Coronavirus Update - April 10, 2020
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Numbers in Contra Costa County - 511 total cases, 9 deaths
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Keep Up the Good Work!
Continue to Follow These Simple Recommendations
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County Health Services COVID-19 Call Center: 844-729-8410
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Property Tax Payments Due Today, but Relief Available
to Waive Late Payment Penalties
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The final date for payment of property taxes is today, April 10th. You can still pay your property taxes
here
online, but you may also pay by mail or through our automated phone system at (925) 957-5280. If you need a receipt for proof of payment, a copy of your tax bill with the installment’s payment date is available in View Bill under Account Lookup.
If you are not able to pay your property taxes because of a COVID-19 related issue, your late penalty may be waived. Information about late payments and the waiver of penalties can be found
here .
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Contra Costa Reminds Residents to Observe Religious Practices and Celebrations at Home this Weekend
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This week is a special time of year for many people of many different religions. While we respect and honor the wonderful faith traditions in our community, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) reminds the public that county residents should observe their faiths at home while the health officer’s stay-at-home order remains in place.
The health officer order, a measure to protect our community from the spread of COVID-19, requires Contra Costa residents to stay home except for essential trips, such as to find food, healthcare or to provide care for someone who cannot leave their home, or to go to and from an essential job.
The order lasts through May 3, a period that may affect important observances for many faiths, such as Good Friday, Holy Week, Orthodox Easter, Passover, Ramadan, and others.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives, and we empathize with anyone who is unable to practice their religious traditions and celebrations as usual during this challenging time,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County Health Officer. “However, to protect everyone in the community, we must avoid gatherings outside of one’s immediate household to reduce the spread of the virus.”
CCHS thanks the county’s faith community for helping to keep their members safe from COVID-19 and urges faith leaders to continue to suspend in-person gatherings and not bring large groups of people together while the health order remains in place.
Suspending in-person gatherings does not mean suspending worship. Many organizations continue to observe together, through livestreaming or by watching recorded services online.
Learn more about COVID-19 in Contra Costa County, including the how to protect yourself, at
cchealth.org/coronavirus
, or call the Contra Costa Coronavirus Call Center with questions at 1-844-729-8410. The call center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Contra Costa Now Recommends that Everyone Wear a
Cloth Mask or Bandana When Leaving Home
for Essential Work or Travel
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- Do not need to be hospital grade, just cover nose and mouth
- Bandanas, fabric mask, neck gaiters all acceptable, including fabric masks and bandanas that can be washed and reused are OK
- Do not use surgical masks or respirators, which are in short supply and needed by healthcare workers and first responders
- Remember to wash hands before AND after touching face or face covering
- Goal of face coverings is not to protect the wearer, but to reduce the spread of germs from the wearer to others in the community – if we all wear them, we are all better protected
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Contra Costa Joins Bay Area Counties in Extending Distance
Learning Through End of School Year
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The public health officers and county superintendents in six Bay Area counties have announced they will extend the suspension of in-class instruction through the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Francisco County Superintendents in collaboration with the Public Health Officers in their respective counties, announced the decision to extend campus closures to students through the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Schools will continue to transition from in-person classroom instruction to at-home and distance learning formats. School leaders will continue to utilize campus facilities to distribute school meals and provide childcare or supervision as determined by local needs.
During this most critical phase of the shelter in place order and as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, residents, including all Contra Costa County students, are urged to keep practicing the guidance provided by public health officers including:
- Staying home and limiting essential activities where possible
- Washing hands often with soap and water
- Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Contacting your healthcare provider if you experience any symptoms such as fever, cough, or difficulty breathing
- Wearing face coverings (but not medical-grade masks)
- Adhering closely to social distancing guidelines
More information about Contra Costa County schools’ response to COVID-19 can be found on the Contra Costa County Office of Education’s
website.
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Contra Costa County's Interpersonal Violence Agencies
are Still Open and Helping the Community
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Park District Announces Temporary Easter Weekend Closures of
Parking Areas at Select Regional Parks
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New temporary restrictions at select Regional Park parking lots and staging areas will be enforced this Easter weekend, Saturday/Sunday, April 11-12, 2020, with the goal to reduce crowds anticipated to come to parks this weekend. Trails remain open and accessible on Walk-In, Bike-In Basis.
The following Regional Parks will be affected with temporary parking area closures for this weekend, April 11-12, 2020:
1.
Black Diamond Mines – All parking lots closed
2. Briones – Alhambra Staging Area closed
3. Coyote Hills – All parking lots closed
4. Garin – All Parking lots closed
5. Kennedy Grove – All parking lots closed
6. Lake Chabot – Main Parking lot closed
7. Lake Temescal – All parking lots closed
8. MLK – Doolittle South and Arrowhead Staging Areas
9. Mission Peak – Stanford Avenue Staging Area closed (Fenced with no trail access, closed by request of City of Fremont)
10. Miller Knox – All parking lots closed
Trails and open space remain open and accessible to the public (except from the Stanford Avenue Staging Area) on a walk-in and bike-in basis. Some parking lots adjacent to closed picnic areas will also be closed to help maintain safe social distancing.
The COVID-19 public health emergency continues to be a serious, unique, and evolving situation. Due to COVID-19, Regional Parks have been very busy with significant overcrowding at various parks the weekend of March 21-22. To limit overcrowding and help maintain social distancing, the Park District temporarily closed some park areas, including picnic sites, restrooms, water fountains, and parking lots on Friday, March 27, 2020.
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Library Launches New Virtual Storytime Content for Families
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The Contra Costa County Library is launching new storytime content in two different platforms aimed at providing families with library programming during the COVID-19 health crisis.
Online Storytime is a series of videos created by some of the Library’s best storytellers. Each storyteller films a 10-minute video from home that includes reading books, singing songs and having fun. A new video will debut every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. on the Library’s
Facebook
page (@ccclib).
Video Storytime is an ongoing series for the library and the first episode of season two is live on the Library’s
YouTube
channel (theccclib) right now. Video storytime includes singing, rhymes, finger plays and more. A new playlist will debut every Wednesday. Video Storytime was created in partnership with Contra Costa Television (CCTV) with funding provided through a Pacific Library Partnership Innovation Grant. The segments are produced and edited by library staff.
“We have so many amazing people on our staff and they are eager to share their storytime talents with families,” said County Librarian Melinda Cervantes. “We are very busy behind the scenes creating new content and testing ideas to serve people with and without library cards while we all stay safe at home.”
All 26 branches of the Contra Costa County Library are closed and staff is actively working on new ways to provide library services remotely during the closure. The Library website includes links to many free online resources including eBooks, streaming movies, tutoring, newspapers, magazines and much more. Library staff are curating booklists and resources to help parents who may be homeschooling their children.
Those without a library card, can sign for an
eCard
and get access to many of the same resources.
For questions about Library services and programming or account information, contact the library via online Chat Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit
ccclib.org.
For the latest information about COVID-19 in Contra Costa County and tips on staying healthy, visit
contracostahealth.org.
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Homeless Services to Protect Against COVID-19
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Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) is proactively working to protect homeless residents from getting sick and planning for the care of those who do.
- CCHS has given testing priority to homeless individuals along with first responders and healthcare workers
- The County has secured contracts to place the homeless residents in hotels
- Homeless people who test positive for COVID-19 but don’t require hospitalization will be able to get care at the Craneway Pavilion, our primary alternate care site in the county that has 250 beds.
- Law enforcement jurisdictions have been asked to not displace homeless encampments at this time in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus
- More than 300 hotel rooms, currently available, are being provided first to those living in congregate shelters, who have been tested for the virus and awaiting results, persons who may test positive for the virus, as well as those who are high-risk, whether by age or health, who are living in congregate facilities or encampments.
- This week we are relocating 150 people staying in homeless shelters in West County and Central County to a hotel
- This will allow homeless people, including those at high-risk who were in shelters to be able to isolate from others and better practice physical distancing
- This will free up the Concord Shelter and Respite Center to be used as an alternate care site to accept Covid-positive patients if hospitals become overwhelmed
- Our CORE outreach teams have been delivering hand sanitizer and educational materials to encampments
- We are working with interested cities to place hand washing stations and porta-potties to areas that are frequented by individuals living outside to increase access to proper sanitation
- Healthcare for the Homeless street medicine team continues to provide care and education to those living outdoors
- For high-risk persons living outside, who are not interested in moving inside when suggested by the medical team, CORE teams are distributing single person tents to support an individual’s ability to comply with social distancing
Other Potential Alternative Care Sites
- In addition to Craneway, Concord Shelter and Antioch Fairgrounds, CCHS is exploring the use of the former AAA building on Meridian Park Boulevard in Concord
- Alhambra High School in Martinez was considered as a possible site but space and logistical considerations disqualified this location
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Public Donation Sites for Medical Personal Protection Supplies
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Contra Costa Health Services is now accepting donations of protective equipment and supplies for use by healthcare providers throughout the county.
Businesses and residents are encouraged to donate
only
the following types of protective medical supplies:
- Eye protection, such as goggles and face shields
- Antibacterial and disinfecting wipes, typically alcohol or bleach based (unopened). NO baby wipes.
- N-95 and surgical masks (unused)
- Waterproof gowns, coveralls and sleeved aprons
- Hand-sewn cloth masks
Tuesday, April 14 – Thursday, April 16 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
San Pablo Library, 13751 San Pablo Ave., San Pablo
Tuesday, April 21 – Thursday, April 23 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda
Ygnacio Valley Library, 2661 Oak Grove Rd., Walnut Creek
Tuesday, April 28 – Thursday, April 30 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Antioch Community Center, 4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch
Summit Center, 2530 Arnold Dr., Martinez
Tuesday, May 5 – Thursday, May 7 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Summit Center, 2530 Arnold Dr., Martinez
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One-Stop Resource for People of California Impacted by Job Loss During COVID-19 Pandemic: OnwardCa.org
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On April 2, Governor Gavin Newsom announced
OnwardCa.org
, a one stop resource for Californians impacted by job loss due to COVID-19 pandemic. It includes a “Dynamic Matching System” to match your profile and needs. You can also post a Job or Resource.
The Governor also announced $50 million in loan guarantees for small businesses that may not be eligible for federal relief, as well as $17.8 million in new state initiatives to support California workers impacted by COVID-19. The allocation will come from Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds.
Other great sources for businesses navigating through this challenging time include:
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Craneway Pavilion To Serve as
Medical Station for Covid-19 Patients
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Contra Costa County officials are working with federal and state partners to convert the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond into a 250-bed medical station for COVID-19 patients.
- Beds and medical supplies were brought in by the National Guard
- Managed by the Division of Strategic National Stockpile, federal medical stations are rapidly deployable caches containing beds, supplies, and medicines, which can quickly turn a preidentified building into a temporary medical shelter during a national surge
- The facility will be ready to receive patients the third week in April – around April 20
- Health experts predict the Bay Area will see COVID-19 cases begin to peak around that time
- The Craneway Pavilion will serve as an alternate care site for COVID-19 patients who don't need hospital-level care.
- It will take overflow from hospitals that lack capacity to handle a surge of COVID-19 cases.
- While equipment and supplies are provided by the Federal Government, the County would coordinate medical staffing of the site.
- We recently reached out to medical professionals who may be interested in working this and other alternative care facilities
We encourage medical professionals who are interested in serving to call us for more information and to learn how to apply:
1-844-729-8410
, daily, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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