Coronavirus Updates: FEMA teams in Fresno; Clovis students can return to campus

Fresno County has now seen close to 9,000 cases of coronavirus.

The county, which starting this week is reporting updates twice a week, had a triple-digit rise in positive cases on Wednesday, according to statistics from the state Department of Public Health. No new deaths were reported.

Tulare County reported eight new coronavirus related deaths in an update on Thursday and four other deaths were reported in the central San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday; two in Merced and one each in Madera and Kings counties.

The total deaths in the Valley has reached 319, with Tulare County accounting for the largest number of people who have died (161).

The region had seen 21,544 cases of COVID-19, according to statistics from health departments in the six counties on Wednesday. The number of active cases dropped slightly for the day, to 11,660, according to the stats. More than half of those cases appear to be in Fresno County.

Kings County reported 64 new coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the total there to 3,172 cases. Fifty-six of the additional cases were found in the general population, seven in state prisons (either Avenal or Corcoran) and one in a skilled nursing facility.

The county also reported a total of 93 more patients having recovered.

Fresno restaurant Pismo’s ends dine in service, after COVID-19 rules dispute

About two weeks after Pismo’s Coastal Grill landed in the spotlight for keeping its dining room open after orders to halt indoor dining, the restaurant has stopped seating people inside.

The north Blackstone restaurant was doing only takeout Thursday and is in the process of setting up a large, air-conditioned tent in the parking lot that is expected to be up and running Friday, an employee confirmed with The Bee.

The restaurant received at least two citations from California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control over the July 4 weekend, that could result in penalties including the loss of its liquor license.

The City of Fresno’s code enforcement visited Pismo’s at least three times that weekend.

CA salons, barbershops fight to work outdoors during pandemic

State Assemblyman Jim Patterson on Thursday called for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to waive a state restriction that is keep salons and barbershops from offer services to clients outside during the pandemic.

On Monday, the governor closed indoor operations at shopping malls, gyms, nail salons, barbershops and churches in counties on the state coronavirus watch list. While, that order seemed to allow for businesses to offer services outdoors — on patios and breezeways, on sidewalks and in parking lots — the state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology released a statement clarifying that “all barbering, cosmetology and electrology services must be performed inside a licensed establishment.”

“There was a lot of confusion,” Patterson said during a news conference Thursday.

“The governor needs to clarify quickly, that outside means outside. The impact on these individuals has been cruel.”

FEMA sends medical teams to Valley

While the number of positive cases of COVID-19 has increased, the worry for health officials has been the rise in the number of patients being hospitalized after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

In Fresno County, hospitals were treating 219 confirmed COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, and another 51 patients who were suspected of having the virus. Of that total caseload of 270 patients, 48 were sick enough to require treatment in intensive-care units at local hospitals.

The rise in patients has prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA, to send a Department of Defense medical team to augment exhausted doctors and nurses in Fresno, said Dan Lynch, Fresno County’s director of emergency medical services.

The 20-member team, one of eight sent to California, will begin working at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno on Thursday and will be at the hospital for a month. A second team was deployed to Visalia’s Kaweah Delta Medical Center..

Clovis campuses reopen to students in August

As several of California’s largest public schools districts will keep students online to start the school year, Clovis Unified is giving parents the choice to sent their kids back to campus full-time this fall.

Parents can choose to let their children return to classes on campuses five days a week starting Aug. 17. Parents not comfortable with in-person classes amid the growing coronavirus pandemic can decide to enroll their children in online education full time.

Enrollment announcements are expected in the coming days.

The district said schools will beef up sanitation efforts, schedule handwashing and require face coverings for all students and staff. Health screening will be mandated. Physical distancing will also be required.

The district staff also will prepare to implement contract tracing practices in the event of a coronavirus infection - which they acknowledged is inevitable. Class times may be shortened, and enrollment may be capped to ensure proper social distancing, district officials said.

Classes may also be taught outside, in gymnasiums and cafeterias and the district would be prepared to transition quickly back to a fully online education model, if necessary.

Fresno Unified is expected to make a decision on Friday on how it will start classes next month.

Fresno EOC has a food bus

Congressman Jim Costa helped hand out meals in southwest Fresno on Wednesday from the Fresno Economic Opportunities Food Express Bus. The EOC has expanded its services during the coronavirus pandemic, with help from federal funding. It will delivered over 740,000 meals.

This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 8:27 AM.