Bay Area COVID Pandemic Roundup: New Restrictions Shutter Restaurant Dining; Last Call For Beloved San Francisco Dive Bar; San Mateo County Stays Open
By CBS San Francisco Staff
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- With a surge in coronavirus cases, the information you need to know is coming fast and furious. Here's a roundup of the COVID stories we've published over the last 24 hours.
Beloved San Francisco Dive Bar 'Lucky 13' Becomes Latest Fiscal Victim
SAN FRANCISCO -- Across San Francisco's lifestyle landscape, the fiscal impact of the COVID pandemic has raise havoc with beloved eating establishments and bars forced to close for good. The pandemic's latest victim Sunday was an iconic dive bar -- Lucky 13.The owners took to Instagram over the weekend, announcing their decision to close. It triggered a pilgrimage of patrons to enjoy the experience one last time. "It's Official, this Sunday will be Lucky 13's last day," Ever. We will open at noon on Sunday and we are opening up the parking lot to provide more seating. Bring a growler or a mason jar and we can fill that with tap beer for you also! We have ordered more merch and will have an online shop for you to purchase goodies once everything arrives. Thank you again for your continued love and support." The cash-only punk bar opened in 1994 and became a favorite of its growing clientele. Read More
Several Bay Area Counties Begin Stay-At-Home Shutdown, Closing Businesses
SAN FRANCISCO -- Many Bay Area residents on Sunday got in their last meals out ahead of the new stay-at-home order that closes restaurant dining and bars, shutters salons and limits retail in an effort to curb spiraling coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. The new rules that take effect before midnight for much of the Bay Area and a large swath of the Central Valley also prohibit residents from gathering with people not in their households. The state on Sunday reported a record number of new daily virus cases for the third consecutive day, with infections topping 30,000. Gov. Gavin Newsom had said the Bay Area would likely fall under the state's order in mid to late December. Then on Friday, five Bay Area counties -- Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and Santa Clara plus the city of Berkeley -- decided to preemptively put the stricter restrictions in place this week.Contra Costa, San Francisco and Santa Clara imposed the new shutdown Sunday night at 10 p.m., while Alameda County will start the stay-at-home order at midnight and Marin County has scheduled its shutdown to begin on Tuesday. Read More
Peninsula Business Owners Relieved San Mateo County is Open
SAN CARLOS -- San Mateo County officials have announced that, while they appreciates the stay-at-home measures taken by other Bay Area counties, it is following the state's plan to institute a shutdown after ICU bed availability drops under 15%. Many Peninsula small business owners told KPIX 5 they're relieved. Town restaurant in San Carlos was buzzing with activity Sunday evening. Tables on both sides of Laurel Street were full. Avenir Restaurant Group Owner Greg St. Claire is grateful for each night it can stay open. "Just for my small company, every extra week that we have means $400,000 in sales, which translates to almost a quarter million dollars in labor and tips for our employees," said St. Claire. "And at this time of year, it's just critical." He said Town follows strict safety protocols to keep diners safe. Read More
South Bay Residents Squeeze In Last-Minute Shopping Before Lockdown
SAN JOSE -- For shoppers and business owners, the latest shelter-in-place order felt like deja vu: people rushing to finish last-minute shopping and get services done. Nail and hair salons saw a surge of customers this weekend in Santa Clara County. Many salons that would normally be closed Sundays rescheduled next week's appointments to squeeze them in on the last day of operation in 2020. "A lot of people are like 'oh my gosh, what are we going to do?' We did get a surge of texts, people calling in last minute -- just yesterday, we were quite busy," said hair stylist, Lan Nguyen. Most items were in stock at the local grocery stores we visited in San Jose. The only exception was toilet paper. "I was at Costco earlier today and they already have a sign out that they're out of some toilet paper, paper towels," said San Jose resident Christie Idehara. Read More
President-Elect Biden Picks California AG Xavier Becerra for HHS to Lead Virus Response
WASHINGTON -- President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration's coronavirus response. Separately, Biden picked a Harvard infectious disease expert, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, 62, will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services, a $1-trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans. Biden's selection of Becerra was confirmed by two people familiar with the decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement anticipated Tuesday. Two people also anonymously confirmed the choice of Walensky. The post of CDC director does not require Senate confirmation. Read More
Other Weekend Trending COVID Stories
San Francisco Bay Area Hospitals Battling Steady Rise In COVID Patients
SAN FRANCISCO -- Hospitals across the Bay Area are preparing for a surge in COVID-19 patients as the state continues to see record numbers in new cases per day. On Saturday, health officials said the Bay area has a little over 21 percent of its ICU capacity remaining. It's still not at the "critically low" level that 2 other regions in California have already reached But hospitals are seeing more patients come in. As several counties trend toward reaching the 15 percent remaining ICU threshold, the question becomes which ones can add more surge capacity beds if needed. It varies from one county to another and how easy it is to activate these beds, how functional they would be if they're needed, and also to be considered is the issue of how much ability to transfer patients, if need be," said Stanford School of Medicine Professor of Epidemiology Dr. John Ioannidis. Read More
Hospital ICU Capacity Likely to Drop as Holiday Infection Rate Climbs
SAN FRANCISCO -- Bay Area hospitals' intensive-care capacity -- the key metric now being monitored by the state -- hovered around 22 percent on Saturday. It had tumbled from 29% Wednesday to about 21% on Friday. Two regions -- the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California -- have already passed below the 14 percent threshold, triggering stay-at-home orders. Five Bay Area counties took a preemptive move in that direction on Friday. Although the ICU metric is barely four days old, it's becoming clearer how that number will behave and what a trend might look like. "You know, it's just the way it is, there's going to be some wobble in the numbers, says UCSF epidemiologist George Rutherford. "What you want to see is the overall trend and follow that." From automobile accidents to people requiring major or emergency surgery, any number of things can drive the ebb and flow of ICU numbers on any given day. Coronavirus is just part of the demand on a system that has limits. Read More
San Francisco Bay Area Rents Plummet Amid Pandemic
SAN FRANCISCO -- Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, San Francisco rents have plummeted more than any other major city in the country. The average rent in one San Francisco neighborhood is now to $1,600. Some housing experts even argue the city has turned in to a renter's market. The mass exodus in San Francisco during the pandemic resulted in more housing supply and less demand but, even after big price drops, San Francisco still retains the title as the most expensive rental market in the country. At $2,700 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, the city tops New York and Los Angeles. Neighboring cities San Jose and Oakland round out the top five. These rent prices have fallen to levels that haven't been seen since the last recession -- drops of more than 20 percent compared to last year in many neighborhoods. Read More
San Joaquin Valley, SoCal Enact Stay-Home Order Beginning Sunday
SAN FRANCISCO -- Faced with a dire shortage of hospital beds, health officials announced Saturday the vast region of Southern California and a large swath of the Central Valley will be placed under a sweeping new lockdown in an urgent attempt to slow the rapid rise of coronavirus cases. The California Department of Public Health said the intensive care unit capacity in both regions' hospitals had fallen below a 15% threshold that triggers the new measures, which include strict closures for businesses and a ban on gathering with anyone outside of your own household. The new measures will take effect Sunday evening and remain in place for at least three weeks, meaning the lockdown will cover the Christmas holiday. Much of the state is on the brink of the same restrictions. Some counties have opted to impose them even before the mandate kicks in, including five San Francisco Bay Area counties where the measures also take effect starting Sunday. Read More
Debit Card Distribution Weak Link in EDD Fight to End Unemployment Benefits Fraud
SACRAMENTO -- Lawmakers are trying to help millions of California residents who have been receiving their unemployment benefits via debit cards sent from the state Employment Development Department. Those cards are susceptible to fraud and identity theft and victims are demanding change. At present, Bank of America has an exclusive contract with the EDD. People receiving unemployment insurance benefits can only get those funds via a BofA debit card or by check. Security experts say debit cards without security chips are more susceptible to scammers who can "skim" data from the magnetic strips. One lawmaker is trying to change that and believes it could solve some of the rampant fraud problems. "EDD needs to figure out a way to ensure that people have the option for direct deposit," said California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. Read More
Campaign To Recall Newsom Ramps Up In Light Of Impending Stay-At-Home Order
SACRAMENTO -- California's looming COVID-19 restrictions based on regional intensive care unit capacities are reigniting an effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. According to CBS 13, many Sacramento area business owners are now backing the push for a recall. The campaign was born in June of this year and now has half of the signatures it needs to call for a special election by March. Small business owners said Newsom's latest decision was the last straw. Read More
