Coronavirus update: Curfew begins tonight in Fresno; restaurant owners rally
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s curfew order goes into effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, closing eateries and other businesses hours after Fresno restaurant advocates will rally against COVID-19 restrictions.
The curfew order continues nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for a month.
The order also comes days after Fresno, Merced, and Kings counties returned to the purple tier of California’s coronavirus-related restrictions — the most stringent tier.
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said it would visit bars and restaurants that serve alcohol and food to ensure they close at 10 p.m., but said the agency prefers “education over enforcement,” spokesperson Veronica Andrade said in an email.
Law enforcement officials around the San Joaquin Valley have said officers and deputies will not be enforcing the curfew.
Protesting COVID-19 restrictions in Fresno
A group of restaurant owners and advocates rallied at noon Saturday outside the Fresno County Department of Public Health building at Fresno and Fulton streets.
Restaurants can still do take-out and delivery and serve customers on patios but must close their dining rooms, which had been allowed for about six weeks to operate at 25% until Monday.
Organizers of the rally want to remain open at 25% capacity indoors, according to a letter they shared on the Open Central California Safely Facebook page.
Advocates have said they expect some owners to try to test enforcement orders by staying open for indoor service.
Coronavirus cases surge in Fresno
Fresno County has surpassed 35,000 confirmed coronavirus cases since the first local instance of COVID-19 was identified in early March.
With 357 new cases reported Saturday morning by the California Department of Public Health, a total of 35,635 Fresno County residents have tested positive for the virus during the pandemic.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health announced eight more COVID-19-related fatalities Friday. That means 471 people in the county have lost their lives to the virus.
Will Fresno get COVID-19 vaccines soon?
Fresno County’s top health official said he’s hopeful vaccines are coming to the region next month — but he has received no confirmation that’s happening from state officials.
Interim Health Officer Rais Vohra’s comments Friday appear to contradict comments this week from some Fresno City Council members, who seemed confident vaccines were coming next month.
Vohra said the county does have space to store 100,000 doses and is asking for that amount from state health officials — but the number has not been finalized.
Fresno’s Catholic leader warns against some COVID-19 vaccines
Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno warned Roman Catholics against jumping on the “COVID-19 vaccine bandwagon.”
In a video statement posted on the diocese website this week, the bishop said Catholics must “always and only pursue vaccines that are ethical and morally acceptable” and that the use of fetal stem cell material at any stage of a vaccine’s development means it would be off-limits to Catholics.
He pointed to the Pfizer vaccine as having stem cell material.
But, the Charlotte Lozier Institute, an anti-abortion organization, lists both the Pfizer vaccine and one created from Moderna, as well as the John Paul II Medical Research Institute as “ethically uncontroversial.”
Where to get a coronavirus test in Fresno County
Fresno County health officials recommend getting tested for coronavirus routinely.
Fresno County Department of Public Health has created a COVID-19 testing web page that serves as a one-stop shop for testing locations. There is a calendar that shows daily testing events on that page, as well.
This story was originally published November 21, 2020 at 8:13 AM.
