Normal Life On Pause In California

By Emily Hoeven, CalMatters:

Published: March 16, 2020

Good morning, California. It’s Monday, March 16.

Newsom: “We need to meet this moment head-on”

Millions of California children won’t be going to school today as the nation deals with the growing coronavirus pandemic, while yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged a halt to gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks and California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced further restrictions to limit the spread of the deadly virus. His guidance directs:

1. Californians over 65 years old and those with underlying health conditions to self-isolate in their homes.
2. Bars, nightclubs, pubs and wineries to close their doors.
3. And restaurants and movie theaters to cut their capacity in half and ensure customers are practicing “social distancing.”

Newsom: “We recognize that social isolation for millions of Californians is anxiety-inducing, but we recognize what all the science bears out. We need to meet this moment head-on.”

• What does self-isolation for seniors mean? Can seniors go to the grocery store or pharmacy? What if they can’t work from home? CalMatters’ Nigel Duara, Ana Ibarra and Jackie Botts answer your questions.

Newsom said there are 13 response teams working to get the state’s 108,000 homeless people out of encampments and into temporary housing.

He also announced a new web “portal” to answer questions for those with mild symptoms and guide them to testing if necessary. Starting today, a questionnaire on Project Baseline will prioritize who needs testing and, as a pilot expected to spread statewide, connect them to Bay Area testing sites.

• CalMatters’ Rachel Becker takes us inside the chaotic world of coronavirus testing as private, university and government laboratories scramble to test thousands of patients — all while dealing with bureaucratic red tape and technical failures.

The governor’s announcement Sunday comes on the heels of a mass school shutdown across California affecting more than 5.7 million students, including 95% of those in public schools.

• “In the two decades in which the state has kept records of emergency closures, no other event, including the devastating wildfires of 2018, has disrupted the education of so many Californians,” CalMatters’ Ricardo Cano and Jocelyn Wiener write.

• What’s going on in your school district? Search CalMatters’ database to see the latest updates on every district in the state.

Other major California coronavirus updates:

• The state Senate canceled hearings this week, although the Assembly will have some. Both will hold floor sessions. // The Sacramento Bee
• San Francisco banned most hospital visitors through April. // The San Francisco Chronicle
• UC Irvine canceled its graduation ceremony, the first UC campus to do so. // The Los Angeles Times
• Six utility companies in California won’t be shutting down power for those who can’t pay. // CalMatters
• Panicked shoppers are also buying mass quantities of alcohol, weed and guns. // The Los Angeles Times
• The Grand Princess cruise ship left the Port of Oakland Sunday night to anchor in San Francisco Bay for two weeks with quarantined crew members and international passengers. // The Mercury News

The Bottom Line: As of 10:30 p.m. Sunday, there were 335 Californians who have tested positive for coronavirus and six people who died from the virus in California, according to the state Department of Public Health.

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Tips, insight, or feedback? Email emily@calmatters.org or call 510-921-1306.

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