Coronavirus update: Restaurant citations; 20,000 cases in Valley

Fresno County is changing the way it reports on the coronavirus and no longer will update its case count daily — a move health officials said Monday is to help them better stay on top of the growing numbers.

Updates will now happen on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The most recent report from Saturday had the county at 8,282 positive cases and 88 deaths. The case total is the highest among the six counties in the central San Joaquin Valley, which has now topped 20,000 cases, with more than 300 deaths. More than half of the positive cases are considered active. More than half of the active cases are in Fresno County.

Tulare County added 267 new cases and one related death in an update Tuesday morning. That brings the county wide total to 6,209 cases (2,307 are considered active) and 153 deaths. Tulare County has seen more than a half of all the deaths in the region.

Fresno’s Pismo’s Coastal Grill, other restaurants cited b y the state

Seven bars and restaurants in Fresno and Tulare counties were cited by a state agency over the Fourth of July weekend for allowing indoor dining.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control released the names of businesses Monday that it said violated the governor’s COVID-19 health order, which allowed only patio dining and takeout and delivery sales. The governor ordered the closures on the Wednesday before the holiday, frustrating some business owners who had already bought food and scheduled staff for typically busy weekend.

Inclulded on the list was Pismo’s Coastal Grill, which was cited twice.

Porterville man arrested for distributing fake ‘cure’

A Porterville man was arrested on Tuesday and charged with mail fraud and selling a misbranded drug, according to the Department of Justice.

Huu Tieu, 58, allegedly marketed a fake cure for COVID-19, which he allegedly shipped to the Porterville area and in other parts of California and the U.S., trying to collect reimbursements from patients’ insurers, according to Tieu’s indictment.

Tieu is the president and chief executive officer of Golden Sunrise Pharmaceutical Inc. and Golden Sunrise Nutraceutical Inc., companies both headquartered in Porterville.

Newsom orders more closures

The move from the county came on the same day Califorina Gov. Gavin Newsom called for additional closure of indoors business sectors. The new restrictions apply to some 30 counties on the state’s coronavirus watch list, which includes Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties.

Affected businesses include shopping malls, gyms, nail salons and churches doing indoor services.

The governor also announced the indoor closure of restaurants, wineries, theaters, zoos, museums, card rooms, bars and family entertainment centers has been extended to the entire state.

No concerts, but will the Big Fresno Fair happen at all?

While the Big Fresno Fair is still months away, organizers and staff are working with county health officials to make sure the event will be able to happen safely. They have until the end of the month to finalize plans, according to Dr. Rais Vohra, Fresno County’s interim health officer.

The fair has already announced several changes, including a modified 10-day schedule (Oct. 8-12 and Oct. 14-18) and the cancellation of its annual concert series at the Paul Paul Theatre.

Fresno schools still unclear on fall plans

California’s two largest school districts (Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified) announced on Monday that classes would remain online this fall amid the spike of coronavirus cases in California.

In the state’s third-largest school district, Fresno Unified, fall plans remained unclear as of Monday, though Superintendent Bob Nelson said parents could expect an announcement on Friday.

“For the past two weeks, in light of the recently-increasing COVID-19 case counts in Fresno County, we have also been discussing a fully digital instructional model to begin our school year,” Nelson said.

Last week, Fresno schools set a July 31 deadline for parents to decide whether to keep students home or return them to campuses fulltime.

Clovis and Central Unified schools are expected to discuss their plans during their respective board meetings Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fresno councilmember wants stricter regulations

Fresno city councilmember Nelson Esparza is proposing stricter mask requirements and rules for businesses reporting outbreaks to employees and customers. He wants to add language to the city’s current orders requiring people who are working, even when outside, to wear masks while near others and that the masks be properly worn covering a person’s nose.

The proposal would also require a business to notify others when an employee tests positive for the coronavirus. The employer would not be required to make the case public, but would have 24 hours to notify other employees, customers and those who may have been in contact with the sick person.

In California there are no clear enforceable rules for private companies — or public health officials — to report COVID-19 outbreaks at workplaces.

Selma says ‘cover up to open up’

The city of Selma is launching a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of mask wearing in curtailing the spread of the coronavirus.

The #coveruptoopenup campaign kicks off with pair of neighborhood walks, in which staff from the city’s police and recreation and public works departments will go door-to-door offering information and masks.

The first walks will happen between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Thursday and Friday and are expected to reach 500 houses per day. City personnel will be clearly identified as such, will not request to enter any home and will stand at least six feet away from the door.

Residents can call Selma City Hall to verify anyone’s identity.

“Every individual in the campaign has family or friends they care about and they want to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to those people,” says Tracy Tosta Economic Developer with the City of Selma.

“Our economic disparities are directly tied to our health. Our disadvantaged and diverse communities are suffering in greater proportion and we are compelled to communicate in every way we can to help people understand just how important this is. Wearing a mask can keep people healthy and help us to reopen safely.”

This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 8:40 AM.