Santa Clara County, Calif. supervisors are considering using mail-in ballots only during the November 2020 election in light of the current Covid-19 crisis.
It’s a mixed bag in the country as well as the greater Bay Area. Some regions have had little impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, others have been devastated. Overall, more than 77,000 people have died from the virus in just the U.S. The global number of confirmed cases nears four million as of Friday.
This is where we’re at Friday in the Bay Area and beyond.
Open SFBay Worldwide coronavirus tracker.Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Friday at 6:46 p.m.
Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary tested positive for Covid-19 Friday. The aide is reportedly asymptomatic and was only identified as part of regular testing protocol. The news comes one day after the revelation that Donald Trump’s personal valet also tested positive.
Open SFBay Bay Area coronavirus dashboard in new window.Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Friday at 6:46 p.m.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that all eligible voters in the state will receive mail-in ballots ahead of November’s election. The governor, joined by Secretary of State Alex Padilla, shared details about the upcoming election preparations during a daily press briefing held at a floral shop.
The mail-in ballot effort is made possible by an executive order issued by Newsom Friday. Ballots will arrive with prepaid return postage and allow voters the opportunity to vote safely from home, though the option to vote in-person at physical polling locations will remain intact.
Newsom said:
“Elections and the right to vote are foundational to our democracy. No Californian should be forced to risk their health in order to exercise their right to vote.”
Echoing Newsom’s sentiment, Padilla said:
“There’s no safer, physically distancing, healthier way to exercise your right to vote than from the safety and convenience of your own home.”
Eligible voters can register or update registration information at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Newsom also said that intensive care unit patients have modestly declined but he was sober in discussing the 81 people who died in the 24 hours prior.
Orange County
Source: Orange County Health Care Agency as of Friday, seven days after the May 1 Huntington Beach protest.
Sacramento County
Source: Sacramento County Public Health as of Thursday, seven days after the May 1 State Capitol protest.
Source: Alameda County Public Health Department as of Friday with data reported through Thursday.
Oakland added 5 miles of roadway to the city’s Slow Streets Program with soft closures Friday. The expanding program launched about a month ago allows residents more space for physical distancing when using streets for recreation or pedestrian travel amid shelter-in-place orders.
The impacted streets include E 23rd Street, 26th Avenue, 25th Avenue, E 29th Street, Shafter Avenue, 48th Street, Tiffin Road, Potomac Street, Laguna Avenue, Carmel Street, Coolidge Avenue, Morgan Avenue, Maple Avenue, Wisconsin Street, Patterson Avenue, Bayo Street and portions of Sheffield Avenue, Webster and Steele streets.
An interactive map that allows residents to locate “slow streets” and provide direct feedback can be found at www.oaklandca.gov/projects/oakland-slow-streets.
Oakland is now reporting more than 600 positive cases, which is more than two times the second highest number of cases in Hayward. The number of Covid-19 patients in ICU remained at 34 for two days in a row, which represents a small spike from the Tuesday decline down to 28 people.
Source: Contra Costa Health Services as of Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
Concord Mayor Tim McGallian and the county health officer Dr. Chris Farnitano will hold a discussion in a virtual town hall scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. The two will be sharing information about the latest health order and what is and isn’t permitted under the state’s lifting of restrictions.
People can watch the town hall on the city’s Facebook page or participate via Zoom.
Concord has steadily maintained the second highest number of positive cases since robust tracking began in March, which is not entirely surprising given that it is the county’s most populous city with more than 130,000 residents. Richmond, with the highest number of cases, is the county’s third most populous city.
Source: Marin Health and Human Services as of Friday.
The hospitalization rate in Marin County has been steady at 46 patients for the past three reporting days, but the area has not yet experienced any actual decline since the pandemic onset.
Source: Department of Health and Human Services as of Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Health officials report Friday that 189 tests are pending results and 36 people have so far recovered.
Source: San Francisco Department of Public Health with data reported Friday.
The city and county of San Francisco began a “Dear SF” campaign Friday, asking residents to show love for small businesses and venues struggling most during the Covid-19 crisis.
As a way to locally revive Small Business Week canceled by the federal government this month, San Francisco officials are asking people to “post photos, videos, and love letters” for the local business that make The City what it is. People can post their tributes to @dear_sf on Instagram.
Source: San Mateo County Health Department with data reported through Thursday.
County officials report Friday that 61 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized as of Wednesday, the last reporting day. The hospitalization rate has climbed to 47 Wednesday versus 42 on May 1.
Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department as of Friday.
Creekside Elementary School teachers and administrators held a car parade Friday afternoon as a way to bring some levity to the day under shelter orders and to gently remind their Salinas students that they’re still expected to log in and get their school work done.
The confirmed case total in San Jose has reached 1,519. The county reports Friday that 111 Covid-19 patients are currently hospitalized, 40 of those patients requiring ICU treatment.
Source: Solano Public Health as of Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Solano County’s hotspot continues to be centered in Vallejo — 202 Covid-19 patients have been so far identified there. Ten patients countywide are currently being hospitalized.
Source: County of Sonoma with data as of Thursday.
The Toyota/Save Mart 350 race weekend has officially been canceled, raceway officials announced Friday. The event originally scheduled to take place June 12-14 shares the same fate as all other Northern California NASCAR races that are not expected to return until at least 2021.
Sonoma Raceway President and General Manager Steve Page said:
“We work all year for this event, so this is a huge disappointment for us, for our fans and our sponsors, but we realize it’s part of a larger challenge facing our nation and everyone in the live events business.”
Last modified May 8, 2020 9:32 pm
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