Coronavirus updates: Fresno restaurant reopens with city fine; Tulare County hits 1,000 cases
California Gov. Gavin Newsom released criteria for cities to follow as they reopen the economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
At least some of those guidelines will be difficult for Fresno County to meet “anytime soon,” County Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau said on Thursday.
“That is a very high bar to meet.”
Particularly troubling for the county is the call for having no COVID-19 deaths in the past 14 days. Fresno County last reported a death, its ninth, on Monday. The county is on track to meet the state’s guidelines for 15 contact tracers per 100,000 residents, but not until early June.
The county also currently falls short in testing capacity. About 700 residents are tested daily at the moment. That number needs to be nearly doubled to meet the governor’s criteria.
Numbers across the region
So far, 9,437 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Fresno County, though some hospitals have not reported their total numbers to the county. The positive rate is 8.6%, with some 813 cases. Of those 118 people were hospitalized at some point – an increase of four from the previous day – and 279 are considered recovered, an increase of 16 from the day before.
Tulare County pushed past 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection on Friday, reporting 44 new cases and one more related death.
As of midday Friday, there were 2,304 reported COVID-19 cases in the central San Joaquin Valley, which includes Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Kings, Merced and Mariposa counties. This follows three days of triple-digit daily increases.
Fifty-nine people have died from coronavirus across those six counties.
Fresno restaurant fined $1,000 for violating emergency order
Following a protest rally at Fresno City Hall on Wednesday, at least one area restaurant opened its dining room in defiance of the state and local mandates that restaurants operate for take-out only.
The Waffle Shop was reminded of the city’s emergency order and given a warning.
More than a dozen customers were lined up outside the restaurant before it was given notice of a $1,000 fine. Subsequent fines of $5,000 and $10,000 will follow. Eventually, the business could be shut down completely.
Fresno has levied a total of $35,000 in fines over the past month, for price gouging, operating a non-essential business and other violations in connection with coronavirus rules.
The largest fine, $10,000, was issued to Super Liquor at 4045 W. Fountain Drive in connection to a charge of price gouging,
Other large fines, each for $5,000, were issued to Crazy Bernie Furniture at 4224 W. Shaw Ave. and The Spot Smoke Shop at 5665 N. Blackstone Ave., as a second count of operating a non-essential business.
So far, the city has received a total of 920 complaints of business operating when they were not essential, and issued 347 notices, without fines. There were also 367 price-gouging complaints.
The city also responded to 166 social distancing complaints and responded by issuing 125 notifications without a fine. A fine of $125 was issued to the Dog House Grill.
Yosemite employees evicted
This week, an estimated 90 shuttle bus drivers and Yosemite transportation workers got news they were evicted from the national park, due to layoffs from their work.
Yosemite’s concessionaire – Yosemite Hospitality, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Aramark – held a conference call with evicted employees Thursday. Company managers reportedly told them repeatedly that Aramark is “graciously” giving them until later this month to leave instead of 72 hours. Employees were hoping for more protection amid the pandemic from their “Aramark family” – another phrase reportedly used multiple times by Aramark leaders during the call.
Those layoffs require them to leave Yosemite by May 21. Park shuttles aren’t expected to run again until early 2021.
The evictions are in spite of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order calling for a statewide moratorium on evictions through May 31.
More lunches for CRMC workers
The community support for front-line workers continues at Fresno’s Community Regional Center. On Friday, some 600 lunches will be delivered to employees.
Fresno’s Front Line Appreciate Group and Fresno Fire joined Logan’s Road House to deliver 100 lunches at noon. Another 500 Port of Subs sandwiches are expected to be delivered by Fresno State’s Athletic Department. There will also be an appearance from Bulldog mascot Time Out.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 8:15 AM.