Coronavirus updates: Bay Area counties report more cases

A shopper wears a mask and shield while shopping. Pedestrians wear masks to protect themselves from the COVID-19 coronavirus in San FranciscoÕs Chinatown neighborhood in San Francisco, Calif. on July 28, 2020. A shopper wears a mask and shield while shopping. Pedestrians wear masks to protect themselves from the COVID-19 coronavirus in San FranciscoÕs Chinatown neighborhood in San Francisco, Calif. on July 28, 2020. Photo: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Photo: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close Coronavirus updates: Bay Area counties report more cases 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

LATEST, April 28, 3:25 p.m. Health officials in Santa Cruz are considering a policy change regarding the county's beaches, which are currently open for recreation purposes while the shelter-in-place order continues.

Over the weekend, large groups flocked to local beaches, many of whom were ignoring social-distancing guidelines and congregating. Police Chief Andrew Mills likened the police activity at the scene to "shoveling snow, in a blizzard" due to the large crowds.

Mills told KSBW that the SCPD gave out 210 citations in total through the warm summer-like weekend; many of those were for parking violations near the beach. As a result, the county is expected to make changes to beach access rules.

"By the end of the week, we're likely to see a new shelter-in-place order, which includes some changes in how beaches are operated," said Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin.

April 28, 1:55 p.m. Bay Area counties announced new coronavirus cases on Tuesday; as other counties report the latest numbers, the list below will be updated throughout the day.

— Alameda County announced 35 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 1,533. Alameda also announced three new deaths, for a total of 55.

— Contra Costa County reported 22 new cases for a total of 842. The death toll remains at 25.

— Napa County announced six new cases, bringing the total cases in the county to 66.

— Santa Clara County announced new cases for a total of 2,122. Santa Clara also announced three additional deaths, bringing the fatalities to 106.

— Sonoma County reported two new cases for a total of 222. The death toll in the county remains at two.

— San Francisco County reported 44 new cases to increase its total case count to 1,468. The death toll remains 23.

— San Mateo County reported two additional deaths and 19 new cases, bringing its death toll to 43 and case total to 1,099.

April 28, 1:45 p.m. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Tuesday press conference modifications to the stay-at-home order will occur in four distinct stages. While specific dates weren't provided, he said "we are weeks, not months away" from making changes if the spread of the coronavirus continues to decline.

The state is currently in Stage 1 with people staying home except for essential workers such as health care and grocery workers. In Stage 2, schools, summer programs, childcare facilities and low-risk businesses will reopen with adaptations and modifications to promote social distancing. Newsom suggested the school year may start in late July or early August due to the learning loss that has occurred during the school closures.

In Stage 3, high-risk work places will reopen. Newsom said those include: personal care (hair and nail salons, gyms), entertainment venues (movie theaters, sports without live audiences) and in-person religious services (churches, weddings). Stage 4 marks the end of the stay-at-home order and reopening of the highest-risk parts of the economy including concerts, convention centers and live audience sports events. Newsom said this stage will be implemented when therapeutics to treat patient infected with COVID-19 have been developed.

Read more about the 4 stages in this story by SFGATE digital editor Amy Graff.

April 28: 11:45 a.m. San Francisco's Board of Supervisors and Board of Education will vote on a proposal today to create city-run encampments for people lacking housing.

The Safe Sleeping Sites Resolution was proposed by District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.

"We need to embrace new strategies to provide safer alternatives to people who are sleeping on the streets," Mandelman shared on Twitter.

The city would enforce social distancing at the camps and provide bathrooms, tents and other services.

Potential sites include Everett Middle School in the Castro and Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park.

April 28, 10 a.m. Bay Area counties announced new coronavirus cases on Tuesday; as other counties report their latest numbers, the list below will be updated throughout the day.

— San Francisco County reported 44 new cases to increase its total case count to 1,468. The death toll remains 23.

— San Mateo County reported two additional deaths and 19 new cases, bringing its death toll to 43 and case total to 1,099.

April 28, 7 a.m. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the state will relax the shelter-in-place order in coming weeks if the spread of the coronavirus continues to decline, and part of that next phase will be implementing new guidelines for businesses, schools and childcare facilities to allow for social distancing.

Newsom is expected to provide details in his Tuesday press conference on what a slow reopening of the economy might look like and new requirements for businesses.

The governor previously shared in press conferences six indicators the state is monitoring to guide its decision to modify the stay-at-home order. Those include 1) increased testing and contact tracing; 2) systems for protecting the most vulnerable populations such as seniors; 3) ensuring hospitals are equipped to handle a patient surge; 4) engaging research partners to develop therapeutics; 5) issuing new social distancing guidelines for businesses, schools and childcare facilities; and 6) developing the capacity to reinstate new orders when necessary.

At his recent press conferences, he has been dedicating time offering more detail on these.

"Last week, on Wednesday, we laid out details on one of our six indicators, that was on the issues of testing, on tracing, on tracking, on social isolation," he said in his Monday briefing. "That is done with an economic justice framework and the issues around quarantine. Tomorrow, we’re going to break down the number five indicator which goes to our business environment, goes to schools and childcare facilities and the like."

Newsom has repeatedly said that modifying the shelter-in-place order is dependent on residents following the current mandate and staying home to prevent spread of the virus and a surge.

"Again, the hope and expectation is that we’ll be in a position in a number of weeks to make meaningful modifications, but again the data will guide that," Newsom said Monday. "The indicators will guide that. The only thing that could disrupt that, to set us back, to slow down our capacity to start to reopen our economy is behavior that’s inconsistent with the statewide guidelines."

Cumulative cases in the greater Bay Area (due to limited testing these numbers reflect only a small portion of likely cases):

ALAMEDA COUNTY: 1,533 confirmed cases, 55 deaths

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

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 842 confirmed cases, 25 deaths

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

LAKE COUNTY: 6 confirmed cases

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

MARIN COUNTY: 224 confirmed cases, 12 deaths

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

MONTEREY COUNTY: 185 confirmed cases, 4 deaths

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

NAPA COUNTY: 66 cases, 2 deaths

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

SAN BENITO COUNTY: 48 confirmed cases, 3 deaths

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

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 1,468 confirmed cases, 23 deaths

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

SAN MATEO COUNTY: 1,099 confirmed cases, 43 deaths

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

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 2,122 confirmed cases, 106 deaths

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

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 125 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

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

SOLANO COUNTY: 226 confirmed cases, 4 deaths

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

SONOMA COUNTY: 222 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

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

In California, 1,723 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. For comparison, New York has 22,269, New Jersey 5,938 and Illinois 1,933.

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