4 New Coronavirus Cases In Alameda County; 1st Cases Of Community Transmission
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Alameda County health officials confirmed four new positive cases of coronavirus on Friday, two of which are the first reported incidences of community transmission in the county.
The county now has a total of seven cases as of Friday afternoon, the Alameda County Public Health Department said. The remaining two out of the four cases confirmed on Friday were linked to other confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The county will not be sharing any other information about the new cases to protect medical privacy.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
The last reported case in the county came on March 6. It was a passenger from the coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship that traveled to Mexico.
Also on Friday, ACPHD said it will comply with the California Dept. of Public Health's mass gathering guidelines by prohibiting gatherings of over 250 people at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
All non-essential gatherings of 250 people or more are recommended to be canceled or postponed, both by the county and the state of California. County health officials also emphasize social distancing by leaving at least six feet in between each person in gatherings inside confined spaces.
"Taking these additional preventive measures now will help us reduce the number of people who get sick, and avoid prolonged adverse impacts on our health care system, workforce, and communities," said county health officer Dr. Erica Pan.
"We have the opportunity to slow down this pandemic and decrease its impact by reducing the spread of virus from person-to-person. This means substantially limiting the number of individuals and places that people come together."
