Coronavirus update, July 5: One-day drop in Stanislaus County infection rate
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California governor urges mask-wearing as virus cases rise
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Californians should wear masks and skip Fourth of July family gatherings, Gov. Gavin Newsom pleaded as the state’s coronavirus tally surged. But the governor stopped short of threatening a crackdown on those who violate state public health orders.
Newsom on Thursday urged people to turn to their “better angels” and use common sense but said, “It’s more education. I’m not coming out with a fist.”
His request came a day after over 4,000 more cases of COVID-19 were reported in California.
While some areas of the state have shown relatively few cases, some of the most densely populated are struggling with rapid rises in infections and hospitalizations. The rates of hospitalizations and positivity — the proportion of those tested who were found to have the virus — have soared over the past two weeks.
Continue Reading on ABC News
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Stanislaus County Hospitals Nearing Capacity Due To Operating Constraints
STANISLAUS COUNTY (CSB13) — Stanislaus County leaders are sending out the alert that their hospitals are stretched to capacity right now.
As coronavirus cases increase, hospitals are now working to get more beds available. The capacity concerns surprised county supervisors Thursday since the Stanislaus County Public Health dashboard figures show 40% of hospital beds are still available.
It turns out the physical beds are here, but staffing to take care of a surge in patients is a problem.
“I think we need to take a better look at this and be more concerned,” Supervisor Terry Withrow said.
Withrow says hospital CEOs revealed to supervisors Thursday low staffing and operational issues at hospitals would not allow every bed to be used right now.
Continue Reading on Sacramento CBS local
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With celebrations mixed, the Fourth of July is up to you
With all of the traditional Fourth of July celebrations cancelled due to restrictions relating to the coronavirus pandemic, you’re on your own this year to celebrate the 244th birthday of America’s independence.
The popular Stanislaus County Fourth of July Parade in downtown Modesto has been cancelled by the Modesto Kiwanis Club because of state and county COVID-19 restrictions. Also, Turlock has called off its annual Fourth of July Car Show and Parade due to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ban on large gatherings was announced via a Facebook post.
Since aerial firework shows have also been cancelled, many will be having shows of their own at home with safe and sane fireworks. While booths have popped up around town where community members can purchase their own, Ceres Fire Chief Kevin Wise reminded citizens to be safe on Independence weekend, which he anticipates to be a busy Saturday night for his team.
Continue Reading on Ceres Courier
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Indoor dining, bars, other businesses ordered to close as COVID-19 cases climb
As California continues to see COVID-19 cases rising, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health ordered a host of businesses to halt operations across multiple counties, including Stanislaus.
The new orders apply to counties that have been on the county monitoring list for three consecutive days or more. It applies to indoor operations for certain sectors which promote the mixing of populations beyond households and makes social distancing and/or wearing face coverings difficult.
The order applies for a minimum of three weeks and is subject to an extension based on the data.
Continue Reading on Turlock Journal
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Rare corpse lily blooms at Stanislaus State after near 10-year wait
TURLOCK, Calif. — After nearly 10 years, the Stanislaus State University greenhouse finally smells of rotting vegetables, and, for biology professors on Tuesday, that was the smell of victory.
A near decade of work went into caring for and raising Stanislaus State's corpse lily, a flower best known for the horrendous odor it spreads when it blooms.
“Me, personally, this is the first one of these I’ve ever seen in bloom in my life," said Michael Fleming, Associate Professor of Biology. "It took me almost 50 years to get to enjoy this.”
The lily in bloom is a rare sight. Fleming says there's likely only eight to 10 blooms in the United States in a given year at university greenhouses or private collections.
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Grant to help Turlock Transit weather pandemic
The City of Turlock has been awarded a $5.5 million grant from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (C.A.R.E.S.) Act to support Turlock Transit operations during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The funding was actually $6.4 million and was for the Turlock Urbanized Area, which includes part of Merced County. The City had a previously adopted agreement with Merced County that will allocate 14.27 percent of the funds to them, which amounts to $921,504 and leaves Turlock with $5,536,129, said Turlock Transit Manager Wayne York.
Turlock Transit's portion of the grant will be used to pay for all regular transit operating expenses incurred over the year, including contracted labor, fuel, and maintenance services. It will also be used to fund expenses specifically related to COVID-19 including: The purchase of cleaning materials and personal protective equipment; staff time for enhanced cleaning of buses and facilities; additional transit services to help maintain social distancing on-board buses; and administrative leave for transit staff affected by service reductions, isolation, or quarantine.
"We are grateful for CARES Act transit funding because it’s provided us with the resources to maintain transit for our community while securing the necessary equipment and services to keep our buses clean and passengers safe," York said. "It also allowed us to suspend fare collection for three months to require rear-door boarding and improve social distancing between drivers and passengers. In addition to public health benefits, this provided financial relief to our passengers during these uncertain times."
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San Diego County Shuts Down Bars, Breweries Again
San Diego County ordered all bars, wineries and breweries that do not serve food to close by the end of the month, officials announced Monday.
“We will be closing all bars, wineries and breweries in San Diego County that do not have a license to serve food,” Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said.
The order goes into effect at midnight on July 1, Fletcher said. All additional reopenings will be paused until at least August 1, when county officials will reevaluate guidance for San Diego.
“It’s a simple reality that alcohol consumption impairs judgment and may lead to less compliance with physical distancing guidelines. People often spend more time in a bar than other establishments, like a restaurant for eating. Loud bars and loud settings require loud conversations and yelling which spreads droplets more efficiently and more effectively than you would see in other settings. And then people who do not know each other often congregate in bars, making it difficult to engage in throughout contact tracing about who may have been exposed,” Fletcher said.
Continue Reading on NBC San Diego
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Stanislaus County not closing bars to curb spread of coronavirus. Will the state do it?
Stanislaus County leaders didn’t take any steps Monday to follow through with a state recommendation Sunday to close bars as a way to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Top state officials didn’t do anything Monday to make the order mandatory in this county. And no one was sure what effect bar closures would have on tamping down the rate of new infections here.
County officials discussed the possible action and other topics at a meeting Monday but decided to wait.
“We are seeking clarification from the state on what discretion, if any, we have as a local community to make this decision,” Jody Hayes, chief executive officer, said in an email to The Modesto Bee.
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Governor orders bars in 7 California counties to close
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday ordered bars that have opened in seven California counties, including Los Angeles, to immediately close and urged bars in eight other counties to do the same, saying the coronavirus was rapidly spreading in those parts of the state and that bar settings create a higher risk of transmission.
Los Angeles is the most populous county affected by the mandatory bar closure order. The other counties are: Fresno, San Joaquin, Kings, Kern, Imperial and Tulare.
State officials asked eight other counties — Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Stanislaus — to issue local health orders closing bars.
Continue Reading on San Francisco Gate
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