The latest developments around the region related to the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, as of Saturday afternoon include:
- San Francisco Mayor London Breed helped hand out 1,000 masks at Dolores Park on Friday, as city officials expect people to flock to city parks this holiday weekend despite the city’s stay-at-home orders. With warm weather through Labor Day expected to draw out big crowds, the mayor teamed up with the city’s Recreation and Park Department and the LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, to remind park-goers to wear masks and take other precautions against COVID-19. Just as San Francisco was removed from the state COVID-19 watch list earlier this week and with several businesses, churches and schools now set to reopen in the coming months, Breed said getting all residents to wear face coverings is crucial in keeping the number of new cases down.
- Officials with the annual San Francisco Carnaval parade and the city’s Latino Task Force will put on a two-day event this Labor Day weekend in San Francisco’s Mission District, encouraging COVID-19 testing as part of a push to reduce numbers among the city’s Latinx community. The “Latino COVID-19 Healing and Recovery — Salud es Poder” health and resource fair will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at two sites — John O’Connell High School near 20th and Treat streets and on Harrison Street between 18th and 20th streets. The free, no-appointment-needed testing will be done by the city’s Department of Public Health on a first-come, first-served basis and English, Spanish and Mayan-speaking staff will be on hand. The fair aims to test up to 1,000 people per day. In addition to free testing, other resources include mental health and nutrition consultations, free groceries, and a job fair. Last May, Carnaval organizers postponed the famous annual lively parade that celebrates the city’s Latinx community, opting instead to celebrate the 42nd Carnaval online. — The California Department of Public Health has launched a bilingual campaign to remind people of the threat posed by the novel coronavirus and remind them to avoid large social gatherings. The health agency created three televised public service announcements and three radio announcements dramatizing “El Covid” and “The Rona” spreading among young people at a house party and a family birthday party. The ads are aimed at people of color between the ages of 20 and 50, a demographic which is has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, health officials said. The campaign includes TV, radio, social media and digital advertisements warning people to prevent the spread of the virus. The state will also roll out print ads later this month. Ads will be targeted in Southern California, the Central Valley, Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast and the Bay Area, according to the health agency.
- The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission announced Friday that it is extending a program that helps residents struggling to pay their water, sewer and Hetch Hetchy Power bills amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Residential Community Assistance Program launched in May and was set to expire Friday, but the program is being expanded through the end of the year, as residents continue to feel the impacts of the pandemic, SFPUC officials said. Those eligible for the program include people who have lost income as a result of the pandemic and had a pre-pandemic maximum household income of under 200 percent of the San Francisco Area Median Income. Reduced rates being offered under the program include 35 percent off sewer bills; 30 percent off Hetch Hetchy Power bills; and 15 percent off water bills. Information about the newly extended program and other programs can be found at www.sfwater.org/billrelief.
- As of 4:30 p.m. Saturday, officials have confirmed the following number of cases around the greater Bay Area region:
- Alameda County: 19,131 cases, 299 deaths (18,977 cases, 296 deaths on Friday) (Totals include Berkeley Health Department data)
- Contra Costa County: 14,527, 186 deaths (14,411 cases, 186 deaths on Friday)
- Marin County: 6,297 cases, 96 deaths (6,285 cases, 96 deaths on Friday) (Totals include San Quentin State Prison)
- Monterey County: 8,439 cases, 58 deaths (8,326 cases, 58 deaths on Friday)
- Napa County: 1,475 cases, 13 deaths (1,465 cases, 13 deaths on Friday)
- San Francisco County: 9,839 cases, 86 deaths (9,755 cases, 84 deaths on Friday)
- San Mateo County: 8,617 cases, 135 deaths (8,452 cases, 135 deaths on Friday)
- Santa Clara County: 18,423 cases, 257 deaths (18,190 cases, 254 deaths on Friday)
- Santa Cruz County: 1,931 cases, 7 deaths (1,923 cases, 7 deaths on Friday)
- Solano County: Not updated on county site Saturday (5,671 cases, 48 deaths on Friday)
- Sonoma County: 6,241 cases 93 deaths (6,142 cases, 93 deaths on Friday)
- Statewide: 727,239 cases, 13,643 deaths (722,283 cases, 13,490 deaths on Friday)