Tag Archives: Re-opening

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Re-opening, Solano County CA, Vallejo CA

Vallejo’s Mare Island Ferry Taproom featured in SF Chronicle: Forget dining inside, going out to bars

Forget dining inside, going out to bars: California’s new surge restrictions could last for a long while

Cynthia Dizikes and Alexei Koseff July 2, 2020
Megan Keeton (right) sterilizes the patio furniture at the Mare Island Brewing Co. Ferry Taproom in Vallejo.
Megan Keeton (right) sterilizes the patio furniture at the Mare Island Brewing Co. Ferry Taproom in Vallejo.Photo: Photos by Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

New state restrictions on bars and restaurants in counties with the worst virus-control numbers are supposed to expire after three weeks. But few public health experts believe the bans on indoor gatherings and outdoor drinking will drop cases low enough for these activities to resume any time soon.

The dramatic move is the state’s attempt to rein in runaway case totals that have inched ever higher since some counties have begun allowing businesses to reopen and people have gathered more at home and outdoors.

But to really lower California’s surge in coronavirus infections — now at 246,735 — people need to curtail gatherings with friends and family and be more vigilant about wearing masks, particularly over the Fourth of July weekend, said UC Berkeley infectious disease expert Dr. John Swartzberg.

“This curve is going up very fast and it is going to take more than a nudge to bring it down again,” Swartzberg said, referring to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to shut down several recently reopened sectors that the state has identified as riskiest for transmission of the virus.

The order requires restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, family entertainment centers, movie theaters, museums, zoos and cardrooms to halt indoor operations for at least three weeks. Outdoor operations, such as restaurant patios, are still allowed. But Newsom also ordered the closure of all bars and breweries in the 19 counties, including those outdoors, unless they also serve sit-down meals. The new restrictions will impact nearly 75% of California’s population of 39.5 million people.

The California Department of Public Health did not respond to questions about what would happen in three weeks and whether counties would be free to reopen all of those businesses.

At his news briefing Thursday, Newsom said he was confident the new restrictions will help keep new cases in check.

“We tempered the growth of the curve,” he said. “We need to do that again.”

Those assurances didn’t make it any easier, however, for businesses that had to roll back reopenings.

Beth Stine, Art Stine, and Serena Salvan eat lunch on the rooftop patio at Mare Island Brewing Co. Ferry Taproom.
Beth Stine, Art Stine, and Serena Salvan eat lunch on the rooftop patio at Mare Island Brewing Co. Ferry Taproom. Photo: Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

At the Mare Island Brewing Co. Ferry Taproom in Vallejo, business was finally returning to some semblance of normal this summer. People had returned to drink and dine indoors and out. Nearly all of the 44-person staff had been rehired.

But then, on Wednesday, co-owner Kent Fortner’s phone lit up with messages: Solano County, where the tap room is, was among the 19 counties in the shutdown order, as were Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties in the Bay Area.

“It was really a kick in the teeth,” Fortner said. “As a business owner I can manage a downturn. It is uncertainty that kills a business. This came with no notice whatsoever, three days before a holiday weekend.”

Short of shutting down, closing bars and banning indoor gatherings in restaurants can be particularly effective as an isolated measure, said Dr. Thomas Tsai, a surgeon and health policy expert at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Tsai and other researchers at Harvard and Google analyzed anonymized cell phone data from the first part of the year and found that closing bars and restaurants was the best way to keep people from venturing out of their homes — better than bans on large gatherings, school closures and shuttering other nonessential businesses.

“What California is doing makes sense,” Tsai said. “It is not that bars and restaurants are inherently dangerous but the nature of social interactions and socializing that come part and parcel with a restaurant or bar increases opportunities for the virus to spread.”

Coronavirus infections throughout the Bay Area grew to 27,158 Thursday with 590 deaths, county data showed. Single-day spikes in Bay Area counties included 178 new cases in Santa Clara, 228 in Alameda and 78 in Contra Costa.

Across California, the number of infections rose to 246,594 Thursday, with 6,261 deaths.

As of Wednesday, California joined 12 other states classified as “orange” on the risk scale developed by Harvard and a collaboration of scientists. Orange indicates escalating community spread. Stay-at-home orders may be necessary, unless it’s possible to increase testing and tracing. Three states, Arizona, Florida and South Carolina, were classified as “red,” meaning that community spread was unchecked and stay-at-home orders were necessary.

Newsom has pushed back on the notion that the state reopened too quickly. During press briefings, he has repeatedly asserted that his administration merely developed guidelines for how to safely operate different sectors of the economy, leaving it up to counties to determine a timeline for when they would resume based on local conditions.

On Thursday, he said his strategy for the counties that had been forced to toggle back their reopenings was “more targeted education,” rather than punitive measures.

He suggested that the surge in new cases was a failure of individual behavior, not public policy.

“I think the most important thing we’ve learned over the course of the last number of months,” Newsom told reporters, “is so often the conversation and the questions were about when, not how. We need to have a deeper conversation about how to safely reopen.”

The governor pointed to a public awareness campaign that his administration launched Thursday, with ads encouraging people to wear masks set to go up on television, radio, social media and billboards.

Phil Lang and Steven Morgan collect their beers before heading out onto the patio at Mare Island Brewing Co. Ferry Taproom in Vallejo.
Phil Lang and Steven Morgan collect their beers before heading out onto the patio at Mare Island Brewing Co. Ferry Taproom in Vallejo. Photo: Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

The governor’s order applies to counties that have spent at least three consecutive days on a state watch list because of their high rate of new infections, positive tests or increasing hospitalizations. Outside of the Bay Area, the affected counties include Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Stanislaus, Tulare and Ventura.

Some of the counties affected by the governor’s order had not reopened indoor dining or drinking, including Santa Clara.

On Thursday, Santa Clara County issued a new health order allowing some activities to resume, including hair and nail services, gyms, and small gatherings if social distancing protocols are in place. The order also requires employers to immediately report coronavirus cases on their staff for all employees who were at work within two days of having symptoms or of being tested. Employers must report the case within four hours to the public health department.

Also this week, the Contra Costa Health Services department encouraged people to avoid gatherings of friends and family, wear masks, and seek testing even if they had no symptoms.

Solano County had moved more quickly than other counties to reopen, allowing indoor dining in May and reopening retail stores, tattoo parlors, museums and nail salons, among other businesses. The county has drafted a new order to reflect the governor’s restrictions.

However, county health officer Dr. Bela Matyas said Thursday that he was not optimistic the new rules would help drop the rising number of cases in his county. Matyas said that most of the increases can be attributed to people getting together at home with their friends and families. While a handful of outbreaks have been linked to work sites, he said Solano has not seen any cases tied to restaurants or bars.

“We don’t have any evidence that this is how the disease is spreading in our county,” Matyas said. “People find it easy to blame the business sector, but at least in our county, it is what we are doing at home that is causing the spread.”

For now, Fortner has closed the indoor dining area at the taproom, which is also a restaurant. But, he said, he worries about what the future holds for his small business and others.

“I want my kids to go to school in the fall and I want to be part of the solution instead of the problem,” he said. “But the lack of clarity, transparency and advanced notice is very frustrating.”

Cynthia Dizikes and Alexei Koseff are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Re-opening, Solano County CA

Solano County among 19 California counties ordered to close bars, indoors restaurant seating and more

Newsom orders new shutdown of restaurants, other indoor business in 19 California counties

San Francisco Chronicle, by Dustin Gardiner July 1, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom at a news conference in Sacramento on Jan. 10.
Gov. Gavin Newsom at a news conference in Sacramento on Jan. 10. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered 19 counties with surging coronavirus outbreaks to close indoor restaurants, wineries, movie theaters and other venues on Wednesday, saying California must act to keep the pandemic from spiraling out of control.

Newsom said the state has directed counties on its “watch list” — those with spiking numbers of new cases and hospitalizations — to reimpose parts of their stay-at-home orders. His directive came as the state warned that the virus could spread from family gatherings on the the Fourth of July weekend.

In the Bay Area, the list includes Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Solano counties.

“We’ve seen increased activity where people simply aren’t able to practice social distancing,” Newsom said at a briefing.

His order requires restaurants, wineries, family entertainment centers, movie theaters, museums, zoos and cardrooms in the 19 counties to halt indoor operations for at least three weeks. The affected establishments are allowed to operate outdoors, such as restaurant patios.

Newsom also ordered the full closure of all bars and breweries in the 19 counties, both indoor and outdoor operations.

Combined, the 19 counties include nearly three-fourths of California’s population. Besides the Bay Area counties, the list includes Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties.

The governor said the state will also close parking lots at state beaches, including those in the Bay Area, for the holiday weekend.

Newsom implored Californians to practice social distancing and wear masks as they mingle and travel for the holiday. He said people must “disabuse” themselves of any notion that people have stopped dying of COVID-19, noting that the statewide death toll hit 110 on Tuesday.

“Let’s do our best to meet this moment, as we met the moment many months ago and bent the curve again the first time,” he said. “Let’s do it again.”

On Tuesday, the state recorded 7,820 new cases — its second-highest tally in a 24-hour period — and surpassed 6,000 deaths. The state reported 5,898 new cases on Wednesday.

Newsom’s administration began allowing counties in May to move ahead on reopening businesses including indoor restaurants and shopping malls if they hit benchmarks in slowing the spread of the virus and creating capacity to contain a surge.

Most of California’s 58 counties have allowed some nonessential businesses to reopen, although the pace has been slower in the Bay Area than elsewhere.

In recent days, however, some of those efforts have been reversed — several counties have closed bars again, and San Francisco, Marin, Alameda and Contra Costa counties all pulled back on plans to let gyms and hair salons reopen.

Alarming updates about the virus’ toll continue to mount: San Francisco announced Tuesday that the city has seen a 49% spike in hospitalizations over the last week as patients from San Quentin State Prison and hard-hit rural Imperial County were transferred to city hospitals.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

 

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Re-opening, Youth

Recklessness or reopening: Why are more young people getting coronavirus?

Millennial, Gen Z workers often on the front lines of retail, restaurants

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 27: Katherine Brady, 25, of San Francisco, has lunch with Cinque Curry, 25, of Oakland, at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 27, 2020. Brady and Curry talked about the changes they made to their daily routine because of the coronavirus pandemic. Curry changed his behavior after members of his family were infected by COVID-19. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Mercury-News, by Nico Savidge and Leonardo Castañeda, June 28, 2020

A surge of coronavirus cases among young people is leading to a generational blame game as California and other states grapple with a second wave of the virus.

Reports of outbreaks across the country tied to fraternity houses and college-town bars have helped fuel a perception that people in their teens and 20s — who are far less likely to die from COVID-19 but can still suffer debilitating bouts of the virus or pass it along to others who are more vulnerable — have thrown caution to the wind because they don’t feel threatened by it.

A long list of other factors may also be at play in the increase, however.

“I see plenty of irresponsibility going on across the age spectrum as we have opened up,” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of the University of California San Francisco’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. “I don’t think it’s helpful to demonize one group or another.”

An analysis released last week found 44 percent of new coronavirus cases in California were among people 34 or younger, compared to 29 percent a month ago. Meanwhile, the analysis of California Department of Public Health data, conducted by infectious disease epidemiologist George Lemp, found the share of cases from people over 50 was dropping.

At a press conference Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is seeing an alarming increase in coronavirus cases among people under 35, which he called “that age cohort that believes in many cases that they are invincible, and they are somehow immune from the impacts of COVID-19.”

But the increase tracks with what Bibbins-Domingo said she expected as more businesses reopened.

During that process, she noted that government and public health officials told people at higher risk from coronavirus — particularly those who are older — that they should still stay at home to avoid infection. Younger people at lower risk, meanwhile, were given the OK to go out again, making it more likely they would catch the virus.

Now, after seeing a massive increase in new coronavirus cases last week, states and counties are rethinking their reopening plans.

“The age doesn’t concern me as much as the big rise in cases,” Bibbins-Domingo said.

Another possible explanation for the rise among young people: It’s a lot easier to get a COVID-19 test these days, which has meant people with milder or even asymptomatic cases, who skew younger, are finding out they have the virus, Bibbins-Domingo said.

And the jobs young people do could be playing a role as well. Nationwide, only about one-third of workers are in the 16 to 34 age group, but those in essential, public-facing jobs — as well as industries that have started reopening more broadly in recent weeks — tend to be younger.

In retail, where officials have been easing lockdown restrictions, about 56 percent of workers at clothing stores are 34 and younger, as are 70 percent of workers at shoe stores and 60 percent of those at electronics stores.

Nearly two-thirds of restaurant workers are 34 or younger, as are nearly half of grocery store employees, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Workers in food service “are so exposed,” said Sameer Shah, the 36-year-old co-owner of Voyager Coffee, who noted the business model of a coffee shop relies on serving perhaps hundreds of customers each day — all of whom could pose a risk in the coronavirus age. Nearly every worker at Voyager’s three cafes is under 35.

To lessen risk, Voyager workers serve customers at doorway counters, and don’t let people inside their cafes. Shah said it seems like irresponsible behavior from customers is becoming more common as the pandemic has dragged on — but he didn’t chalk it up to any particular age group.

“People are just not quite as on guard as they were before,” Shah said.

Still, there is some evidence that young people are more likely to take risks during the pandemic: While most people across all age groups report they are consistently wearing masks, avoiding groups and staying at least six feet away from others, people from 18 to 24 were much less likely than older adults to say they were doing so, a May CDC survey found.

Then again, millennials from 25 to 34 tend to be more cautious — they trailed only people 65 and older in their likelihood to report they were avoiding groups and wearing masks. (People from 45 to 54, the age range 52-year-old Newsom falls into, reported the second-lowest levels of compliance with those guidelines.)

Cinqué Curry, a 25-year-old construction worker from Oakland, admitted he didn’t take coronavirus very seriously at first — he went on a cruise in February, and traveled to Las Vegas in March, just as casinos started shutting down.

But then, Curry said, “I started to really think about my grandmother,” who was terrified of the virus. Seven of his family members across the country fell ill with COVID-19. All have since recovered.

Now, Curry said, he wears a mask, doesn’t venture out much and takes other precautions. On Saturday, he was enjoying some takeout tacos on a bench in Jack London Square with plenty of distance from other groups; unlike some peers, Curry isn’t jumping at the chance to start dining in restaurants or drinking in bars again.

“I feel like I’ve taken it as seriously as I can,” he said.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Re-opening, Solano County CA

Solano County playing with fire: opening nail salons, massage establishments and tatoo shops… but with detailed restrictions

Nail salons, tattoo shops can reopen Friday in Solano County

San Francisco Chronicle, by Matt Kawahara, June 16, 2020
Dr. Bela Matyas, Public Health Officer for Solano County Health and Social Services, on Thursday, February 27, 2020.
Dr. Bela Matyas, Public Health Officer for Solano County Health and Social Services, on Thursday, February 27, 2020. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

Nail salons, massage establishments, tattoo shops and other personal care services will be allowed to reopen in Solano County on Friday, county officials announced.

State officials last week cleared personal care operations to resume this week in counties that have qualified for faster reopening. Solano County’s health officer amended the county health order to allow those businesses to open Friday if they meet a series of safety guidelines.

Personal care services also include facials, waxing, skin care and cosmetology services, piercing shops and electrolysis.

All businesses will have to meet state guidance for personal care services. That includes face covering requirements for staff and customers, frequent cleaning and disinfecting of facilities and physical distancing except when services require close contact.

Certain services must also follow specific guidance. At nail salons, for example, workers should wear disposable gloves and consider wearing a face shield during procedures, while customers should not be allowed to receive multiple services in a single visit.

At body art shops, customers must wear face coverings throughout a tattoo or piercing service and chairs should be arranged to allow six feet of space.

All businesses must implement screening measures for coronavirus symptoms and post signs reminding customers and employees to stay home if they feel unwell, physically distance and wear facial coverings in public.

“The personal care service industry includes touching a client’s face or skin in most instances, and therefore we need to take the necessary precautions,” Solano County health officer Bela Matyas said in a statement.

“We encourage businesses to start developing their reopening plans right away, giving them time to prepare their employees, facilities and workstations for customers, helping reduce the spread of COVID-19 disease in Solano County.”

Solano County’s amended health order also allows professional sports to resume training and competitions without fans, effective immediately, under health protocols.

Facilities must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and have adequate supplies of personal protective equipment for athletes, coaches, staff and vendors, according to the updated order.

Officials in Solano County have reported 687 total cases of the coronavirus and 23 deaths. As of Tuesday, the county had 70 active cases and 14 patients in hospitals, according to its website. It was reporting a 4.04% positive rate out of nearly 17,000 people tested for the virus.