Category Archives: Coronavirus

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Coronavirus in Solano County – 15 new cases on April 16, highest single day increase

Thursday, April 16: fifteen new cases! No new deaths, total now 156 cases, 2 deaths

Solano County Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Updates and Resources.  Check out basic information in this screenshot. IMPORTANT: The County’s interactive page has more.  On the County website, you can click on “Number of cases” and then hover over the charts for detailed information.

Last report (Wednesday, April 15):

Summary:

Solano County reported 15 NEW POSITIVE CASES today – total is now 156.  No new deaths in Solano County – still 2.

As of today:

    • No additional positive cases of young persons under 19 years of age, total of 2.
    • All 15 of today’s new cases were persons 19-64 years of age, total of 127 cases, increasing to 81%, of total confirmed cases. (No new deaths, total of 1).
    • No additional cases were persons 65 or older, total of 27 cases, falling to 17% of the 156 total (including 1 death)

ACTIVE CASES:  37 of the 156 are active cases. This is 12 more than reported yesterday.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: The County’s “Hospital Impact” graph (below) is significant. While 39 of the 156 cases resulted in hospitalizations, only 9 are currently hospitalized, 7 fewer than were reported yesterday.  More good news: the County continues to estimate that our supply of ICU beds and ventilators is GOOD.  (No information is given on our supply of PPE and staff.)

CITY DATA: Vallejo added 9 new cases, total of 62; Fairfield added 3 new cases, total of 38; Vacaville remains at 24 cases; and Suisun City added 1 new case, total of 11.  Benicia, Dixon, Rio Vista and “Unincorporated” are still not assigned numerical data: all show <10 (less than 10).  NOTE that the the above cities account for only 14 of today’s 15 new cases, so 1 of today’s new cases must have come from our three >10 cities / unincorporated areas.  Residents and city officials have been pressuring County officials for city case counts for many weeks.  Today’s data is welcome, but incomplete.

The Number of residents tested panel reports that 2,169 residents have been tested as of today.  This is an increase of only 154 tested over yesterday’s total of 2,015.  Approximately 5 tenths of 1% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

The blue bars in the chart, “Daily number of cases on the date that specimens were collected” is said to show why the County is interpreting a flattening of the curve.  Note that the daily date in that chart refers to the date a sample was drawn and so reflects the lag time in testing.

Solano’s upward curve in cumulative cases – as of April 16

The chart above gives a clear picture of the infection’s trajectory in Solano County.  Our COVID-19 curve continues may be slowing!

EVERYONE – it remains incredibly important that we all, please… stay home and be safe!

Coronavirus, Covid 19, National League of Cities

More than 2,100 U.S. cities brace for budget shortfalls due to coronavirus, survey finds, with many planning cuts and layoffs

Report comes as White House and states continue to battle over how to address economic fallout

Washington Post, By Tony Romm, April 14, 2020
The city hall in Paducah, Kentucky is illuminated by green lights in memory of the lives lost to coronavirus in Kentucky as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. (Thomas Dean Stewart/The Paducah Sun via AP)

More than 2,100 U.S. cities are anticipating major budget shortfalls this year and many are planning to slash programs and cut staff in response, according to a survey of local officials released Tuesday, illustrating the widespread financial havoc threatened by the coronavirus pandemic.

The bleak outlook — shared by local governments representing roughly 93 million people nationwide — led some top mayors and other leaders to call for greater federal aid to protect cities now forced to choose between balancing their cash-strapped ledgers and sustaining the public services that residents need most.

“There’s no question that the coronavirus pandemic has had, and will have, a major impact on cities of all sizes,” said Clarence Anthony, the executive director of the National League of Cities.

The NLC joined with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to conduct the early inquiry into the economic effects of the novel coronavirus, finding many local governments are bracing for sharp declines in tax revenue as businesses shutter, workers lose their jobs in record numbers and tourism grinds to a halt.

Nearly 9 in 10 cities surveyed — from smaller hubs with populations of fewer than 50,000 to the largest metropolitan areas in the country — signaled they expect a revenue shortfall. Among them, more than 1,100 cities are preparing to scale back public services, the survey found. Almost 600 cities predicted they may have to lay off some government workers amid the crunch. Local leaders in 1,000 cities said the reductions probably would affect their local police departments and other public safety agencies.

The service and hospitality sectors of the economy are feeling the coronavirus outbreak hard, and it’s often Hispanic workers who are bearing the brunt. (Adriana Usero, Luis Velarde/The Washington Post)

The findings inject new urgency into a simmering congressional debate over Washington’s role in safeguarding cash-starved cities and states from financial ruin. Local governments generally cannot run deficits, unlike the nation’s capital, leaving them no choice but to slash spending or raise taxes — absent more federal support. On Monday, President Trump signaled more federal aid isn’t out of the question, saying he is “certainly willing to look at that.”

In the meantime, city officials have pointed to major financial struggles on their horizon. San Francisco leaders anticipate a budget shortfall as high as $1.7 billion over the next two fiscal years. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) has proposed a freeze on hiring and $1.3 billion in cuts to his budget, citing sharp drops in tax revenue in what’s become the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak.

In Chicago, a city where lingering economic woes could exacerbate the downturn, aides say they appreciate $470 million in new federal help — but added that they’re still in “conversation with Congress to seek additional aid,” said Lauren Huffman, a spokeswoman for Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D). Philadelphia leaders are anticipating difficult cuts of their own still to come.

“When there’s no money, there’s no money,” Mayor Jim Kenney (D) told local reporters recently. A spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Lawmakers authorized $150 billion in coronavirus aid for states and large cities as part of the broader $2 trillion package that President Trump signed into law in March. But that assistance — half of which, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Monday, is now available — comes with restrictions. Even when combined with additional help offered by the U.S. government, many leaders outside the nation’s capital also see it as insufficient to keep their cities afloat financially.

Over 10 million Americans filed for unemployment in March. Here are some of their stories. (Monica Rodman/The Washington Post)

Federal legislators apportioned the money only to assist local governments with their efforts to respond to the pandemic, not close the revenue gaps caused by the severe, sudden economic downturn. A senior Treasury Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the planning, confirmed Monday the dollars “cannot be used to cover general budget shortfalls.”

Meanwhile, the money is funneled through states, with direct federal assistance only available to the largest metropolitan areas, depriving less populous cities of federal dollars as they brace for their own financial struggles. Even Atlanta — a sprawling major Southern city, but one with fewer than 500,000 people as of the last census — may not be eligible to seek federal funds on its own, said Anthony, the NLC’s leader. (A spokesman for Democratic Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms did not respond to a request for comment.)

Los Angeles City Hall is lit blue to show support for medical workers and first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles City Hall is lit blue to show support for medical workers and first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. (Mark J. Terrill)

“The reality is that, if a city of 500,000 has challenges, [then] a city of 400,000 and a city of 300,000 and 100,000 has the same challenges,” said Stephen K. Benjamin, the Democratic mayor of Columbia, S.C. He called on Congress to make more aid directly available to more metro areas, predicting his city would face a “precipitous” decline in revenue.

Congressional Democrats — led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) — have put forward new legislation that would further enhance the aid to state and local governments in need. But Republicans have fiercely resisted the idea, focusing their attention instead on trying to boost loans available to small businesses. The result is a partisan stalemate between House and Senate leaders now bickering from afar with their chambers out of session.

On Sunday, the nation’s top governors similarly called on Congress to act: New York’s Andrew M. Cuomo (D) and Maryland’s Larry Hogan (R), writing on behalf of their peers, asked lawmakers to allocate $500 billion in new financial assistance to “stabilize state budgets and to make sure states have the resources to battle the virus.” They added the money needed to be “separate from much-needed fiscal stabilization for local governments,” raising the potential for a much higher price tag if Washington seeks to rescue cities and states in greatest need.

Flags are seen outside New York City Hall flying at half-mast on April 09, 2020 in New York City. Gov. Andrew Cuomo directs flags to be flown at half-staff for coronavirus victims. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
Flags are seen outside New York City Hall flying at half-mast on April 09, 2020 in New York City. Gov. Andrew Cuomo directs flags to be flown at half-staff for coronavirus victims. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
Coronavirus, Covid 19, Local news media, News deserts

COVID-19: Deep newspaper job cuts prompt rare plea for federal funding to news media; Reps, Senators want to help

[Editor: See also Blumenthal, Rosenthal Call For Supporting Local Journalism, The Newtown Bee.  – RS]

New closures, layoffs in already cratering industry lead to request for help from Congress

Two years ago, the Daily Guide newspaper closed for good in central Missouri. Now, newspapers across the country are cutting staff and closing due to coronavirus shutdowns. (Orlin Wagner/AP)
Washington Post, by Jonathan O’Connell, April 16, 2020

An economic free fall in the local news industry began long before the coronavirus started wreaking havoc on the national economy.

Since shutdowns to combat the virus began, things have gotten much worse, as advertisers halted spending and publishers slashed more journalists’ jobs and hours despite the public’s need for information on the pandemic.

Cuts to the industry have accelerated so greatly that groups representing journalists have taken a maybe unprecedented step and asked the government to help, by keeping the industry afloat financially during the pandemic and seeding its resurgence once the economy begins to recover.

“We have to treat this as an emergency,” said Jon Schleuss, president of the NewsGuild labor union. “There is a real interest in public health to keep people informed in this crisis.”

Staff at the guild, which was founded during the Great Depression, said they cannot remember asking for taxpayer support. The role of the Fourth Estate in covering the government makes such a request awkward.

But since the pandemic began, newspaper chains have instituted furloughs of 10 to 25 percent of their staffs. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, which covers a metropolitan area of more than 2 million people, lost 28 of its 32 union journalists this month due to new cuts. Papers in Seattle, Portland, Boston, Sacramento, Reno and elsewhere have suspended print operations and furloughed their staffs, according to Poynter.

In a span of two days, April 8 and 9, dozens of groups wrote to Congress asking it to support local news. The guild wrote congressional leadership seeking financial support as part of ongoing economic stimulus discussions. A long list of advocacy groups, led by Pen America and Common Cause, wrote their own letter. Industry groups led by the News Media Alliance and the National Association of Broadcasters wrote as well.

The cutbacks in advertising are “dealing a sharp and immediate blow to local news publishing,” said News Media Alliance president and chief executive David Chavern, in a statement. “If this continues, there won’t be local journalism in many communities.”

Although other industries have asked Congress for financial support due to the pandemic, requests from the news media raise numerous issues. Congressional leadership has not agreed on what another round of bailout money will look like, with some Republicans resisting policy changes that could benefit one industry or another.

Policymakers are also wrestling with whether aid that has already been approved, in the $2.2 trillion Cares Act, should go to companies that were already struggling. Retailers, for instance, have laid off hundreds of thousands of workers but may not be eligible for aid because of questions about their credit and viability. Many newspaper companies, such as McClatchy, which filed for bankruptcy in February, could carry similar concerns.

Policymakers have also resisted bailing out private equity funds, which have a habit of buying companies, including many newspaper publishers, and then siphoning off profits while cutting staff. Indeed, private equity firms have been behind many of the cuts that led to America losing an estimated one-quarter of its journalists from 2008 to 2018.

Some newspaper owners are likely to be eligible for aid from existing programs in the Cares Act aimed at benefiting workers in a wide range of industries. McClatchy, publisher of the Miami Herald, Kansas City Star and other regional dailies, declined to comment on what aid it might pursue, as did Tribune Publishing, owner of the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and other papers.

There is also the question of whether news publishers would sacrifice some of their independence in asking the government for a special carve-out the way hotels, airlines and other industries have.

Gannett, which recently combined with GateHouse Media in a $1.2 billion deal, announced last month that chief executive Paul Bascobert would stop taking a salary, that it would cut executives’ pay by 25 percent and that it would require most reporters and editors across the country to take week-long, unpaid furloughs on a rotating basis.

Gannett, based in McLean, Va., issued a statement saying it is considering some of the benefits provided to all U.S. companies through the Cares Act. However, the company said it has “no plans to pursue special relief from the government.”

“Maintaining our independence is critically important,” spokeswoman Stephanie Tackach said in a statement. “As a news organization, we play an essential role providing our communities with clear, up-to-date information.”

Schleuss said he understands why any publisher or journalist would be reticent to make such a request, but the pandemic created unique urgency to avoid what he called an “extinction-level event” for the industry.

The guild has called for financial support that requires recipients to remain independent from political influence, halt job cuts, provide board seats to employees and promote diversity and equity in newsrooms.

“In this moment especially, we have to keep journalists employed,” Schleuss said. “People are just hearing crackpot cures and ideas on Facebook because they have no other better source for information. And that’s a real shame for America.”

To address those concerns, members of Congress, who are focused on the issue, are highlighting the unique role that local news plays in society. Nineteen Senate Democrats, led by Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), wrote their own April 8 letter to congressional leadership, asking that any future stimulus packages related to the coronavirus contain funding to “support local journalism and media.”

“Such a provision should be tailored to benefit aid recipients who make a long-term commitment to high quality local news,” they wrote.

Other members of Congress are advancing more specific plans. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) has drafted a bill that would require half of government advertising for things such as the census and military recruitment go to publishers of local news, rather than national outlets. It would also create a tax credit for publishers who hire local news reporters, a new loan program for publishers, and would encourage some publishers to become nonprofit organizations.

Ryan said he began focusing on the demise of local news when the 150-year-old daily paper in Youngstown, Ohio, went out of business last year. He said he hopes his ideas will be considered part of stimulus discussions. A dozen House Democrats have signed on to the idea, but no Republican has.

“Every politician has a complicated relationship with the media, but it is an essential component of democracy,” Ryan said in an interview. He said local city council meetings and decision-making often go uncovered.

“There is just a general concern that no one is keeping an eye on local government anymore,” he said.

Jonathan O’Connell is a reporter focused on economic development, corporate accountability and the Trump Organization.
California, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Coronavirus, Covid 19

Governor Newsom’s plan to re-open California

Repost of Governor’s press release, gov.ca.gov April 14, 2020

Governor Newsom Outlines Six Critical Indicators the State will Consider Before Modifying the Stay-at-Home Order and Other COVID-19 Interventions

Published: 
Governor’s six key indicators (VIEW HERE).

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today unveiled six key indicators that will guide California’s thinking for when and how to modify the stay-at-home and other orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Governor noted that the progress in flattening the curve, increased preparedness of our health care delivery system and the effects of other COVID-19 interventions have yielded positive results. However, these actions have also impacted the economy, poverty and overall health care in California. Any consideration of modifying the stay-at-home order must be done using a gradual, science-based and data-driven framework.

“While Californians have stepped up in a big way to flatten the curve and buy us time to prepare to fight the virus, at some point in the future we will need to modify our stay-at-home order,” said Governor Newsom. “As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, we must be guided by science and data, and we must understand that things will look different than before.”

Until we build immunity, our actions will be aligned to achieve the following:

  • Ensure our ability to care for the sick within our hospitals;
  • Prevent infection in people who are at high risk for severe disease;
  • Build the capacity to protect the health and well-being of the public; and
  • Reduce social, emotional and economic disruptions

California’s six indicators for modifying the stay-at-home order are:

  • The ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed;
  • The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19;
  • The ability of the hospital and health systems to handle surges;
  • The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand;
  • The ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing; and
  • The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary.

The Governor said there is not a precise timeline for modifying the stay-at-home order, but that these six indicators will serve as the framework for making that decision.

He also noted that things will look different as California makes modifications. For example, restaurants will have fewer tables and classrooms will be reconfigured.

For more information on California’s response, visit covid19.ca.gov.

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For safe and healthy communities…