COVID-19 update: Fresno County reports nine new deaths as overall fatality rate slows
The California Department of Public Health on Friday reported Fresno County added 90 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, totaling to 28,796 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began.
County officials on Friday reported nine new deaths, bringing the total to 399. The county reports deaths twice a week.
Fresno County reported on Friday that 106 people remain hospitalized, while a total of 18,428 have recovered.
On Friday, county officials announced a new state requirement for fully reopening businesses, which involves implementing an “equity metric” that requires counties with more than 106,000 residents to reduce the infection rate among the hardest-hit communities, which includes people of color and essential workers. They will also be required to provide more intensive efforts in testing, contact tracing, and resources for infected residents to self-isolate.
The new requirement will go into effect on Oct. 6.
As of Friday, there have been a total of 817,277 infections and 15,986 deaths statewide, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Fresno County on Friday reported an average of fewer than seven new daily cases per 100,000 people and a rate of 8% or fewer residents testing positive for the virus. Fresno is the only central San Joaquin Valley county to move from the purple tier into the less restrictive red tier under the state’s blueprint for reopening.
Fresno County moved into the red tier status on Tuesday, according to the state’s website. Merced, Madera, Tulare, and Kings counties as of Friday were still in the purple tier, while Mariposa remained in the yellow tier with the fewest restrictions.
These businesses can resume indoor operations at a maximum of 25% capacity or 100, whichever is less:
- Restaurants
- Houses of worship, weddings, and cultural ceremonies
- Movie theaters
- Museums and zoos
- Colleges and universities with indoor classes and student activities
These businesses can resume indoor activities at a maximum of 10% capacity:
- Dance studios
- Gyms, fitness centers, and yoga studios
These businesses can resume inside operations at a maximum of 50% capacity:
- Retail stores
- Shopping malls with limitations; common areas closed, food courts with limited capacity
Body waxing, tattoo and piercing parlors, massage studios, non-medical electrolysis salons can open indoors with precautions such as face masks and social distancing. Several business operations remain closed, including theme parks, saunas, steam rooms, live theater, nightclubs, bars, breweries, or distilleries that do not serve food.
Latest San Joaquin Valley COVID-19 case numbers
Valleywide, the state on Friday reported 264 new cases and 13 new deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 66,496 and bringing the death toll to 961. There are 195 hospitalizations, and a total of 44,377 people have recovered.
Madera County: 28 new cases as of Friday, 4,642 to date, two additional deaths, 70 to date; 11 hospitalizations; 4,129 people recovered.
Mariposa County: No new cases reported Friday, 76 to date; no additional deaths, two to date; no hospitalizations; 73 people recovered.
Merced County: 14 new cases as of Friday, 9,033 to date; no additional deaths, 145 to date; 9 hospitalizations. The county does not report recoveries.
Tulare County: 132 new cases as of Friday, 16,399 to date; two additional deaths, 265 to date; 48 hospitalizations; 15,592 people recovered.
Kings County: 7,682 total cases reported as of Wednesday; 80 deaths to date; 16 hospitalizations; 5,714 people recovered.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 5:06 PM.