With coronavirus cases near 400,000 on Monday, California appears to be on its way to overtaking New York as the state with the most coronavirus infections, a sobering milestone for a region that prompted the country to take aggressive shelter measures in place helped cushion the spread of the disease. virus this spring.
After the restrictions were reduced last month, an increase in cases emerged across the state. On Monday, California reported 398,125 cases and 7,765 deaths since the pandemic began. New York reported 412,034 total cases on Monday and 32,203 total deaths. However, California has far fewer cases per 100,000 residents: 1,000 to 2,124 in New York.
The increase in cases in New York has largely stabilized. But in California and the Bay Area, this month’s average daily increases in coronavirus cases are more than double what they were last month.
California has averaged 8,129 new coronavirus cases per day in July so far, more than double the daily average of 4,007 in June. On Monday alone, California added more than 10,700 new cases. Bay Area counties have averaged 837 new cases per day this month, compared to 393 in June.
At the same time, while ICU admissions and hospitalizations are increasing across the state, they are not increasing as fast as they did two weeks ago, Governor Gavin Newsom said in his coronavirus report Monday.
“We are seeing a reduction in the growth rate, but nonetheless, a growth rate that only reinforces the seriousness of the moment,” Newsom said, cautioning that Californians should remain vigilant about wearing masks and reducing or eliminating social gatherings.
Newsom made a concession, saying Californians will be able to cut their hair and cut their nails outdoors.
The new state guidelines issued Monday cover hair and grooming, except for shampooing and chemical treatments like straightening, coloring, and perms, which cannot be done outdoors. Massages and beauty services, including facials, waxing, and manicures, can also be moved outdoors, while tattoos, piercings, and electric hair removal are excluded due to hygiene requirements.
The guide gives counties discretion and ultimately leaves it up to local public health officials where to resume haircuts and other outdoor personal care services.
But overall, California has closed much of its economy again.
Businesses across the state, some of which had been reopened for a few days, were forced to close last week when Newsom tightened restrictions on dozens of counties the state controlled for elevated transmission of the coronavirus. The order closed nail and beauty salons, gyms, houses of worship, shopping malls and office buildings, following a similar directive for indoor bars and restaurants, cinemas and museums.
State officials, seeking a way to keep part of the California economy moving as they battle an increasing number of cases and hospitalizations from the virus, have begun to further boost public life outdoors, where experts believe the risk of spread is less.
“Our intention was to provide hair salons and the like to be able to do their work outdoors,” Newsom said Monday. “It turns out it was more difficult than it sounds.”
Newsom, who on Friday also blocked the reopening of schools across much of the state in time for the start of the new academic year, said he was not currently considering outdoor classes as a way to resume in-person instruction for students. .
“Obviously we are doing everything we can to help the collective, and that is dealing with the background infection rates that have a fundamental impact on the schools’ decisions to ultimately open up,” he said.
All of the Bay Area counties except San Mateo have been included on the state’s coronavirus watch list, which assesses counties based on six criteria: coronavirus cases, tests, positive test results, an increase in Hospitalizations, ICU beds available and ventilators available. Counties are placed on the list if they have a bad trend on at least one criterion for three consecutive days. Across California, 33 of California’s 58 counties are on the watch list. They contain the majority of the state’s population.
The increase in the number of cases has had ripple effects in other areas:
On Monday, the California Interscholastic Federation, the state’s governing body for high school athletics, announced a modified schedule for its sports, all of which have been delayed from one to four months by the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, the Marin County Board of Supervisors will consider an ordinance that would create civil penalties for violations of county health orders with a focus on business that may not comply with certain rules, such as cessation of indoor activities. The move follows the adoption of an enforcement strategy by the Napa County Board of Supervisors last week. Contra Costa County is considering a similar approach.
“Most Marin residents and businesses are complying with our public health orders during this pandemic, but there has been a growing need for stricter enforcement,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer. , it’s a statement. “Ending this health emergency will require sustained team effort, and our goal with this action is to hold people accountable for actions that endanger public health.”
Cynthia Dizikes and Alexei Koseff are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: [email protected], [email protected] Twitter: @cdizikes, @akoseff
