UPDATE: See video of the workshop: Understanding the Economic Disruption to Benicia as a Result of COVID-19
The City of Benicia is sponsoring a free, 30-minute webinar on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. titled “Understanding the Economic Disruption to City of Benicia as a Result of COVID-19” with speaker Dr. Robert Eyler. Details below. Register here.
A century before the coronavirus disease dominated the global consciousness, another deadly virus rampaged across the world. The Spanish Flu of 1918, one of the worst pandemics in history, eventually killed up to 50 million people worldwide. That included an estimated 675,000 Americans.
The influenza, which likely did not originate in Spain despite its name, hit Vallejo and Mare Island in waves, starting in late September 1918 when the first case was reported on the shipyard. Capt. Thomas Snyder, MC, USNR (Ret.), who has published a well-researched analysis of the crisis, says Mare Island was alerted in advance and was ready when a Navy corpsman, returning from leave in Oklahoma, came down with the flu on Sept. 25.
But there was inadequate planning in Vallejo, badly overcrowded due to a large wartime increase in shipyard workers – up to 10,000 new shipyard workers — and Snyder says that made spread of contagion inevitable. The first two civilian cases occurred on Sept. 27.
“Not only had little or no advance planning occurred, but the solitary local hospital, a very small facility, was under quarantine because of a smallpox outbreak there, and doctors were involved in a smallpox vaccination program,” Snyder said.
The Navy’s Mare Island efforts included a tent city that served as an annex to the Naval Hospital, a ban on large gatherings, and no liberty for sailors in Vallejo. The Vallejo City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 8 to shut down theaters, dance halls, libraries, schools, churches and other sites used for “public assembly.” Face masks were mandated, and another emergency hospital was opened. That was followed by an Oct. 18 order from the California Board of Health to shut down all theaters in the state.
“There is no cause for alarm,” the Vallejo Evening Times stated in an Oct. 9 editorial. “As far as can be learned, no Spanish influenza is prevalent here and the steps taken have been taken merely as a preventative.” But news accounts the next day described a dozen new flu cases.
By the end of the month, more than 1,500 military personnel and nearly 300 shipyard civilians had received care on Mare Island, and the crisis on the shipyard appeared to be over. But problems were getting worse in Vallejo, with several hundred cases of influenza being reported. Navy doctors working in town reported finding sick shipyard workers in rooming houses, where uninfected workers would return at night to share poorly ventilated quarters with them. Some workers and their families were housed in hastily constructed shacks, while others lived in tents set up in backyards of established homes.
To help deal with the crisis, a second emergency hospital was set up in town, in a St. Vincent’s school building. The hospital opened in early November and was packed with patients in a few days. The Vallejo emergency hospitals finally closed in late November as numbers of patients declined. By the end of the year, local newspapers reported that 175 people had died on Mare Island and Vallejo. The shipyard victims included Marian Turner, a nurse in charge of one of the Navy’s influenza wards. In Vallejo, victims included Adolph Widenmann, member of a prominent family whose brother Henry had died in a reported hunting accident only 19 days earlier.
In January 1919 another influenza wave hit. Theaters, schools, libraries, lodges and pool halls closed, and the St. Vincent’s emergency hospital reopened, staffed by nuns and Navy medical personnel. Face masks were again required, but some people — labeled “dangerous slackers” by the Red Cross — refused to wear them. The Vallejo Evening Chronicle reported on Jan. 15 that a local judge’s desk was “piled high with $5 fines” as he politely listened to the stories of violators “and then just as politely ordered: $5 please, next case!”
The 25 flu victims who died during January in Vallejo and on Mare Island included B.F. Griffin, president of the First National Bank of Vallejo – whose daughter-in-law, Mrs. Roscoe Griffin, had died from the virus a few months earlier. Finally, by the end of the month no new influenza cases were being reported. The emergency hospital closed again and the emergency restrictions were canceled.
A third wave of influenza cases hit in early 1920, with 10 flu-related deaths reported on Mare Island and two deaths reported in Vallejo. The victims included a Navy doctor, Lt. Edward McColl. A ban on indoor public meetings, cancellation of a boxing match and other restrictions were imposed, but by mid-February they were lifted. The most devastating phase of the pandemic was over.
— Vallejo and other Solano County communities are treasure troves of early-day California history. The “Solano Chronicles” columns, running every other Sunday in the Times-Herald and on my Facebook page, highlight various aspects of that history. Source references are available upon request. If you have local stories or photos to share, email me at genoans@hotmail.com. You also can send any material care of the Times-Herald, 420 Virginia St.; or the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin St., Vallejo.
Associated Press (Vallejo Times-Herald), April 26, 2020
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A spring heat wave drove an uptick of people to California beaches, golf courses and trails on Saturday, leading to the closure of one coastal park as authorities warned people not to swarm recreational areas for fear of igniting a deadly coronavirus surge.
Temperatures soared into the 80s and 90s in many areas from Sacramento to San Diego on Saturday. While most recreation remains shuttered under various stay-at-home orders, officials are wary that those still open could draw crowds that will ignore social distancing rules and seek sun and air after being mainly confined indoors for more than a month.
“We’re seeing a summer day crowd,” said Brian O’Rourke, a lifeguard battalion chief in Newport Beach in Orange County, which saw an estimated 40,000 people on Friday. A similar crowd was expected Saturday as the fog burns off.
Police in Pacific Grove said they had to close the picturesque Lovers Point Park and Beach at the southern end of Monterey Bay because of a lack of social distancing.
Los Angeles city and county beaches, trails and playgrounds were closed, and officers on horseback were patrolling those areas to enforce social distancing rules. The city also opened cooling centers for people “who might not be able to survive the heat wave at home,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
Everyone else should stay home rather than gathering outside, he pleaded.
Otherwise, “more people will be sick, and more will die,” Garcetti said, which could delay the city’s reopening because any spikes in virus cases could show up weeks later.
California has more than 41,000 coronavirus cases and more than 1,670 deaths, half of them in the Los Angeles area, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. However, the number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
This week, health officials announced a Santa Clara County woman died in early February from COVID-19 — weeks before the first previously known U.S. death from the virus. An autopsy released by the county Saturday concluded she suffered a massive heart attack caused by coronavirus infection, which also spread to her trachea, lungs and intestines.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.
Cases continue to grow in California but at a manageable pace that hasn’t overwhelmed hospitals, health authorities have said. State and local stay-at-home orders have been cited as successfully slowing the rise in coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths. Recent polls show Californians overwhelmingly support them.
In San Francisco, church bells rang as people stepped outside in masks for a noontime rendition of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” to thank front-line workers responding to the pandemic.
“It’s such a great way to bring community and unity to the city,” Justine Fox told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The song is a little sad, about leaving your heart behind, but that’s all right. It’s a little bit of a sad time right now.”
There have been several protests by people who want to reopen the state, contending their liberty and livelihoods are at stake. Three people were arrested at a rally in Encinitas, 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of San Diego, Saturday and cited for violating health orders, San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Ricardo Lopez said.
South of Los Angeles in Orange County, the city of Laguna Beach closed its beaches. But a neighboring county beach was open, and city Mayor Bob Whalen was concerned that out-of-towners might spill over.
“Stay at home,” he pleaded. “Please don’t overwhelm us here.”
Police warned that violators could face misdemeanor citations that carry fines of up to $1,000.
Beaches in Ventura County, northwest of LA, were open but with some restrictions.
“Basically, you must keep moving. No sunbathing, chairs, blankets, coolers, sunshade umbrellas,” a county statement said Friday. “You must keep moving (while) walking, running, surfing and swimming.”
There already have been large crowds, and more people were anticipated, especially from neighboring LA County. But if they ignore restrictions, the beaches could be shut “for the foreseeable future,” said Mark Sandoval, director of the county Harbor Department.
San Diego County officials said beaches will reopen Monday to swimming, surfing, paddleboarding and kayaking, but not recreational boating. Strict social distancing rules still apply, meaning beachgoers cannot sit, lie down or engage in group activities.
Beaches operated by the state remain closed.
Some places were still tightening their social distancing rules.
On Friday, the city of San Jose announced it was barring people from using playgrounds, sports areas and exercise equipment at local parks.
Solano County extended its shelter-at-home order through May 17. San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the order there would likely be extended by several weeks.
Concerts, sports and other events that draw large crowds have been among the pandemic’s casualties. On Friday, officials announced the July cancellation of the annual California State Fair in Sacramento for the first time since World War II.
In my April 23 post, “Headlines in search of stories…” I raised 10 significant coronavirus issues worthy of further inquiry and reporting here in Benicia & Solano County.
Noting that the Benicia Independent is a one-person enterprise, dependent on the wider community for rigorous investigative reporting, I wrote, “…here is my list of headlines in search of stories. Please. Someone out there – get on the phone or otherwise track down the information that the public needs to know.”
Wouldn’t you know, our intrepid Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson forwarded my list of concerns and questions to Solano County Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas, and many of my concerns were evidently addressed in the County’s weekly phone call with City staff and mayors.
Mayor Patterson followed up with an email to me. I share it here with the Mayor’s permission, as a contribution to understanding the current status of Benicia and Solano County as we move through our collective efforts to control and deal with this historic health crisis.
From: Elizabeth Patterson
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2020 4:32 PM
To: Roger Straw
Subject: Fwd: Questions being asked by Benicia Independent
Roger,
I learned a few things today at the city officials’ call with Solano County staff:
There is one nursing home with tested and confirmed COVID-19 cases (tested because of symptoms). All of these cases to date are not threatening – which of course could change. All cases have been traced. The state keeps the data base for nursing homes, congregate care facilities (6 residents or more) and is seeking information on those with less than 6. Data gathering is expensive and people-intense, and officials must choose whether to deploy people for contact tracing or data processing. The reason the state maintains the data is because they are the ones who license these facilities.
Testing in Solano County is ramping up as it is elsewhere. The state is sending more resources so that the county can and will be expanding testing. They are considering migrating from drive through testing to existing medical facilities. Again this takes human resources with certification.
Testing in Benicia may be possible if we have the right certified people and PPE. I will be talking off line with Dr. Matyas about this. The testing has to be available for symptomatic people or at risk people and therefore must be available almost daily rather than once in a while. As I say, we will explore this.
PPE equipment is arriving: 10K N95 masks, 1000 face shields, 60K masks are on the way from state. Local manufacturing has been retooled to produce 2000 gowns – one size fits most, and Gallo is providing hand sanitizer.
Unemployment numbers are from the state. Not until after they process the unprecedented number of applications with nearly 2,000 processors from 8am to 8pm seven days a week, can they “mash” the numbers and provide details on a county basis. It will take even more work to sort it by zip code. No amount of investigation will speed that up.
Re-opening: It appears that “managed and controlled reopening is closer to May 17th” because Solano needs to follow state guidelines and because we may need another two weeks to “test” the flattening of the curve.
Local revenue losses: Benicia’s City Manager provided a report (which I included in my e-Alert) projecting Benicia’s loss of revenue for this fiscal year – about $3 million. And projected loss for next fiscal year 2020/21 is about $12 million. I got support for establishing a Benicia economic recovery task force at the April 1 meeting, and the City Manager has gathered staff and is reaching out to various people including IDEO for brain power to help with recovery ideas. It is clear the City needs to continue to invest because history has shown that government investment is what restores economic activity. Some will want to furlough employees and/or cut back on investments. One investment that should go forward is the hotel investigation project. That is a perfect project to keep going because we can measure the return of visitors and business and, at the same time, be ready for business in a couple of years. In short, lots of thinking and planning for economic recovery for the City as well as for the city retail and industrial businesses.
Gathering details and planning is underway. Look for a stakeholder subcommittee for working with the staff economic recovery task force. We need to be strategic and innovative and make investments. The real work is developing a road map and sticking to it…and probably massive debt.
The County has the Solano Economic Development Board with a program of Solano Forward, and it will need to be tuned up to adapt to the new conditions. Again, lots of data is being gathered and since this is new, never happened before, there will need to be some brave people to get out of their comfort zone to do what was demonstrably successful during the New Deal.
Stay well,
Elizabeth
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