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Coronavirus in California: Large Events Banned and What Else You Need to Know Coronavirus in California: ‘Shelter in Place’ and What Else You Need to Know
(6 days later)
Across California, one by one, universities canceled in-person classes, grade schools closed, companies issued work from home orders and officials banned large gatherings. It was all in an effort to slow what officials have been describing as the inevitable spread of the coronavirus in the nation’s most populous state. Across California, daily life is unrecognizable from one week to the next. Over a million students are out of school. Residents 65 years and older have been told to isolate at home. Countless bars and nightclubs have shuttered. And as the number of cases continued to climb, state officials have begun to take even more extreme measures in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Large events like Coachella and Stagecoach were postponed, causing a ripple effect on the regions of the state that rely on tourists. And fans braced as professional sports teams announced they would play without live audiences. On Monday, health officials ordered millions in six counties in the Bay Area to “shelter in place,” one of the most significant restrictions yet to American life in the race to stop the coronavirus outbreak.“This is not the moment for half-measures, and history won’t forgive us for waiting an hour more,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose.
Gov. Gavin Newsom formally declared a state of emergency on March 4, he said, to ensure the state could marshal all the public health resources it could.
Since then, the virus has spread to more U.S. states, suggesting that many of the extraordinary containment measures in California could foreshadow what’s to come elsewhere.
California officials say they have largely shifted to building the capacity to test larger numbers of people.
“Testing is top of mind in the state of California,” Mr. Newsom said in a briefing on Tuesday.
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As of Wednesday, the state had 191 cases. Four deaths have been linked to the virus. As of Tuesday morning, the state had more than 580 cases, including 10 deaths.
The first person to die was a Placer County resident who had been on a previous cruise on the Grand Princess and had underlying health conditions. The second was a Santa Clara County woman in her 60s who died on Monday after being in the hospital for weeks. Nearly 12,000 people are “self monitoring” their health after traveling to the U.S. through airports in SFO and LAX.
On Tuesday evening, a Sacramento County woman in her 90s died after testing positive for the virus, which sent local health officials into overdrive testing other residents of the Elk Grove senior facility where she lived. Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Sunday that the state has so far conducted over 8,300 tests. He said that he expects the number to ramp up over the coming weeks as more labs are outfitted to testing capacity. “We are increasing our capacity on an hourly basis,” he said in a news conference.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles County health officials said that a woman over 60 died shortly after being hospitalized, although she wasn’t a resident. The woman, health officials said, had traveled extensively before coming to Los Angeles. This week, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties began piloting a program in partnership with Verily, the health and life science subsidiary of Alphabet, that will triage patients and screen them before testing them for the virus.
According to the state’s update on Tuesday, 24 of the 157 cases it had confirmed by then were related to federal repatriation efforts, meaning those were people who were brought back to the U.S. from abroad. On Thursday, Gov. Newsom canceled gatherings of 250 or more people through the end of March. Smaller gatherings in places that don’t allow for attendees to maintain a distance of six feet are also outlawed. Furthermore, gatherings that include people who are at a higher risk for illness, should be limited to no more than 10 people.
Of the remaining 133, the state said 50 were travel-related, 30 were from person to person spread and 29 were from community transmission. The last 24 were still under investigation. Health officials are also asking casinos and theme parks to limit the number of people allowed to congregate and to ensure a safe distance is maintained. Movie theaters were asked to reduce their capacity by 50-60 percent and sanitize seats in between showings.
County health authorities around the state continued to announce new cases over the course of the day on Wednesday, including six new cases in Los Angeles County, so the full total was expected to rise.
According to the state’s department of public health, more than 10,000 people are “self-monitoring,” after returning to the country through airports in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
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On Tuesday, Mr. Newsom said 1,075 people had been tested. He said 18 labs were already processing tests and a commercial lab company was preparing to start testing people, too. Nationwide, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for a halt to all gatherings of more than 50 people for the next 8 weeks.
On Wednesday, Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco reportedly began doing drive-through testing for the virus, but it was by appointment only. The cap on gatherings is in line with the use of social distancing, which is proven to slow the growth of a pandemic among communities.
Santa Clara County on Monday officially banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people, which affected several professional and college sports teams. On Wednesday, the White House recommended that local officials make the restrictions even more stringent and bar gatherings of 250 people or more. For a running list of events canceled around the country, see our list.
The county has emerged as a center of the virus’s spread in Northern California. On Sunday, Gov. Newsom called for all residents age of 65 and older to self-isolate at home.
It has had the Bay Area’s largest number of cases by far, with 45 as of Tuesday afternoon. And after three Transportation Security Administration officers at Mineta San Jose International Airport tested positive for the virus, officials worried that others may have been exposed. Between 20 and 40 airport workers have been quarantined. “We need to meet this moment aggressively,” Mr. Newsom said. “The most important thing is to protect our most vulnerable.”
Still, with 14 confirmed cases on Wednesday, San Francisco officials announced a similar ban on gatherings of 1,000 people or more in enclosed spaces. It was set to be in effect for two weeks. People over the age of 60, especially those with underlying health conditions, are particularly vulnerable to dying from the coronavirus. In China, where the virus was first recorded, the death rate for people under 50 was less than 1 percent. For patients over 80 years old, the death rate was 15 percent.
Although state officials have been encouraging residents to voluntarily avoid crowded places and cruises if they’re part of a vulnerable population, other California communities haven’t outright banned large gatherings yet. Over five million Californians are affected by the guidelines. The restrictions also apply to people with certain chronic health conditions, which is not a small group by any means. An estimated 60 percent of all Americans have at least one chronic condition.
When state and federal officials first announced that the Grand Princess Cruise ship, a vessel that became a symbolic hub of the virus, would dock in Oakland rather than San Francisco as first planned, residents of the East Bay city were outraged. On Monday, seven counties in the Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and the city of Berkeley, enacted measures to require residents to shelter in place beginning on Tuesday. The directive would be in effect for three weeks.
Twenty-one people aboard the ship initially tested positive for the virus, but more cases were expected to emerge as more passengers are tested. Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose said this was the strongest directive yet in the United States. Residents were told not go out for three weeks except to meet “essential needs,” which including things like grocery shopping and caring for family members and pets. Here are the answers to important questions about the mandate.
Although the authorities said the Port of Oakland was better equipped to deal with the docking of a ship full of people who would need to be securely and cleanly transported to quarantine sites elsewhere, some Oaklanders saw the move as a slight. “Temporarily changing our routine is absolutely necessary to slow the spread of this pandemic,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County Public Health Officer in a statement. “The Health Officers from the largest jurisdictions in the San Francisco Bay Area are united and we are taking this step together to offer the best protection to our respective communities.”
“I think it’s a total disgrace to my family, to all the taxpayers, to the rest of the people who don’t have a voice,” said Michael Green, 38, riding a bicycle through his West Oakland community. “All it takes is one to escape.” Over the weekend, Gov. Newsom ordered bars, nightclubs, breweries and wineries to close but said that restaurants could stay open if they cut their occupancy in half.
The ship arrived in Oakland on Monday, and since then, the governor’s office has been providing regular updates about who’s gotten off the boat and where they’ve gone. In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti took it a step further, ordering all restaurants to close, except to provide delivery and takeout orders. He also shuttered movie theaters, gyms, fitness studios throughout the city.
By the end of the day on Tuesday, 1,452 people had gotten off the ship. Most of those were taken by bus to Travis Air Force Base, while some others were flown on a chartered plane to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego. Others were taken by chartered flight to military bases in Georgia, Texas and to the United Kingdom. Pharmacies and grocery stores remain open throughout the state. In response to reports of panic buying, Mayor Garcetti assured residents that there is currently no shortage of food or interruptions in the food supply.
One confirmed coronavirus case that cropped up in Solano County, between San Francisco and Sacramento, was especially worrisome to health officials. The patient had not had contact with anyone known to be infected and had not traveled recently to a country where the virus is known to be in circulation.One confirmed coronavirus case that cropped up in Solano County, between San Francisco and Sacramento, was especially worrisome to health officials. The patient had not had contact with anyone known to be infected and had not traveled recently to a country where the virus is known to be in circulation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was the first such case reported in the United States, and it raised the possibility that someone who is asymptomatic may be carrying the virus and infecting others without knowing it.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was the first such case reported in the United States, and it raised the possibility that someone who is asymptomatic may be carrying the virus and infecting others without knowing it.
The patient, a woman, became ill and was first treated in a hospital in Vacaville, then transferred to the UC Davis Medical Center. Doctors there suspected coronavirus and requested a test. But the C.D.C. did not perform the test for days, because it was restricting testing to sick people known to have been exposed to the virus. The day after her case was confirmed, the C.D.C. broadened its criteria to allow testing of people like her who appear to be ill from coronavirus but have no known point of exposure.The patient, a woman, became ill and was first treated in a hospital in Vacaville, then transferred to the UC Davis Medical Center. Doctors there suspected coronavirus and requested a test. But the C.D.C. did not perform the test for days, because it was restricting testing to sick people known to have been exposed to the virus. The day after her case was confirmed, the C.D.C. broadened its criteria to allow testing of people like her who appear to be ill from coronavirus but have no known point of exposure.
Solano County is also the location of Travis Air Force Base, where many Americans have been quarantined.Solano County is also the location of Travis Air Force Base, where many Americans have been quarantined.
A government whistle-blower has filed a complaint saying that the federal health officials sent to interact with quarantined people at the base were not given proper training or protective gear, were not monitored or tested, and were allowed to move freely around and off the base — practices that potentially could have spread the virus into the community. The Department of Health and Human Services said it was looking into the complaint.A government whistle-blower has filed a complaint saying that the federal health officials sent to interact with quarantined people at the base were not given proper training or protective gear, were not monitored or tested, and were allowed to move freely around and off the base — practices that potentially could have spread the virus into the community. The Department of Health and Human Services said it was looking into the complaint.
Similar things may have happened at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego, another base where American coronavirus evacuees from Asia were taken to be quarantined, according to a person with direct knowledge of the efforts thereSimilar things may have happened at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego, another base where American coronavirus evacuees from Asia were taken to be quarantined, according to a person with direct knowledge of the efforts there
State officials at one point planned to move people infected with the virus to a state-owned facility in Costa Mesa, a city of more than 100,000 in Orange County. But city leaders fought to keep them out.State officials at one point planned to move people infected with the virus to a state-owned facility in Costa Mesa, a city of more than 100,000 in Orange County. But city leaders fought to keep them out.
The authorities in California selected the site after the Defense Department informed them that patients who tested positive for the virus could no longer stay at Travis Air Force Base.The authorities in California selected the site after the Defense Department informed them that patients who tested positive for the virus could no longer stay at Travis Air Force Base.
Federal officials had planned to move the patients to a government facility in Alabama, court documents said, but officials in California thought that moving the group, most of them said to be residents of the state, would be detrimental to their health and well-being.Federal officials had planned to move the patients to a government facility in Alabama, court documents said, but officials in California thought that moving the group, most of them said to be residents of the state, would be detrimental to their health and well-being.
Instead, state officials said the people would be moved from the base in Solano County to the facility in Southern California, where they would remain in isolation while recovering.Instead, state officials said the people would be moved from the base in Solano County to the facility in Southern California, where they would remain in isolation while recovering.
But the decision touched off a legal fight with Costa Mesa. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to stop the move. The judge said she would reconsider the issue after state and federal authorities provide more details about how they plan to protect the health of the community, as well as the people with the coronavirus. The judge set a hearing for March 2.But the decision touched off a legal fight with Costa Mesa. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to stop the move. The judge said she would reconsider the issue after state and federal authorities provide more details about how they plan to protect the health of the community, as well as the people with the coronavirus. The judge set a hearing for March 2.
“This is a new one in terms of claiming a right not to have infectious disease introduced into your community,” said Polly Price, a professor of law and global public health at Emory University. Although cities and towns once claimed “an absolute right” to guard against disease, she said, state-level control over isolation and quarantine has been the norm for more than a century.“This is a new one in terms of claiming a right not to have infectious disease introduced into your community,” said Polly Price, a professor of law and global public health at Emory University. Although cities and towns once claimed “an absolute right” to guard against disease, she said, state-level control over isolation and quarantine has been the norm for more than a century.
Blair Zong, 33, was among hundreds of Americans who were evacuated on flights arranged by the U.S. government and have had to wait through mandatory 14-day quarantines on military bases. Californians face sweeping job and income losses in the face of the outbreak, but Gov. Newsom said he was confident the state could manage the economic fallout from the crisis. The state has a $21 billion budget surplus, plus a rainy-day fund of close to $16 billion.
Ms. Zong, who lives in San Jose, Calif., was visiting her mother and grandparents in Wuhan, China, where she grew up, when the coronavirus outbreak became an epidemic. “We are well positioned from a cash perspective to get through this,” Mr. Newsom said.
She agreed to keep a daily journal of her time in quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. However, like everything else, these assessments are changing by the day. ]
Reporting was contributed by Rick Rojas, Patrick J. Lyons, Sean Plambeck, Roni Caryn Rabin, Farah Stockman, Louis Keene, Emily Cochrane, Margot Sanger-Katz and Noah Weiland. Economists at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management released a revised report on Monday predicting that the economic fallout will be worse for the state than for the rest of the country, due to the fact that California relies more on tourism and trans-Pacific transportation.
Reporting was contributed by Jill Cowan, Rick Rojas, Patrick J. Lyons, Sean Plambeck, Roni Caryn Rabin, Farah Stockman, Louis Keene, Emily Cochrane, Margot Sanger-Katz and Noah Weiland.