Coronavirus updates: Protesters, CHP face off; homelessness up in downtown Sacramento
Defying Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order and a CHP ban on protests on state properties, hundreds of demonstrators descended on the Capitol in downtown Sacramento Friday to demand the reopening of schools, businesses and churches despite the coronavirus pandemic.
While the demonstration began peacefully, by noon at least 500 cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs and vans were circling the Capitol, honking horns, waving flags — American flags, banners for President Trump and the Gadsden flag that reads “Don’t Tread on Me” — in a procession so clogged it was taking nearly an hour to circle the complex.
At least 400 people were gathered together on the steps and lawn, and dozens of CHP officers formed a line as the crowd chanted “U.S.A.” and edged toward them. Just before 12:30 p.m., the CHP’s Capitol Detail ordered the demonstrators to disperse from the steps of the building or face arrest, citing health and safety codes.
Arrests began just before 1 p.m. as protesters lurched toward officers who had lined up across the west steps of the building to prevent them from entering.
At least three people who tried to cross police lines were pulled away and detained. Several other people were pulled from the crowd as well. At 12:55 p.m., the order was given for officers to move on protesters, pushing them away from the building.
»» Find full coverage of the protest here.
Surge in homelessness
Thousands of people have lost their jobs as the economy struggles amid the coronavirus pandemic. But another result of the crisis is a sudden increase in homelessness in downtown Sacramento.
The Downtown Sacramento Partnership conducted a survey of homeless people in the area between Front and 16th streets and H and N streets on April 19, and counted 172 people living on the streets, up from 116 from their November survey.
In five months, the number has gone up by nearly 50 percent, an increase beyond the standard deviation of the normal population, DSP public space services director Dion Dwyer told The Sacramento Bee.
“The surge is very acute with the COVID crisis, so it was something of note to us,” Dwyer said. “Typically it’s much more like a tide that goes in and comes out, but this was more like a surge that we haven’t seen in some time.”
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office released about 540 inmates with less than 60 days left on their sentence in late March from the downtown jail and the Rio Consumes Correctional Center near Elk Grove in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a move that may have contributed to the increase in the homeless population.
Sacramento City Councilman Steve Hansen, who represents the downtown area, was skeptical of the DSP homeless survey, but said that if there has been an increase, the jail releases could have contributed.
“They’re not released back to where they came from, they’re released downtown,” Hansen said.
Coronavirus by the numbers
Worldwide, the coronavirus has infected more than 3.1 million people and killed 213,000, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University. Just over 1 million patients have recovered after becoming infected, as of Friday afternoon.
The United States accounts for about a third of the total number of cases, with more than 1.1 million positive test results as of Friday afternoon. More than 63,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus.
California broke 50,000 cases as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins. California Department of Public Health figures, which differ somewhat, show nearly 49,000 cases and 1,982 deaths across the state as of Thursday.
Sacramento County reported 1,098 cases of coronavirus and 42 deaths, indicating an increase of 21 cases since Thursday. The city of Sacramento accounts for the majority of the cases, with 602 patients in the city limits, 23 of whom have died, according to county health officials.
The death count in Sacramento County was reported to be 43 Thursday, but dropped by one in a Friday morning update. County spokeswoman Janna Haynes said in a statement emailed to The Bee that the previous figures were inaccurate.
“Public Health learned yesterday that the reported patient had not died,” Haynes said. “Public Health will continue to investigate patient information to ensure data accuracy.”
Yolo County reported five more cases Friday afternoon, for a total of 169 people infected with the coronavirus there. There were no additional deaths reported Friday on top of the 16 already reported in the county. Of these deaths, 11 stemmed from a Woodland skilled nursing facility that saw an outbreak.
Placer County, which recently let its local shelter-in-place orders expire, reported 150 cases and eight deaths. The county, much of which is rural, has not reported a new death since April 16 and has seen just 16 new infections since then.
El Dorado County also allowed its shelter-in-place orders to expire, and has reported some of the lowest coronavirus numbers in the state. The county reported three additional cases Friday afternoon, bringing the total to 47 people infected there so far. No deaths have been reported in the county.
Huntington Beach to sue over beach ban
The Huntington Beach City Council voted Thursday to seek an injunction against a state order to close all beaches in Orange County, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced earlier on Thursday that the county’s beaches would be closed to prevent further spread of coronavirus, as large crowds have been seen during the pandemic along the Southern California coast.
“People that are congregating there, that weren’t practicing physical distancing, that may go back to their community outside of Orange County and may not even know that they contracted the disease,” Newsom said.
A memo sent out by the California Police Chiefs Association indicated that all state beaches would close, which was then contradicted by Newsom’s announcement.
Some Orange County officials have denounced the Democratic governor’s order as a political attack. The Associated Press reported that the Orange County GOP accused Newsom of “targeted harassment” and “petty politics.”
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said in a statement that he plans to “not take enforcement action on this order,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Modoc County opens up
Modoc County’s Board of Supervisors approved plans this week to allow the economy to reopen, despite statewide stay-at-home orders, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The county has not seen a single confirmed case of coronavirus, while business closures have rocked the local economy.
Although county officials told the Chronicle that businesses will be maintaining social distancing after reopening and will be taking precautions, some in the community voiced concerns over the decision.
One native of the county, Rylee Pedotti posted a thread on Twitter observing high volumes at area establishments eager to return to normalcy.
“It’s even more surreal to see the number of out-of-towners posting their plans to come here,” Pedotti said. “Bars were absolutely slammed last night with locals.”
Sacramento layoffs
After Gov. Newsom’s stay-at-home order effectively shuttered the California economy, mass layoffs have become the norm as businesses struggle to stay afloat.
A review of California Employment Development Department WARN notices by The Bee found that hundreds of Sacramento-area workers have been laid off.
Among those affected by the mass layoffs were workers in gambling houses, retail outlets, auto dealerships and even health care companies.
CarMax dealerships in Sacramento and Roseville says it has temporarily laid off 439 workers. Rancho Cordova-based vision insurer VSP Global laid off 315 workers from its Folsom facility. Forever 21 laid off 207 workers in Sacramento and Roseville.
More than 30 million Americans filed for unemployment in the past six weeks, according to the U.S. Labor Department, and state officials say more than 3.4 million Californians are unemployed.
The state unemployment rate has officially risen to 5.3 percent — the greater Sacramento area reporting a rate of 4.7 percent — but the figures are slow to update and reflect the conditions as of mid-March, still relatively early on in the pandemic. The true unemployment rate may be closer to 20 percent, but state figures for April scheduled to be released in two weeks will give a clearer picture.
Yuba-Sutter health chief says restaurants, malls can reopen
The chief health officer for Yuba and Sutter counties on Friday issued two new coronavirus orders that go into effect Monday. One allows certain businesses, such as restaurants and malls, to reopen. The other health order requires residents to wear masks or facial coverings in public when social distancing is not possible.
Yuba-Sutter Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu’s new health directive allows the reopening of businesses deemed to be “low to medium risk for contact intensity and low to medium risk for number of contacts,” according to a news release. Officials said contact intensity is determined by how long close contact is occurring.
Under Luu’s new health order, restaurants, retail businesses, shopping malls, construction, real estate, agriculture, gyms and fitness studios, hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, spas, massage therapy centers and tattoo parlors can reopen.
County officials say residents and businesses of Yuba and Sutter counties are also subject to the state’s stay-at-home coronavirus order, and that the counties cannot provide these businesses legal advice, according to the news release. The counties recommended that businesses deemed non-essential in the statewide order seek their own legal advice in considering their options.
“The intent of the order is to comply with both the Governor’s order and President Trump’s ‘Opening up America Again’ guidelines,” Luu said in the news release. “The purpose is to continue to mitigate the spread of the virus to the greatest extent possible while addressing the need to gradually reopen the economy in order to ensure vital services are resumed in a safe manner.”
But these businesses must operate with “appropriate modifications” that include social distancing requirements and other strategies to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the infectious respiratory disease COVID-19. These businesses will also be required to post anti-COVID-19 protocols at their front entrances for customers to see.
As of Thursday afternoon, there were 48 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported for Yuba and Sutter counties and three deaths, according to their data. And eight people were hospitalized.
The use of parks, athletic fields, playgrounds and libraries also will be available to the public as long as social distancing of six feet is maintained, according to the news release. The new health order says schools, religious places of worship, bars and nightclubs that do not serve food and theaters cannot reopen yet.
All social gatherings of 10 or more people are prohibited, including birthday parties, block parties, funerals and weddings. Gatherings of fewer than 10 people that included people from different homes must maintain safe social distancing requirements, according to the news release.
What is COVID-19? How is the coronavirus spread?
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The CDC says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Most develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
This story has been updated to reflect CarMax’s layoffs as temporary.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 9:16 AM.