Pastor Jim Franklin of Fresno's Cornerstone Church plans to hold indoor services Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. "We will have masks on to protect those around us, but nothing's going to stop us from worshiping God," said Franklin on the church's social media pages. "Cornerstone Church will be...
‘July Is Going to Be Very Tragic,’ Says Fresno County Health Officer
New numbers from the state Tuesday show Fresno County has had a 97.7% increase in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the past 14 days. During the same time frame, the county has seen a 33.3% increase in ICU cases. Public health officials report that 200 of 270 ICU beds are occupied (40...
Health Officers Leave in Droves After Threats, Fresno’s Top Doc Responds
As the pressure and scrutiny rise, many more health officials have chosen to leave or been pushed out of their jobs. A review by Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press finds at least 27 state and local health leaders have resigned, retired, or been fired since April across 13...
You Have a ‘Moral Obligation’ to Wear a Facemask: Fresno County’s Top Doc
California health officials are bracing for a second COVID-19 wave as soon as July. The Fresno County Department of Health is also bracing for that possibility. It has seen cases and hospitalizations rise as more people are going outside and becoming more mobile. The county's rate of doubling cases has...
Fresno County Pushes Pause on Reopening Nail Salons, Tattoo Parlors
Nail salons, body waxing salons, and tattoo parlors can open soon in California, but in Fresno County, they'll have to wait two weeks. Late Thursday night, the state issued this guidance to county health directors:Â "Counties that are approved to progress further into the Resilience Roadmap can decide to open the...
Cornerstone Church Will Join Lawsuit Challenging Newsom’s Rules
Pastor Jim Franklin will open Cornerstone Church this Sunday. That's not the only door he'll open. Franklin says Gov. Gavin Newsom and other leaders have opened the door for a lawsuit. "Our theater seats 1,400 people but we are only allowed to have 100 people. That is approximately 7%," says...
Vohra Makes Face Masks Voluntary After Supervisors Push Back
Dr. Rais Vohra, interim Fresno County health officer, is amending his early order requiring all residents to wear cloth face masks while shopping or indoors at work. Instead, county residents are encouraged to wear face coverings in those situations. Vohra's original order, which was signed Monday but didn't become public...
Face Masks Required in Fresno County, Supervisor Brandau Pushes Back
Editor's note: This story has been updated. Read the new story at this link. Original story:Â Â Dr. Rais Vohra, interim Fresno County health officer, signed an order requiring face masks starting Friday. "All residents shall use cloth masks or equivalent face covering while indoors at work, while visiting a business,...
Fresno County Gets Chance to Plead With State: Allow ‘Dine-in’ Food Service
Letter sent, letter received, and a Monday phone meeting is set. The subject: Allow Fresno County to open restaurants. Fresno County's interim health officer Vohra and health director David Pomaville got the immediate attention of state Health Director Dr. Sonia Angell with a two-page letter. "We are requesting to move further...
Fresno County Needs Contact Tracers, Isn’t Waiting for Newsom
Call, text, email, and repeat. Call, text, email, and repeat again. The job of a COVID-19 contact tracer, or what Gov. Newsom calls a "disease detective," isn't glamorous. But the job is so important that Fresno County must come up with 250 or more contact tracers to reopen the economy...