Coronavirus Update - May 8, 2020
What's New This Week?
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Numbers in Contra Costa County
Total Cases, Deaths
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County Health Services COVID-19 Call Center: 844-729-8410 between 8AM - 5PM
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Bay Area Health Officers Watching for Indicators
To Open More Businesses
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Changes to current local health orders — like allowing non-essential businesses to offer curbside pickup — will be evaluated at the local and regional level
Local jurisdictions continue to work on responsible reopening plans that maintain progress in the fight against coronavirus
The Bay Area Health Officers commend the residents and businesses who have made tremendous sacrifices to flatten the curve and protect community health in our region. We need to continue to work together so those sacrifices don’t go to waste. It is critical to maintain our gains.
Bay Area counties value the Governor’s leadership and support during the coronavirus pandemic. Today, he issued guidance that spells out the state’s expectations for non-essential businesses to begin to reopen in a limited capacity. We will study this carefully.
It is important that our local communities understand that the regional Health Orders that took effect May 4 are still in effect. These orders – in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and the City of Berkeley – loosen restrictions on construction as well as outdoor activities and businesses. The Bay Area orders do not currently permit curbside pickup from non-essential, non-outdoor businesses, and that is not allowed to begin on Friday, May 8.
Health officers will continue working in collaboration with local elected officials, community and business leaders to find ways to reopen more businesses and activities safely, while sustaining the progress we have made to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. We appreciate that the Governor recognizes that California communities are impacted differently by coronavirus and can make decisions at the local level. In our current environment, if a county order differs from a state order, the more restrictive order takes precedence.
We will continue to study the indicators that tell us how the coronavirus is affecting our communities and amend the health orders as warranted in the best interest of community health. We share the urgency to reopen and restore our economies and our normal activities, and the equal importance of doing so in a way that is safe,
responsible and does not cause a significant increase in serious illness and death or overwhelm our healthcare delivery systems.
The coronavirus pandemic is still well underway. Our communities will be dealing with it for a long time to come. We expect outbreaks to continue, especially among vulnerable populations. That is why we are building strong systems to protect our communities into the future. We will continue to watch the indicators with regard to sufficient testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment. We will monitor new cases, hospitalizations and the health care system’s capacity to handle a surge of patients. We will continue to work with our community and business leaders to accomplish careful, measured progress that allows us to maintain our gains as we move forward to further reopening and better times ahead.
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What Indicators are Bay Area Health Officers Relying Upon to Ease Shelter in Place Orders?
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Please visit the Indicators Dashboard
here
to see how progress is being measured.
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Contra Costa Offers COVID-19 Testing for all County Residents
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Because of the strong demand for these tests, we encourage you to start with your own healthcare provider to ask for a test and they can direct you to testing at one of their facilities. The County Health Department has encouraged private healthcare providers to provide tests to their patients regardless of symptoms.
Contra Costa County will now offer an appointment for COVID-19 testing to any resident who believes they need one, regardless of insurance, ability to pay or whether they have symptoms or not.
Contra Costa is first county in Bay Area to offer testing to anyone even if they don’t have symptoms.
Residents can make an appointment to visit one of eight sites throughout the county. The county is operating five drive-through testing sites while the state provides walk-up testing locations at three additional locations. Testing is available by appointment only. Call
1-844-421-0804
from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily for an appointment at any Contra Costa site.
The increased access to community testing will help Contra Costa County reach its
goal
for easing social restrictions in the current shelter-in-place order, which lasts through May. Previously, tests were only offered for patients with symptoms of illness.
We need to test many more county residents to get a better sense of how widespread COVID-19 is in our community, and to help prevent its spread. Testing will also give us a better idea of when we can relax the current health orders.
Between 300 and 400 patients are tested daily in the county. Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) hopes to test about five times as many people.
All CCHS-run sites offer drive-through testing by appointment only. These sites are located in Antioch, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, San Pablo and San Ramon. Patients must visit these sites in their vehicles, as testing is done in the car.
Three new state-run sites also opened on Wednesday in Brentwood, Pinole and Walnut Creek, accepting walk-in patients by appointment only.
Appointments can be made by calling
1-844-421-0804
. For appointments at county-run sites, a screener will take the information necessary to begin the process. Callers will then get a call back from a health professional during which an appointment will be scheduled.
There is no up-front cost for testing. County residents do not need medical insurance to get tested. However, if you have health insurance, your insurance will be billed.
While you don’t need symptoms to get tested, symptoms that may warrant a test include cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle ache, sore throat, headache, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, recent loss of taste or smell, or confusion, particularly in older adults.
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Wondering about what is permitted under the latest Order?
See the Most Frequently Asked Questions to Learn More
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Many of the restrictions Contra Costa has been abiding by over the last several weeks are being updated and changed on a regular basis. It is a confusing time to know where you can go, and what you can do.
The County’s COVID-19 Dashboard is updated daily and has a wealth of information. To know what businesses are open, and what outdoor activities are now available go to the
FAQ's
page for that information and much more.
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Updated Donation Information
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The Donations Task Force has decided to move to one location at a time for the coming weeks. These three sites will accept all three types of donations: PPE, childcare supplies, and items for COVID-19 positive patients.
May schedule for donations collection events:
- May 12 – 14 Pleasant Hill Library 1750 Oak Park Blvd.
- May 19 – 21 Concord Library 2900 Salvio Street
- May 26 – 28 San Ramon City Hall 7000 Bollinger Canyon Rd.
You can go to the
donations
task force website to learn more.
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Workforce Development Board Provides Resources
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Household Hazardous Waste Materials Disposal Update
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The majority of Household Hazardous Waste programs across the state are currently closed. Those that remain open are located at essential solid waste and recycling facilities and or landfills that are operated for profit or under contract for sanitary reasons. Those open include Republic Services’ West County facility at 101 Pittsburg Ave, Richmond, BLT Enterprises in the City of Fremont, Recology in San Francisco, Marin Sanitary Services, and Allied Waste Benicia.
Unlike solid waste and recycling, HHW can remain safely stored in a garage or shed until the public health orders have been lifted or relaxed to allow services to continue.
Central Sanitation of Contra Costa County is working on a plan on how to open their drop off site while keeping their staff and the public safe.
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Contra Costa County Overview of the COVID-19 Pandemic
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The world has changed fundamentally since Contra Costa Health Services ordered our community to shelter in place in mid-March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To see the timeline and read about the extraordinary things that have been accomplished, go to
COVID19 timeline
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Changes to Inspection, Application and Permitting Operations During the Shelter in Place Order
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In response to the latest Health Officer Orders that eased restrictions on construction, the Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) has resumed accepting all types of building and planning applications, issuing all types of permits and conducting inspections on all types of construction. However, DCD has shifted to virtual, electronic processes for submitting nearly all building and planning permit applications and issuing nearly all permits. Customers are being requested not to travel to DCD offices for advice or information as all buildings and permit centers are not open to the public. DCD staff will be able to assist customers with navigating the electronic permitting process by phone and electronic communication. This immediate change in operations is being made to support the rapid resumption of construction activities while protecting public health.
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Governor Newsom Issues Executive Order to Protect Public Health by Mailing Every Registered Voter a Ballot Ahead of the November General Election
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Recognizing the threat COVID-19 continues to pose to public health, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order to ensure that Californians can exercise their right to vote in a safe and accessible manner during the General Election this November. The order requires that each county’s elections officials send vote-by-mail ballots for the November 3, 2020 General Election to all registered voters. Californians who may need access to in-person voting opportunities – including individuals with disabilities, individuals who speak languages other than English, individuals experiencing homelessness, and others – will still be able to access in-person voting opportunities.
The Administration will continue to work with the Legislature and the Secretary of State to determine how requirements for in-person voting opportunities and other details of the November election will be implemented, while preserving public health and giving county elections officials needed flexibility. If by May 30, 2020 counties do not yet have clarity for in-person voting opportunities and other details of the November election, it may be necessary to issue a further executive order addressing these issues.
The text of the Governor’s executive order can be found
here
and a copy can be found
here
.
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Helpful Resources Put Together by Local Teens
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Local teens put together a comprehensive list of resources to help seniors and others during the COVID-1p pandemic.
Click here
to see the list with clickable links to the resources.
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Contra Costa Fire Medical Director Discusses
EMS Safety During Coronavirus Epidemic
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