Covid-19 update: U.S. hits grim death toll milestone, BART releases 15-point safety plan

The U.S. death toll related to Covid-19 reached six figures Wednesday, according to data reported by John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

Here’s what’s happening in the state and Bay Area.

U.S.

  • Confirmed Cases: 1,699,126
  • Deaths: 100,411

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

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Jesse Garnier SFBay Covid-19 dashboard as of Wednesday, May 27, 2020.

California

  • Confirmed Cases: 101,037
  • Deaths: 3,984

Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of 

Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke with members of the fitness industry Wednesday for a roundtable discussion on how and when to reopen gyms and fitness facilities.

The governor gave no firm dates, but said he hopes to have guidelines prepared soon. 

Regional

As the Bay Area loosens some business restrictions. BART officials Wednesday shared a 15-point plan to welcome passengers back to the transit system.

Plans include rigorous cleaning inside trains and adding physical distancing space with longer trains and new seat configurations.

In coming months, the transit agency will stop selling paper tickets and move to Clipper cards systemwide to reduce the number of passenger touch points.

Jerold Chinn/SFBay BART’s “Fleet of the Future” arrives at the Richmond Station on Friday, January 19, 2018, in Richmond, Calif.

BART police officers will enforce face covering rules and be positioned at fixed posts near fare gates. Police also said they will conduct more fare checks on board trains and stations.

The agency is exploring the possibility of face mask vending machines, but meanwhile, ticket agents at downtown San Francisco stations and police have supplies of masks for passengers who need one. 

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Alameda County

  • Confirmed Cases: 3,049
  • Deaths: 93

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

Contra Costa County

  • Confirmed Cases: 1,375
  • Deaths: 37

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

The county has opened cooling stations during this week’s heat wave. The stations remain open until Friday. The National Weather Service forecasts cooler weather in the county and throughout the Bay Area by the weekend.

Marin County

  • Confirmed Cases: 430
  • Deaths: 14

Source: Marin Health and Human Services as of Wednesday.

County officials are calling on all businesses to encourage employees to test for Covid-19, especially those who have frequent contact with the public, such as grocery workers.

Marin County has tripled its testing capacity over the past three weeks and results and contact tracing have reflected a spike in cases of people who work closely with the public, namely in grocery stores, construction sites, gas stations, restaurants, school settings and landscaping.

More information about Covid-19 testing can be found on the county’s website.

Napa County

  • Confirmed Cases: 109
  • Deaths: 3

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

The county reports of conducting a total of 7,961 Covid-19 tests as of Wednesday while 58 individuals are awaiting results. 

There are 92 people being closely monitored due to close contact with someone confirmed to have the virus.

Napa is one of three counties in the Bay Area given permission by the state to accelerate faster in allowing retail, restaurants, places of worship and hair salons to reopen with specific health and safety guidelines.

San Francisco

  • Confirmed Cases: 2,408
  • Deaths: 40

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

Good news for nature lovers. The San Francisco Botanical Garden announced they will reopen June 1, but with modifications. 

Garden visitors are encouraged to make reservations in advance in order to minimize transaction time at the entrance. Visitors will need to wear face coverings and practice physical distancing.

Kevin Lau/Flickr Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. (Kevin Lau/Flickr)

Garden staff will monitor capacity throughout the day. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a budget impact on the garden, which resulted in layoffs and reduced staff hours. The garden estimates a $1 million loss in revenue due to closure and cancelation of events and programs.

More information about the garden’s reopening can be found at https://www.sfbg.org/covid-19.

San Mateo County

  • Confirmed Cases: 1,963
  • Deaths: 82

Source: San Mateo County Health Department with data reported through Tuesday.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors extended through June an emergency eviction moratorium on for tenants unable to pay rent due to the impact of Covid-19.

Additionally, the board voted to suspend customer bag fees after officials revised the county’s health order that prohibits customers from using their own bags.

Santa Clara County

  • Confirmed Cases: 2.688
  • Deaths: 140

Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department as of Wednesday. 

The county is seeking volunteers to build up its contact tracing program in an effort to contain transmission of the virus.

Jesse Garnier/SFBay SFBay Covid-19 dashboard highlighting confirmed cases by day in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties as of latest reporting Tuesday, May 26, 2020.

Health officials said contact tracing is an important, especially in identifying asymptomatic carriers.

In a statement, Sarah Rudman, assistant health officer said:

“In order to ease restrictions, we know that we need to be prepared to reach out to every case, ensure they are able to safely isolate, and prevent further transmission by notifying any person with whom they have been in close contact, which will require this significant expansion of our contact tracing team.”

Potential volunteers can visit https://www.sccgov.org/icanhelp for more information and qualifications.

Solano County

  • Confirmed Cases: 502
  • Deaths: 21

Source: Solano Public Health as of Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.

The county has revised health order to lay out guidelines for reopening of hair salons and barbershops.

The establishments must have a supply of personal protective equipment for staff, contractors, vendors and for customers if needed, ensure workstations and customer areas are disinfected and supply disinfecting items, such as wipes and hand sanitizer at all workstations and front counter areas.

Hair salons and barbershops were permitted to reopen Wednesday granted that they comply with the updated health order.

Sonoma County

  • Confirmed Cases: 524
  • Deaths: 4

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

Global

  • Confirmed Cases: 5,690,951
  • Deaths: 355,615

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

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Last modified May 27, 2020 9:40 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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