Coronavirus updates: Unemployment, job losses mounting; Fresno County budget takes a hit

President Trump unveiled a new set of guidelines on Thursday that lay out a three-phased approach to reopening the country and getting the economy back on track. The guidelines are not mandatory and allow state governors to decide what’s best for their state.

Here’s what we know about when California may see restrictions lifted.

This as numbers of coronavirus cases in the region continue to grow.

Tulare County, in its Friday update, confirmed 10 new positive cases, the smallest daily increase this week. The county total is 382. No new deaths were reported. So far, 17 people have died in the county.

Fresno County continue to climb by double digits daily. In the county’s Thursday update, officials announced 30 new cases and a total number of positive cases just shy of 300. Health officials are predicting the county will see its peak in the coming weeks, likely at the end of the month.

Job losses mount

In just four weeks, more than 2.8 million Californians have filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits since losing their jobs to the coronavirus pandemic, including thousands of workers in Fresno County and its neighboring Valley counties.

California’s official unemployment rate in March was 5.6%, according to number released on Friday. That is an increase of 1.3 percentage points from February. But those estimates, released Friday by the Employment Development Department, are based on a sample of employers taken during the week of March 9, before the major effects of closures and layoffs took effect in the state.

In Fresno County, the March unemployment rate lurched upward by more than two percentage points from February, rising to 10.8%. Friday’s data show that the number of unemployed climbed from 38,500 in February to 49,600 in March – an increase of more than 11,000 people before the heaviest impacts on jobs from the coronavirus pandemic.

The 10.8% unemployment rate in Fresno County last month was the highest monthly figure in three years.

County budget takes a hit

The county painted a gloomy financial picture because of the coronavirus pandemic. Property tax collections, which make up 75% of county revenue, are down from last year and the delinquency rate so far looks like it will be higher.

The county already put a countywide hiring freeze in place and department leaders have been warned of budget cuts of between 3% and 5% in the coming fiscal year, which begins in July.

The county will receive $81 million from the federal government in aid through the CARES Act meant to help soften the economic blow from shelter-in-place regulations. That money is expected to pay for coronavirus-related costs such as testing, personal protective equipment and the information technology work it took to move one-third of the county’s employees to remote work.

Fresno State suspends ACT/SAT requirements

California State University announced Friday the suspension of ACT/SAT admission requirements for the 2021-2022 academic year, following in the footsteps of the University of California in easing admissions for graduating high school students during the coronavirus pandemic.

Freshman entering a CSU in fall 2021, winter 2022 and spring 2022 will not have to take the exams, which students typically take during junior year of high school.

Freshman must still have graduated from high school, completed their college preparatory courses and have earned a 2.5 GPA.

Students who earn between a 2.0 and 2.49 may be admitted based on other academic courses, extracurricular activities, household income, and additional information, the CSU said in a news release

Small farms, surging demand

While some farmers have lost customers because of crackdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic, other San Joaquin Valley food makers — a drive-thru egg ranch or homemade bread maker, for instance — have been flooded with new customers searching for alternatives to the grocery store.

Daddino’s Egg Ranch is seeing 150-200 customers a day, double the numbers it saw before the outbreak began.

“We have people who are driving three hours to buy their eggs from us,” Lola Daddino said. “And I have people who tell me they live down the street and have never been here before.”

Jail suspect found

The 18-year old man who tested positive for coronavirus after being processed at the Fresno County Jail has been found and is in quarantine.

The man, who had been arrested on auto theft charges, was tested while at the jail but released before the results were returned. Health investigators were dispatched and able to contact the man’s family.

At least four law-enforcement personnel are in quarantine because of the case.

Congressional challenger donates meals to area hospitals

Phil Arballo, who is challenging Congressman Devin Nunes in California’s 22nd District, announced his campaign will donate 200 meals to area hospitals on Friday to show support for small business and the community’s frontline health care workers amidst the response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The campaign said it will deliver 100 meals to the Clovis Community Medical Center’s Emergency Department and another 100 to Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia.

These two hospitals are at the forefront of coronavirus cases in California’s 22nd District.

The meals were purchased from The Local in Clovis and Visalia’s Chapala Grill, respectively.

“We owe our health care professionals and all of our essential workers a debt of gratitude for their service during this time of crisis. They are demonstrating the resilience and strength of the people of the Central Valley,” said Arballo said in a news release.

This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 9:57 AM.