospitals Index, released for the first time on Tuesday. Marshall shares top 10 status with a number of much-larger medical institutions that have hundreds of physicians and thousands of employees. (Anderson, 7/7)
Los Angeles Times:
How One California County Managed To Stay Coronavirus-Free
In the high desert of Modoc County, a remote expanse of mostly nothingness between Oregon and Nevada, almost no one wears a face mask. I figured this out one morning last week, when I strolled into the sparse but well-kept office of Sheriff William “Tex” Dowdy. He took one look at my mask, and a bemused smirk spread across his boyish — and, yes, bare — face. (Smith, 7/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
What Quarantine Is Like For Bay Area Bartenders (And What They’re Drinking)
You’d be hard-pressed to find a person whose work hasn’t been changed in some way by COVID-19. But the pandemic and the resulting shutdown have transformed few professions as dramatically as bartending. (Mobley, 7/8)