Coronavirus updates: California surpasses 2,500 dead, US unemployment still on rise
The coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the U.S. and California economies, but states have begun to ease out of stay-at-home protocols despite death tolls continuing to climb nationwide.
Unemployment figures remain substantial almost two months after coronavirus-prompted shutdowns began to close entire economic sectors, with industries like tourism, hospitality and restaurants among the hardest hit.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday reported more than 3.1 million new initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ending May 2. That marked a decrease by almost 700,000 over the previous week, but in the seven weeks since the crisis began impacting the economy, more than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment.
California reported 318,000 unemployment claims last week, the most of any state, representing a small decrease from the 325,000 jobless claims added the week before, according to the Department of Labor’s weekly reports. The national number is seasonally adjusted; the state numbers are not.
On March 19, California became the first in the nation to institute a stay-at-home mandate, ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom in an effort to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus and keep the pandemic’s growth curve to a level hospital systems could handle. Other states put similar orders in place in the following days.
California as of Thursday had surpassed 60,000 total cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the highly contagious virus, according to a Bee survey count of individual counties’ health departments. There were 83 new fatalities reported Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,525.
The U.S. as a whole has confirmed over 1.25 million infections and more than 75,000 coronavirus fatalities, more than any other country, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
Newsom on Thursday is expected to share more detailed guidelines on how the state will allow a few different types of retail businesses, such as bookstores and clothing stores, to reopen for curbside pickup only starting Friday.
The announcement will represent the start of Phase 2 in the state’s gradual, four-phase reopening process. During that step, retail stores, manufacturers and office spaces will be allowed to open, with modifications that will likely include face coverings or measures to maintain social distancing.
Economic recovery will be long, slow process
The economic impact of the coronavirus crisis has been enormous.
California’s tourism industry has been cut in half, representing a loss of $72 billion. The entertainment industry has almost completely shut down, from movie theaters to the state’s $8 billion-a-year Indian casinos to barren arenas and concert venues. Professional sports that were in season, like the NBA, or supposed to be in season, like Major League Baseball, have all suspended play.
Even when businesses are allowed to reopen, the state’s economy will not bounce back immediately.
“Opening up the economy is going to be a process, not an event,” said Sung Won Sohn, a business economist at Loyola Marymount University. “People are going to be cautious, nervous about the possibility of another wave of coronavirus.
“Demand won’t be there,” Sohn continued. “Restaurants, you’re not going to need as many employees. Airlines and airports, you don’t need as many employees.”
Latest in Sacramento area: 77 dead, 15 at Woodland nursing facility
The four-county Sacramento area has seen a total of 77 COVID-19 fatalities among just over 1,500 lab-confirmed positive cases. At least 15 of those deaths have come at a single skilled nursing facility in Yolo County, public health officials say.
Sacramento County health officials have reported 1,153 cases of coronavirus and 49 deaths, last updated 10 a.m. Wednesday. Eleven new infections were reported Wednesday morning two additional fatalities, one in the city of Sacramento and one in Rancho Cordova. Of all deaths so far, 25 have come in the city of Sacramento, five in Citrus Heights, four in Rancho Cordova, three in Elk Grove, two in Folsom and 10 in unincorporated parts of the county.
Yolo County on Thursday afternoon reported no new cases and no new deaths from COVID-19. The county’s total number of COVID-19 cases remained at 172. One new COVID-19 death was reported Wednesday, raising the death toll in the county to 20. Fifteen of those deaths have been reported at Stollwood Convalescent Hospital in Woodland, including at least one employee of the skilled nursing facility, which is part of the St. John’s Retirement Village campus.
Placer County has confirmed 165 cases and eight deaths, last updated 9:15 a.m. Thursday. The infection total increased by two over the previous update, and no new fatalities have been reported since April 15.
El Dorado County had confirmed 54 COVID-19 cases, reporting no new cases Thursday afternoon. The county has not reported any deaths related to the coronavirus so far. Nineteen have been infected in the El Dorado Hills area, and 20 have been infected in the Lake Tahoe region.
Yolo County allows retail curbside pick-up and delivery
Yolo County has amended its shelter-in-place coronavirus order, which now allows retail stores to have curbside pick-up and delivery starting Friday. The revised order also allows for manufacturing, logistics and warehouse operations to resume, according to a news release from the county.
County officials said the revised local order, which remains in effect through May 31, is now aligned with the statewide stay-at-home order, which allows certain businesses to reopen in a limited capacity under Phase 2 of its reopening plan.
The new activities allowed under the revised Yolo County order have been deemed “low risk for the spread of COVID-19,” according to the release. But these activities must follow California guidelines and adhere to strict social distancing requirements, frequent hand washing and face coverings or masks where necessary, county officials said.
As of Thursday afternoon, 172 positive COVID-19 cases had been reported in Yolo County, and 20 people have died from the respiratory disease.
Retail stores can resume operations in a “contactless format,” in which customers can pre-order, pay for items and either pick up items outside the store or have them delivered to their homes, according to the release. These businesses include clothing, books, shoes, jewelry, home furnishing, sporting goods, antiques, music and toy stores, along with florists.
“With the preliminary re-opening of specified retail establishments and manufacturing in Yolo County we’ve taken one more step toward resuming more normalized activities,” Yolo County Board Chairman Gary Sandy said in the release.
Gym opens in Jackson, violating state and Amador orders
A health club in Jackson reopened this week in an apparent violation of the coronavirus stay-at-home orders issued by Newsom and Amador County’s health officer.
New York Fitness opened Monday, according a post on its website and a message on the gym’s telephone greeting.
“The steam room, sauna, pool, and limited classes will be available,” the website said.
The gym’s owners could not be reached for comment.
The club’s decision reflects growing impatience with Newsom’s order, particularly in rural parts of California, even as the governor has begun easing some shutdown restrictions.
Health clubs are likely to be among the last businesses allowed to reopen, frustrating their owners. The owner of three Fitness System gyms in Sacramento, West Sacramento and Lodi vowed to reopen his clubs last week but backed down after officials threatened criminal and civil action against him.
Amador County’s Board of Supervisors sent Newsom a letter last week urging him to let the county relax the stay-at-home rules to reflect “our small, rural county.” Amador has recorded eight COVID-19 cases and no deaths.
Unlike Yuba, Sutter and Modoc counties, Amador hasn’t allowed businesses to reopen in defiance of the governor.
“The orders are clear,” said Diana Evensen, a spokeswoman for the Amador health department.
She referred questions about the New York gym to the city of Jackson. City Manager Yvonne Kimball told The Sacramento Bee she wasn’t aware the club had reopened and would ask Jackson police to investigate. Police Chief Christopher Mynderup couldn’t be reached for comment.
State regulators visit reopened businesses in Yuba-Sutter area
Yuba and Sutter counties jumped ahead of Newsom’s statewide order, reopening businesses including restaurants, hair salons, gyms and a shopping mall at the start of this week. The governor earlier this week rebuked the two counties for opening businesses considered “high risk,” found within Phase 3 of the statewide plan.
“They’re putting the public at risk, they’re putting our progress at risk,” Newsom said. “They put those businesses at risk, not only the health of those communities at risk.”
State regulators with the Alcoholic Beverage Control visited a handful of restaurants in the two neighboring jurisdictions Tuesday, telling them to shut down. And the state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology in a memo on its website says that salons and barbershops reopening could face “disciplinary action against their license.”
“This will not be taken lightly ... we expect our licensees to comply.”
The Sutter and Yuba county sheriff’s offices reported Wednesday that they’ve stepped in to talk with local businesses and state representatives in an attempt to “mediate this issue moving forward.” The sheriffs advised businesses to consult their attorneys for advice if approached by state regulators.
Sutter County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ron Sullenger told The Bee on Wednesday that county’s legislative representatives are talking with the governor’s office this week in hopes of persuading Newsom to allow Sutter and Yuba to continue pursuing their own reopening path faster than the rest of the state.
The governor said earlier this week that the state may soon begin a more regional approach to gradual reopening, allowing individual counties to submit their own plans that have been certified by their own public health officers. But Newsom said the state would have to intervene if counties that reopened early saw a spike in coronavirus cases.
Sullenger said the two counties have only had 50 confirmed COVID-19 cases and three deaths, and that there are no patients currently in local hospitals.
California scrambles through chaotic mask transactions
A shortage of personal protective equipment for medical workers sent California state officials scrambling to vet companies at breakneck speed in recent weeks, according to documents released Wednesday by the State Treasurer’s Office.
In one instance, the state sent $456 million to a company called Blue Flame, which The Washington Post reported is now under criminal investigation by the Justice Department. The Blue Flame deal, first reported by CalMatters, fell through six hours after state officials initiated the wire transfer to the company for 100 million face masks. The state kept the money, but Newsom described it as a cautionary tale during Wednesday’s news briefing.
Another $495 million wire transfer, this one involving Chinese auto manufacturer BYD, was reviewed by state officials and went through as they determined BYD to be a legitimate supplier. Some of the surgical masks have already arrived, but Newsom said N95 respirator masks have been delayed as they await federal certification. The governor’s office says $247.5 million of the initial wire transfer is being refunded under the terms of the contract, due to the delay.
Treasurer Fiona Ma said standard screening processes have been disrupted. Her office, which normally just carries out the final stages of these transactions, has taken on an oversight role.
“This is a very unusual situation,” Ma said. “The sense of urgency and panic, trying to get the supplies, rushing to compete with the federal government and other states created a lot of tension at the beginning because they weren’t going through the proper process.”
In another deal, California has had to recover money after masks shipped to the state were found to be moldy, Newsom said. And in some cases, customs and border protection have intercepted equipment shipments.
“We all took off on a plane that we were building as we were flying,” Newsom said.
World numbers: Close to 269,000 dead
The United States has accounted for more than 75,000 of the nearly 269,000 COVID-19 fatalities reported worldwide as of Thursday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. In all, there have been more than 3.8 million confirmed infections worldwide.
Within the U.S., more than 26,000 people have died in New York state, as well as 8,800 in New Jersey and more than 4,500 in Massachusetts. Michigan reports more than 4,300 dead from the disease, with nearly 3,600 dying in Pennsylvania.
Illinois surpassed 3,100 dead, and nearly 2,800 people have died of the coronavirus in Connecticut. Ohio, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Florida, Louisiana and California all range from roughly 1,200 to 2,500 dead.
After the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy have the next highest COVID-19 death tolls at about 30,000 each. Spain and France each have about 26,000 dead. The Netherlands, Iran, Germany, Belgium and Brazil each have reported between 5,000 and 9,000 dead. The former epicenter of coronavirus activity, China, still reports 4,600 fatalities, according to the Johns Hopkins data map.
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 was originally published May 7, 2020 at 8:40 AM.
