Solano County wake up! Gov. Newsom threatens counties that don’t order mandatory masks

Newsom threatens California counties that defy coronavirus rules as cases spike

San Francisco Chronicle, by Alexei Koseff June 24, 2020 
Gov. Gavin Newsom at a news conference in Sacramento on June 5.
Gov. Gavin Newsom at a news conference in Sacramento on June 5. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom could withhold financial relief from local governments in the upcoming state budget if they do not follow guidelines that he says are necessary to tamp down the spike in coronavirus cases in California.

The budget deal with legislative leaders announced this week ties $750 million in funding to replace lost tax revenue for county services, as well as $1.3 billion for counties and $500 million for cities from the federal bailout package, to local governments’ compliance with the stay-at-home order and other state requirements on the coronavirus response.

Newsom, through his Department of Finance, could order state officials not to send local governments their portion of the money if they do not certify they are following the rules, which include a new mandate for Californians to wear masks nearly everywhere outside the home.

At a news conference Wednesday, the governor said that authority would give him leverage over those who “simply thumb their nose” at state guidelines. He did not specify how cities and counties would be expected to prove their compliance, though he added that he was trying to encourage good behavior rather than punish bad behavior.

“We give an enormous amount of power, control and authority to local government, but what we’re now looking for is accountability,” Newsom said.

Since the state rolled out its requirement for face coverings last week, county sheriffs and local police chiefs from Orange County to Sacramento have announced that they do not plan to enforce the order. The mayor of Nevada City, in Nevada County, encouraged residents to defy the mandate to “prevent all of us from slipping down the nasty slope of tyranny.”

Newsom, who has previously used state regulatory agencies to pressure businesses and local governments that defied his lockdown measures, said Wednesday that the “power of the purse” would give him another tool.

“If counties that have submitted that they need more state money to address this pandemic but are unwilling to enforce the rules and laws related to mitigate that pandemic, it seems not only counterintuitive that you would continue to provide those resources, but actually harmful to the broader effort,” he said.

California reported a record 7,149 new cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, Newsom said, which he attributed not only to an increase in testing but also a rising rate of positive tests. The state has recorded more than 12,000 cases in the past two days.

Hospitalizations of coronavirus patients have grown by 29% over the past two weeks, to 4,095, though the governor noted that is only a fraction of the state’s capacity.

Newsom blamed the spread on more Californians venturing out of their homes to visit family and friends, which he suggested was threatening the ability of the state to continue reopening its economy.

“Many of us, understandably, developed a little cabin fever. Some, I would argue, have developed a little amnesia. Others have just, frankly, taken down their guard,” he said. “It is our behaviors that are leading to these numbers, and we are putting people’s lives at risk.”

Earlier this week, Newsom acknowledged that he might have to shut down businesses again if the state loses control of its coronavirus outbreak. He released a video with former governors Jerry Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gray Davis and Pete Wilson encouraging the public to wear masks.

On Wednesday, Newsom pleaded with the public to continue washing their hands, wearing face coverings and avoiding large crowds and intimate gatherings.

“Consider others in your life and strangers. Love thy neighbors like yourself,” he said. “If you cannot practice physical distancing, then are you practicing love?”

Solano’s Thursday COVID-19 report: 30 more cases, including 5 new youth infections


Thursday, June 25: 30 new cases today, no new deaths. Since the outbreak started: 1,094 cases , 101 hospitalized, 23 deaths.

Compare yesterday’s report, Wed. June 24:Summary

  • Solano County reported 30 new cases today, total of 1,094 cases since the outbreak started.
  • No new deaths today, total of 23, no new hospitalizations, total of 101.
  • Solano reported 18 new ACTIVE cases today, total 272.
  • Testing – Solano county reported 1,124 residents were tested since yesterday’s report.

Solano’s new Public Health Dashboard design has 2 panels

The County’s new Public Health Dashboard design includes the “Summary Data” panel (at top above) and the “Details / Demographics” panel (here above).  Note that both panels are user interactive – hover over a chart (or tap) to get details. On the Details/Demographics panel, most of the charts have an additional tab showing the rate per 100,000.   Go there and explore the two panels.  (Expand a chart by clicking the small button in its upper right corner.)

SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE

The County has added an important new feature: a Seven day moving average chart.  The chart is “The average of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Solano County residents over the past 7 calendar days, by the date that their specimens were collected.”  Here is today’s chart, with a 7-day moving average of 26 new cases per day, down from 30 yesterday This chart shows a significant rise in the average number of cases during mid-June, tapering off here at the end of June.

BY AGE GROUP

  • Youth 17 and under – 5 new cases today, total of 87 cases, only one ever hospitalized10 days ago, there were only 40 cases among this age group – we’ve seen 47 new cases in 10 days!  I continue to be alarmed for Solano’s youth.  The trend has been rising dramatically.  Cases among Solano youth have increased in recent weeks to 8% of the 1,094 total confirmed casesThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the figure of coronavirus-infected kids younger than 18 at around 4% of those with the disease.  Our youth are testing positive at double the national rate!
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 18 new cases today, total of 618 cases.  This age group represents 56% of the 1,094 total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported no new hospitalizations among this age group today, and no new deaths.  Total of 27 hospitalized at one time and 2 deaths.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 5 new cases today, total of 228 cases.  This age group represents 21% of the 1,094 total cases.  No new hospitalizations today, total of 34 hospitalized at one time.  No new deaths, total of 3 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 2 new cases today, total of 160 cases.  This age group represents 15% of the 1,094 total cases.  No new hospitalizations and no new deaths today.  Total of 39 hospitalized at one time and 18 deaths.  In this older age group, 24% were hospitalized at one time, a substantially higher percentage than in the lower age groups And this group counts for 18 of the 23 deaths, or 78%.

CITY DATA

  • Vallejo added 10 new cases today, total of 456.
  • Fairfield added 10 new cases today, total of 349.
  • Vacaville added 2 new cases today, total of 145 cases.
  • Suisun City remained at 68 cases.
  • Benicia remained at 25 cases.
  • Dixon added 8 new cases today, total of 37 cases.
  • Rio Vista and “Unincorporated” are still not assigned numerical data: today both remain at <10 (less than 10).  The total numbers for other cities add up to 1,080, leaving 14 cases somewhere among the 2 locations in this “<10” category (one more than last reported)Residents and city officials have pressured County officials for city case counts.  Today’s data is welcome, but remains incomplete for folks in Rio Vista and unincorporated areas of the County.
  • The “Rate” column shows the rate of positive COVID-19 cases (per 100,000 population) for each city.  Benicia is leading the way here, with a rate of only 90.7 cases per 100,000. Compare with other Solano cities in the chart, and note that the CDC reports today’s rate in California at 481 per 100,000 (up from 450 yesterday).  Johns Hopkins lists the overall Solano County rate at 238 (up from 228 yesterday).

RACE / ETHNICITY

The County is reporting on race / ethnicity data for the first time, including case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  There are tabs showing the rate per 100,000 by race / ethnicity for each of these boxes .  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  As of today:

  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 25% of cases, 23% of hospitalizations (up 2% over yesterday) and 23% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases, but 29% of hospitalizations and 36% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 35% of cases.  They account for 24% of hospitalizations and only 14 % of deaths.
  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases and 15% of hospitalizations (down 1% from yesterday), but 23% of deaths.

MUCH MORE…

The County’s new and improved Coronavirus Dashboard is full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis.  The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight a report or two.  Check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

Solano County COVID-19 report shows ‘7-day Moving Average’ of 30 positive cases per day, spiking in mid-June

Wednesday, June 24: 44 new cases today, no new deaths. Since the outbreak started: total of 1,064 cases , 101 hospitalized, 23 deaths.

Compare yesterday’s report, Tuesday June 23:Summary

  • Solano County reported 44 new cases today, total of 1,064 cases since the outbreak started.
  • No new deaths today, total of 23, and 2 new hospitalizations, total of 101.
  • Solano reported 33 new ACTIVE cases today, total 254.
  • Testing – Solano county reported only 203 residents were tested since yesterday’s report, many fewer than in previous days.

Solano’s new Public Health Dashboard design has 2 panels

The County’s new Public Health Dashboard design includes the “Summary Data” panel (above) and the “Details/Demographics” panel (here below).  Note that both panels are user interactive – hover over a chart (or tap) to get details. On the Details/Demographics panel, most of the charts have an additional tab showing the rate per 100,000.   Go there and explore the two panels.  (Expand a chart by clicking the small button in its upper right corner.)

SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE

The County has added an important new feature: a Seven day moving average chart.  The chart is “The average of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Solano County residents over the past 7 calendar days, by the date that their specimens were collected.”  Here is today’s chart, with a 7-day moving average of 30 new cases per day, up from 16 yesterday This chart shows a significant rise in the average number of cases during mid-June.

BY AGE GROUP

  • Youth 17 and under – 1 new case today, total of 82 cases, only one ever hospitalized. 10 days ago, there were only 39 cases among this age group – we’ve seen over 42 new cases in 12 days!  Today was a good report, but I continue to be alarmed for Solano’s youth.  The trend has been rising dramatically.  Cases among Solano youth have increased in recent weeks to nearly 8% of the 1,064 total confirmed casesThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the figure of coronavirus-infected kids younger than 18 at around 4% of those with the disease.  Our youth are testing positive at double the national rate!
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 34 new cases today, total of 600 cases.  This age group represents 56% of the 1,064 total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported 1 new hospitalization among this age group today, and no new deaths.  Total of 27 hospitalized at one time and 2 deaths.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 7 new cases today, total of 223 cases.  This age group represents 21% of the 1,064 total cases1 new hospitalization today, total of 34 hospitalized at one time.  No new deaths, total of 3 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 2 new cases today, total of 158 cases.  This age group represents 15% of the 1,064 total cases.  No new hospitalizations and no new deaths today.  Total of 39 hospitalized at one time and 18 deaths.  In this older age group, 25% were hospitalized at one time, a substantially higher percentage than in the lower age groups And this group counts for 18 of the 23 deaths, or 78%.

CITY DATA

  • Vallejo added 10 new cases today, total of 446.
  • Fairfield added 24 new cases today, total of 339.
  • Vacaville added 5 new cases today, total of 143 cases.
  • Suisun City added 3 new cases today, total of 68 cases.
  • Benicia remained at 25 cases.
  • Dixon is reported at 2 new cases today, total of 29 cases.
  • Rio Vista and “Unincorporated” are still not assigned numerical data: today both remain at <10 (less than 10).  The total numbers for other cities add up to 1,050, leaving 14 cases somewhere among the 2 locations in this “<10” category (one more than last reported)Residents and city officials have pressured County officials for city case counts.  Today’s data is welcome, but remains incomplete for folks in Rio Vista and unincorporated areas of the County.
  • The “Rate” column shows the rate of positive COVID-19 cases (per 100,000 population) for each city.  Benicia is leading the way here, with a rate of only 92 cases per 100,000. Compare with other Solano cities in the chart, and note that the CDC reports today’s rate in California at 463 per 100,000 (up from 450 yesterday).  Johns Hopkins lists the overall Solano County rate at 228 (up from 209 yesterday).

RACE / ETHNICITY

The County is reporting on race / ethnicity data for the first time, including case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  There are tabs showing the rate per 100,000 by race / ethnicity for each of these boxes .

This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  As of today:

  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 25% of cases, 23% of hospitalizations (up 2% over yesterday) and 23% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases, but 29% of hospitalizations and 36% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 35% of cases.  They account for 24% of hospitalizations and only 14 % of deaths.
  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 13% of cases and 15% of hospitalizations (down 1% from yesterday), but 23% of deaths.

MUCH MORE…

The County’s new and improved Coronavirus Dashboard is full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis.  The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight a report or two.  Check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

Confused about what’s re-opened in Solano County? Here’s the SF Chron on what’s open, what’s not

California’s reopening: See what’s open and what’s still shut down by county

San Francisco Chronicle, by CHRONICLE DIGITAL TEAM | LAST UPDATED:  June 24, 2020 9:36 AM

California developed a four-stage approach to reopening from shelter-in-place orders designed to slow the coronavirus outbreak. The state as a whole is in Stage 2, but most counties have filed attestations to overall preparedness and have been approved for advanced reopening though some are being monitored by the state as cases are surging again. Gov. Gavin Newsom has even said reopening could be reversed if the surge continues. Those counties with permission to move at their own pace into Stage 3 can open higher-risk businesses depending on local conditions. Only four counties — San Francisco, Alameda and Santa Clara in the Bay Area plus Imperial in Southern California — have not been approved to move forward.

How shelter-in-place orders are loosening

All Bay Area counties have relaxed some restrictions and moved at least into limited Stage 2 reopening. Contra Costa, San Mateo, Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma have been approved for advanced reopening, though Contra Costa is taking a more gradual approach. Marin will open some Stage 3 businesses on June 29 with more guidance coming soon. San Francisco officials set a series of dates, beginning June 1, as targets to reopen and recently moved up the target date by two weeks for several businesses.


Where Bay Area counties stand:

Solano County

WHEN DO SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDERS EXPIRE?

Effective until further notice

ARE FACE COVERINGS REQUIRED IN PUBLIC?

No, but recommended when outside the home

WHAT IS OPEN:

    • Low-risk activities that allow for social distancing or physical barriers
    • Essential businesses like health care, grocery stores, pharmacies, banks
    • Dine-in restaurants
    • Destination retail, including clothing stores, shopping malls and swap meets
    • Personal services such as barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and tattoo parlors
    • Bars, wineries and breweries
    • Gyms and fitness centers
    • Places of worship with attendance limited to 25% of building capacity up to 100 people
    • Family entertainment centers, including movie theaters
    • Office-based business operations
    • Essential travel
    • Outdoor activities like walking and biking
    • Construction, real estate transactions and other outdoor businesses
    • Child care, day camps and educational programs with groups limited in size to 10 children
    • Manufacturing
    • Outdoor facilities such as skate parks, athletic fields, golf courses and local parks
    • Zoos, museums and galleries
    • Hotels, lodging and short-term rentals
    • Racetracks and satellite wagering facilities
    • Professional sports without spectators
    • Campgrounds and RV parks, though Lake Solano Park and Sandy Beach Park remain closed except for boat launching
    • Other boat ramps and launches
    • Schools can reopen, but will wait until late summer or fall

WHAT IS NOT OPEN:

    • Vehicle access, parking and camping at state parks
    • Outdoor recreational areas and playgrounds with high-touch equipment
    • Sports that require shared equipment or physical contact
    • Entertainment and concert venues
    • Community centers
    • Nightclubs
    • Live sports and festivals
READ THE COUNTY’S FULL ORDER HERE

Is the Bay Area reaching its goals?

Officials for six Bay Area counties established their own set of indicators they are using to help decide when to ease shelter-in-place orders (this is an evolving checklist and the criteria are subject to change). All six report they are doing well in terms of hospitalization rates and hospital capacity. A recent spike in coronavirus cases across the Bay Area led four of the six counties to change their status to currently not meeting goals for flat or decreasing new cases. Testing remains a hurdle, with only two of the counties currently reaching their goal of 200 daily tests per 100,000 residents.

Cases by county during reopening

The 5-day trailing average of daily confirmed cases per 100,000 residents and a marker indicating when these Bay Area counties moved into a new stage of reopening.

Checklist: How Bay Area counties are measuring progress

This chart will be updated weekly with information reported by the county officials. Last updated June 19, 2020 10:30 a.m. [BenIndy Editor: unfortunately, Solano County is not included in this “Bay Area counties” chart.  This is not the first time Solano has been overlooked.]


For more information on new cases and trends, visit The Chronicle’s virus tracker

Sources: California Department of Public Health, county public health departments, exclusive Chronicle reporting(1) Numbers of cases: The total number of cases in the community and the number of hospitalizations must flatten or decrease. County officials determine whether this goal is being met. (2) Hospitalizations: Number must flatten or decrease for 14 consecutive days. (3) Hospital capacity: For at least a week, no more than 50% of patients in staffed hospital beds not added as part of pandemic-surge planning can be coronavirus-positive. In the above chart, hospitalizations represent all confirmed COVID-19 patients, including those in ICU, on a given day. (4) Testing: At least 200 coronavirus-detection tests must be conducted per 100,000 residents per day. In the above chart, tests per 100,000 people is the average daily tests reported for the previous week, due to reporting delays. (5) Investigation and contact tracing: Public officials must be able to design a system that reaches at least 90% of confirmed cases and identifies their contacts; ensures that 90% of the cases reached can safely isolate; reaches at least 90% of all contacts identified; and ensures that at least 90% of identified contacts can safely quarantine. (6) Personal protective equipment: All acute care hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, and medical first responders must have a 30-day supply of PPE on hand.* San Mateo is using the state standard of a 14-day supply of PPE on hand, not the 30-day supply used by the other Bay Area counties, to determine if it is meeting that goal.

Many counties moving more quickly

Nearly every county has filed attestation papers and has been approved for advanced reopening. Those counties can determine when they’re ready to allow higher-risk activities in Stage 3. Most counties allowed all businesses with state guidance to open June 12 or earlier, though some like Del Notre, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Fresno and Los Angeles are opening Stage 3 businesses and activities in phases.

Early Stage 2

WHAT IS OPEN, WITH MODIFICATIONS

Curbside retail and dining pickups or deliveries   •   individual counties may approve in-store shopping   •   some manufacturing   •   child care for those outside the essential workforce   •   office-based business though telework is still encouraged   •   services like car washes, pet grooming and landscaping   •   outdoor public spaces like museums and galleries   •   places of worship with attendance limited to 25% of building capacity up to 100 people, pending approval from individual counties.

WHAT IS NOT OPEN

Indoor gatherings, including retail and eat-in dining in some counties   •   personal services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and fitness studios   •   many state parks   •   schools.

Advanced Stage 2

WHAT EXTRA IS OPEN, WITH COUNTY-SPECIFIC MODIFICATIONS

Dine-in restaurants and other facilities offering food service with social distancing   •   barbershops and hair salons with safety measures   •   schools.

WHAT STILL IS NOT OPEN

Bars, wineries, tasting rooms and gaming areas that do not offer sit-down meals   •   entertainment venues like movie theaters and arcades   •   indoor museums, gallery spaces and libraries   •   zoos   •   community centers and public pools, playgrounds and picnic areas   •   limited-capacity indoor ceremonies   •   nightclubs   •   concert venues   •   live sports   •   festivals   •   theme parks   •   gyms and other personal services   •   hotels for nonessential travel   •   higher education.

Stage 3

WHAT EXTRA IS OPEN

Restaurants, bars, wineries and tasting rooms   •   gyms and fitness centers   •   personal service businesses like nail salons and tattoo shops   •   sports without spectators   •   larger in-person gatherings such as church services and weddings   •   RV parks and campsites, though playgrounds, conference spaces, meeting rooms and outdoor spaces intended for group functions are to remain closed   •   casinos, cardrooms, satellite wagering facilities and racetracks (without spectators)   •   entertainment centers such as movie theaters, bowling alleys, miniature golf, arcades and batting cages   •   fitness facilities, including swimming pools   •   hotel, lodging and short-term rentals but can only rent unoccupied units and cannot rent rooms or spaces within an occupied residence   •   museums, galleries, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and similar spaces

WHAT STILL IS NOT OPEN

Concerts, convention centers and live-audience sports   •   entertainment venues where social distancing is harder, like ice rinks, roller rinks, laser tag arenas, theme parks, amusement parks or water parks   •   saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs

 

 

For safe and healthy communities…