Updates: Berkeley will require face coverings in essential businesses

LATEST, April 17, 6: 30 p.m. The city of Berkeley will soon require face coverings in all essential businesses, according to an order issued Friday evening by Berkeley Health Officer Dr. Lisa Hernandez.

“While we have seen many people cover their faces in public since the CDC and Bay Area Health Officers first recommended face coverings two weeks ago, it has not been enough,” Hernandez wrote.

Hernandez urged all residents and workers to follow the mandatory order immediately to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but she said the city will have a grace period on enforcement. The order will become official at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 22.

April 17, 3: 50 p.m. Santa Clara County announced 37 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, bringing the county to 1,870. The county also announced four new deaths. The death toll in the county is now 73.

April 17, 3: 30 p.m. In a Friday press conference from the White House, President Donald Trump announced a $19 billion relief program for farmers and ranchers “as they cope with the fall out from the global pandemic.”

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue noted the program would provide $16 billion in “direct financial relief” to farmers and ranchers.

April 17, 3: 15 p.m. Alameda County announced its own order for residents to wear face masks in public, following similar requirements announced by San Francisco and several other Bay Area municipalities. Like in San Francisco, the order goes into effect April 17 at 11: 59 p.m., though the order will not be enforced until 8: 00 a.m. on April 22.

“A face covering may reduce the risk of transmitting the virus that causes COVID-19 when maintaining at least 6 feet of distance isn’t possible.” said Dr. Erica Pan, Alameda County Health Officer. “Everyone should wear a face covering when engaged in essential activities and work, but there is no substitute for physical distancing and staying at home.”

April 17, 3: 00 p.m. Alameda, Napa and Sonoma Counties announced additional cases of COVID-19 Friday afternoon. Sonoma County announced nine new cases, bringing the total to 172, and Napa announced three additional cases, for a total of 44. No new deaths were reported in either North Bay County.

Alameda County announced 54 new cases Friday, as well as an additional death, bringing the death toll to 40 cumulatively between Alameda County and the city of Berkeley.

April 17, 2: 00 p.m. Dr. Grant Colfax announced updated numbers around hospital capacities in San Francisco Friday afternoon, saying the city has 1,048 acute care beds available as well as 445 for intensive care patients “to meet the demands of a surge.”

Colfax also announced several new cases tied to potential and established COVID-19 hotspots. One new case was found in a prisoner at the city jail. The individual, who showed no symptoms, has been quarantined.

Additionally, 95 guests and 10 staff members at the MSC South homeless shelter have now tested positive for COVID-19. At Laguna Honda, there are currently 19 cases. Fifteen of those are among staffers and four are among residents. Colfax added that there have been no new cases among residents since April 7, and that those four patients are all in good condition.

April 17, 1: 30 p.m. San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced in a Friday press conference the city would now be requiring locals to wear face masks when out in public around other residents, such as at the grocery store, pharmacy or post office.

Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax stated that the new requirement is about protecting each other from infection.

“By wearing masks or face coverings when we are interacting with other people in public, San Franciscans will be less likely to transmit the coronavirus to one another,” Colfax said. “It is important to understand that today’s order is part of a broader strategy to establish new ways of interacting and behaving. This will help us now and in the future as we hope to be able to relax the stay at home order.”

The order goes into effect 11: 59 p.m. Friday night. More on the announcement here.

April 17, 12: 30 p.m. At a noon press conference Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an 80-member task force to lead the economic recovery of the state, the fifth-largest economy in the world.

Newsom said he tapped four former California governors from both parties for roles on the council. They include Pete Wilson, Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown.

Former presidential candidate, philanthropist, and Bay Area activist Tom Steyer will lead the task force, and said the mission is “to develop a strategy to help California recover as fast and as safely as possible” from COVID-19 and to “create a fair, green and prosperous future.”

Newsom’s chief of staff Ann O’Leary will co-chair the council with Steyer; O’Leary is a former senior advisor to Hillary Clinton.

Newsom named several other leaders who he described as some of the “best and brightest minds,” including Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger, former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, Apple CEO Tim Cook, PolicyLink President Angela Glover Blackwell and President of the Service Employees International Union Mary Kay Henry.

Since March 12, the state has fielded requests for unemployment insurance from 3.1 million residents. In a state of 40 million, 5.3% are now unemployed compared to the usual rate of about 3.9%.

“Today, I stand here sobered by the reality that we are now here in a pandemic-driven recession,” Newsom said. “These are sober and challenging times. And we believe and are confident they are not permanent.”

Newsom also provided an update on coronavirus cases in the state and said in the last 24 hours 95 residents had died due to complications with the virus, the highest number recorded in 24-hour period since the pandemic began.

“We are coming close to that 1,000 mark we hoped we would never see,” said Newsom, adding that people need to continue to follow the shelter-in-place order and social distance with vigilance. “We are not out of the woods yet.”

Hospitalizations in the state went up 1.2% compared to yesterday.

“It’s not moving a direction that we’re ready to celebrate yet,” Newsom said.

He said the number of individuals in intensive care units around the state is flattening but not enough to “suggest we are in the next phase.”

Newsom said earlier this week that California will eventually move onto the “next phase” when the shelter-in-place order is relaxed and people can move more freely under new social-distancing requirements, including wearing masks. He hasn’t provided a timeline but has said the date will be dependent on the data.

April 17, 11: 58 a.m. The California State University system announced Friday it’s temporarily dropping the SAT and ACT test requirements for the fall 2021, winter 2022 and spring 2022 admission cycles. This news comes after the University of California suspended the use of standardized testing earlier this month in determining admission eligibility.

April 17, 11: 15 a.m. San Francisco updated its coronavirus dashboard Friday morning, reporting three additional deaths and bringing the death total to 20. The county and city also announced 41 additional cases; the total is now 1,058.

To date, there are 91 patients testing positive for COVID-19 and hospitalized in SF. The number of hospitalizations of confirmed cases has reached a plateau over the past week, ranging between 83 to 91. The number of hospitalized patients who are suspected to have COVID-19 stands at 98, according to the SF COVID-19 data tracker.

April 17, 10: 45 a.m. Google announced Friday that it’s now giving full-time employees up to 14 weeks of paid leave due to the COVID-19 emergency, according to CNN. The Mountain View-based company originally offered two weeks for caregivers with the option to take an additional four. Today, they added eight more weeks as an option as schools remain closed and many parents face juggling work with homeschooling.

April 17, 10: 25 San Mateo County reported 30 additional cases Friday morning, bringing the total number of infected patients in the county to 797. The death toll remains 28. To date, there are 71 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the county.

April 17, 8: 30 a.m. Marin is the second Bay Area county to start requiring residents to wear face coverings. County officials will make an official statement Friday with specifics on the new order, but on Thursday night they released a statement with preliminary details.

“The specific language will be posted tomorrow but in essence this order will require facial coverings for public settings where we are coming into contact within 6 feet of people who we don’t live with, particularly indoors,” the statement reads. ” Children under the age of six will be exempt, and we don’t need to wear it when we’re alone indoors, with those we live with, or out by ourselves on a walk.”

The requirement is expected to go into effect at noon on Wednesday, April 22.

Sonoma County already issued a similar order that goes into effect today, and the East Bay city of Fremont is requiring workers and customers at essential businesses to wear face coverings amid the COVID-19 emergency.

April 17, 7: 56 a.m. California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared on “Ellen” Friday morning to talk about relaxing the state’s stay-at-home order and moving into a new phase that will allow the economy and society to reopen under guidelines encouraging physical distancing.

He told host Ellen DeGeneres the next stage is “weeks away.”

“We’re not there yet,” Newsom said. “We’re weeks away from going into a new strategy and a new reality, but it’s predicated on people continuing to stay the course, continuing to practice physical distancing to stay at home.

“We’re seeing some good signs. Our ICU numbers actually went down today and they’ve been flat for the last week. Hospitalization rates are modestly growing. Our death rate was actually the highest today, tragically, but that’s a lagging indicator.

“If we could see those trend lines for the next few weeks, and we could build capacity and build the infrastructure, then we could get into what we call a blended phase where it’s not population based. Everybody stays at home, but we demand more from individuals and we prescribe more expectations on individual behavior.”

Newsom said there will be “no normalcy as we knew it” until a vaccine is available and the population has herd immunity. He reiterated descriptions he provided earlier this week of what life might be like under a “new normal” with people putting on masks and having their temperatures taken before entering certain establishments. He also confirmed that mass gatherings won’t be allowed until a vaccine is available.

Cumulative cases in the greater Bay Area (due to limited testing these numbers reflect only a small portion of likely cases):

ALAMEDA COUNTY: 1,061 confirmed cases, 40 deaths

For more information on Alameda County cases, visit the public health department website.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 631 confirmed cases, 16 deaths

For more information on Contra Costa County cases, visit the public health department website.

LAKE COUNTY: 6 confirmed cases

For information on Lake County and coronavirus, visit the public health department website.

MARIN COUNTY: 187 confirmed cases, 10 deaths

Fore more information on Marin County cases, visit the public health department website.

MONTEREY COUNTY: 119 confirmed cases, 3 deaths

For more information on Monterey County cases, visit the public health department website.

NAPA COUNTY: 44 cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Napa County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN BENITO COUNTY: 44 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on San Benito County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 1,058 confirmed cases, 20 deaths

For more information on San Francisco County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN MATEO COUNTY: 797 confirmed cases, 28 deaths

For more information on San Mateo County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 1,833 confirmed cases, 69 deaths

Fore more information on Santa Clara County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 98 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Santa Cruz County cases, visit the public health department website. 

SOLANO COUNTY: 156 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Solano County cases, visit the public health department website.

SONOMA COUNTY: 172 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Sonoma County cases, visit the public health department website.

In California, 973 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. For comparison, New York has 14,832, New Jersey 3,518 and Illinois 1,073.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for ‘The Daily’ newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.

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Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: [email protected].