mercurynews--2020-04-24--Probe sought over government scientist’s ouster

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Calls mounted Thursday for an investigation into the ouster of a senior government scientist who says he ’ s being punished for opposing widespread use of an unproven drug President Donald Trump touted as a remedy for COVID-19 .
Rick Bright , former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , says he was summarily removed from his job earlier this week and reassigned to a lesser role because he resisted political pressure to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine , a malaria drug favored by Trump .
On Thursday , House Energy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , joined in calling for an investigation by the Health and Human Services inspector general .
“ Removing Dr .
Bright in the midst of a pandemic would raise serious concerns under any circumstances , but his allegations that political considerations influenced this decision heighten those concerns and demand full accountability , ” Pallone said .
The inspector general ’ s office had no immediate response .
Bright is seeking to be reinstated as head of the research agency , said his lawyers Debra Katz and Lisa Banks .
A performance review shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has swirled around hydroxychloroquine since Trump started promoting it from the podium in the White House briefing room .
BARDA , the agency that Bright formerly headed , is a unit of HHS created to counter threats from bioterrorism and infectious diseases .
It has recently been trying to jump-start work on a vaccine for the coronavirus .
“ I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus , science — not politics or cronyism — has to lead the way , ” Bright , who has a doctoral degree in immunology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his lawyers .
“ Specifically , and contrary to misguided directives , I limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine , promoted by the administration as a panacea , but which clearly lack scientific merit , ” Bright said .
“ I also resisted efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections , ” he added .
Asked about Bright at Wednesday ’ s briefing , Trump said he “ never heard of him.
” “ The guy says he was pushed out of a job , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Maybe he wasn ’ t .
… I don ’ t know who he is.
” Bright ’ s lawyers said Thursday they will soon file formal complaints with the HHS inspector general and the Office of Special Counsel , an independent agency that has as part of its charge the protection of government whistleblowers .
“ While I am prepared to look at all options and to think ‘ outside the box ’ for effective treatments , I rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement .
He also alluded to “ clashes with HHS political leadership ” over his efforts to “ invest early in vaccines and supplies critical to saving American lives.
” One of the major criticisms of the Trump administration ’ s pandemic response is that little was done in the month of February to stockpile needed equipment .
“ Science , in service to the health and safety of the American people , must always trump politics , ” Bright said .
Trump has repeatedly touted the malaria drug during his regular coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changer , ” and suggesting its skeptics would be proved wrong .
He has offered patient testimonials that the drug is a lifesaver .
But a recent study of 368 patients in U.S. veterans hospitals found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine — and more deaths .
The study was an early look at the medication , which has prompted debate in the medical community , with many doctors leery of using it .
In a statement , HHS confirmed that Bright is no longer at the BARDA agency , but did not address his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
HHS said it was Bright who had requested an emergency use authorization for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine .
For his part , Bright said he had insisted that the authorization be limited to a restricted group of patients , those hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 under the supervision of a doctor .
Hydroxychloroquine was given to patients in the New York area , the nation ’ s most intense COVID-19 hot spot .
It is usually administered in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin .
An official biography describes Bright as a flu and infectious-disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago and was focused on vaccine development .
He also held the title of HHS deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response , reporting to Dr. Robert Kadlec .
Bright ’ s performance review shows he got the highest rating — “ Level 5 – Achieved Outstanding Results ” — in federal fiscal year 2019 .
“ Dr .
Bright continues a very successful tenure in leading BARDA performing an essential ( HHS ) mission of developing and acquiring medical countermeasures for the Strategic National Stockpile , ” wrote Kadlec , his boss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” that Bright would meet future challenges facing the agency .
A copy of Bright ’ s performance review was provided to The Associated Press .
HHS said Bright is now assigned to the National Institutes of Health , working on new approaches to testing .
His allegations were first reported by The New York Times .
Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani , Deb Riechmann and Dustin Weaver contributed to this report .

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar | Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Calls mounted Thursday for an investigation into the ouster of a senior government scientist who says he’s being punished for opposing widespread use of an unproven drug President Donald Trump touted as a remedy for COVID-19.
Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, says he was summarily removed from his job earlier this week and reassigned to a lesser role because he resisted political pressure to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug favored by Trump.
On Thursday, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., joined in calling for an investigation by the Health and Human Services inspector general.
“Removing Dr. Bright in the midst of a pandemic would raise serious concerns under any circumstances, but his allegations that political considerations influenced this decision heighten those concerns and demand full accountability,” Pallone said. The inspector general’s office had no immediate response.
Bright is seeking to be reinstated as head of the research agency, said his lawyers Debra Katz and Lisa Banks. A performance review shows he received a top rating.
Controversy has swirled around hydroxychloroquine since Trump started promoting it from the podium in the White House briefing room.
BARDA, the agency that Bright formerly headed, is a unit of HHS created to counter threats from bioterrorism and infectious diseases. It has recently been trying to jump-start work on a vaccine for the coronavirus.
“I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science — not politics or cronyism — has to lead the way,” Bright, who has a doctoral degree in immunology, said a statement released Wednesday by his lawyers.
“Specifically, and contrary to misguided directives, I limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, promoted by the administration as a panacea, but which clearly lack scientific merit,” Bright said.
“I also resisted efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections,” he added.
Asked about Bright at Wednesday’s briefing, Trump said he “never heard of him.”
“The guy says he was pushed out of a job,” Trump said. “Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn’t. … I don’t know who he is.”
Bright’s lawyers said Thursday they will soon file formal complaints with the HHS inspector general and the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that has as part of its charge the protection of government whistleblowers.
“While I am prepared to look at all options and to think ‘outside the box’ for effective treatments, I rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American public,” Bright wrote in his statement.
He also alluded to “clashes with HHS political leadership” over his efforts to “invest early in vaccines and supplies critical to saving American lives.” One of the major criticisms of the Trump administration’s pandemic response is that little was done in the month of February to stockpile needed equipment.
“Science, in service to the health and safety of the American people, must always trump politics,” Bright said.
Trump has repeatedly touted the malaria drug during his regular coronavirus briefings, calling it a “game changer,” and suggesting its skeptics would be proved wrong. He has offered patient testimonials that the drug is a lifesaver.
But a recent study of 368 patients in U.S. veterans hospitals found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine — and more deaths. The study was an early look at the medication, which has prompted debate in the medical community, with many doctors leery of using it.
In a statement, HHS confirmed that Bright is no longer at the BARDA agency, but did not address his allegations of political interference in scientific matters.
HHS said it was Bright who had requested an emergency use authorization for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. For his part, Bright said he had insisted that the authorization be limited to a restricted group of patients, those hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 under the supervision of a doctor.
Hydroxychloroquine was given to patients in the New York area, the nation’s most intense COVID-19 hot spot. It is usually administered in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin.
An official biography describes Bright as a flu and infectious-disease expert who joined the agency 10 years ago and was focused on vaccine development. He also held the title of HHS deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response, reporting to Dr. Robert Kadlec.
Bright’s performance review shows he got the highest rating — “Level 5 – Achieved Outstanding Results” — in federal fiscal year 2019.
“Dr. Bright continues a very successful tenure in leading BARDA performing an essential (HHS) mission of developing and acquiring medical countermeasures for the Strategic National Stockpile,” wrote Kadlec, his boss, adding, “I have confidence” that Bright would meet future challenges facing the agency.
A copy of Bright’s performance review was provided to The Associated Press.
HHS said Bright is now assigned to the National Institutes of Health, working on new approaches to testing.
His allegations were first reported by The New York Times.
Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani, Deb Riechmann and Dustin Weaver contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-04-23--Berkeley hotel to house homeless during coronavirus pandemic

Berkeley will become the latest Bay Area city to open one of its hotels to the homeless during the coronavirus pandemic , Mayor Jesse Arreguín said Thursday .
La Quinta Inn on University Avenue will provide 113 beds to homeless Alameda County residents who are vulnerable but not infected with COVID-19 .
City officials expect to move residents in by early May .
“ Our homeless population is at increased risk of exposure and transmission , and that poses a threat to us all , ” Arreguín wrote in a news release .
“ Prior to the pandemic homelessness was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the region .
Coronavirus has amplified that crisis , exposed the service gap , and subjected our most vulnerable populations to risks that are simply unacceptable.
” The hotel , which will be dubbed “ North County Safer Ground , ” will be leased and paid for by Alameda County .
The city of Berkeley will support operations and intake .
The effort is part of the larger “ Project Roomkey ” initiative Gov .
Gavin Newsom launched earlier this month .
As of last weekend , nearly 11,000 hotel and motel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to give homeless residents a safe space to shelter-in-place .
About 38 % of those rooms had been filled .
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse 75 % of the costs of the hotel rooms as long as they are used to house homeless residents who have COVID-19 , might have COVID-19 , or are particularly susceptible to the virus because they are over 65 or have underlying health conditions .
• Trump disagrees with expert on testing , says ‘ we ’ re doing a great job ’ • Egypt will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alameda County already has begun moving homeless residents into 393 rooms leased at two Oakland hotels near the airport .
Comfort Inn & Suites , dubbed “ Operation Comfort , ” houses people who show signs of the virus .
The Radisson Hotel has become “ Operation Safer Ground , ” and is open to people who do not have the virus but face a heightened risk of becoming sick if they do catch it .
Last week , Berkeley offered spots in those hotels to 46 people .
As of Thursday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Berkeley also has set up 18 trailers as isolation and quarantine sites for the homeless .
And the city has opened a new indoor homeless shelter , which will house people removed from other existing shelters as officials work to reduce shelter populations to give residents space for social distancing .

Berkeley will become the latest Bay Area city to open one of its hotels to the homeless during the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Jesse Arreguín said Thursday.
La Quinta Inn on University Avenue will provide 113 beds to homeless Alameda County residents who are vulnerable but not infected with COVID-19. City officials expect to move residents in by early May.
“Our homeless population is at increased risk of exposure and transmission, and that poses a threat to us all,” Arreguín wrote in a news release. “Prior to the pandemic homelessness was a humanitarian crisis that required bold solutions across the region. Coronavirus has amplified that crisis, exposed the service gap, and subjected our most vulnerable populations to risks that are simply unacceptable.”
The hotel, which will be dubbed “North County Safer Ground,” will be leased and paid for by Alameda County. The city of Berkeley will support operations and intake.
The effort is part of the larger “Project Roomkey” initiative Gov. Gavin Newsom launched earlier this month. As of last weekend, nearly 11,000 hotel and motel rooms had been leased throughout the state to give homeless residents a safe space to shelter-in-place. About 38% of those rooms had been filled.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse 75% of the costs of the hotel rooms as long as they are used to house homeless residents who have COVID-19, might have COVID-19, or are particularly susceptible to the virus because they are over 65 or have underlying health conditions.
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Long Covid cases in US adults are on the decline, but many continue to struggle with symptoms Health | COVID Q&A: Can I use an expired test? Time to get boosted? How to cope with California’s sneaky summer surge Alameda County already has begun moving homeless residents into 393 rooms leased at two Oakland hotels near the airport. Comfort Inn & Suites, dubbed “Operation Comfort,” houses people who show signs of the virus. The Radisson Hotel has become “Operation Safer Ground,” and is open to people who do not have the virus but face a heightened risk of becoming sick if they do catch it.
Last week, Berkeley offered spots in those hotels to 46 people. As of Thursday, 31 had accepted and moved in.
Berkeley also has set up 18 trailers as isolation and quarantine sites for the homeless. And the city has opened a new indoor homeless shelter, which will house people removed from other existing shelters as officials work to reduce shelter populations to give residents space for social distancing.


mercurynews--2020-04-23--Trump disagrees with expert on testing, says ‘we’re doing a great job’

President Donald Trump said Thursday he disagrees with Dr. Anthony Fauci after the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert said the US needs to “ significantly ramp up ” testing .
“ We absolutely need to significantly ramp up , not only the number of tests but the capacity to actually perform them , ” Fauci said during a Time 100 Talks interview on Thursday .
That way , he continued , “ you don ’ t have a situation where you have a test , but it can ’ t be done because there ’ s not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or not the right vial — all of those things got to be in place.
” “ I am not overly confident right now at all , that we have what it takes to do that , ” Fauci added .
During Thursday ’ s coronavirus task force news briefing — which Fauci was not at — Trump addressed Fauci ’ s remarks and said he thinks the country is doing “ a great job.
” “ I don ’ t agree with him on that , no , I think we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Trump said .
Fauci ’ s comments run counter to Trump ’ s regular assurances that American coronavirus testing is on solid footing , including on Wednesday when he told reporters “ we ’ re doing more testing , I think , than probably any of the governors want.
” Trump and his political allies have touted the total number of coronavirus tests conducted in the US but the country still lags behind Italy in per capita tests performed Fauci ’ s comments also come as several governors look to partially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the virus — despite concerns of subsequent increases in coronavirus cases and vacillating support from the administration .
Public health experts widely agree that to control the epidemic in the absence of strict social distancing measures , states and localities will need to build the capacity for additional testing and contact tracing .
Two different plans for reopening society have said that the United States will have to be able to perform millions of coronavirus tests each week before restrictions can be safely lifted — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million coronavirus tests the US has performed so far , as some governors report continued shortages of the materials needed to run tests , from chemical reagents to swabs .
But Fauci appeared hopeful on Thursday that testing levels would eventually reach desired levels , citing improvements already over time .
“ We ’ re getting better and better at it , as the weeks go by , but we are not in a situation where we say we ’ re exactly where we want to be with regard to testing , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think we ’ re going to get there , but we ’ re not there yet.
” Fauci also voiced commitment to his role when asked , in light of his disagreements with Trump on issues including the potential of the drug hydroxychloroquine , whether he had ever been concerned that scientific data hadn ’ t taken priority when determining response efforts .
“ It ’ s a complicated situation , ” he said .
“ I give the scientific and public health advice based on evidence , ” given his background as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple outbreaks .
“ I will continue to do that , and I think that for the most part , you ’ re going to see that is going to be the driving force , ” Fauci added .
“ As much as there ’ s a lot of noise out there about agreements or disagreements , in fact the evidence-based recommendations in the end will always prevail .
”

By Caroline Kelly | CNN
President Donald Trump said Thursday he disagrees with Dr. Anthony Fauci after the nation’s top infectious disease expert said the US needs to “significantly ramp up” testing.
“We absolutely need to significantly ramp up, not only the number of tests but the capacity to actually perform them,” Fauci said during a Time 100 Talks interview on Thursday.
That way, he continued, “you don’t have a situation where you have a test, but it can’t be done because there’s not a swab, or not an extraction media or not the right vial — all of those things got to be in place.”
“I am not overly confident right now at all, that we have what it takes to do that,” Fauci added.
During Thursday’s coronavirus task force news briefing — which Fauci was not at — Trump addressed Fauci’s remarks and said he thinks the country is doing “a great job.”
“I don’t agree with him on that, no, I think we’re doing a great job on testing,” Trump said.
Fauci’s comments run counter to Trump’s regular assurances that American coronavirus testing is on solid footing, including on Wednesday when he told reporters “we’re doing more testing, I think, than probably any of the governors want.” Trump and his political allies have touted the total number of coronavirus tests conducted in the US but the country still lags behind Italy in per capita tests performed
Fauci’s comments also come as several governors look to partially reopen their states’ economies by loosening some restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the virus — despite concerns of subsequent increases in coronavirus cases and vacillating support from the administration. Public health experts widely agree that to control the epidemic in the absence of strict social distancing measures, states and localities will need to build the capacity for additional testing and contact tracing.
Two different plans for reopening society have said that the United States will have to be able to perform millions of coronavirus tests each week before restrictions can be safely lifted — a considerable leap from the approximately 4 million coronavirus tests the US has performed so far, as some governors report continued shortages of the materials needed to run tests, from chemical reagents to swabs.
But Fauci appeared hopeful on Thursday that testing levels would eventually reach desired levels, citing improvements already over time.
“We’re getting better and better at it, as the weeks go by, but we are not in a situation where we say we’re exactly where we want to be with regard to testing,” he said, adding that “I think we’re going to get there, but we’re not there yet.”
Fauci also voiced commitment to his role when asked, in light of his disagreements with Trump on issues including the potential of the drug hydroxychloroquine, whether he had ever been concerned that scientific data hadn’t taken priority when determining response efforts.
“It’s a complicated situation,” he said. “I give the scientific and public health advice based on evidence,” given his background as a scientist and physician with experience addressing multiple outbreaks.
“I will continue to do that, and I think that for the most part, you’re going to see that is going to be the driving force,” Fauci added. “As much as there’s a lot of noise out there about agreements or disagreements, in fact the evidence-based recommendations in the end will always prevail.”


mercurynews--2020-04-23--Asteroid flying past Earth looks like it’s wearing a coronavirus face mask

A massive asteroid 1.3 miles wide that is on course to fly by Earth next week has drawn special attention from scientists , who noticed that in their radar images it has the appearance of wearing a face mask .
Images from the Aricebo Observatory in Puerto Rico , the world ’ s most powerful radio telescope , show the asteroid , which is named 1998-OR2 , and flying at a sizzling 82,769 mph , seems to look like millions of other people around the world these days , and like the mask-wearing researchers sitting in labs monitoring it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hills and ridges on one end of asteroid 1998 OR2 are fascinating scientifically , ” said Anne Virkki , head of Planetary Radar at the observatory .
“ But since we are all thinking about COVID-19 , these features make it look like 1998 OR2 remembered to wear a mask.
” The asteroid , which orbits the sun every three years , is on a path to zoom harmlessly by Earth next Wednesday .
It will come within 3.9 million miles of our planet .
That ’ s close in astronomical terms , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the moon is about 238,900 miles away .
Scientists working with NASA and other organizations monitor large asteroids .
A large one the size of 1998 OR2 could kill millions of people if it were to ever directly hit Earth .
An asteroid estimated at between 7 and 50 miles wide hit Earth 66 million years ago , in present-day Yucatan , Mexico , and is believed to have wiped out dinosaurs .
This asteroid , which was discovered by astronomers in Hawaii in 1998 , is expected to be the largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It orbits the sun every three years and eight months .
The hulking rock poses no immediate threat .
The next time it will fly dangerously close to Earth is estimated to be April 16 , 2079 , when it will speed within about 1 million miles of Earth .
NASA ’ s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies tracks the paths of thousands of asteroids .
If a large one ever appeared to be on a collision course with Earth , scientists would likely send a spacecraft of some type to deflect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a test mission in July 2021 to send a space probe to crash into an asteroid about 500 feet wide a year later , in September , 2022 .
The mission , called DART — for Double Asteroid Redirection Test — will test how much an asteroid can be deflected to help design future missions that may be needed to protect Earth from an impact .
The researchers at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico , which is managed by the University of Central Florida , are following the current asteroid fly-by closely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asteroid is not projected to impact Earth , it is important to understand the characteristics of these types of objects to improve impact-risk mitigation technologies , ” said Flaviane Venditti , a research scientist at the observatory .
And due to the coronavirus pandemic , they are all wearing masks .

Coronavirus cosmology? Planetary personal protective equipment? Or just imaginative astronomers?
A massive asteroid 1.3 miles wide that is on course to fly by Earth next week has drawn special attention from scientists, who noticed that in their radar images it has the appearance of wearing a face mask.
Images from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the world’s most powerful radio telescope, show the asteroid, which is named 1998-OR2, and flying at a sizzling 82,769 mph, seems to look like millions of other people around the world these days, and like the mask-wearing researchers sitting in labs monitoring it.
“The small-scale topographic features such as hills and ridges on one end of asteroid 1998 OR2 are fascinating scientifically,” said Anne Virkki, head of Planetary Radar at the observatory. “But since we are all thinking about COVID-19, these features make it look like 1998 OR2 remembered to wear a mask.”
The asteroid, which orbits the sun every three years, is on a path to zoom harmlessly by Earth next Wednesday. It will come within 3.9 million miles of our planet. That’s close in astronomical terms, but not dangerously close. For comparison, the moon is about 238,900 miles away.
Scientists working with NASA and other organizations monitor large asteroids. A large one the size of 1998 OR2 could kill millions of people if it were to ever directly hit Earth. An asteroid estimated at between 7 and 50 miles wide hit Earth 66 million years ago, in present-day Yucatan, Mexico, and is believed to have wiped out dinosaurs.
This asteroid, which was discovered by astronomers in Hawaii in 1998, is expected to be the largest asteroid to fly by Earth this year. It orbits the sun every three years and eight months.
The hulking rock poses no immediate threat. The next time it will fly dangerously close to Earth is estimated to be April 16, 2079, when it will speed within about 1 million miles of Earth.
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies tracks the paths of thousands of asteroids. If a large one ever appeared to be on a collision course with Earth, scientists would likely send a spacecraft of some type to deflect it. NASA is set to launch a test mission in July 2021 to send a space probe to crash into an asteroid about 500 feet wide a year later, in September, 2022. The mission, called DART — for Double Asteroid Redirection Test — will test how much an asteroid can be deflected to help design future missions that may be needed to protect Earth from an impact.
The researchers at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which is managed by the University of Central Florida, are following the current asteroid fly-by closely to learn more.
“Although this asteroid is not projected to impact Earth, it is important to understand the characteristics of these types of objects to improve impact-risk mitigation technologies,” said Flaviane Venditti, a research scientist at the observatory.
And due to the coronavirus pandemic, they are all wearing masks.


mercurynews--2020-04-23--Dublin school board reverses decision, agrees on credit/no credit grades during coronavirus

DUBLIN — An exasperated Dublin school board student member proposed eliminating her position because the adult board members weren ’ t listening to her as she fought for credit/no credit grades during the coronavirus pandemic .
“ If you vote against the universal pass-fail policy , you are voting against the best interest of students , ” said student Tinni Mukherjee on Wednesday night during the board meeting .
She said that if the board failed to vote for the universal credit/no credit option as opposed to the traditional letter-grading system , she would make a motion to abolish the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the point of having a student board member position if you don ’ t listen to students ?
” Mukherjee said .
The board had voted 3-2 Tuesday night in a marathon six-hour meeting against using the credit/no credit grading system this semester .
Students are at home for the rest of the school year during the shelter-in-place order because of the coronavirus pandemic , and district officials had proposed going to pass/fail system this semester , which trustees initially rejected .
But after two days of meeting , the school board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s plea .
The credit/no credit for all students will replace the typical letter-grading system for the rest of the school year .
During the meetings , board members seemed to agree that it would be a viable option to go to a pass/fail grading system for the elementary and middle school grade levels .
But there was concern about adopting that system for high school students ; some said because of GPA worries for college admissions or scholarships .
The meeting , which began Tuesday night , was continued to Wednesday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ High School students by their principal indicated that about 73 % of students surveyed favored a credit/no credit system .
School board members received hundreds of emails on the topic , they said .
An online petition with more than 3,000 signatures , and comments from teachers , also indicated some wanted a district-wide credit/no credit policy .
But on Wednesday , another option was brought up by board president Dan Cherrier : to give students a choice if they wanted a grade , or to get a credit/no credit for the class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rouse strongly opposed the idea , saying it became a question of equity — if some students chose to get a letter grade , others would feel pressured to follow suit .
Miller , Rouse and Mukherjee pointed out in their comments that not all students ’ home life was the same during this online-learning time at home .
Some may not have good internet access , or proper computer equipment .
Mukherjee , in an interview on Thursday , said a 4.0 student who worked hard during the school , may have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the pandemic , if for example , both parents work as health care workers and may need the student to help care for siblings during the day .
Others may have sick relatives they need to care for .
“ If we offer a letter grade , we ’ re not measuring their academics , we ’ re measuring their home circumstances , ” said the 18-year-old senior student .
She said there became a disconnect in the discussion : despite evidence from university and college admissions saying students wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who spoke in favor of the of it , and the comments and letters the district had received .
Board member Gabi Blackman was vocal in pointing out that some students may need the actual grades for competitive scholarship applications and that the board shouldn ’ t presume what the challenges were for students at home .
Board member Catherine Kuo seemed to be on the fence , saying there were many ways to assign a grade , but that giving students a choice would give them less stress .
Eventually , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put to a vote , and failed with Cherrier and Blackman voting “ yes , ” while Rouse , Miller and Kuo voted “ no.
” Then Kuo , after some hesitation , agreed to bring back the original credit/no credit grading system for all students motion that had failed Tuesday night .
Kuo was allowed to ask for another vote on the motion because she had originally voted no .
Both she and Cherrier , who also had rejected the credit/no credit proposal the night before , switched their votes to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote .
Mukherjee thanked the board for their vote , saying she was “ immensely grateful.
” On Thursday , despite social media posts applauding her for pushing for the student voice to be heard , she said she ’ s not taking credit for the change of heart .
“ I pushed it over the edge a little , ” she said .
“ But it was all of us together .
”

DUBLIN — An exasperated Dublin school board student member proposed eliminating her position because the adult board members weren’t listening to her as she fought for credit/no credit grades during the coronavirus pandemic.
“If you vote against the universal pass-fail policy, you are voting against the best interest of students,” said student Tinni Mukherjee on Wednesday night during the board meeting.
She said that if the board failed to vote for the universal credit/no credit option as opposed to the traditional letter-grading system, she would make a motion to abolish the student board member position “because what is the point of having a student board member position if you don’t listen to students?” Mukherjee said.
The board earlier had rejected credit/no credit grades by a 3-2 vote Tuesday night in a six-hour meeting. Students are at home for the rest of the school year during the shelter-in-place order because of the coronavirus pandemic, and district officials had proposed going to pass/fail system this semester.
But after two days of meeting, the school board reversed its decision shortly after Mukherjee’s plea. The credit/no credit for all students will replace the typical letter-grading system for the rest of the school year.
During the meetings, board members seemed to agree that it would be OK to go to a pass/fail grading system for the elementary and middle school grade levels. But there was concern about adopting that system for high school students; some trustees said they were concerned about GPA requirements for college admissions and scholarships.
The meeting, which began Tuesday night, was continued to Wednesday night.
A survey sent to all Dublin High School students by their principal indicated that about 73% of students surveyed favored a credit/no credit system. School board members received hundreds of emails on the topic, they said. An online petition with more than 3,000 signatures, and comments from teachers, also indicated some wanted a district-wide credit/no credit policy.
But on Wednesday, another option was brought up by board president Dan Cherrier: to give students a choice if they wanted a grade, or to get a credit/no credit for the class.
Board members Amy Miller and Megan Rouse strongly opposed the idea, saying it became a question of equity — if some students chose to get a letter grade, others would feel pressured to follow suit. Miller, Rouse and Mukherjee pointed out in their comments that not all students’ home life was the same during this online-learning time at home. Some may not have good internet access, or proper computer equipment.
Mukherjee, in an interview on Thursday, said a 4.0 student who worked hard during the school, may have not have the same chance at home during the pandemic, if for example, both parents work as health care workers and may need the student to help care for siblings during the day. Others may have sick relatives they need to care for.
“If we offer a letter grade, we’re not measuring their academics, we’re measuring their home circumstances,” said the 18-year-old senior student.
She said there became a disconnect in the discussion despite evidence from university and college admissions saying students wouldn’t be penalized for credit/no credit, teachers who spoke in favor of the of it, and the comments and letters the district had received.
Board member Gabi Blackman was vocal in pointing out that some students may need the actual grades for competitive scholarship applications and that the board shouldn’t presume what the challenges were for students at home.
Board member Catherine Kuo seemed to be on the fence, saying there were many ways to assign a grade, but that giving students a choice would give them less stress.
Eventually, the proposal to give students a choice was put to a vote, and failed with Cherrier and Blackman voting “yes,” while Rouse, Miller and Kuo voted “no.”
Then Kuo, after some hesitation, agreed to bring back the original credit/no credit grading for all students motion that had failed Tuesday night. Kuo was allowed to ask for another vote on the motion because she had originally voted no. Both she and Cherrier, who also had rejected the credit/no credit proposal the night before, switched their votes to “yes.” Blackman was the only dissenting vote.
Mukherjee thanked the board for their vote, saying she was “immensely grateful.” On Thursday, despite social media posts applauding her for pushing for the student voice to be heard, she said she’s not taking credit for the change of heart.
“I pushed it over the edge a little,” she said. “But it was all of us together.”


mercurynews--2020-04-24--Review: Hemsworth drives the entertaining ‘Extraction’

Tyler Rake sounds like a Mad-Libs action hero name .
When you add to the mix that this character actually , literally kills someone with a rake , it starts to veer into parody territory .
That ’ s why it ’ s somewhat surprising that the film built around that wonderfully silly name , ” Extraction , ” is entirely sincere and also pretty fun .
“ Extraction , ” on Netflix Friday , is a straightforward shoot-em-up about a jaded mercenary , Mr. Rake , played by Chris Hemsworth , who ’ s hired to save the 14-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug lord in Bangladesh .
It doesn ’ t do anything to push the genre forward , but it ’ s better than you might think , existing comfortably somewhere on the action flick spectrum between Tony Scott and Peter Berg .
Much of that rests on Hemsworth ’ s ( very large ) shoulders .
The Australian actor hasn ’ t had the easiest job finding solid roles outside of Thor .
He ’ s always good even when the movie isn ’ t , and obviously has some tricks up his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But many of his leading man roles that don ’ t have anything to do with the God of Thunder have come and gone without much fanfare .
So it makes a certain amount of sense that “ Extraction ” is Marvel-adjacent .
It ’ s written by Joe Russo ( one half of the Russo brothers who have directed a handful of Marvel movies , including “ Avengers : Endgame ” ) , directed by Marvel stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave in his debut and based on a graphic novel ( “ Ciudad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help explain “ Tyler Rake , ” but that name is about the extent of the comic book elements in the actual film .
And , to be fair , “ Extraction ” even knows it ’ s ridiculous , hence the rake and the fact that the 14-year-old asset Ovi ( Rudhraksh Jaiswal ) walks up to the line of making fun of it at one point .
The film begins at the end , showing Tyler Rake ( it just feels more right to say his full name ) bloodied , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having blurry flashbacks to some feet in the sand before cutting to two days earlier in Mumbai .
( Don ’ t hate “ Extraction ” for its cliches , they ’ re just part of the fun ) .
It won ’ t shock you to learn that Tyler Rake is a bit of a loner who keeps his living quarters in shambles , but you get the sense that he always knows where the bottle of Oxy is .
A woman ( Golshifteh Farahani ) comes to him with the job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is in prison , and Tyler Rake sets off to Dhaka to track him down .
There , the criminal underworld plays out in broad daylight , with crime bosses , child soldiers , corrupt police and an overall vibe of instability populating the streets .
Tyler Rake finds the kid easily enough , but then things start to get more complicated when he discovers that he ’ s not the only one looking for Ovi ( and ready to kill to get him ) .
But don ’ t despair , Tyler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight in him before he gets to that bridge and the blurry flashbacks .
He ’ ll fight , and win , against anyone who comes in his way — even a group of kids .
He doesn ’ t kill any of them , though .
He just kind of injures and disables the “ Goonies from hell.
” The word distraction has started to lose all meaning this deep into our home lockdowns , but there is a certain comfort in curling up with a big , silly action pic like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something you might have spent money on to see in an ice-cold theater on a hot summer day .
Rating : R ( for strong bloody violence throughout , language and brief drug use )

By Lindsey Bahr | Associated Press
Tyler Rake sounds like a Mad-Libs action hero name. When you add to the mix that this character actually, literally kills someone with a rake, it starts to veer into parody territory. That’s why it’s somewhat surprising that the film built around that wonderfully silly name, ” Extraction,” is entirely sincere and also pretty fun.
“Extraction,” on Netflix Friday, is a straightforward shoot-em-up about a jaded mercenary, Mr. Rake, played by Chris Hemsworth, who’s hired to save the 14-year-old son of a drug lord from another drug lord in Bangladesh. It doesn’t do anything to push the genre forward, but it’s better than you might think, existing comfortably somewhere on the action flick spectrum between Tony Scott and Peter Berg.
Much of that rests on Hemsworth’s (very large) shoulders. The Australian actor hasn’t had the easiest job finding solid roles outside of Thor. He’s always good even when the movie isn’t, and obviously has some tricks up his sleeves that belie his action-hero physique. But many of his leading man roles that don’t have anything to do with the God of Thunder have come and gone without much fanfare. So it makes a certain amount of sense that “Extraction” is Marvel-adjacent. It’s written by Joe Russo (one half of the Russo brothers who have directed a handful of Marvel movies, including “Avengers: Endgame”), directed by Marvel stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave in his debut and based on a graphic novel (“Ciudad”).
The graphic novel origins help explain “Tyler Rake,” but that name is about the extent of the comic book elements in the actual film. And, to be fair, “Extraction” even knows it’s ridiculous, hence the rake and the fact that the 14-year-old asset Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) walks up to the line of making fun of it at one point.
The film begins at the end, showing Tyler Rake (it just feels more right to say his full name) bloodied, battered and near-death on a bridge, having blurry flashbacks to some feet in the sand before cutting to two days earlier in Mumbai. (Don’t hate “Extraction” for its cliches, they’re just part of the fun).
It won’t shock you to learn that Tyler Rake is a bit of a loner who keeps his living quarters in shambles, but you get the sense that he always knows where the bottle of Oxy is. A woman (Golshifteh Farahani) comes to him with the job to save the kid, whose father is in prison, and Tyler Rake sets off to Dhaka to track him down. There, the criminal underworld plays out in broad daylight, with crime bosses, child soldiers, corrupt police and an overall vibe of instability populating the streets. Tyler Rake finds the kid easily enough, but then things start to get more complicated when he discovers that he’s not the only one looking for Ovi (and ready to kill to get him).
But don’t despair, Tyler Rake has about two hours of non-stop fight in him before he gets to that bridge and the blurry flashbacks. He’ll fight, and win, against anyone who comes in his way — even a group of kids. He doesn’t kill any of them, though. He just kind of injures and disables the “Goonies from hell.”
The word distraction has started to lose all meaning this deep into our home lockdowns, but there is a certain comfort in curling up with a big, silly action pic like “Extraction.” It reminds you of something you might have spent money on to see in an ice-cold theater on a hot summer day.
“Extraction”
2 1/2 stars out of 4
Rating: R (for strong bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use)
Running time: 118 minutes


mercurynews--2020-04-24--This California company tested most of its workforce for coronavirus antibodies. The results were st

This California company tested most of its workforce for coronavirus antibodies. The results were startling

Everyone ’ s wondering .
That cold I had a month or two ago .
The dry cough .
The fatigue .
Was that COVID-19 ?
Have I already been infected ?
Executives at Kareo , an Irvine company that develops software for doctors and medical practices , didn ’ t want their workers to wonder anymore .
Since wide-scale testing for coronavirus remains unavailable through traditional channels — such as public health departments and hospitals — Kareo CEO Dan Rodrigues decided to just do it , offering antibody tests to any curious employees on his workforce who wanted one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with — Jennifer Armstrong of Newport Beach .
They talked to experts .
Weighed the different antibody tests coming to market .
And on Saturday , April 18 , about three-quarters of Kareo ’ s workers and a few family members queued up in their cars to have their fingers pricked in the parking lot of Armstrong ’ s office .
These tests , called serology tests , detect antibodies to the virus in the blood of people who ’ ve recovered from coronavirus — or who never knew they were infected at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to diagnose active illness , but to pinpoint how widely infection has spread in the community .
That information , in turn , can help public health officials figure out when and how to reopen the economy — but the roll-out has been agonizingly slow .
A total of 415 people , including CEO Rodrigues , were tested in Armstrong ’ s parking lot .
Stunningly , nearly 10 percent of them did , indeed , show antibodies to coronavirus .
That ’ s an infection rate far higher than what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties .
There , public health departments partnered with universities in search of representative samples .
A similar effort in Orange County is under construction .
Rodrigues feels this is something private sector employers can clearly help with .
“ We wanted to , first and foremost , show we care about our workers ’ well-being , ” Rodrigues said .
“ And we wanted to learn a bit more about how a return to work might be managed , and to educate others on what we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We live in an age of big data and analytics , and we have neither data nor analytics on this , ” Rodrigues said .
“ That ’ s an issue , especially when the crucial question is , ‘ How prevalent is COVID-19 in the community , and to what extent are we building immunity ?
’ “ Rodrigues wrote about Kareo ’ s effort on Medium , which has sparked interest from other businesses wanting to do the same thing .
“ It ’ s important for business owners and CEOs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rodrigues said .
“ Get involved , learn , apply American entrepreneurial ingenuity to how we might return to work.
” In Los Angeles , officials estimated that about 4 % of county residents have been infected with the virus , with the range being 2.8 % to 5.6 % .
That ’ s about 40 times larger than the number of confirmed cases .
In Santa Clara — which tested more people , but whose sample has been criticized as not sufficiently representative of the county as a whole — about 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus , with the range being 2.49 % to 4.16 % .
That ’ s about 60 times larger than the number of confirmed cases .
Rodrigues isn ’ t an epidemiologist .
He knows the tests aren ’ t perfect and that his employees don ’ t represent Orange County as a whole .
But , in the big picture , all three efforts illustrate the same essential point : The true coronavirus infection rate is many , many times higher than the number of confirmed cases .
Kam Kalantar-Zadeh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and pediatrics at UC Irvine and an adjunct professor of epidemiology at UCLA , reviewed Rodrigues ’ piece .
“ I like this approach , ” Kalantar-Zadeh said .
“ And 10 % prior and current exposure make sense .
I would recommend the serology testing for all communities , be it a working community , residential , church , etc.
” However , there are several cautions to keep in mind , he said .
Antibody tests can produce false negatives if infection is still very new .
And it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the blood — it could range from weeks to months or years .
As long as antibodies are circulating , there ’ s hopefully some level of immunity against COVID-19 , he said .
But if this virus is like the one that causes the common cold , where antibodies gradually disappear over weeks or months , then reinfection is possible .
Indeed , there have been more than 100 reports of reinfection from South Korea , he said .
“ As an analogy , the common cold has no vaccine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several colds a year — and no cure , which may be the emerging bitter reality in dealing with COVID-19 , ” Kalantar-Zadeh said .
Philip L. Felgner , director of UC Irvine ’ s Vaccine Research and Development Center and Protein Microarray Laboratory and Training Facility , reviewed the piece as well .
“ We don ’ t know how much of the 10 % is due to cross-reactivity from other common coronaviruses , ” he said .
“ He would need to compare ( antibody ) levels from specimens collected several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s lab has many thousands of pre-outbreak specimens that could be used for comparison , he said .
The Orange County Health Care Agency is working with academic researchers to do antibody surveillance testing of 1,500 people in the coming weeks , said Nichole Quick , county health officer .
The county ’ s public health laboratory will soon start validation testing on a serology test that hasn ’ t yet been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , but is expected to get that authorization very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deputy agency director of public health services .
That effort will first target target health-care workers and first-responders , but the goal over time is to greatly expand serology testing , Souleles said .
“ Serology testing will play a key role long-term in helping us understand herd immunity and how widely spread COVID has been in our community , ” he said .
No one at the OC Health Care Agency or the California Department of Public Health wanted to weigh in on what role private employers might play , if any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is ‘ all hands on deck , ’ ” said Rodrigues , CEO of Kareo .
“ Across the country , clearly , testing is not scaling as fast as it needs to .
It ’ s not a political issue — I think everyone ’ s working really , really hard — but clearly we need to do a lot better .
More and more resources are starting to come on line , but the problem is , they ’ re happening by the hundreds or thousands , and we need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … Our experience suggests there may be light at the end of the tunnel for testing.
” The testing was completely voluntary , and some workers at Kareo were grateful for the chance .
• Immigrants , hard hit by economic fallout , adapt to new jobs • Injunction limiting crackdown on Sonoma County homeless camps set to be extended • Photos : Muslims celebrate Ramadan in the era of social distancing “ It was pretty easy , ” said Aaron Perreira , director of integrated marketing .
“ We filled out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , drove up , queued up , rolled down the window .
In 15 minutes you had your results .
It was great to be able to get that peace of mind and know whether the stay-at-home protocol you ’ d been adhering to , did it really work ?
” Deep down , a lot of folks were hoping they had antibodies and a shot at immunity .
But social distancing apparently has worked — both Perreira and Rodrigues tested negative .
They suspect , however , it won ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @

Everyone’s wondering. That cold I had a month or two ago. The dry cough. The fatigue. Was that COVID-19? Have I already been infected?
Executives at Kareo, an Irvine company that develops software for doctors and medical practices, didn’t want their workers to wonder anymore.
Since wide-scale testing for coronavirus remains unavailable through traditional channels — such as public health departments and hospitals — Kareo CEO Dan Rodrigues decided to just do it, offering antibody tests to any curious employees on his workforce who wanted one.
He found a doctor to partner with — Jennifer Armstrong of Newport Beach. They talked to experts. Weighed the different antibody tests coming to market. And on Saturday, April 18, about three-quarters of Kareo’s workers and a few family members queued up in their cars to have their fingers pricked in the parking lot of Armstrong’s office.
These tests, called serology tests, detect antibodies to the virus in the blood of people who’ve recovered from coronavirus — or who never knew they were infected at all. They’re not used to diagnose active illness, but to pinpoint how widely infection has spread in the community. That information, in turn, can help public health officials figure out when and how to reopen the economy — but the roll-out has been agonizingly slow.
A total of 415 people, including CEO Rodrigues, were tested in Armstrong’s parking lot. Stunningly, nearly 10 percent of them did, indeed, show antibodies to coronavirus.
That’s an infection rate far higher than what’s coming out of antibody surveillance testing in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties. There, public health departments partnered with universities in search of representative samples.
A similar effort in Orange County is under construction. Rodrigues feels this is something private sector employers can clearly help with.
“We wanted to, first and foremost, show we care about our workers’ well-being,” Rodrigues said. “And we wanted to learn a bit more about how a return to work might be managed, and to educate others on what we’ve learned from our experience.
“We live in an age of big data and analytics, and we have neither data nor analytics on this,” Rodrigues said. “That’s an issue, especially when the crucial question is, ‘How prevalent is COVID-19 in the community, and to what extent are we building immunity?’ “
Rodrigues wrote about Kareo’s effort on Medium, which has sparked interest from other businesses wanting to do the same thing.
“It’s important for business owners and CEOs to do everything they can,” Rodrigues said. “Get involved, learn, apply American entrepreneurial ingenuity to how we might return to work.”
High infection rate, lasting immunity?
In Los Angeles, officials estimated that about 4% of county residents have been infected with the virus, with the range being 2.8% to 5.6%. That’s about 40 times larger than the number of confirmed cases.
In Santa Clara — which tested more people, but whose sample has been criticized as not sufficiently representative of the county as a whole — about 3% of residents have been infected with the virus, with the range being 2.49% to 4.16%. That’s about 60 times larger than the number of confirmed cases.
Rodrigues isn’t an epidemiologist. He knows the tests aren’t perfect and that his employees don’t represent Orange County as a whole. But, in the big picture, all three efforts illustrate the same essential point: The true coronavirus infection rate is many, many times higher than the number of confirmed cases.
Kam Kalantar-Zadeh, a specialist in internal medicine, nephrology and pediatrics at UC Irvine and an adjunct professor of epidemiology at UCLA, reviewed Rodrigues’ piece. “I like this approach,” Kalantar-Zadeh said. “And 10% prior and current exposure make sense. I would recommend the serology testing for all communities, be it a working community, residential, church, etc.”
However, there are several cautions to keep in mind, he said. Antibody tests can produce false negatives if infection is still very new. And it’s unclear how long antibodies for COVID-19 remain in the blood — it could range from weeks to months or years.
As long as antibodies are circulating, there’s hopefully some level of immunity against COVID-19, he said. But if this virus is like the one that causes the common cold, where antibodies gradually disappear over weeks or months, then reinfection is possible. Indeed, there have been more than 100 reports of reinfection from South Korea, he said.
“As an analogy, the common cold has no vaccine, no long-lasting immunity — we can get several colds a year — and no cure, which may be the emerging bitter reality in dealing with COVID-19,” Kalantar-Zadeh said.
Philip L. Felgner, director of UC Irvine’s Vaccine Research and Development Center and Protein Microarray Laboratory and Training Facility, reviewed the piece as well. “We don’t know how much of the 10% is due to cross-reactivity from other common coronaviruses,” he said. “He would need to compare (antibody) levels from specimens collected several years ago before the outbreak.”
Felgner’s lab has many thousands of pre-outbreak specimens that could be used for comparison, he said.
More tests coming
The Orange County Health Care Agency is working with academic researchers to do antibody surveillance testing of 1,500 people in the coming weeks, said Nichole Quick, county health officer.
The county’s public health laboratory will soon start validation testing on a serology test that hasn’t yet been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but is expected to get that authorization very soon, said David M. Souleles, deputy agency director of public health services.
That effort will first target target health-care workers and first-responders, but the goal over time is to greatly expand serology testing, Souleles said.
“Serology testing will play a key role long-term in helping us understand herd immunity and how widely spread COVID has been in our community,” he said.
No one at the OC Health Care Agency or the California Department of Public Health wanted to weigh in on what role private employers might play, if any, in that effort.
“This is ‘all hands on deck,’ ” said Rodrigues, CEO of Kareo. “Across the country, clearly, testing is not scaling as fast as it needs to. It’s not a political issue — I think everyone’s working really, really hard — but clearly we need to do a lot better. More and more resources are starting to come on line, but the problem is, they’re happening by the hundreds or thousands, and we need to scale these up to the millions. … Our experience suggests there may be light at the end of the tunnel for testing.”
The testing was completely voluntary, and some workers at Kareo were grateful for the chance.
“It was pretty easy,” said Aaron Perreira, director of integrated marketing. “We filled out a survey, were issued a time slot, drove up, queued up, rolled down the window. In 15 minutes you had your results. It was great to be able to get that peace of mind and know whether the stay-at-home protocol you’d been adhering to, did it really work?”
Deep down, a lot of folks were hoping they had antibodies and a shot at immunity. But social distancing apparently has worked — both Perreira and Rodrigues tested negative.
They suspect, however, it won’t be the last test they get.
Updated 4/23 with comment from Kalantar-Zadeh
Updated 4/24 with photo credit


mercurynews--2020-04-24--When stay-at-home orders are set to end in all 58 California counties

Many of the directives California counties issued , telling residents to stay home to help fight the spread of the coronavirus , are set to expire in early May .
The county orders are extensions of the statewide stay-at-home order issued March 19 by Gov .
Gavin Newsom , usually adding clarification or context relevant to the 58 distinct California divisions .
The state ’ s plan includes 6 criteria that will determine when restrictions can start to be lifted .
Some counties have deferred to the state ’ s guidance for social distancing .
This list refers only to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It does not address directives around various other issues including masks , event cancellations and business closures .
The dates , current as of Thursday , April 13 , should be considered tentative since most counties issued them with the caveat that the orders could be extended , amended or rescinded .
Check county health department web sites for the most current information .
Alameda County : May 3 — The county extended its shelter-in-place order through May 3 .
Alpine County : To be determined — An April 17 release from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical distancing measures would loosen in phases , stating that “ difficult decisions will need to be made in terms of timing , ” Amador County : April 30 — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect through April 30 .
Butte County : Following state guidance — The county ’ s health department site only references state and CDC guidelines , with no announcement of local orders .
Calaveras County : Following state guidance — A March 27 press release from the health department announced the county ’ s implementation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until he or the county ’ s health officer rescinds it .
Colusa County : May — An April 10 county order restricting activities remains in effect through May 8 .
Contra Costa County May 3 — The county updated it stay-at-home order through May 3 , in a press release filed jointly with its cities on March 31 .
Del Norte County : Following state guidance — The county ’ s public health officer addressed residents in an April 20 letter explaining that “ we are legally bound to enforce the Governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are in effect.
” El Dorado County : April 30 — At the end of March , the county ’ s public health officer extended her directive through April 30 .
Fresno County : Following state guidance — The county ’ s health department site only references state and CDC guidelines , with no local orders concerning distancing guidance for residents .
Glenn County : Following state guidance — The county implemented the state ’ s order on March 20 , two days after it had outlined its own list of recommendations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The county ’ s shelter-in-place order remains in effect until rescinded .
Imperial County : To be determined — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect until rescinded .
Inyo County : To be determined — The county ’ s social-distancing order remains in effect until rescinded .
Kern County : To be determined — The county added its own details to the state ’ s order on April 2 .
They remain in effect until further notice .
Kings County : To be determined — The county ’ s order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s orders , and is in place until further notice .
Lake County : May 3 — The county modified and extended its own shelter-in-place order through May 3 .
Lassen County : Following state guidance — The county recommends residents follow the state ’ s stay-at-home order “ until it is removed.
” Los Angeles County : May 15 — The county extended its “ safer at home ” health order through May 15 .
Madera County : Following state guidance — The county is following the Governor ’ s stay-at-home order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marin County : May 3 — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 3 .
Mariposa County : Following state guidance — No shelter-at-home orders have been declared at the county level .
Mendocino County : May 10 — The county extended its shelter-in-place order through May 10 .
Merced County : To be determined — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect until rescinded .
Modoc County : Following state guidance — No shelter-at-home orders have been issued at the county level .
Mono County : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about reopening , the county said it would be “ working off of conditions , not dates.
” Monterey County : To be determined — The county extended its stay-in-place order on April 3 , and reminded its communities to remain under that order until further notice .
Napa County : To be determined — The county modified its shelter-at-home order on April 21 , and placed it into effect until it is rescinded .
Nevada County : To be determined — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect until rescinded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — The county advised residents and businesses to follow the governor ’ s distancing directions “ regardless of the expiration of the County Public Health Order.
” Placer County : May 1 — The county ’ s shelter-in-place order remains in effect until rescinded .
https : //www.placer.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/43966/Amended-Health-Officer-Order-41620 Plumas County : Following state guidance — In the county ’ s response to Newsom ’ s March 19 directiive , it “ strongly recommends all individuals follow the executive order and stay home.
” Riverside County : April 30 — The county ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 .
Sacramento County : May 1 — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 1 .
San Benito County : May 3 — The county extended it ’ s shelter-in-place order through May 3 .
San Bernardino County : To be determined — The county ’ s public health order is in effect until rescinded .
San Diego County : April 30 — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect through April 30 .
San Francisco County : May 3 — The county ’ s shelter-in-place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
San Joaquin County : To be determined — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect until rescinded .
San Luis Obispo County : May 16 — The county ’ s shelter-at-home order is in effect through May 16 , “ and will continue to be reviewed every 14 days.
” San Mateo County : May 3 — The county ’ s shelter-in-place order remains in effect until rescinded .
Santa Barbara County : To be determined — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect “ until further notice.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ — The county ’ s shelter-in-place order remains in effect through May 3 .
Santa Cruz County : May 3 — The county ’ s shelter-in-place order remains in effect through May 3 .
Shasta County : Following state guidance — The county references the governor ’ s six key indicators , while working on its own plans to move forward “ once the governor allows it.
” Sierra County : Following state guidance — No stay-at-home orders have been issued at the county level .
Siskiyou County : Following state guidance — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s order until further notice .
Solano County : April 30 — The county ’ s shelter-at-home order remains in effect through April 30 .
Sonoma County : May 3 — The county extended its shelter-in-place order through May 3 .
• Immigrants , hard hit by economic fallout , adapt to new jobs • Injunction limiting crackdown on Sonoma County homeless camps set to be extended • Photos : Muslims celebrate Ramadan in the era of social distancing Stanislaus County : To be determined — The county ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notice .
Sutter County : May 3 — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 3 .
Tehama County : Following state guidance — No stay-at-home orders have been issued at the county level .
Trinity County : Following state guidance — No stay-at-home orders have been issued at the county level .
Tulare County : To be determined — The county extended its own order “ until such a time that it is terminated or modified by the County Public Health Officer in writing.
” Tuolumne County : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been issued at the county level .
Ventura County : May 15 — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in place through May 15 .
Yolo County : May 1 — The county ’ s shelter-in-place order was extended through May 1 .
Yuba County : May 3 — The county ’ s stay-at-home order remains in place through May 3 .

Many of the directives California counties issued, telling residents to stay home to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, are set to expire in early May.
The county orders are extensions of the statewide stay-at-home order issued March 19 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, usually adding clarification or context relevant to the 58 distinct California divisions.
The state’s plan includes 6 criteria that will determine when restrictions can start to be lifted. Some counties have deferred to the state’s guidance for social distancing.
This list refers only to orders for residents to stay at home. It does not address directives around various other issues including masks, event cancellations and business closures.
The dates, current as of Thursday, April 13, should be considered tentative since most counties issued them with the caveat that the orders could be extended, amended or rescinded. Check county health department web sites for the most current information.
Alameda County: May 3 — The county extended its shelter-in-place order through May 3.
Alpine County: To be determined — An April 17 release from the county’s health department said physical distancing measures would loosen in phases, stating that “difficult decisions will need to be made in terms of timing,”
Amador County: April 30 — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect through April 30.
Butte County: Following state guidance — The county’s health department site only references state and CDC guidelines, with no announcement of local orders.
Calaveras County: Following state guidance — A March 27 press release from the health department announced the county’s implementation of the governor’s executive order until he or the county’s health officer rescinds it.
Colusa County: May — An April 10 county order restricting activities remains in effect through May 8.
Contra Costa County May 3 — The county updated it stay-at-home order through May 3, in a press release filed jointly with its cities on March 31.
Del Norte County: Following state guidance — The county’s public health officer addressed residents in an April 20 letter explaining that “we are legally bound to enforce the Governor’s directives as long as they are in effect.”
El Dorado County: April 30 — At the end of March, the county’s public health officer extended her directive through April 30.
Fresno County: Following state guidance — The county’s health department site only references state and CDC guidelines, with no local orders concerning distancing guidance for residents.
Glenn County: Following state guidance — The county implemented the state’s order on March 20, two days after it had outlined its own list of recommendations.
Humboldt County: To be determined — The county’s shelter-in-place order remains in effect until rescinded.
Imperial County: To be determined — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect until rescinded.
Inyo County: To be determined — The county’s social-distancing order remains in effect until rescinded.
Kern County: To be determined — The county added its own details to the state’s order on April 2. They remain in effect until further notice.
Kings County: To be determined — The county’s order directs residents to follow the state’s orders, and is in place until further notice.
Lake County: May 3 — The county modified and extended its own shelter-in-place order through May 3.
Lassen County: Following state guidance — The county recommends residents follow the state’s stay-at-home order “until it is removed.”
Los Angeles County: May 15 — The county extended its “safer at home” health order through May 15.
Madera County: Following state guidance — The county is following the Governor’s stay-at-home order “in effect until further notice.”
Marin County: May 3 — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 3.
Mariposa County: Following state guidance — No shelter-at-home orders have been declared at the county level.
Mendocino County: May 10 — The county extended its shelter-in-place order through May 10.
Merced County: To be determined — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect until rescinded.
Modoc County: Following state guidance — No shelter-at-home orders have been issued at the county level.
Mono County: To be determined — In a presentation about reopening, the county said it would be “working off of conditions, not dates.”
Monterey County: To be determined — The county extended its stay-in-place order on April 3, and reminded its communities to remain under that order until further notice.
Napa County: To be determined — The county modified its shelter-at-home order on April 21, and placed it into effect until it is rescinded.
Nevada County: To be determined — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect until rescinded.
Orange County: Following state guidance — The county advised residents and businesses to follow the governor’s distancing directions “regardless of the expiration of the County Public Health Order.”
Placer County: May 1 — The county’s shelter-in-place order remains in effect until rescinded. https://www.placer.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/43966/Amended-Health-Officer-Order-41620
Plumas County: Following state guidance — In the county’s response to Newsom’s March 19 directiive, it “strongly recommends all individuals follow the executive order and stay home.”
Riverside County: April 30 — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect through April 30.
Sacramento County: May 1 — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 1.
San Benito County: May 3 — The county extended it’s shelter-in-place order through May 3.
San Bernardino County: To be determined — The county’s public health order is in effect until rescinded.
San Diego County: April 30 — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect through April 30.
San Francisco County: May 3 — The county’s shelter-in-place order remains in effect through May 3.
San Joaquin County: To be determined — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect until rescinded.
San Luis Obispo County: May 16 — The county’s shelter-at-home order is in effect through May 16, “and will continue to be reviewed every 14 days.”
San Mateo County: May 3 — The county’s shelter-in-place order remains in effect until rescinded.
Santa Barbara County: To be determined — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect “until further notice.”
Santa Clara County: May 3 — The county’s shelter-in-place order remains in effect through May 3.
Santa Cruz County: May 3 — The county’s shelter-in-place order remains in effect through May 3.
Shasta County: Following state guidance — The county references the governor’s six key indicators, while working on its own plans to move forward “once the governor allows it.”
Sierra County: Following state guidance — No stay-at-home orders have been issued at the county level.
Siskiyou County: Following state guidance — The county has issued reminders to follow the state’s order until further notice.
Solano County: April 30 — The county’s shelter-at-home order remains in effect through April 30.
Sonoma County: May 3 — The county extended its shelter-in-place order through May 3.
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Long Covid cases in US adults are on the decline, but many continue to struggle with symptoms Health | COVID Q&A: Can I use an expired test? Time to get boosted? How to cope with California’s sneaky summer surge Stanislaus County: To be determined — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect until further notice.
Sutter County: May 3 — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 3.
Tehama County: Following state guidance — No stay-at-home orders have been issued at the county level.
Trinity County: Following state guidance — No stay-at-home orders have been issued at the county level.
Tulare County: To be determined — The county extended its own order “until such a time that it is terminated or modified by the County Public Health Officer in writing.”
Tuolumne County: Following state guidance — No stay-at-home orders have been issued at the county level.
Ventura County: May 15 — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in place through May 15.
Yolo County: May 1 — The county’s shelter-in-place order was extended through May 1.
Yuba County: May 3 — The county’s stay-at-home order remains in place through May 3.


mercurynews--2020-04-24--49ers draft: Top insights from Lynch, Shanahan about Round 1

Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch had their positive mojo back Thursday night .
They may have been sequestered in their respective homes during the NFL ’ s first virtual draft , but their fourth draft together proved the 49ers ’ brass is in lockstep about how to make another Super Bowl drive .
Oh , and they also both prefer gluten-free pizza .
They said so in a post-draft video conference , when the coach and general manager thought they were off-camera discussing dinner options from their draft rooms .
Of course , they both gushed over their first-round acquisitions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
14 overall ) and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk ( No .
25 ) .
No surprise there in praising draft picks .
Explaining their strategy ?
More interesting .
Here are five insights gleaned from the Shanahan-Lynch media session , which was Shanahan ’ s first availability since the scouting combine two months ago : Fans and media spent the pre-draft runup by sizing up the draft ’ s top receivers .
They were all their for the taking , except Henry Ruggs , who went No .
12 to the Raiders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shanahan ’ s preferences were Arizona State ’ s Aiyuk and Oklahoma ’ s CeeDee Lamb , who went No .
17 to the Cowboys .
Aiyuk ’ s all-around ability and versatility appealed to Shanahan , and so did the Reno native ’ s mental willingness to be physical .
“ He was my favorite receiver I evaluated .
There ’ s no doubt in that , ” Shanahan said .
“ CeeDee Lamb was a hell of a receiver and can make a lot of plays .
I always keep it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was the guy in competition with him .
“ This guy was there the first time I watched him.
” Shanahan learned that as he flicked on college receivers ’ film once he digested the Super Bowl LIV defeat .
Lynch , meanwhile , got more background on Aiyuk ’ s capabilities from Herm Edwards , Arizona State ’ s coach and Lynch ’ s trusted friend since their Tampa Bay days .
Lynch noted that , in selecting Kinlaw , he also leaned on his relationship with South Carolina coach Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year ’ s selection of Deebo Samuel .
Shanahan acknowledges he is an offensive-minded coach , and he is a better one when his team has a dominant defense , as last year showed .
“ You know what ’ s a lot easier to call offensive plays for ?
What we had Weeks 1-8 last year , where our defense was 100 percent healthy , dominated everyone , ” Shanahan said .
“ That was the easiest I ’ ve ever had to call a game offensively .
If we can keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our offense , that was our goal when John and I got here .
“ Nothing ’ s more fun than having the defense like we had last year , and that gives you the best chance to get to the Super Bowl.
” NFL Network analyst Charlie Casserly gave credence to Shanahan ’ s approach .
Casserly recalled how , when he oversaw the Houston Texans ’ 2006 No .
1 draft choice , Shanahan concurred they should draft defensive end Mario Williams over Reggie Bush .
Arik Armstead , 2015 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2017 .
Nick Bosa , 2019 .
And now , Kinlaw .
Investing the 49ers ’ top draft pick is not tiring to the decision makers .
“ I ’ m always down to go defensive lineman if the right guy ’ s there , ” Shanahan said of first-round picks .
“ I was surprised Kinlaw was there .
I can promise you , ask my high school friends when we did Madden and drafted our own guys like back in ’ 97 : my first pick was always ( Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Randy Moss .
I always wanted to do D-line and that ’ s what we ’ ve done here , and John feels the same way .
“ I was on a team in Atlanta with one of the best offenses in the history of the NFL , and it ’ s still really tough to win if you don ’ t have that D-line .
That was our goal since before we came here , and last year it really showed.
” Lynch said Kinlaw , an All-American defensive tackle from South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in on ” for a while , surely at least as far back as March 16 , when they traded DeForest Buckner to the Colts .
“ You go back to when we first built this thing , and Kyle and I came together , one of the things we believed in is that ’ s an equalizer , ” Lynch said of defensive lines .
“ In a football league where everything is set up for offenses to be successful , one way to equalize the equation is to get after it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built a pretty good unit there and wanted to keep it strong.
” Lynch sounded content that the 49ers have no picks in Friday ’ s second , third or fourth rounds .
They swapped them out in trades , all of which Shanahan felt the need to defend and explain how vital they were in getting last season ’ s team to the Super Bowl .
Dee Ford cost their second-rounder in March 2019 .
The midseason rental of Emmanuel Sanders came for a third- and fourth-round spots .
Even though the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from No .
13 to 14 on Thursday , they surrendered it to move up from No .
31 to 25 in selecting Aiyuk .
“ We emptied the tank a little there today , ” said Lynch , whose three remaining picks include one each in Saturday ’ s final three rounds .
Shanahan said their “ intel ” indicated Aiyuk would have been selected before No .
31 .
The five who followed No .
25 : quarterback Jordan Love ( Packers ) , linebackers Jordyn Brooks ( Seahawks ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tackle Isaiah Wilson ( Titans ) and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene ( Dolphins ) .
With or without Aiyuk ’ s arrival , the 49ers have been calibrating for months how to unload veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin .
Lynch revealed Monday that Goodwin was nearly dealt a couple times , and that remains the likely scenario .
“ We ’ re trying to find a good home for him , ” said Lynch , noting that the draft ’ s saturation of wide receivers paused the trade pursuits of interested clubs .
Neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else is on the market .
Shanahan did note that Aiyuk has similar versatility to Pettis , the 2018 second-round pick .
• 49ers draft : Trade up to take wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk • Live NFL Draft updates : Who will 49ers , Raiders take in 1st round ?

Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch had their positive mojo back Thursday night.
They may have been sequestered in their respective homes during the NFL’s first virtual draft, but their fourth draft together proved the 49ers’ brass is in lockstep about how to make another Super Bowl drive.
Of course, they both gushed over their first-round acquisitions: defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (No. 14 overall) and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (No. 25).
No surprise there in praising draft picks. Explaining their strategy? More interesting.
And when it came to explanations, Shanahan felt compelled to defend last year’s trades for Dee Ford and Emmanuel Sanders, which left the 49ers without any picks in Friday’s Rounds 2 and 3, nor in Saturday’s Round 4.
“I do believe those two things are what got us to the Super Bowl,” Shanahan said. “We were close, but it would have been very hard to get over the hump without those two guys. And that’s what has us in this situation this year.”
Here are five insights gleaned from Shanahan and Lynch once the draft got underway Thursday night:
1. Wide receiver ratings
Fans and media spent the pre-draft runup by sizing up the draft’s top receivers. They were all there for the taking, except Henry Ruggs, who went No. 12 to the Raiders. Only afterward did we learn that Shanahan’s preferences were Arizona State’s Aiyuk and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, who went No. 17 to the Cowboys.
Aiyuk’s all-around ability and versatility appealed to Shanahan, and so did the Reno native’s mental willingness to be physical.
“He was my favorite receiver I evaluated. There’s no doubt in that,” Shanahan said. “CeeDee Lamb was a hell of a receiver and can make a lot of plays. I always keep it pretty real with you guys, so that was the guy in competition with him.
“This guy was there the first time I watched him.”
Shanahan learned that as he flicked on college receivers’ film once he digested the Super Bowl LIV defeat. Lynch, meanwhile, got more background on Aiyuk’s capabilities from Herm Edwards, Arizona State’s coach and Lynch’s trusted friend since their Tampa Bay days. Lynch noted that, in selecting Kinlaw, he also leaned on his relationship with South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, who was helpful in last year’s selection of Deebo Samuel.
2. Defensive mindset
Shanahan acknowledges he is an offensive-minded coach, and he is a better one when his team has a dominant defense, as last year showed.
“You know what’s a lot easier to call offensive plays for? What we had Weeks 1-8 last year, where our defense was 100 percent healthy, dominated everyone,” Shanahan said. “That was the easiest I’ve ever had to call a game offensively. If we can keep our defense that way and gradually build our offense, that was our goal when John and I got here.
“Nothing’s more fun than having the defense like we had last year, and that gives you the best chance to get to the Super Bowl.”
NFL Network analyst Charlie Casserly gave credence to Shanahan’s approach. Casserly recalled how, when he oversaw the Houston Texans’ 2006 No. 1 draft choice, Shanahan concurred they should draft defensive end Mario Williams over Reggie Bush.
3. Top pick trend
Arik Armstead, 2015. DeForest Buckner, 2016. Solomon Thomas, 2017. Nick Bosa, 2019. And now, Kinlaw. Investing the 49ers’ top draft pick is not tiring to the decision makers.
“I’m always down to go defensive lineman if the right guy’s there,” Shanahan said of first-round picks. “I was surprised Kinlaw was there. I can promise you, ask my high school friends when we did Madden and drafted our own guys like back in ’97: my first pick was always (Michael) Strahan and there’s was Randy Moss. I always wanted to do D-line and that’s what we’ve done here, and John feels the same way.
“I was on a team in Atlanta with one of the best offenses in the history of the NFL, and it’s still really tough to win if you don’t have that D-line. That was our goal since before we came here, and last year it really showed.”
Lynch said Kinlaw, an All-American defensive tackle from South Carolina, is who they “zeroed in on” for a while, surely at least as far back as March 16, when they traded DeForest Buckner to the Colts.
“You go back to when we first built this thing, and Kyle and I came together, one of the things we believed in is that’s an equalizer,” Lynch said of defensive lines. “In a football league where everything is set up for offenses to be successful, one way to equalize the equation is to get after it and knock down the passer. We built a pretty good unit there and wanted to keep it strong.”
4. Friday’s plan
Lynch sounded content that the 49ers have no picks in Friday’s second, third or fourth rounds. They swapped them out in trades, all of which Shanahan felt the need to defend and explain how vital they were in getting last season’s team to the Super Bowl.
Dee Ford cost their second-rounder in March 2019. The midseason rental of Emmanuel Sanders came for a third- and fourth-round spots. Even though the 49ers regained a fourth-round pick by sliding from No. 13 to 14 on Thursday, they surrendered it to move up from No. 31 to 25 in selecting Aiyuk.
“We emptied the tank a little there today,” said Lynch, whose three remaining picks include one each in Saturday’s final three rounds.
Shanahan said their “intel” indicated Aiyuk would have been selected before No. 31. The five who followed No. 25: quarterback Jordan Love (Packers), linebackers Jordyn Brooks (Seahawks) and Patrick Queen (Ravens), offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson (Titans) and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Dolphins).
5. Goodwin’s future
With or without Aiyuk’s arrival, the 49ers have been calibrating for months how to unload veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. Lynch revealed Monday that Goodwin was nearly dealt a couple times, and that remains the likely scenario.
“We’re trying to find a good home for him,” said Lynch, noting that the draft’s saturation of wide receivers paused the trade pursuits of interested clubs.


mercurynews--2020-04-24--Grocery store site of Santa Cruz County’s first coronavirus ‘cluster’

APTOS — Temporarily , the recently opened Aptos Village Way branch of New Leaf Community Markets has been voluntarily shuttered due to a “ cluster ” of confirmed COVID-19 cases .
The local grocery chain first posted a statement about an employee infection to its website Saturday , saying that it was working to ensure the safety of both its employees and customers .
Other New Leaf branches remain open .
“ We were able to quickly identify any Aptos staff who may have been in prolonged close contact with affected individuals and have required them to stay home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regular contact with their healthcare providers and the local public health department , ” a later-updated version of the statement read , in part .
County Health Officer Gail Newel said during a press conference Thursday that the handful of confirmed New Leaf coronavirus cases — all from one location — is Santa Cruz County ’ s first COVID-19 cluster — though she stopped short of classifying the centralized grouping as an “ outbreak.
” Newel declined to disclose how many employees had been diagnosed with the coronavirus , but a New Leaf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sentinel that seven employees at the store had been confirmed as having COVID-19 .
Newel said that she had not recommended that the store , falling under the county shelter-in-place order ’ s “ essential services ” exemption , remain closed .
“ The usual grocery shopping practices are very low-risk for being exposed to COVID-19 , ” Newell said of risk to exposed members of the public .
“ In general , a person would need to be within 6 feet of an unmasked person , or a person without a face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer in order to be any significant risk of getting COVID-19 .
So , it would be unusual for a shopper to be that close to an employee for that long of a period of time for any increased risk.
” Newel said there was every indication that New Leaf had been following COVID-19 best practices prior to the infections and had been proactive in working with county officials since .
The company ’ s original plan to close for 14 days was modified to just several days for a deep disinfecting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Immigrants , hard hit by economic fallout , adapt to new jobs • Injunction limiting crackdown on Sonoma County homeless camps set to be extended • Photos : Muslims celebrate Ramadan in the era of social distancing In its online release , New Leaf said that it “ strongly encourages ” staff to stay home when sick , even offering supplemental paid time off during an illness .
For remaining workers , the company has been conducting symptoms checks at the start of every shift and supplying cloth face coverings , while paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free mental health resources and a 30 % staff discount .
Separately , Newel said Thursday , the county recorded the diagnosis of four coronavirus infections in people who had taken part in a fundraiser for first responders .
The patients were not first responders themselves , Newel said .

APTOS — Temporarily, the recently opened Aptos Village Way branch of New Leaf Community Markets has been voluntarily shuttered due to a “cluster” of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The local grocery chain first posted a statement about an employee infection to its website Saturday, saying that it was working to ensure the safety of both its employees and customers. Other New Leaf branches remain open.
“We were able to quickly identify any Aptos staff who may have been in prolonged close contact with affected individuals and have required them to stay home, monitor for symptoms, and remain in regular contact with their healthcare providers and the local public health department,” a later-updated version of the statement read, in part.
County Health Officer Gail Newel said during a press conference Thursday that the handful of confirmed New Leaf coronavirus cases — all from one location — is Santa Cruz County’s first COVID-19 cluster — though she stopped short of classifying the centralized grouping as an “outbreak.” Newel declined to disclose how many employees had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, but a New Leaf representative wrote in an email to the Sentinel that seven employees at the store had been confirmed as having COVID-19.
Newel said that she had not recommended that the store, falling under the county shelter-in-place order’s “essential services” exemption, remain closed.
“The usual grocery shopping practices are very low-risk for being exposed to COVID-19,” Newell said of risk to exposed members of the public. “In general, a person would need to be within 6 feet of an unmasked person, or a person without a face covering, for several minutes or even longer in order to be any significant risk of getting COVID-19. So, it would be unusual for a shopper to be that close to an employee for that long of a period of time for any increased risk.”
Newel said there was every indication that New Leaf had been following COVID-19 best practices prior to the infections and had been proactive in working with county officials since. The company’s original plan to close for 14 days was modified to just several days for a deep disinfecting of the site, Newel said. Related Articles Business | San Jose office building wobbles into default — again
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In its online release, New Leaf said that it “strongly encourages” staff to stay home when sick, even offering supplemental paid time off during an illness. For remaining workers, the company has been conducting symptoms checks at the start of every shift and supplying cloth face coverings, while paying employees a biweekly bonus and providing expanded free mental health resources and a 30% staff discount.
Separately, Newel said Thursday, the county recorded the diagnosis of four coronavirus infections in people who had taken part in a fundraiser for first responders. The patients were not first responders themselves, Newel said.