Covid-19 update: Global cases near 5 million, Tesla drops lawsuit

All of the 50 states have begun easing stay-at-home restrictions, including California.

Here in the Bay Area, counties this week have allowed many retail businesses to reopen for curbside and storefront pickup.

Napa County was given the green light this week from the state public health department to relax further into the reopening stage than any other Bay Area counties.

Solano County looks to do the same by announcing officials submitted variance paperwork to the state Wednesday. 

U.S.

  • Confirmed Cases:  1,551,668
  • Deaths: 93,431

Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Wednesday at 6:32 p.m.

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California

  • Confirmed Cases: 85,812
  • Deaths: 3,486

Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Wednesday at 6:32 p.m.

Gov. Gavin Newsom met with actors and members of the film and TV industry for an online discussion about when they can get back to work.

The online panel included writer, producer and director Ava Vernay; Jon Huertas, actor and producer; Chief Content Officer of Netflix Ted Sarandos; hair stylist and barber Stacey Morris; Danny Stephens, key grip.

Newsom told the panel the state expects to release guidelines for the TV and film industry Monday.

Orange County 

  • Confirmed Cases: 4,742
  • Deaths: 98

Source: Orange County Health Care Agency as of Wednesday, 20 days after the May 1 Huntington Beach protest.  

Sacramento County 

  • Confirmed Cases: ​1,255
  • Deaths: 56

Source: Sacramento County Public Health as of Wednesday, 20 days after the May 1 State Capitol protest.

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Jesse Garnier/SFBay SFBay Covid-19 dashboard cumulative cases, as of Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

Alameda County

  • Confirmed Cases: 2,560
  • Deaths: 88

Source: Alameda County Public Health Department as of Wednesday with data reported through Tuesday.

After all the hoopla made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk over Alameda County officials not allowing his car manufacturing plant to reopen earlier this month, Musk has dropped his lawsuit against the county.

County health officials and Musk finally came into an agreement last week that the Fremont-based Tesla plant can reopen if safety and health guidelines were followed.

Earlier in the month, Musk threatened not only to file a lawsuit against the county, but to also move Tesla headquarters out of state.

Tim Draper/Flickr Tesla backers and VIP customers took delivery of the first Model S electric sedans to much fanfare in Fremont in 2012.

Contra Costa County

  • Confirmed Cases: 1,209
  • Deaths: 33

Source: Contra Costa Health Services as of Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.

Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Office said Wednesday that wedding ceremonies will resume online by using Zoom or Facetime.

The office is currently taking appointments for June. In-person wedding ceremonies in the Bay Area ceased due to the Covid-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place orders.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed an executive directive that allows counties to perform wedding ceremonies through videoconferencing. 

For further information and appointments, email marriages@cr.cccounty.us.

Marin County

  • Confirmed Cases: 343
  • Deaths: 14

Source: Marin Health and Human Services as of Tuesday.

The Marin Healthcare District will award $942,000 to the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services to fund community-based projects related to Covid-19.

Part of the funding will house persons who test positive for the virus, including healthcare workers. Another chunk of the grant will fund mobile testing. A mobile unit will travel to neighborhood hotspots to administer tests. 

A permanent mobile testing vehicle will make rounds to skilled nursing and residential care facilities to test staff and patients for an entire year.

Napa County

  • Confirmed Cases: 94
  • Deaths: 3

Source: Department of Health and Human Services as of Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

San Francisco

  • Confirmed Cases: 2,185
  • Deaths: 37

Source: San Francisco Department of Public Health with data reported through Tuesday. 

With a looming projected $1.7 billion budget deficit over the next two fiscal years, San Francisco Mayor London Breed has instructed all department to make cuts in a revised budget.

Ching Wong/SFBay San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks during a press conference at the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, December 17, 2019. (Ching Wong/SFBay)

The mayor’s Deputy Budget Director Ashley Groffenberger told supervisors in a budget update Wednesday that general fund departments will need to cut 10 percent in the 2020-2021 fiscal year and 5 percent in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. 

Departments should also have a 5 percent contingency in place in case the shortfall is worse than expected.

Groffenberger said:

“Every department will need to make reductions and it is not matter of if but where.”

San Mateo County

  • Confirmed Cases: 1,697
  • Deaths: 75

Source: San Mateo County Health with data reported through Tuesday

The county is expanding Covid-19 testing in partnership with Verily Life Sciences, the research unit of Alphabet Inc.

Officials announced a new site located at Jefferson Union High School District in Daly City, which will operate Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Residents can make appointments online at projectbaseline.com/study/covid-19.

Santa Clara County

  • Confirmed Cases: 2492
  • Deaths: 138

Source: Santa Clara County Public Health as of Tuesday. 

Free Covid-19 testing is now available to all Santa Clara County residents at two locations, San Jose officials announced Wednesday.

Verily Life Sciences, the research unit under Alphabet Inc., is offering the tests to county residents without symptom or insurance requirements.

The facilities are located at the Police Athletic League Stadium at 680 S. 34th St. and the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds at 344 Tully Road.     

Santa Clara County Department of Public Covid-19 case rates in Santa Clara County, Calif. by zip code, as of Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

Residents can book appointments online by visiting projectbaseline.com/study/covid-19.

Solano County

  • Confirmed Cases: 435
  • Deaths: 18

Source: Solano Public Health as of Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

Officials said Wednesday they have resubmitted paperwork to the state in request of a variance to beyond the state’s Phase 2 reopening guidelines.

In order to be granted a variance, counties must meet specific criteria defined by the California Department of Public Health that indicate stabilizing infection, hospitalization and death rates.

Solano County Public Health Officer Dr. Bela T. Matya said in a statement:

“The state’s revised application for variance attestation was lengthy, and, based on their new criteria, we are confident we will be given CDPH approval.”

Sonoma County

  • Confirmed Cases: 411
  • Deaths: 4

Source: County of Sonoma with data as of Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. 

Global

  • Confirmed Cases: 4,995,712
  • Deaths: 328,095

Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Wednesday at 6:32 p.m.

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Last modified May 20, 2020 9:55 pm

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.

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