Coronavirus updates: 7th death in Tulare County; Kings County to enforce shelter-in-place

For the first time, the Fresno County Department of Health has released a city-by-city breakdown of its 146 positive coronavirus cases.

The majority of the cases (93) are in Fresno. The remaining are found in clusters in Clovis (15), Firebaugh (12), Sanger (7) and Reedley (6). Ten other communities in Fresno County had four cases or fewer.

The new data breakdown released Tuesday came as the county announced third death related in the coronavirus.

Tulare County has reported 168 positive COVID-19 cases and seven deaths as of Wednesday. The count saw an increase of 33 cases from Monday to Wednesday. Of the positive cases, at least 44 have come from Redwood Springs Healthcare Center, a 176-bed nursing home in Visalia.

Merced County reported 34 total cases Tuesday, an increase of five from Sunday (no new cases were reported Monday). A single death has been reported.

Kings County in a news release Wednesday evening said it had three new cases, bringing its total to eight cases with no deaths, according to health officials. Madera County has not reported any new cases since Saturday. Two of the Valley‘s deaths, including the first, were in Madera County.

Immigrant groups asking for automatic DACA work permit renewals

Immigrant advocates want the Trump administration to automatically renew applications for an Obama-era program that allowed thousands of undocumented young people to remain in the country.

Calls to extend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) ask President Donald Trump to reverse course and renew all work permit applications for two more years amid fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

DACA allows people brought to the United States illegally as children to remain in the country. The program also grants young undocumented immigrants two-year working permits. Fresno city leaders have estimated there are about 5,000 DACA recipients in Fresno.

Kings County to residents: Shelter in place or face fines, jail

The Kings County Board of Supervisors, in a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, directed the sheriff’s office and other law enforcement officers in the county to “enforce clear violations” of the state’s shelter in place order. The board adopted its own stay at home orders on March 31 after the county had confirmed three cases of the coronavirus.

The resolution allows the sheriff and district attorney full discretion to determine when the order will be enforced or not by exercising their discretion to determine if a clear violation has occurred. Code violations can be prosecuted as misdemeanor, which could lead to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine, per each day of continues violation.

Evictions halted through summer

The California Judicial Council has approved emergency orders that essentially halts most evictions and foreclosures through the summer. The order is a respite for many renters and homeowners struggling to pay their rent and mortgage in April due to job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and clarifies protection orders given by Gov. Gavin Newsom last month.

Renters who notify their landlords of an inability to pay rent due to COVID-19 within seven days of rent being due — for most renters, that’s Wednesday, April 8 — will be protected against lockout by the sheriff, according to the statement from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

Fresno has had a similar order in place since March 25.

Clovis restricts park use

Clovis has taken steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at city parks. While the parks and trails remain open, the city has closed all public picnic shelters with more than one table. Park play structures, playground equipment and exercise equipment are now off limits and should not be used.

The city reminds residents to carefully observe social distancing guidelines when using parks and trails for exercise.

Last week, the city of Fresno announced a similar order. The city also closed all city parks for Easter Weekend.

Tachi Palace to host UFC fight despite coronavirus concerns

UFC is planning to use Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore for pay-per-view mixed-martial arts fights starting this month, according to multiple reports.

That seems to include UFC 249 on April 18. The event, which was originally slated for the Barclays Center in New York, will happen without fans present, sources said.

UFC president Dana White started teasing the return of UFC earlier this week. The choice of location was confirmed by several news sources Tuesday.

Tachi has been closed since March 20 as a precaution against spreading coronavirus. But since it’s on Tachi-Yokut tribal land, it’s not required to adhere to Gov. Newsom’s shelter-in-place order that has stopped all large gatherings.

Tachi also doesn’t have to adhere to state sports regulations, including the California State Athletic Commission’s decision to suspend all combat sports events through at least May.

Easter dinner take-out choices

Easter is going to look a lot different this year.

Church services will be online. Big gatherings with the whole family won’t be happening. You might see the kids or grandkids, but it will be over a computer or a phone.

However, you can still have a special day with a delicious meal. Like every year, restaurants in Fresno and Clovis are creating meals for the holiday -- but they’ll be takeout meals and a little smaller this year, since so many of us won’t be gathering.

Here’s a list of some of what’s being offered in the Fresno area.

This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 9:50 AM.