Governor Says Bars Should Close And Elderly Stay Home To Combat Virus And More Local News
Speaker 1: 00:00 It's Monday, March 16th. I'm Deb Welsh and you're listening to San Diego news matters from KPBS coming up. Governor Gavin Newsom calls for Californians over the age of 65 to stay home and self isolate. And for the military, the Corona virus is a new kind of enemy Speaker 2: 00:17 if, if one case gets through, it's much easier to transmit to the entire pipeline. Speaker 1: 00:24 That more coming up right after the break. Speaker 3: 00:36 [inaudible] [inaudible] Speaker 1: 00:36 California governor Gavin Newsome called for all bars, wineries, nightclubs, and brew pubs to close in the nation's most populous state. KPBS reporter Eric Anderson has more. Speaker 4: 00:47 The governor announced the closures during a Sunday afternoon news conference in addition to tighter restrictions on public places. He urged seniors and people with chronic health conditions to isolate themselves at home in a bid to contain the spread of the Corona virus. Speaker 5: 01:03 Oh, we are calling for the home isolation of all seniors in the state of California. Uh, we are calling for the isolation home isolation of all of those 65 years and older. And those with chronic conditions, Speaker 4: 01:17 Newsome issued guidance last week to cancel or postpone gatherings large and small. And that's roiled California's economy, which is the world's fifth largest Eric Anderson KPBS news. Speaker 1: 01:30 Many churches in San Diego are taking extra precautions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. KPV has Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says Catholic churches are calling things off. Speaker 2: 01:43 One last, thanks be to God at st Patrick Catholic parish in North park. Last week, Bishop Robert McElroy of the diocese of San Diego ordered all masses canceled starting Monday. I'm not really that skirt. Faye cook had to get in one last mass Sunday morning. I need to go to church. I want to, I don't even want it suspended, but they, they'll keep it open during the service when they're supposed to services, so maybe I can just come and visit the Holy sacrament hook says she is washing her hands a lot, but strict social distancing NA. As a matter of fact, we into the casino the other night. Public health officials are urging people to avoid crowds and stay at least six feet away from [inaudible] Speaker 1: 02:26 from other individuals. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news, California is homeless population is among the communities most vulnerable to Cova 19 cap radio. Scott rod reports on efforts at the state and local level to reach them. Speaker 6: 02:40 DJ Dave, as he's known around this encampment along the American river, often goes to the heart senior center in downtown Sacramento to enjoy a free meal and some company. But today things were different. They had a notice of that said that, uh, they weren't serving lunch on mass in the dining room any longer, but they were still giving out the lunches at the door. You could pick them up and it just brought home to me that this is a serious condition. The realization brought back troubling memories for Dave. My wife died out here of undiagnosed walking pneumonia, so, and that was something we'd never heard of. People experiencing homelessness often lack access to medical services and have preexisting health conditions that makes them especially vulnerable to Corona virus. But lawmakers are taking action. The city of Sacramento has set aside a quarter million dollars to purchase sanitation products and hand washing stations for unsheltered people. The outreach couldn't come soon enough. Vivian McCauley, who was also unsheltered sheltered, says there's a lot of confusion and unanswered questions in the community. What can people do to avoid it? Like what can I do to get better? If they do catch it like you know, cause it's like something's like a fever. You can't really take care of yourself like you went to. She says helping people understand the virus is the most important step to stop it from spreading in Sacramento. I'm Scott rod Speaker 1: 03:57 as Corona virus continues to spread across the country. Legal advocates and family members of those in immigration and customs enforcement custody have called on the agency to share its plan for keeping detainees safe. The American civil liberties union of San Diego and Imperial counties wrote to the two local ice detention facilities in light of what the group calls reports of medical neglect at the facilities in the recent past ACL new staff attorney Monica longer Rica says ice can simply release detainees with future court dates. The option that is always there. I've really seen people to sort of reduce the number of people that they need needlessly exposed to the risk. I says yet to respond to a request for comment from KPBS. Hospitals across our area are scrambling to prepare to test as many patients as they can. For coronavirus KPBS reporter Prius Sri there takes a look at what they're doing. Script's launched a coven 19 nurse line that connects patients to a team of nurses dedicated to screening people with symptoms associated with the Corona virus. If a nurse decides they should be chapped to script's health, president Chris van Gorder says they can come to a cabana outside scripts clinic at Torrey Pines. Speaker 7: 05:11 People will come out of the cabanas where the cart too, to the car. So it's almost, it's a drive up thing, uh, and we can test and do the quick exam with them while they're still in their car. So that prevents them getting in, in with any other patient that might be sick. Speaker 1: 05:25 People can also go to the Scripps clinic in Rancho Bernardo and the script's coastal medical center in Vista starting on Tuesday, Priya Sri there KPBS news, the CDC says special respirator masks are no longer required for health care workers treating patients suspected of having the Corona virus. Nurses are protesting that change cap radios. Nicole Nixon reports the CDC made the change in part due to a national shortage of end 95 respirator masks. It says because the Corona virus is transmitted via respiratory through coughing, sneezing, and close contact. Surgical masks are adequate protection if respirators aren't available. If nurses aren't safe, our patients aren't safe. Robin Cole is an ER nurse at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento. She says now is not the time to loosen protections for health workers. If we can't protect ourselves against infectious diseases, then we become carriers of those infectious diseases, but Carmela coil with the California hospital association says medical facilities will continue to follow CDC guidelines. Speaker 8: 06:29 All of that supports the most important goal and that is keeping patients and our healthcare workers safe. Speaker 1: 06:34 The CDC guidelines still recommend gowns, gloves, and eye protection for people treating Corona virus patients in Sacramento. I'm Nicole Nixon. While schools, churches and cultural venues are all closing in the wake of the coronavirus scare, courts are staying open. Hey, PB as reporter Clara triggers her has details on what's going on at the courthouse despite state and County instructions to avoid large crowds. Most people with jury duty are expected to report as normal. According to a court spokeswoman, all civil trials have been delayed for 30 days to reduce the need for jurors, but if you have a summons, you should report. The only exceptions are if you have a fever or cough or have traveled internationally to countries with the worst outbreaks, including China, Iran, South Korea, and Italy, then you should reschedule. In addition, people can request a postponement in jury service if they are pregnant. 60 and older have underlying health conditions or weakened immune systems. Claire Trigere, sir KPBS news to reschedule your jury service, you can email jury support@sdcourtdotcadotgovcallsixonenineeightfourfourtwentyeighthundredorgotosdcourt.ca.gov Republican house leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield is facing calls to apologize for what some say is his racist and xenophobic description of the Corona virus cap radios. PolitiFact, California reporter Chris Nichols as the story Speaker 9: 08:07 on Twitter, McCarthy called the virus, the Chinese coronavirus. This set off a backlash from some lawmakers including democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu of Los Angeles. She called McCarthy's words reckless and bigoted. The virus was first identified in China, but has since spread to more than 100 countries and it affects all races and ethnicities. Early this month, Chu warned all members of Congress to avoid harmful description, Speaker 1: 08:35 perpetuating racist stereotypes or inciting fear will not save lives. Speaker 9: 08:40 McCarthy has responded saying, Democrats are trying to score political points by calling him a racist. Speaking on a podcast. He said he used the term Chinese to show where the virus came from. Speaker 1: 08:52 You know what, I'm not going to apologize for it. That he Speaker 9: 08:56 correctly pointed out. Similar descriptions have been used by some Democrats and in news headlines, but those took place in January and February and are no longer commonly used. Sacramento state ethnic studies. Professor Timothy Fong says McCarthy's words are dangerous. Speaker 10: 09:13 There been incidents of violence and murders in California, in our area, um, because of mistaken identity, uh, because of stereotyping. Speaker 9: 09:23 The head of the CDC recently told Congress that such terms as Chinese coronavirus are inappropriate in Sacramento. I'm Chris Nichols. Speaker 1: 09:32 Read the full version of this article and all fact checks@politifact.com slash California the military continues to add restrictions as more cases of the virus are found among troops KPB as military reporter Steve Walsh says at least one San Diego sailor has been diagnosed Speaker 11: 09:50 over the weekend. A sailor at Naval base San Diego tested positive for the virus last week. Two Marines at Miramar are also presumed to have tested positive nationwide at least 10 troops are now believed to have coven 19 that AB continues to step up its protocols, visitors to local basis and those getting off of flights are being asked. A series of screening questions. Commanders are being asked to set up quarantine areas and people who feel sick are encouraged to stay at home and self isolate. The department of defense is halting most domestic travel beginning Monday. That includes changing duty stations and temporary assignments leave is being restricted to the local community. Those restrictions are in place until May 11th Steve Walsh KPBS news, Speaker 1: 10:36 the coronavirus pandemic is affecting every aspect of American life and as we heard, that includes military live course and frame of the American Homefront project sat in on a virtual town hall meeting at San Antonio's Lackland air force base where troops and their families shared some of their concerns. Speaker 12: 10:55 Wow. This wasn't your typical town hall meeting because only a few people were actually there. A tan walled meeting room on base temporarily became a studio based leaders filed in and sat at a long table facing an elaborate camera, set up command logos had been stuck on the wall behind them. Speaker 13: 11:12 Good evening everybody and welcome to the joint base San Antonio virtual town hall to discuss all things novel coronavirus COBIT. 19 [inaudible] Speaker 12: 11:21 31,000 people viewed the event on Facebook live because of concerns about Corona virus. The base had instructed people to avoid large public gatherings. Public affairs officer Dan Hawkins run off, questions submitted online. Speaker 13: 11:33 What are some of those CDC recommendations and how can not only bass residents, but our airman and training, how can everybody take care of themselves? Speaker 12: 11:42 Joint base San Antonio Lackland is home to the air force is only enlisted recruit training program, which graduates about 40,000 new airman each year. The trainees live together in the barracks and share facilities, dining halls and bathrooms. John Diego's of Lachlan's 59th medical wing says that makes them especially vulnerable. The training environment is close, quartered and so if, if one case gets through, it's much easier to transmit to the entire pipeline and if many get infected at once, it would really impair the mission. Unlike a lot of colleges that are closing and sending students home from their dorms, the air force doesn't have a lot of alternatives to housing trainees in barracks. So leadership is telling airman to wash their hands, cover their coughs and keep their distance from one another. And Colonel Michael Newsome says maintenance staff is trying to keep the buildings cleaner. Speaker 14: 12:33 The standard cleaning within the barracks is continues. We just did it increase in regards to ensuring the sanitation of traveled areas, stairwells, things of this nature Speaker 12: 12:42 to lessen the chances of exposure. Base leaders are screening incoming recruits for the virus and if told trainees they're only allowed in certain dormitory and eating areas and base commander Laura Lenderman made one other controversial move. This was a really hard decision. Probably one of the harder decisions that we've made in my command here that was to ban spectators from basic training graduations. The ceremonies take place weekly and they're often the last chance parents have to see their children before they head off to their next assignment. Lenderman said people can watch a live stream of the ceremonies instead. Our heart goes out to everyone here. That's impacted by this, but we also have a responsibility to all of the community outside of our fence line to protect, protect this capability that we have here at San Antonio, which is our training pipeline. It's not just the trainees who will be affected. Speaker 12: 13:29 Hundreds of more senior airman live on Lackland, many of them with their families. The base is basically a city with shopping areas, health clinics, schools and childcare facilities. And many military parents are concerned about the health of their kids. For instance, Lenderman was asked what would happen if a Corona virus infection cropped up in a military daycare center? Every parent in every, um, every family member knows that will have a direct mission impact on our team. If there is a positive case, you know, they'll follow the protocols in terms of notifications. Um, they'll do some tracing, which is determining who that child, uh, came in contact with. Base officials say more than 20 military medical facilities on and off base or preparing for Corona virus patients. The command team at joint base San Antonio ran through a pandemic scenario just a few months ago, but Lenderman concedes. That's different from fighting a real pandemic. This is a new virus. It's a new disease that's impacting the world simultaneously. So it's an evolving mission set. Even in an organization like the air force, we're planning, logistics and preparedness are part of the culture. This is a new kind of enemy. I'm Carson frame in San Antonio. This story was produced by the American home front project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans funding comes from the corporation for public broadcasting. Speaker 15: 14:57 That's it for San Diego news matters today. Consider supporting this podcast by becoming a KPBS member today. Just go to kpbs.org/membership.
