Bay Area coronavirus updates: PG&E suspending non-payment service disconnections

A handmade sign on Grant Ave. in San Francisco, Calif. on March 10, 2020 explains how to contain the COVID-19 coronavirus. The streets of San Francisco were noticeably more quiet because of the coronavirus, which has prompted many employees to encourage workers to stay at home. less A handmade sign on Grant Ave. in San Francisco, Calif. on March 10, 2020 explains how to contain the COVID-19 coronavirus. The streets of San Francisco were noticeably more quiet because of the coronavirus, ... more Photo: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGate.com Photo: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGate.com Image 1 of / 50 Caption Close Bay Area coronavirus updates: PG&E suspending non-payment service disconnections 1 / 50 Back to Gallery

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LATEST, March 12, 10:17 p.m. Effective immediately, Pacific Gas and Electric is suspending all service disconnections for non-payment in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the utility announced Thursday night.

PG&E also said it would offer any customer who experiences financial hardship due to COVID-19 flexible payment options. (See full details here.)

March 12, 8:36 p.m.: A part-time employee who works at the SAP Center in San Jose has tested positive for COVID-19, the Sharks organization said in a statement released Thursday evening.

The employee last worked at the arena on March 3, two days before the Santa Clara County Public Health Department recommended a moratorium on public gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

The person is under self-quarantine and receiving medical treatment.

March 12, 5 p.m.: The number of confirmed cases in San Francisco County has grown to 18, up from 17.

March 12, 4:40 p.m.: The number of cases in Santa Clara County jumped Thursday afternoon from 48 to 66. Of the 66 known cases of COVID-19 in the county, 31 are hospitalized. One person has recovered and one person, a woman in her 60s, died on March 9.

Of those who are not hospitalized, eight contracted the virus through travel, 19 were in close contact with known cases and 16 are presumed to have contracted it through community transmission.

The number of confirmed cases in Alameda County grew to seven, up from three.

March 12, 3 p.m.: San Francisco Unified School District announced all schools are closing for three weeks starting on March 16 in attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Read the full story on Bay Area school closures here.)

The number of COVID-19 cases around the Bay Area continues to climb, with three new cases in San Mateo (bringing the total 20) and seven in Contra Costa County (bringing the total to 17).

Meanwhile, the TSA reported three agents at Mineta San Jose International Airport who have tested positive for the virus were all in contact with travelers. Two performed pat-downs, X-ray operations and handled carry-on luggage. The third was a travel document checker. Their last days on duty were Feb. 21, Feb. 26 and March 2. All three worked the night shift at checkpoint B at Terminal B, which primarily service Southwest and Alaska airlines.

March 12, 2 p.m.: Four San Jose firefighters have tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier in the day, there was just one among the city's 700 firefighters who had tested positive.

Two other firefighters are showing symptoms, KGO reports, and are being tested. More than 70 other SJFD firefighters are on paid leave and self-quarantining.

March 12, 12:30 p.m.: President Donald Trump said shutting down domestic travel to states with large coronavirus outbreaks, like California and Washington, is a possibility.

“Is it a possibility? Yes, if somebody gets a little bit out of control, if an area gets too hot," Trump said, according to the New York Times, when asked about whether he'd consider those types of domestic travel restrictions.

The Times says the president didn't elaborate further.

March 12, 10:50 a.m.: At least 50 members of the San Jose Fire Department are being quarantined after a firefighter tested positive for COVID-19. That firefighter is being treated in the hospital, another firefighter is being tested for the virus, while the other 50 or so SJFD employees are monitoring their condition at home.

Three TSA officers at Mineta San Jose International Airport also tested positive for COVID-19. Airport officials said Wednesday 42 additional TSA agents who may have been exposed were also on paid leave.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Thursday morning press conference the total number of cases of COVID-19 in California jumped to 198. More than half of those cases are in the Bay Area.

Newsom issued an executive order Thursday which:

Directs Californians to cancel gatherings of more than 250 people

Prepares the state to "commandeer property" (including hotels and medical facilities) to use as temporary residences or quarantine areas

Removes the one-week waiting period for those filing for unemployment or disability as a result of COVID-19

Delays state tax deadline by 60 days for individuals and businesses unable to file on time due to the virus

March 12, 10:08 a.m.: As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continued to grow around the Bay Area Thursday, public officials expanded efforts to curb the virus' spread.

Four new cases of COVID-19 were detected in San Francisco, bringing the total number to 18 as of 10 a.m. Thursday. Two of the new patients were being treated in the hospital and two were being isolated at home, reported KRON. Three of them are suspected to have contracted the virus through community spread and one person had close contact with a known case, according to KRON.

Two new cases were also detected in San Mateo County; the public health department updated its website to reflect 17 in-county cases at 9:32 a.m. (up from 15 on Wednesday), but didn't immediately provide details on the two new patients.

Santa Clara County, the county with the most confirmed cases in the Bay Area —48, as of Thursday morning — declared a state of emergency and ordered the cancellation of all mass gatherings for three weeks. San Francisco Mayor London Breed has done the same in San Francisco. So far, the greatest impact of large gathering cancellations has been on sporting events.

Californians can expect more cancellations to come, as Gov. Gavin Newsom issued statewide guidance advising people to cancel even small social gatherings where people can't stand at least six feet apart.

Many private schools around the Bay Area have closed out of an abundance of caution, but public K-12 schools have largely remained open. Lakeshore Elementary in San Francisco is the lone exception thus far; the school will close for at least two weeks after four students and a number of adult family members reported having respiratory illness, the school district said Wednesday night. There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Lakeshore.

Most colleges and universities around the Bay Area have made the move to online instruction only for the time being.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 7 residents

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

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 17 residents, 3 people of unknown residence being treated at Contra Costa hospitals

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

MARIN COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 3 residents, 1 patient of unknown residence

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

NAPA COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 0 residents, 2 patients treated in Napa, then transferred out of county

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

SAN MATEO COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 20 cases, at least 8 patients of unknown residence treated at San Mateo County hospital

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

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 66 residents

Related deaths: 1

This county has the most confirmed cases in the Bay Area. As of March 12, health officials have identified a total of 66. Of the 66 known cases of COVID-19 in the county, 31 are hospitalized.

Of those who are not hospitalized, eight contracted the virus through travel, 19 were in close contact with known cases and 16 are presumed to have contracted it through community transmission.

One woman died on March 9 at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. She had been hospitalized for several weeks, officials said.

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

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 14 cases, 3 out-of-county patients being treated in SF hospitals

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

SOLANO COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 6 cases, at least one of them is a non-resident

A female Solano County resident was the first case of "unknown origin" in the U.S. and was infected with virus without any travel history or contact with another known case. She first arrived at the North Bay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville on Feb. 15 and was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center three days later, before being tested.

Two health care workers at the North Bay VacaValley Hospital were also infected with the virus. One is a Solano County resident; the other lives in Alameda County.

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

SONOMA COUNTY

Confirmed cases: 2 residents, 1 patient of unknown residency

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

CALIFORNIA DEATHS: 4

Four deaths deaths related to coronavirus in California have been reported.

The first occurred in Placer County on March 4. The Placer County Health Department said the deceased is an elderly resident of the county with underlying health conditions. The patient tested presumptively positive on Tuesday, March 3 at a California lab and was likely exposed on a Princess cruise ship that traveled from San Francisco to Mexico, Feb. 11 to 21, health officials said. The patient was under treatment in isolation at Kaiser Permanente Roseville.

The second California death, the first in the Bay Area, was reported in Santa Clara County in March 9. A woman in her 60s passed away at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View Monday, the first death tied to the novel coronavirus in the Bay Area. The woman was hospitalized for several weeks, Santa Clara County health officials said.

Sacramento County announced on March 10 that a woman in her 90s in an assisted-living facility died from corornavirus. This was the first death in the county and the third in California. Health officials said the patient had an underlying health condition and "died of complications" related to the pneumonia-like virus.

Los Angeles County announced the fourth death on March 11: a woman who had traveled extensively (including a layover in South Korea) and who was visiting Los Angeles from out of town.

The death of a 72-year-old man from Sunnyvale was previously thought to be linked to COVID-19, but test results confirmed the man did not have the virus.

Amy Graff and Alix Martichoux are digital editors with SFGATE. Email them: agraff@sfgate.com, alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.

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