Bay Area coronavirus updates: All Calif. DMV field offices to close

Officials with the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department are bracing for up to 2,000 deaths over the next 12 weeks. Officials with the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department are bracing for up to 2,000 deaths over the next 12 weeks. Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 55 Caption Close Bay Area coronavirus updates: All Calif. DMV field offices to close 1 / 55 Back to Gallery

LATEST, March 26, 10:38 p.m.: The California Department of Motor Vehicles will close all field offices beginning Friday in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the DMV announced on its website Thursday night.

All appointments have been canceled. There was no information on when offices would reopen.

March 26, 7 p.m. Santa Clara County is distancing itself from a city of San Jose projection that "even in a best-case scenario," 2,000 county residents will die of coronavirus.

The grim projections were shared by San Jose Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness during a city council meeting.

On Thursday night, the county's public health department appeared to distance itself from the grim forecast with the following brief statement:

"The model shared by the City of San Jose projecting deaths and future case counts of COVID-19 was not produced, reviewed, or vetted by the County of Santa Clara. The County of Santa Clara continues to actively assess the situation and take necessary actions to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in our community and protect those most at risk for severe illness."

March 26, 6:15 p.m. A sixth member of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office has tested positive for coronavirus, the office announced Thursday.

The deputy was assigned to the custody bureau and is currently self-isolating at home.

March 26, 5:00 p.m. A Berkeley firefighter has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the city announced Thursday.

The firefighter is in "good condition" isolating at home and the fire department is working to identify contacts.

March 26, 4:20 p.m.: Sonoma County announced five more coronavirus cases, bringing the total of active cases to 39.

No additional information was given.

March 26, 4:15 p.m.: Santa Clara County now counts 83 more cases, bringing the total there to 542 cases, officials reported Thursday. The numbers are valid as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The county also reported two additional deaths, making the death toll in the county 19. No further details were released.

The Public Health Department in Santa Clara County noted it would be launching a new site Friday "with additional aggregate data about cases."

March 26, 4:00 p.m.: A San Francisco General emergency room staffer has tested positive for the coronavirus, Trisha Thadani of the Chronicle reports.

The staff member was involved in patient care, though no other information was given.

March 26, 3:45 p.m.: The United States now has more coronavirus cases than any other country in the world, the New York Times reported Thursday.

The U.S. now has 82,404 cases, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins.

March 26, 3:30 p.m.: Santa Clara County is bracing for a surge in cases and deaths over the next 12 weeks, officials stated.

At a San Jose city council meeting Wednesday, San Jose Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness stated that "even in that best-case scenario, we were looking at the order — in the next 12 weeks — of 2,000 potential deaths directly from COVID-19.”

Still, the death rate could have been far higher, he continued, noting that that number could have hit as high as 16,000 had no mitigation efforts been taken.

"Our models suggest that it could be 25 times higher or more than the number of reported cases," Harkness said. "That means we have a false sense of security in terms of thinking, 'Oh, everybody who's tested, those are the only ones who are infected.' There are a large number of us walking around who are infected."

March 26, 3:15 p.m.: In a White House press briefing on Thursday afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence updated the public on economic and health efforts currently underway to combat the coronavirus spread.

Pence explained that "an average family of four" will receive around $3,400. He also noted that small business owners will receive money as well, though he did not get into specifics. "They’ll also receive payroll report," he said. "They will now be able to keep people on the payroll for a period of months even if the restaurant or business is not open."

Pence also noted that Abbott Labs submitted a point of care test for approval. Put into practice, this test would mean people could get a point of care test with their doctor and "have results in no more than 15 minutes."

March 26, 2:25 p.m.: The California Department of Public Health released state statistics Thursday afternoon related to the coronavirus. The information, valid as of Wednesday at 2 p.m., notes there are 3,006 cases statewide, of which 826 were community-acquired and 2,120 were spread person to person (including those on cruise ships). Of those 2,120 person-to-person cases, 42 are health care workers.

The CDPH also gave the ages and gender of confirmed cases as of Wednesday afternoon:

Age 0-17: 37 cases

Age 18-49: 1,505 cases

Age 50-64: 764 cases

Age 65 and older: 678 cases

Unknown: 22 cases

Female: 1,309 cases

Male: 1,665 cases

Unknown: 32 cases

March 26, 2:00 p.m.: BART is reportedly considering further cuts to service, the agency confirmed Thursday, citing a 92% drop in ridership.

BART Director Rebecca Saltzman tweeted that the train service is considering three major, temporary modifications:

On weekdays, the first five trains from Antioch would run at 15-minute intervals. After those five, trains would run on 30-minute intervals for the rest of the day. On Saturday, trains fron Antioch would run at 40-minute intervals and on Sunday, 48-minute intervals.

BART may cut the red line (Richmond to Millbrae) and the green line (Warm Springs to Daly City), instead asking riders to transfer to get to their destination.

BART may close on Sundays.

"Potential future BART service reductions would produce significant operational savings - ~$12.8 million monthly - and complete critical capital work more quickly," Saltzman wrote in a tweet. "Again, no decisions have been made yet on this."

March 26, 1:40 p.m.: Caltrain is reducing its weekday service by more than half beginning Monday, following ridership rates that have sharply dipped amidst the coronavirus outbreak. One-way and single day fares for weekdays have fallen 86%, Caltrain reported.

Normally, Caltrain runs 92 trains on a given weekday; next week, it will run just 42 for the foreseeable future. The weekend schedule will remain the same.

"Caltrain is monitoring ridership during this time and may implement additional service changes as needed while ensuring that riders can maintain social distancing in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations," Caltrain said in a statement.

March 26, 1:20 p.m.: A nurse working in the Santa Rita jail in Alameda County tested positive for coronavirus, officials announced Thursday. The nurse, who works for Wellpath Health Services, will still need to take an additional test, however, because the initial diagnosis came from a private lab not yet approved by the CDC.

The nurse reportedly wore an N95 mask while at work, so officials say the likelihood of transmission into the prison population is relatively low.

March 26, 1:20 p.m.: Contra Costa County announced 23 additional cases of coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total in the county to 131. No further information was given.

March 26, 12:00 p.m. In a live streamed conversation on Thursday morning, Warriors guard Stephen Curry spoke with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci about coronavirus spread among younger people, delayed sports seasons and testing rollout.

In the Q&A, Curry asked Dr. Fauci about the infection rate for younger Americans, to which Fauci noted there had been some misconceptions.

"What we are starting to see is that there are some people who are younger — people your age, young, healthy, vigorous, who don't have any underlying conditions — who are seriously ill," Fauci said. "It’s still a very, very small minority, but it doesn't mean that young people like yourself should say I'm completely exempt from any risk of getting seriously ill."

Read more on their conversation here.

March 26, 11:20 a.m.: Starting March 30, all Muni light rail and Muni Metro trains will be replaced by buses.

All Muni Metro subway stations beyond downtown San Francisco will close, but riders taking the bus can expect the same stops for the J, KT, L, M, and N lines as early-morning Metro bus service.

"Closing the Muni Metro underground system will allow us to redirect custodial resources to other, higher-use facilities and minimizes risk to our station agents," SFMTA said in a statement. "Based on our ridership data and observations, we do not expect these changes to impact the ability of our riders and operators to maintain social distance."

In addition, Muni is temporarily canceling the 5R, 9R, 28R and 38R rapid bus routes.

There are a few other minor changes and cancelations, which you can view in full here.

March 26, 10:45 a.m.: Alameda County announced Thursday morning it has 164 COVID-19 cases, up from 124 the day before.

It also now has four deaths; it previously reported two. The City of Berkeley, which has its own public health department and reports numbers separately, has 14 cases.

San Mateo County also reported 30 more cases, bringing its total up to 195. Five people have died there.

March 26, 9:40 a.m.: San Francisco has crossed the 200 mark, reporting Thursday morning the city now has 223 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

That's up from yesterday's total of 178. The city also reported one more death, bringing its total up to two fatalities.

March 26: 9:30 a.m.: Two passengers from the Grand Princess, a cruise ship that docked in the Port of Oakland for a number of days, have died.

Two men, who were not identified, died "due to complications from the coronavirus," according to the Department of Health and Human Services. One man was taken to the hospital directly from the ship. The other was quarantined at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield until his symptoms worsened and he was moved to a hospital.

The 14-day quarantine ended Monday for the first passengers that were removed from the Grand Princess. It's unknown how many people may have contracted the coronavirus, as hundreds declined to be tested. According to passengers, HHS informed them testing was optional. Some said they didn't want to be tested because doing so may have delayed their release from quarantine.

March 26, 9:00 a.m.: San Francisco City Hall has closed to the public after a security screener tested positive for COVID-19.

The sheriff's cadet was working at one of the building entrances. City Hall is now only open for some city business.

March 26, 7:00 a.m.: Due to overcrowding, the East Bay Regional Park District, the largest such park district in the country, announced it is closing even more parking lots and open spaces.

Starting March 27, these locations will be shuttered through at least April 30:

Black Diamond – Upper Parking Lot Closed (Parking available at Sidney Flat)

Castle Rock Recreation Area Closed

Contra Loma Closed (Trails Open from Frederickson Lane)

Crown Beach – Otis Parking Lot Closed (Walk-In Access Only)

Del Valle Closed (Trail Access from Arroyo Staging Area Only)

Diablo Foothills (Limited Parking for Trail Access)

Garin/Dry Creek – Meyer's Garden Closed

Point Isabel – Main Parking Area Closed (Walk-In Access Only)

Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park – Redwood Road Gate Closed

Piedmont Stables (Boarders Allowed to Care for Horses)

Roberts Regional Recreation Main Park Area Closed (Walk-In Access Only)

Shadow Cliffs Closed (Walk-In Access Only)

Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve – Tunnel Road Entrance Closed (All Other Access Points Open)

Sunol Regional Wilderness Closed

Tilden Botanic Garden – Garden Closed

"Unsafe overcrowding is a concern," the district said in a statement. "While the Park District hopes to keep parks and trails open, some closures are necessary to limit overcrowding and maintain social distancing."

ALSO: Here are the 36 California state parks that have closed their parking lots

During shelter-in-place, residents are allowed to seek outdoor exercise, but only within their county and provided they maintain six feet of distance between themselves and anyone who does not live in their residence.

A number of East Bay parks are already closed. See the full list here.

March 25, 6 p.m. A gate agent at Oakland International Airport has tested positive for coronavirus, the airport announced in a release Wednesday night.

The agent last worked on March 22 in Terminal 2, and was assigned to gates 23, 25, 26, and 27. In addition, he used the men's bathroom at the Terminal 2 baggage claim. All of the areas the individual worked will be disinfected overnight.

The airport did not disclose any additional information about the agent.

Where cases have been confirmed in the greater Bay Area:

ALAMEDA COUNTY: 164 confirmed cases, 4 deaths*

Fore more information on Alameda County cases, visit the public health department website.

*Number excludes infected patients in City of Berkeley, which has its own health department and 14 cases.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 131 confirmed cases, 1 death

For more information on Contra Costa County cases, visit the public health department website.

LAKE COUNTY: 0 confirmed cases

For information on Lake County and coronavirus, visit the public health department website.

MARIN COUNTY: 65 confirmed cases

Fore more information on Marin County cases, visit the public health department website.

MONTEREY COUNTY: 27 confirmed cases

For more information on Monterey County cases, visit the public health department website.

NAPA COUNTY: 3 cases

For more information on Napa County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN BENITO COUNTY: 12 confirmed cases, 1 death

For more information on San Benito County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 223 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on San Francisco County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN MATEO COUNTY: 195 confirmed cases, 5 deaths

For more information on San Mateo County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 542 confirmed cases, 19 deaths

Fore more information on Santa Clara County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 32 confirmed cases

For more information on Santa Cruz County cases, visit the public health department website.

SOLANO COUNTY: 34 confirmed cases

For more information on Solano County cases, visit the public health department website.

SONOMA COUNTY: 43 confirmed cases, 1 death

For more information on Sonoma County cases, visit the public health department website.

In California, 83 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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Katie Dowd is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: katie.dowd@sfgate.com.