By Julie Cart, CalMatters The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday recommended every American wear a face mask while in public to protect against contracting coronavirus. The agency announced that non-medical fabric masks – even scarves or bandannas – could help slow the spread of the infection. State health officials earlier in the week made the same recommendation. The ever-evolving response to the coronavirus pandemic has amped up the need for keeping everyone safe from the virus. That means wearing masks. (Image: Food bank volunteer Betty Kimmel wears a protective mask as she hands out oranges to seniors at Teamsters 315 Hall in Martinez on March 19, 2020. Photo by Anne… read more

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the nation, understanding the pandemic’s effect on your local area can be difficult. That’s why four public media organizations have collaborated to create the California COVID-19 Tracker — a data dashboard that provides a localized look at COVID-19-related cases and deaths in each county, as well as a risk assessment for each county’s population. In Sonoma County, the first case of community transmission of the virus was on March 14. The county ordered all residents to shelter-in-place on March 18. As of April 6, there have been 111 cases of COVID-19 in the county, according to the tracker, and one death. The tracker also looks at how many people in… read more

Despite warnings from the CDC, organizers of the annual Miami based Winter Party held their rave party event in early March and now one of the attendees has died from the coronavirus. In New York, a beloved transgender activist died last week after being hospitalized for a coronavirus infection. Here locally, organizers of the annual Frameline LGBTQ film festival announced that this year’s event scheduled for June will be postponed to dates in October. San Francisco Mayor London Breed recognized the difficulty of making this decision while announcing the extension of the shelter in place order for the City to May 1st. Outbeat News can be heard Sunday nights at 8 pm as part of Outbeat Radio. read more

New models of the spread of coronavirus in Sonoma County show that the local shelter-in-place order will help reduce the number of deaths and hospitalizations in the county. But when infections peak about two months from now, patients could still exceed the capacity of county hospitals. Sonoma County contracted with an epidemiologist at Imperial College London to model the effectiveness of local mitigation efforts and predict how the spread of the virus might impact hospital resources. The predictions, released Thursday, show that without the shelter-in-place order, more than 10,000 people would need hospital beds. The county currently has around 1,500. Barbie Robinson, director of the… read more

For people experiencing domestic violence, stay-at-home orders may be trapping them with their abusers. California Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) is asking the public to raise awareness about these dangers as directives to shelter-in-place to slow the spread of COVID-19 continue throughout the state. “The recent passing of a woman from Mendocino County, allegedly from an attack by her husband who had been arrested numerous times for domestic abuse, is a grim reminder of the tragedy of domestic abuse and sexual assault,” Wood said in a press release. “We are now asking people to isolate and shelter in place in their homes, which should be a place we rely on to be safe.” According to… read more

Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department is providing detailed information about COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospital capacity on several data dashboards available online. The county has also assembled a variety of COVID-19 resources, as listed below and found at sccphd.org/coronavirus. Food Distribution Map The City of San José has launched a food distribution map (bit.ly/SCCFoodMap) with important information on countywide food distribution sites to ensure food security for those in need. In collaboration with the County of Santa Clara, non-profit community partners, school districts and faith-based organizations, the Silicon Valley Strong coalition now has 129 food distribution sites… read more

By Ben Christopher, CalMatters The global pandemic notwithstanding, most California owners are still on the hook to pay their property taxes next week — thus far, the state isn’t granting any reprieves. Though both federal and state lawmakers postponed the deadline for income taxes through July 15, the statewide due date for homeowners and commercial real estate owners to cough up their property tax payments is still April 10. And if you don’t like it, take it up with Gov. Gavin Newsom. Although property taxes are collected by counties in California, property tax deadlines are set by state law. The only way to alter them is either by legislative act — impossible now that state lawmakers are… read more

Sonoma County says it will consider waiving penalties for late property tax payments related to COVID-19 on a case-by-case basis. The second installment of the 2019-2020 Annual Secured property tax bill was due Feb. 1 and becomes late if not paid by April 10. The Sonoma County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office (ACTTC) says it does not have authority to extend the delinquency date. “We encourage all property owners who can pay on-time to do so,” the office said in a press release. “This revenue helps to fund many critical public services, such as police, sheriff, fire and emergency response, public health, public works, and education, and pays debt service on voter approved… read more

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take lives and strain resources, you might be wondering how you can help. Perhaps the most important thing you can do is help slow the spread of the virus by following public health guidance. But if you’re still looking to do more, here are several ways you can make a difference in Sonoma County and beyond. Volunteer Volunteers are urgently needed to help the Sonoma County community respond to challenges related to COVID-19, the county says. The Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership is coordinating Sonoma County volunteers to make sure community members stay safe, healthy, fed and connected to social services. To learn about current COVID-19… read more

By Erica Hellerstein, Mercury News For the past few weeks, as coronavirus radically altered daily life, 79-year-old Diana Fernandes has been struggling quietly inside her San Francisco home, weathering a challenge from within. Fernandes lives alone — her husband died in 2017 — and has been left to manage a painful foot injury and the threat of the virus on her own. As an asthmatic, she is already in a higher risk category so she has been avoiding contact with people. She hasn’t seen another person since March 14. She misses watering her plants outside and shopping at Trader Joe’s for her favorite foods: apricots, figs, English muffins, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes. Now, she’s relying… read more

As the coronavirus spreads, state and federal health experts are deciding whether to recommend face masks for everyday use. Los Angeles County made that recommendation on Wednesday. Story by Nicole Nixon. (Photo: Even without symptoms, you might have the virus and be able to spread it when out in public, say researchers who now are reconsidering the use of surgical masks - Elijah Nouvelage / Bloomberg via Getty Images / CapRadio) Much of California shut down days or weeks before other parts of the country. Now, the state’s projections show those steps seem to be paying off. Story by Nicole Nixon The pandemic is not treating everyone equally. That includes farmers. Some are dealing with… read more

There’s help in the federal relief bill for gig workers and independent contractors. But as their economic toll gets worse, the state’s employment agency says it’s still awaiting instructions on how to make the money available. Story by Chris Nichols. (Photo: Sacramento area rideshare driver John Anderson says he’s lost two-thirds of his weekly income during the coronavirus outbreak - Chris Nichols / CapRadio) Silicon Valley-based Cepheid's rapid coronavirus test became one first authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. But there’s one problem: Many California labs and hospitals can’t get their hands on them. Story by Scott Rodd. (Photo: After an initial verbal screening, one driver… read more

A wedding video of a New York lesbian couple getting married has gone viral proving that love is more powerful than the coronavirus pandemic. California State Senator Scott Wiener is calling on the FDA to lift the ban on gay men donating blood in anticipation of a national shortage of blood during this current health emergency. San Francisco Pride officials announced three of this year’s grand marshalls and also said they will announce in mid April if this year’s celebration will be postponed. Meanwhile, Sonoma County Pride officials made the decision last week to cancel this year’s Sonoma County Pride celebration scheduled for June 6. (Photo: Reilly Jennings – via Instagram) Outbeat News… read more

You may have noticed some essentials missing at the grocery store. That’s because people are stocking up and cooking more at home. But as the pandemic continues will there be enough food to go around? Story by Ezra David Romero. (Photo: An empty Safeway aisle in Midtown Sacramento - Ezra David Romero / CapRadio) Over 25,000 retired health professionals and medical students signed up for a new California initiative called Health Corps. The program aims to increase health care staffing on the front lines of the coronavirus response. Story by Scott Rodd. The Trump administration today rolled back Obama-era clean car standards ... and California's top prosecutor is vowing to fight it. Story by… read more

By Julie Cart, Elizabeth Aguilera and Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters As the number of people hospitalized in California with the coronavirus doubled in just four days, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday sent out an urgent call seeking help from the state’s 37,000 retired and part-time health care professionals. Newsom issued an executive order that will temporarily allow retired doctors and nurses to return to work, broaden the duties that some nurses may perform and bring medical school and nursing students who are close to graduating into the workforce almost immediately. Statewide, 1,432 people have been hospitalized with the virus, up from 746 four days earlier, Newsom said. Of those, 42% or 597… read more

A new model from the University of Washington projects that coronavirus deaths in California will peak in late April, with a total of 5,086 deaths predicted in the state through Aug. 4. The study from the university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which aims to “determine the extent and timing of deaths and excess demand for hospital services due to COVID-19 in the U.S.,” assumes the continuation of strong social distancing measures and other protective measures. It was published March 26 and updated on March 31. The forecast shows that California should have enough hospital beds to meet demand throughout the course of the pandemic. It predicts that daily fatalities will peak… read more

Updated March 31, 2020, 4:00 p.m. The Santa Rosa Police Department reported today that Detective Marylou Armer passed away from complications from COVID-19. Detective Armer served with the Santa Rosa Police Department for 20 years and was recently assigned to the Santa Rosa Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Team. Armer was the first Santa Rosa Police Department employee to test positive for COVID-19. On March 24, the police department first reported that two employees had tested positive for the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Later that same day, it was announced that a third employee tested positive. Then, on March 27, two additional employees were added to the running total of… read more

As the pandemic continues farms are operating and farmworkers are still going to work. They’re considered essential workers, but not all of them feel enough is being done to protect them. Story by Ezra David Romero. (Photo: Farmworkers pick organic strawberries at Stehly Farms Organics in Valley Center, Calif., on March 25 - Ariana Drehsler / AFP via Getty Images / via NPR) The state is looking for retired and student health care workers to help meet an expected surge of coronavirus patients in California. Story by Nicole Nixon. Governor Newsom issues executive order to help fill hospital staffing needs. Story by Drew Sandsor. It’s allergy season and having a runny nose or itchy eyes while… read more

During emergencies, vulnerable community members are often left out of response plans. Assistant News Director, Adia White, asked the founder of Equity First Consulting, Ana Lugo, about how everyone in our community can be supported equitably during the novel coronavirus outbreak. KRCB News Director, Steve Mencher, interviews Ana Lugo in 2017, about the response to the Sonoma Complex FiresWhat does an equitable emergency response look like? Equity in practice is really about accounting for the most vulnerable populations in our community and making sure that we are providing for them. I think that our county is definitely trying to do that, through policies like the eviction defense policy.… read more

By Nigel Duara and Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed confidence Saturday that California has the capacity to produce enough ventilators to meet its projected needs in response to the coronavirus pandemic. But during a tour of a San Jose energy company that is refurbishing outdated ones, he cautioned that the state’s need could expand significantly if the public doesn’t maintain social distancing and the crisis worsens. The tour of the Bloom Energy facility demonstrated the state’s ability to leverage its massive technology and manufacturing sector into production or refurbishment of ventilators, something Bloom Energy did this week when it repurposed its fuel-cell… read more

California and the nation have seen a surge in unemployment claims as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to close their doors, leaving workers with reduced hours or laid off their jobs entirely. Local, state and federal governments are responding to help affected people. Here are some resources for Sonoma County residents struggling financially due to the crisis. Residents Paying Bills Utilities: Salvation Army, 93 Stony Circle, Santa Rosa, (707) 542-0981. Help to pay water, electric and other utility bills. Afternoons, Monday-Friday, by appointment only. Evictions: Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order banning evictions statewide. Renters who have lost work or wages… read more

As Californians shelter in place due to the coronavirus, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Friday to place a statewide moratorium on evictions. Story by Nicole Nixon. (Photo: Gov. Gavin Newsom listens to a reporter’s question during a news conference to update the state's response to the coronavirus at the Governor's Office of Emergency Services in Rancho Cordova, Calif., Monday, March 23, 2020 - Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo) Governor Gavin Newsom commuted the sentences of 21 inmates late Friday, giving them the opportunity to get out of prison early. Story by Nicole Nixon. It’s allergy season and having a runny nose or itchy eyes while the coronavirus crisis is happening can… read more

The Sonoma County Office of Education has recommended as of March 25 that all Sonoma County school districts continue distance learning through at least May 1. Previously, Sonoma County school districts had announced that they would suspend in-person classes at least through the duration of the Sonoma County Health Officer's coronavirus shelter-in-place order, which was set to end April 7. Then, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for residents to stay at home statewide and prohibited mass gatherings of more than 10 people indefinitely. As parents grapple with how to keep students learning, healthy and fed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, here are some resources to help: County Resources… read more