Four Bay Area counties are now pausing their next reopening phases as rising trends sound alarms for local and state officials monitoring the situation. The state’s governor is considering more drastic mandates in areas that fail to control virus spread.
The World Health Organization warned Monday that the “worst is yet to come” at a point when the U.S. already accounts for a quarter of world’s infections.
Here’s a closer look at what’s going on in the Bay Area and beyond.
Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Tuesday at 7:33 p.m.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly commented on Twitter Monday in support of face masks for the prevention of Covid-19 spread. His message, which came more than three months after Covid-19 took hold in the U.S., read:
We must have no stigma, none, about wearing masks when we leave our homes and come near other people. Wearing simple face coverings is not about protecting ourselves, it is about protecting everyone we encounter.
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) June 29, 2020
The message about masks comes after the deaths of more than 126,000 U.S. citizens and as only five states or territories — Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, Washington D.C. and New Jersey — embark on a downward trajectory for new Covid-19 cases.
According to John Hopkins University tracking, Florida added nearly 9,000 new cases to its cumulative total Saturday.
At least 16 states have rolled back or paused their reopening strategies in light of recent case spikes.
Open SFBay USA coronavirus tracker.Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Tuesday at 7:33 p.m.
Gov. Gavin Newsom Sunday ordered or strongly suggested bar closures in several California counties as Covid-19 infections in the state continue to increase at an alarming rate. The specific counties were identified by a 14-day state monitoring scale that evaluates new cases, hospitalization rates and deaths, among other key factors.
The mandate particularly took aim at Southern California counties that have failed to mitigate spread: Los Angeles, Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Tulare, Kings and Imperial counties.
Newsom made the strong suggestion about non-food service bar closures in Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino, Venture, Santa Barbara and Stanislaus counties.
Taking things a step further Monday, the governor recommended Imperial County, which is now reporting the highest per-capita case rate statewide, roll back plans and reinstate more strict shelter orders. If the increasing trend continues across the state, Newsom has not ruled out imposing restrictions, beyond suggestion, on other counties in the near future.
The governor said Monday:
“To be forthright with you, we are considering a number of other things to advance and we’ll be making those public as conditions change.”
Counties trigger a place on the state watchlist if they report:
California has steadily increased its testing capacity, with more than 4 million tests administered to date; however, the positivity rate is also rising.
Source: Alameda County Public Health Department as of Monday with data reported through Sunday.
Alameda County was the fourth in the Bay Area region to “pause” reopening plans over the past few days, which seems a little late to the game considering the county shoulders the region’s greatest burden of positive Covid-19 cases. Still, health officials announced late Monday afternoon that the reopening timeline would be extended and the “request for the Board of Supervisors to support a Variance Attestation on June 30th” was being pulled back.
The health emergency press release read:
“Alameda County’s case rate per 100,000 people has increased from 63.2 to 71.1 over the past 7 days. … We are concerned by the increase in local cases, disproportionate impact on communities of color, local impact of the outbreak at San Quentin State Prison, and the alarming disease trends we see in counties that have opened at a faster rate.”
As of Monday, the number of positive cases reported in just Oakland surpassed 2,200. Hayward, with the second highest number of Covid-19 cases in the county, reported 963 positive test results.
Source: Contra Costa Health Services as of Monday at 11:30 a.m.
Bars, indoor dining, gyms and salons will have to wait a little longer to open their doors for in-person business. In a media release issued Monday morning by Contra Costa Health Services, officials announced that the next reopening phase scheduled to begin Wednesday is officially being postponed due to spikes in new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The statement said:
“These businesses and activities will remain closed in Contra Costa until county data indicate that the spread of the virus has slowed, as measured by at least a week of stable case numbers, hospitalizations and percent of tests that are positive. Trends will be monitored and evaluated daily.”
Source: Marin Health and Human Services as of Monday.
*Marin County began reporting San Quentin State Prison cases separately, but for the purposes of tracking actual infections and potential impact on hospitalization rates, we’ve included prison-derived cases with the county’s cumulative total.
The number of Covid-19 cases identified from within San Quentin State Prison is almost equal to the number of cases confirmed throughout the rest of the county’s nonincarcerated population.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports Monday night that 1,059 inmates have tested positive — five were released from custody with active infections. Another 102 staff members from the prison facility have been infected and only six have reportedly returned to work.
Outside the prison system, county health officials said Monday that 13 Covid-19 patients are currently hospitalized.
Source: Department of Health and Human Services as of Monday at 1:30 p.m.
According to the health department’s update Monday, just shy of 60 percent of the county’s cases are concentrated in the city of Napa.
Source: San Francisco Department of Public Health with data reported through Monday.
Mayor London Breed announced Friday that The City would be pausing the next phase of reopening originally scheduled to occur Monday. Although the infection rate has remained relatively low for such a densely populated area, recent case and hospitalization spikes are causing officials to rethink consequences of opening too quickly.
In a Twitter post, Breed said:
“I know people are anxious to reopen–I am too. But we can’t jeopardize the progress we’ve made.”
Source: San Mateo County Health Department with data reported through Monday.
San Mateo County Covid-19 hospitalization numbers are seeing a slight uptick, with 18 patients being treated in hospitals as of Saturday — up from 13 the day prior. Of the county’s cumulative case count, 516 have come from long-term care facilities.
Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department as of Monday.
Santa Clara County saw a sudden spike last Tuesday with 188 new cases reported in one 24-hour period. Things have since settled down a bit, but new cases are still increased from the county’s more comfortable May and earlier June averages, which is on par with trends seen all over the state and country.
Source: Solano Public Health as of Monday at 4:30 p.m.
Thirty-eight Covid-19 patients are currently hospitalized, up from 18 on June 22 — that represents a 47 percent increase in the past seven-day period. The confirmed case count in Vallejo has reached 462 — Fairfield is reporting 363, the county’s second highest number of infections.
Source: County of Sonoma with data as of Tuesday.
Two people in Sonoma County died from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. Health officials report that 55 percent of patients with identified cases have already recovered from the virus.
Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Monday at 7:33 p.m.
The worldwide Covid-19 situation hit two stark milestones Monday, with more than 10 million reported infections and more than 500,000 deaths.
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