Coronavirus updates: Churches, stores, barbershops in most of California can reopen
As the U.S. coronavirus death toll surpassed 100,000 Wednesday afternoon, states are continuing to press onward with partial economic reopening.
That includes California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced that barbershops and hair salons may reopen with modifications in 47 of the state’s 58 counties, the ones that have filed “self-attested” reopening plans with the state.
A day earlier, the state announced places of worship and retail stores throughout all of California may reopen, also with significant modifications and subject to individual counties’ approval. Churches, for at least the first 21 days of reopening, will be restricted to a maximum of 25 percent their normal capacity or 100 attendees, whichever is lower.
Reopening will take some time, both for county health officers and for the businesses themselves to adjust to the recently released guidelines, all of which call for establishments to make workspace-specific plans, to increase sanitation and social distancing implementations, and to either mandate or strongly suggest face covering for staff and guests.
Barbershops and hair salons in El Dorado, Placer and Sacramento counties can reopen Wednesday if they follow the governor’s new guidelines. Yolo County in a news release said those establishments can open starting Thursday.
Newsom says the reopenings come as California is succeeding in flattening the coronavirus growth curve. The governor has credited social distancing measures with keeping hospitalization rates manageable, but has warned that relaxing those protocols too much or too quickly will lead to another surge in cases.
As of Tuesday’s update by state health officials, at least 3,814 people have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the highly contagious coronavirus, among nearly 97,000 confirmed infections. One-day death increases of 19 on Tuesday and 21 on Monday were the two lowest figures since the end of March for California, but the state had more than 100 people die on back-to-back days as recently as one week earlier.
Lassen County reverses course on reopening
Lassen County, which has a population of approximately 30,000, is temporarily retracting its phased reopening plan after confirming its first four local cases of the coronavirus.
County officials announced Tuesday evening that two people from the same household tested positive for COVID-19, with results returned Friday. County officials began contact tracing and testing for those who recently came in contact with the pair who tested positive, and discovered two more infected people.
Prior to that, Lassen had been the last county in California with zero confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the state’s tracking dashboard.
The county will now put reopening plans on hold for seven days, meaning in-restaurant dining and in-store shopping are off, and places of worship will be closed.
Reopening plans will resume once the “situation stabilizes,” a county statement said.
Sacramento mall to reopen Friday
Arden Fair Mall will reopen Friday, with modified business hours and masks encouraged by all guests and employees, mall officials announced Wednesday.
Guests will be “encouraged to follow all state and county guidelines, such as wearing face masks, practicing social distancing and limiting the number of guests inside retail spaces,” according to a news release. Employees will also implement “robust and comprehensive” cleaning measures.
Arden Fair had previously planned to reopen May 22, the same day Sacramento County amended its public health order to allow in-store shopping to resume. Officials then announced the mall would not open until after Memorial Day, to give management and employees time to fully understand the amended health order and how it will affect mall operations.
DMV reopens more field offices, still not giving behind-the-wheel tests
The Department of Motor Vehicles will reopen dozens of offices this week, allowing drivers to book appointments at 71 sites that have been shut down for about two months. The DMV had shut its 170 field offices indefinitely in late March due to coronavirus concerns.
The department shifted much of its work to online “virtual field office,” enabling drivers to carry out transactions that previously required an office visit. It reopened 25 sites earlier this month, and the rest of the field offices will open in phases in the coming weeks, the DMV said in a news release.
DMV workers at reopening offices will have access to a swath of protective gear. Physical distancing will be required. And instead of waiting in crowded lines, customers can sit outside and receive a text message when they are ready to enter. Wait times could be longer than usual, the department said in a news release.
The offices are open for appointments and for certain transactions that can only be done in-person, like reinstating suspended driver licenses and applying for a no-fee identification card.
Behind-the-wheel driving tests remain suspended.
Placer County writes Newsom asking to move into Phase 3
Placer County officials in a letter to Newsom on Tuesday asked to be allowed to move into Phase 3 of reopening, which includes businesses like movie theaters, gyms and nail salons.
The county, which has several mega-churches, is also asking that Placer churches be allowed to have more than 100 attendees at services, an exemption to the state’s rule released Monday.
As of Tuesday, the county of 400,000 residents reported 188 confirmed virus cases and nine related deaths. At that time, the county’s three main hospitals were caring for just five COVID-19 patients, three of whom are in intensive care, health officials said.
In a resolution unanimously passed by Placer County’s Board of Supervisors, the county asked the state to offer guidance on safe ways of reactivating its tourism industry. Both the north side of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, and the south side in El Dorado County, have had tourist visits effectively banned since March 19 under Newsom’s statewide stay-at-home order, which has restricted Californians from leaving their residences except for reasons deemed essential.
California jail and prison populations drop due to COVID-19
County jails and the state prison system have seen significant decline in the inmate populations due to several factors related to the coronavirus.
The state dropped bail to $0 for a number of less-serious offenses; county jails have released inmates to allow for more social distancing; and arrest rates are down statewide.
Data show that county jails’ populations as a whole have had 21,700 fewer inmates, and prisons are holding 5,500 fewer than in late March, when the pandemic hit.
Sacramento County’s jail population has dropped 32 percent. Smaller county jails in California have had inmate populations cut by more than half.
Latest in Sacramento area: Nearly 1,800 cases as death rates slow
The four-county Sacramento region had roughly 1,800 COVID-19 cases and 87 deaths as of Wednesday, with another 70 COVID-19 cases and three deaths reported in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties. Only one death among those six counties has been reported in the past eight days, coming Friday in Placer County.
As of Wednesday morning, Sacramento County health officials reported 1,319 infections — up by nine from Tuesday’s update — and 56 deaths. The county’s last reported death came May 18.
Yolo County reported five new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, two new cases Tuesday and four new cases on Monday. The county has a total of 205 cases and 22 deaths related to the virus. Of those deaths, 15 have been connected to the Stollwood Convalescent Hospital in Woodland.
Placer County reported six new cases Wednesday. The county had reported three new cases Tuesday, and one new one Monday. There are a total of 194 cases and nine deaths in Placer County. The county’s first death in more than a month was reported last Friday, the same day the county reported eight new COVID-19 cases. Friday’s spike in new cases was the biggest since May 2, according to county data.
El Dorado County reported one new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, two new cases on Tuesday and four new cases on Monday; the county has a total of 81 cases and no deaths related to the virus. The county reported seven new cases on Friday, which were all from household contacts with an earlier positive case.
Sutter County reported no new cases on Wednesday, but it had two new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday. The county has reported a total of 42 COVID-19 cases and two deaths related to the virus.
Yuba County reported no new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The county has reported a total of 28 COVID-19 cases and one death related to the virus.
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World numbers: Global death toll hits 351,000, US hits 100,000
More than 5.6 million people worldwide have tested positive for COVID-19 and over 351,000 of those have died as of Wednesday morning, according to a data map by Johns Hopkins University.
More than 100,000 have been killed by the coronavirus in the United States, as of Wednesday afternoon.
New York state has suffered more than 29,000 deaths and New Jersey over 11,000, according to Johns Hopkins. Massachusetts reports nearly 6,500 COVID-19 fatalities, and Michigan and Pennsylvania have each seen more than 5,000 die. Illinois is also approaching 5,000 dead.
Washington state, Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Maryland,Louisiana, Connecticut and California have each reported between 1,000 and 4,000 deaths from COVID-19.
After the U.S., the United Kingdom reports about 37,500 dead, and almost 33,000 have died in Italy, according to Johns Hopkins. France is fourth at 28,500 fatalities, followed by Spain at over 27,000.
Fatalities and new cases are increasing fastest in Brazil, where about 25,600 have died among nearly 412,000 infections. The confirmed case total is second only to the United States’ 1.69 million.
Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Iran, Canada and the Netherlands report between 5,000 and 10,000 dead. China, Turkey, India, Sweden, Russia, Peru, and Ecuador report between 3,000 and 5,000 dead, according to Johns Hopkins.
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.
Sacramento Bee reporters Rosalio Ahumada, Tony Bizjak, Sophia Bollag, Dale Kasler, Matt Kristofferson, Jason Pohl and Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks contributed to this report. Listen to our daily briefing:
