Bay Area coronavirus updates: Gate agent at Oakland airport tests positive

Coronavirus cases in the Bay area as reported by county public health departments. Updated: 10:30 am on April 13, 2020. Coronavirus cases in the Bay area as reported by county public health departments. Updated: 10:30 am on April 13, 2020. Photo: Andy Andersen / Blair Heagerty Photo: Andy Andersen / Blair Heagerty Image 1 of / 49 Caption Close Bay Area coronavirus updates: Gate agent at Oakland airport tests positive 1 / 49 Back to Gallery

Click through the gallery above for photos taken around the San Francisco Bay Area amid a shelter-in-place order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

LATEST, 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.

March 25, 5:20 p.m. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that five employees have tested positive for coronavirus.

Earlier in the day, the county reported 84 new positive cases of coronavirus Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total in the county to 459. Officials also announced an additional death, making the toll in the county 17.

March 25, 5:00 p.m. The UCSF hospital system is opening a mobile testing site for its 12,000 employees.

The new site opened Wednesday at the Laurel Heights campus, and will help detect COVID-19 cases among health care workers on the front lines.

March 25, 3:50 p.m. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, said in a press conference at the White House on Wednesday that he thinks the coronavirus "very well might" become a cyclical and seasonal event, reiterating the importance of rapidly developing immunization capabilities against the virus.

He added the United States "really need[s] to prepare for another cycle" of coronavirus in the winter, based on what experts are seeing in countries in the southern hemisphere.

March 25, 3:35 p.m. Governor Gavin Newsom declined to issue a recommendation on whether or not gun stores should be deemed essential businesses Wednesday, instead deferring to local sheriff's offices to make those decisions.

"I belive in people's right to bear arms and I believe people are exercising that right," Newsom said. "But I'll defer to the sheriff in this instance, and I'll defer to sheriffs in their respective jurisdictions for that clarification."

Such stores have seen an uptick in business. In Los Angeles, officials initially closed such gun stores, but after legal discussions about the matter, they were deemed essential businesses and were reopened.

March 25, 3:05 p.m. Laguna Honda Hospital will reportedly go on full lock down by Wednesday evening, following the finding that five staffers — four nurses and one Environmental Services worker — tested positive for coronavirus, the Chronicle reported.

To date, 15 patients at the facility have been tested, and all results came back negative.

March 25, 2:40 p.m. The U.S. Department of Education has directed federal student aid officers to pause wage garnishments and other debt collections from borrowers across the United States, the department announced Wednesday.

The halting will be in effect for at least 60 days starting on March 13, 2020. Additionally, due to the retroactive nature of the "flexibility," the department will refund around $1.8 billion in offsets to more than 830,000 people.

"Americans counting on their tax refund or Social Security check to make ends meet during this national emergency should receive those funds, and our actions today will make sure they do," U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said in a statement.

Those actively paying student loans will also see their interest rates drop to 0% for at least the next 60 days.

March 25, 2:15 p.m. Santa Clara County reported 84 new positive cases of coronavirus Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total in the county to 459. The update, which is valid as of Tuesday at 5 p.m., marks the biggest jump in cases in the county since the outbreak began.

The county also recorded an additional death, making the toll in the county 17.

March 25, 1:50 p.m. Governor Gavin Newsom provided an update on cases in the state of California Wednesday, saying across the state medical professionals have tested 67,000 people for COVID-19. In total, 2,535 were positive. Of those, 37 were for people under the age of 17, and 51% were between the ages of 18 and 49.

"This disease can impact anyone," he wrote. "Stay home. Practice social and physical distancing."

March 25, 1:40 p.m. The San Francisco Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that four more staff members tested positive for the disease. Some of those positive cases worked in public-facing roles, in City Hall and the city's Department of Public Health.

March 25, 1:25 p.m. Contra Costa County has recorded 22 additional cases of coronavirus, health officials reported Wednesday afternoon. The new total for the county is 108. No additional details were given.

March 25, 1:05 p.m. In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Mayor London Breed and Dr. Grant Colfax, the city's public health director, say San Francisco hospitals need 1,500 more ventilators and 5,000 additional hospital beds to prepare for a potential influx of serious coronavirus cases in the city.

The numbers were informed in part by the surge in cases in New York, where cases in the last several days have been compounding.

Breed stated that she has reached out to Vice President Pence and the Trump administration about securing additional resources.

"I hope they will deliver for the people of this state and the people of this country," she stated. "Time cannot be wasted on interactions that don't lead to the kinds of results we need."

Dr. Colfax spoke to the measures San Francisco has already taken, noting that the city has quickly hired 80 new nurses, begun preparing non-hospital locations for patients, continued to obtain additional PPE supplies, and decreased the number of in-hospital visits for non-critical cases.

He also stated that the city is processing "dozens of tests per day."

The current objective, Colfax added, is to prepare for "a scenario like what is playing out in New York this very day," which would require those additional beds and ventilators. Should San Franciscans stay home and better socially distance, we could flatten the curve.

March 25, 12:50 p.m. Governor Gavin Newsom said in a press conference Wednesday that 1 million Californians have now filed for unemployment since March 13.

March 25, 12:30 p.m. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Association said Wednesday that one of the agency's employees has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

"Our teams responded swiftly and appropriately and are in coordination with the Department of Public Health," the agency said in a statement.

SFMTA has taken a number of measures to protect employees and passengers, including directed high-risk or sick employees to stay home, mandating that all Muni operators close the security barrier or cab between the operator and the public and providing disinfectant wipes to transit operators daily at pull-outs.

March 25, noon: To prevent the spread of COVID-19, six Bay Area counties are extending school closures until May 1.

In Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, schools will reopen on Monday, May 4. Read the full story.

March 25, 11 a.m. The California Highway Patrol announced Tuesday that two employees tested positive for COVID-19. One employee is a uniformed officer in the Oakland area; the other works in the CHP headquarters in Sacramento.

March 25, 9:10 a.m. San Francisco County reported 26 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday morning, bringing the county total to 178. The county reported the first death in a resident on Tuesday night. Read the full story.

March 25, 8:15 a.m. The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the Bay Area continues to climb, with now more than 1,000 cases in the nine-county region.

San Mateo County announced Wednesday morning four more deaths, bringing the county total to five. Health officials haven't released details on the patients. In San Mateo, 165 individuals have tested positive for the respiratory illness.

San Francisco County health officials reported the county's first death of a resident with COVID-19 on Tuesday evening. The patient who passed away was a man in his 40s with "multiple, significant" underlying health conditions, officials said in a statement.

March 25, 8:10 a.m. San Francisco-headquartered Gap Inc. announced Wednesday that the company "is pivoting resources so that factory partners can make masks, gowns and scrubs for healthcare workers on the frontlines and is connecting some of the largest hospitals in California with its vendors to deliver PPE [personal protective equipment] supplies."

March 25, 8 a.m. To prevent crowds from gathering at beaches, the City of Pacifica announced Wednesday it is closing the parking lots and some facilitiesat its city beaches.

Those include north and south lots at Pacifica State Beach (Linda Mar Beach); parking lots at the Pacifica Community Center; north and south lots at the Rockaway Beach; Council Chambers lot on Beach Boulevard; Beach Boulevard parking south of the Council Chambers and Fisherman’s Lot in 800 block of Palmetto Avenue.

The Pacifica Pier is also closed.

Half Moon Bay say it's also closing parking lots at beaches.

March 25, 7:30 a.m. In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti said there have been reports of so-called nonessential businesses ignoring orders to shut down.

While he hopes for voluntary compliance, those ignoring warnings could face misdemeanor charges and the city could shut off the business’s water and electricity, Garcetti warned.

Such businesses are “irresponsible and selfish ... it will put all of us at risk,” Garcetti said.

Where cases have been confirmed in the greater Bay Area:

ALAMEDA COUNTY: 124 confirmed cases, 2 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 10 cases, according to Berkeleyside.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 108 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: 60 confirmed cases

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

MONTEREY COUNTY: 24 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: 9 confirmed cases, 1 death

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

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 178 confirmed cases, 1 death

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

SAN MATEO COUNTY: 165 confirmed cases, 5 deaths

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

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 459 confirmed cases, 17 deaths

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

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 25 confirmed cases

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

SOLANO COUNTY: 24 confirmed cases

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

SONOMA COUNTY: 34 confirmed cases, 1 death

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

In California, 51 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.