Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'This Is Really About Saving Lives': California's Stringent Measures To Protect State Might Set Example For Other States
The New York Times: Can California Keep 7 Million People At Home?
The double-length buses that snake through downtown San Francisco past the offices of Google and Facebook were empty. The teller at a Citibank in the city had seen three customers all morning, and the manager of a deserted sandwich shop a few blocks away decided to shut down for the rest of the week after selling only a handful of bagels. The most ambitious experiment in America to stop the spread of the coronavirus — shelter-in-place orders for almost every resident — was underway for seven million people living around the San Francisco Bay on Tuesday. (Fuller, Nicas and Conger, 3/17)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: California Death Toll Rises To 11 Amid Restrictions
More than 8 million Californians are living under shelter-in-place orders — the nation’s most stringent public health measures yet — as state and local governments rush to address the coronavirus pandemic. At least 10 counties in the Bay Area and Central California and the city of Palm Springs have directed all residents to stay at home as much as possible, with Sonoma, San Benito and Monterey counties deciding Tuesday to join the order implemented a day earlier by San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Santa Cruz counties. In Ventura County, health officials Tuesday announced a shelter-in-place order that applied only to older residents. (Shalby, Lin, Vives, Blume and Cosgrove, 3/17)
Los Angeles Times: To Combat Coronavirus, L.A. Could Allow Tents On Sidewalks During The Day
The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to temporarily stop enforcing a law requiring tents to come down during daytime hours, saying the change is needed to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Councilmen Mike Bonin, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Gil Cedillo said the city must “urgently reevaluate” its policies for dealing with homeless encampments, given the virus threat. (Zahniiser, Reyes and Smith, 3/17)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: Parts Of Bay Area Resist 'Shelter In Place' Order
Hair stylists canceled clients. Gardeners and construction crews showed up to work. A dog grooming business deemed itself essential and kept its door open. Some liquor stores closed. Others didn’t. All the time, cases of the coronavirus kept creeping upward. During the first day of a “shelter-in-place” order in seven Bay Area counties Tuesday, compliance was generally strong but uneven in places, with some businesses uncertain whether they required to close. (Rust, Dolan and Lin, 3/17)
ABC News: 'It's Kind Of Apocalyptic': San Francisco Bay Area Residents Describe Coronavirus Lockdown
On any given weekday, as clocks approach lunch hour, the streets of San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood are bustling with pedestrians strutting to the clanging bells of iconic cable cars packed with wide-eyed tourists. But as Ree Ree Li, 25, peeked out her apartment window on Tuesday, she described a desolate scene punctuated by eerie silence. (Hutchinson, 3/17)
The Hill: Newsom Says California Schools Likely To Remain Closed For Rest Of School Year
California schools will likely be closed for the remainder of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Tuesday. “I don’t want to mislead you,” Newsom told a group of parents and educators in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Schools responsible for about 85 percent of California students have shuttered in response to the pandemic, according to the Los Angeles Times. (Budryk, 3/17)
CNN: Some Schools Closed For Coronavirus In US Are Not Going Back For The Rest Of The Academic Year
As students across the country adjust to learning outside of their classrooms, some states are preparing for the disruption to last the rest of the school year as the coronavirus outbreak continues. Florida has canceled all tests for the year, Kansas has decided to keep schools closed, Arizona plans to announce the suspension of makeup days and California said parents should be prepared for their state to be next. (Holcombe, 3/18)
The Wall Street Journal: As U.S. Tries To Slow Coronavirus Impact, Europe Hunkers Down
In San Francisco, where a legally mandated lockdown went into effect Tuesday, police patrols were light. But citizens mostly appeared to be complying with the edict, which says residents may only venture outside for groceries or medical appointments. Walks and other exercise are also allowed, but not in groups. (Calfas, Carlton and Schechner, 3/17)
Kaiser Health News: Is The Bay Area’s ‘Unprecedented’ Lockdown The First Of Many?
Life came to a grinding halt for millions of San Francisco Bay Area residents as the most stringent isolation orders in the country took effect Tuesday. To stem the spread of the new coronavirus, roughly 7 million people in seven counties were instructed to “shelter in place” and were prohibited from leaving their homes except for “essential” activities such as purchasing food, medicine and other necessities. Most businesses closed, with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants (for takeout and delivery only), hospitals, gas stations, banks and a handful of others. (Gold and Bluth, 3/17)
