SACRAMENTO — California won’t lift its mask requirement until June 15 to give the public and businesses time to prepare and ensure cases stay low, state Health Director Dr. Mark Ghaly said Monday. “This four week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change, while we continue the...
California Weighing Issues Around New CDC Masking Guidelines
LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that his office is weighing issues of enforcement and workplace safety in considering whether and when to adopt the latest federal guidelines around masking. Newsom said his office has been talking with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local health officers...
Local Schools Leader Says New COVID 3-Foot Desk Rule is ‘Game Changer’
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that desks in elementary schools now may be set 3 feet apart instead of 6 without risking the spread of the coronavirus among students — even in counties like Fresno where the risk of infection remains high. Desks at middle and...
Flu Shots Are Here, but Is It Too Early To Get One?
Pharmacies have already started their ad campaigns urging you to get a flu shot. And, CVS and Walgreens began giving shots this week in Fresno and Clovis. Health officials in California are concerned about the confluence of the coronavirus and flu, noting a substantial decline in child vaccination rates since...
Kerman Farmer Lost Entire Crew To Skaggs Bridge Park COVID-19 Outbreak
A Kerman farmer says that so many of his employees were affected by a COVID-19 outbreak at Skaggs Bridge Park he was nearly shut down. Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco says more than 1,000 people crowded into Skaggs Bridge Park on the San Joaquin River during the weekend of August...
Only California Bans Beauty Salons From Operating Indoors, Tuesday Rally Seeks Change
California hair and nail salons can only provide services outdoors. A planned Tuesday rally at the state Capitol by several hundred beauty professionals seeks to change that. Alicia Orabella runs a hair salon in the Bay Area. After several months of being shut down and seeing many of her friends...
Castillo’s in SE Fresno Temporarily Closes After Employee Contracts COVID-19
An employee of Castillo's Mexican Food in southeast Fresno tested positive for COVID-19 the restaurant announced on Facebook. "It is with a heavy heart that we notify our loyal customers of this temporary closure effective 7/21/20," reads part of the post from the restaurant at 3659 E. Ventura Ave. Two Week...
As Hospitals Near Capacity, County Takes Steps to Open Convention Center
Fresno area hospitals are scrambling to make bed space available in every nook, cranny, and extra building they have. But despite their best efforts, ICU bed space continues to dwindle. The latest numbers from the state show Fresno County only has 16% of its ICU beds available. Just last week...
COVID Analysis: Shopping, Outdoors Safe; Mass Transit, Restaurants Risky
As few as 1,000 SARS-CoV2 viral particles are needed for a COVID-19 infection to take hold. That's based on the MERS and SARS outbreaks. A single breath releases 50 to 5,000 droplets. If a person coughs or sneezes, 200,000,000 viral particles go everywhere. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Professor Erin Bromage searched...
Virtual Academy Will Train ‘Disease Detectives’ by Tens of Thousands in CA
One of the keys to reopening our economy — and keeping it open — will rest in the hands of "disease detectives." In the medical community, they're called contact tracers. The name describes exactly how they'll crack the cases. It's estimated that Fresno County alone will need 300 of them....