Category Archives: Covid 19

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County jails, Testing

First coronavirus case reported in Solano County jails – July 22, 2020

[For background, see Coronavirus: What is Going On in Solano County Jails?]

Solano County Jail Reports First COVID-19 Case – Questions Persist About Accuracy of Counts – Weekly Highlights – Breaking Down COVID-19 in CA Jails

Davis Vanguard, by Nikki Suzani, July 26, 2020

Highlights (July 20th – 25th)

  • Solano County Jail reported its first positive case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, July 22. The Solano County JDF has still not reported any positive cases.
  • 220 total tests were administered in the jail as of July 22 — an increase of about 34% from last Friday. Tests administered on Thursday and Friday have not yet been reported.
  • 143 total incarcerated persons have been booked into the jail, 53 less than last week. Of those 143 persons, 62 were booked after the first positive test was reported.

According to Solano Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, Le’Ron Cummings, the jail is following statewide precautions to prevent the spread and transmission of COVID-19.

“We have consulted with the County Public Health Officer, Risk Management, and are following their and any applicable CDC and CDPH guidelines for correctional facilities,” he wrote in an email to the Davis Vanguard.

Some of these actions, as listed on the CDC website, include – posting signs and communicating information verbally encouraging all persons in the facility to protect themselves against the virus, ensuring that there are sufficient medical supplies and testing on hand, providing a constant no-cost supply of soap, and limiting transfers of incarcerated/detained persons.

There are no guidelines that require incarcerated persons or staff to wear a mask, nor is it clear if the Solano County Jail has provided enough masks for all individuals in the jail.

Further, the jail is actively attempting to improve its transparency by establishing a database to help track the numbers better.

“Currently, my office is putting together a package of data specially for the Davis Vanguard’s requests”, Cummings wrote in an email to the Davis Vanguard. “What will take place is, every Monday, I will be provided [with] our most recent data on tests taken and positive cases among our inmates within all of our facilities. In turn, I will provide them to [the Vanguard] as soon as possible. This way, [the Vanguard] will have the most accurate and up-to-date numbers.”

This is a much-needed shift from the previous system where only a select few had access to the data about tests and positive cases. The database will be set up on Monday, July 27 after which the information about testing should be easily available to those interested.

The Solano County JDF has not announced any similar systems.

Source: Deputy Le’Ron Cummings, Public Information Officer – Solano County Sheriff’s Office and Shai Davis, Public Information Officer – Solano County Health Department.[/su_column][/su_row]
Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County jails, Testing

Coronavirus – what is going on in Solano jails?

Questions Arise as Solano County Jails Continually Report 0 Cases – Weekly Highlights – Breaking Down COVID-19 in CA Jails

Davis Vanguard, by Nikki Suzani, July 19, 2020

Highlights (July 11th – July 18th)

  • The total number of confirmed cases is still 0 in both Solano County Jail and Solano County Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF), while there are 2,372 confirmed cases and 31 deaths in Solano County itself.
  • The number of tests administered in the jail increased significantly this week — 166 tested as of July 17th in comparison to 95 as of July 11th, reflecting an increase of 175% over 7-days. Testing in the jail started on June 2nd and on June 14th in JDF.
  • 196 individuals have been booked into the jail since July 11th and 0 have been booked into JDF.

Both facilities have been taking steps to ensure adequate testing is in place.

  • Individuals are now able to request testing in both facilities, regardless of whether they are symptomatic.
  • All new intakes in JDF are tested before entering the center. Since testing became available, everyone who was symptomatic was tested.

It is unclear what precautions the facilities have taken to limit the spread of infections.

  • Both facilities halted in-person visitors on March 13th.
  • A request sent on July 16th about the conditions in the jail to Le’Ron Cummings, Solano Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, is still being processed.
  • A series of calls to JDF’s Medical Department and the Probation Office on July 15th inquiring about precautions taken have not been responded to.
  • It is unclear why, out of approximately 300 people in the jail and 200 people in JDF, not all are being tested — especially as it appears that there are sufficient tests available for the population.

According to Solano Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Le’Ron Cummings, the current system to track the number of tests and cases in the jail is available to only a select few. However, recent communication from the State suggests that the County will set up an online system for daily tracking. It is not yet clear, according to Cummings, whether that system will be available to the public.

The lack of transparency even towards officials in the Sheriff’s Office, is concerning, especially as the disease continues to ravage Solano County. The minimal number of tests administered in addition to the lack of public information, suggest that the facilities may have more cases than the confirmed count.

Source: Deputy Le’Ron Cummings, Public Information Officer – Solano County Sheriff’s Office and Shai Davis, Public Information Officer – Solano County Health Department.
#Masks4All, #wearamask, Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Face coverings, Re-opening, Social Distancing, Solano County CA, Vacaville CA, Vallejo CA

State agents issue misdemeanor citations to Benicia, Vacaville, Vallejo businesses for coronavirus violations

Coronavirus: State cites several Solano eateries for violating state guidelines

Vallejo Times-Herald, by Kim Fu, July 25, 2020

Agents with the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control conducted compliance sweeps throughout Northern California earlier this month and found several eateries, including in Solano County, in violation of coronavirus guidelines.

John Carr, an ABC spokesman, said agents issued misdemeanor citations for violating state emergency health orders. A district attorney, he said, will determine whether to prosecute.

Meanwhile, ABC has not taken any action against licenses where the violations occurred, Carr said, as the violations remain under review. Should disciplinary action be pursued, business owners may request a hearing before an administrative law judge. Penalties can range from a fine to a suspension to a revocation.

Businesses cited between July 3-5 include:

  • Muay Thai Cuisine, Vacaville, for indoor consumption and employees not wearing masks.
  • Kazan Japanese Cuisine, Vacaville, for indoor consumption and employees not wearing masks.
  • El Patron Mexican Food, Vacaville, for employees not wearing masks.
  • Back Door Bistro, Vacaville, for employees not wearing masks.
  • Koreana BBQ, Fairfield, for indoor consumption.
  • Cullens Tannery Pub,  Benicia , for indoor consumption and employees not wearing masks.

Businesses cited between July 6-16 include:

  • Gentlemen Jims, Vallejo, for indoor consumption and employees not wearing masks.
  • The Loft,  Benicia , for employees not social distancing.
Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Benicia Independent publishes ARCHIVE of Solano County’s daily COVID report

Daily COVID archive – April 20 to July 24

By Roger Straw, July 25, 2020

Solano County Public Health publishes a daily report beautifully displaying each day’s  Coronavirus data.  But there is no easily available record to show detailed increases in infections, deaths and other data OVER TIME.

I have kept these records since April 20, and will make them available here today.

Note that the PDFs are formatted to fit on a single legal sheet, and are therefore a little hard to read.  They are also not kept current.  If you are familiar with Excel, you would do well to view the spreadsheet, which is updated daily.  (Note that the spreadsheet has 3 tabs: Summary and Cities, 4 Age Groups, and 3 Age Groups.)

Excel spreadsheet
PDF format
>> For daily COVID reports here on the Benicia Independent, see my Coronavirus page.  I have reported daily Monday-Friday around 6pm after Solano County posts its daily Dashboard update.