Coronavirus Timeline: Tracking major moments of COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Five years ago, novel coronavirus began spreading worldwide at a blistering pace, from a cluster of cases in Wuhan, China to a pandemic affecting every U.S. state and all Bay Area counties. We're keeping track of the major moments here.

May 11, 2023

• The Public Health Emergency declared nationwide for the coronavirus pandemic officially comes to an end.

May 5, 2023

• The World Health Organization downgrades the global health emergency for COVID-19 that has been in place since January 30, 2020.

February 28, 2023

• Today is the end of California's State of Emergency for coronavirus, which has been in place since March 4, 2020. All Bay Area counties follow suit by lifting their own public health emergencies.

February 16, 2023

• San Francisco, Marin, and Sonoma counties announce the end to their individual Public Health Emergencies will happen on February 28. That's the same day California will end its State of Emergency. Other Bay Area counties, including Napa, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, and Santa Clara have already said they will follow state guidelines. Solano and Santa Cruz counties have not announced a decision.

January 30, 2023

• President Biden announces that the national emergency and public health emergency for COVID-19 will end on May 11. Then-President Donald Trump first declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency on March 13, 2020. The emergencies have been repeatedly extended by Biden since he took office in January 2021

October 17, 2022

• The State of Emergency enacted in California for the pandemic will end on February 28, 2023. It's been in place since March 4, 2020.

October 12, 2022

• The FDA authorizes and the CDC signs off on updated Covid-19 booster shots for kids as young as age 5.

September 2, 2022

• The government ends its program of providing free coronavirus tests. It ran out of funding after distributing more than 600 million tests.

September 1, 2022

• The CDC signs off on updated booster shots, which was the final hurdle before they can be distributed. It's the first update to the COVID-19 booster shots.

August 31, 2022

• The FDA amends its Emergency Use Authorization for Moderna and Pfizer booster shots to include the updated versions which are designed to target the omicron variant, which is now the dominant strain among new infections.

August 16, 2022

• First Lady Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19. She is vaccinated and boosted.

August 6, 2022

• President Biden tests negative after his second bout with COVID-19.

July 30, 2022

• President Biden tests positive, again, for COVID-19 in what's believed to be a case of Paxlovid rebound. He's returned to working in isolation.

July 27, 2022

• President Biden tests negative for COVID-19 and ends isolation.

July 21, 2022

• President Biden tests positive for COVID-19.

July 13, 2022

• The FDA issues an emergency use authorization for Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, making it the fourth vaccine option available for American adults.

July 6, 2022

• California tops 9.5 million diagnosed coronavirus cases. In the latest update of state data, the 7-day test positivity rate is 15.0%. For the first time since February, more than 4,000 patients are hospitalized statewide.

July 1, 2022

• U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat who represents California, tweets that he has contracted COVID-19 for a second time. He is vaccinatedand boosted and says his symptoms are mild.

June 24, 2022

• Alameda County announces that it will lift its indoor public mask mandate, effective at midnight on June 25. It says that coronavirus conditions are at a level where it makes sense to relax mask rules.

June 22, 2022

• San Francisco Mayor London Breed tests positive for COVID-19, two days after celebrating the Warriors NBA Championship win at the city's parade.

June 21, 2022

• Vaccinations for babies and children under age 5 begin.

June 18, 2022

• The CDC opens the door for children as young as 6 months old to get vaccinated. The shots will become available in the next week.

June 17, 2022

• The FDA authorizes the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers from both Pfizer and Moderna. These vaccines still need a recommendation by the CDC before they will be administered.

June 15, 2022

• Dr. Anthony Fauci tests positive for Covid-19, despite being fully vaccinated and double boosted. He says his symptoms are mild.


• A panel of advisers at the FDA gives the green light to vaccines by both Moderna and Pfizer for children as young as 6 months old. The full FDA, as well as the CDC, still need to sign off on these shots. That could happen as early as June 21.

June 14, 2022

• A committee of advisers at the FDA vote unanimously in favor of authorizing the Moderna vaccine for kids ages 6 through 17. Currently, only Pfizer's vaccine can be given to kids these ages.

June 13, 2022

• Mick Jagger tests positivefor COVID-19 and The Rolling Stones cancel their concert in Amsterdam.

June 7, 2022

• California tops 9 million diagnosed coronavirus cases.


• The FDA's independent panel of advisers votes in favor of authorizing Novavax, a protein-based vaccine, which could be the fourth vaccine for COVID-19 authorized in the U.S.

June 3, 2022

• Governor Gavin Newsom tests negative for covid and is able to leave isolation. The governor tested positive 7 days ago.

June 1, 2022

• Pfizer submits a request to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization for vaccines for kids 6 months up to 5 years old. That is the only age group that isn't eligible to be vaccinated at this point in the pandemic.

May 28, 2022

• Governor Gavin Newsom reveals that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and says his symptoms are mild. The governor is fully vaccinated and received two booster shots.

May 23, 2022

• Three child-size doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine appeared to be safe and showed a strong immune response in children ages 6 months to 5 years. The FDA has set June 15 as the date to review both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for this age group.


• This is the first day that students and staff in the Berkeley Unified School District must wear masks again. The district reinstated its mask mandate for the final two weeks of the school year because of a rise in coronavirus activity.

May 19, 2022

• Children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible for Pfizer booster shots, after receiving the green light from the CDC. This group will have to wait at least 5 months after being fully vaccinated to get a booster.

May 18, 2022

• Governor Gavin Newsom gets his second booster shot at a clinic in Bakersfield.


• Ashley Biden, the 40-year-old daughter of President Joe Biden, tests positive for COVID-19.

May 17, 2022

• The FDA grants emergency use authorization for a booster dose of Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The CDC still needs to sign off before young kids can get boosted.

May 16, 2022

• Americans can get 8 free covid tests from the government. This is the third round of free tests offered to all residents.

May 15, 2022

• Bay to Breakers, the San Francisco tradition, returns for the first time in the pandemic.

May 13, 2022

• California's coronavirus death toll officially tops 90,000 with the state's latest data release showing 90,117 total deaths.


• 12 health officers, including nearly all those representing the Bay Area, release new recommendations urging people to wear masks indoors due to the recent surge in cases. The Bay Area now has California's highest COVID infection rates.

May 12, 2022

• One million Americans have now died from the coronavirus, according to an announcement made by President Joe Biden, marking a long-dreaded milestone for an incomprehensible tragedy.


• The Contra Costa County Fair reopens for the first time in the pandemic.

May 10, 2022

• Microsoft founder Bill Gates tests positive for coronavirus. In tweets, he says his symptoms are mild.

May 9, 2022

• Warriors coach Steve Kerr tests positive for coronavirus, which means he will not coach the Warriors in their playoff game against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight.

May 4, 2022

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken tests positive for coronavirus. He is vaccinated and double boosted and says his symptoms are mild.

May 2, 2022

• Vice President Kamala Harris tests negative for Covid-19, six days after she tested positive.


• Late night host Jimmy Kimmel tests positive for coronavirus. Comedian Mike Birbiglia will fill in as guest host starting tomorrow night.


• In the pandemic's second year, California's population declined for the second year in a row.

April 28, 2022

• BART's Board of Directors unanimously votes to reinstate its mask mandate for passengers. Masks will be required through July 18.


• Moderna is seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA for its Covid-19 vaccine for children 6 months through 5 years of age.

April 26, 2022

• Vice President Kamala Harris tests positive for Covid-19, despite being fully vaccinated and double boosted. She does not have any symptoms and has not been in close contact with the President. The Vice President visited California just 5 days ago, landing at SFO on Thursday, April 21 to visit UCSF and discuss maternal health issues.


• A new CDC analysis estimates that at least three out of every five Americans have antibodies that indicate a prior COVID-19 infection. Before the omicron-fueled surge in cases from December 2021 to February 2022, only an estimated one-third of people in the U.S. were estimated to have a prior infection.


• Pfizer today asked the FDA to authorize a third vaccine dose for children ages 5-11. Boosters are currently authorized for everyone over age 12.

April 25, 2022

• The FDA approves the first covid drug, remdesivir, for children under age 12.


• More than 100 million Americans have received their first booster shot, according to the CDC.

April 20, 2022

• The CDC asks the Justice Department to appeal the judge's ruling which voided the federal mask mandate for planes and trains.


• Several Bay Area transit agencies announce that masks are no longer required, including BART, SFMTA (Muni), VTA, Caltrain, Samtrans, and the Golden Gate Ferry. Passengers also do not have to wear masks on board AC Transit buses or while riding Amtrak.

April 19, 2022

• Uber and Lyft lift mask mandates for both drivers and passengers.


• AC Transit announces that masks will become optional on buses beginning at midnight tonight.


• The Justice Department says it will not appeal the ruling that eliminated the mask mandate for transit unless the CDC says that masks should still be required. The mandate was set to expire in two weeks.

April 18, 2022

• A federal judge strikes down the mask mandate for air travel and public transit.


• For the first time in two years, the White House hosts the Easter Egg Roll in person.

April 13, 2022

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to extend the federal mask mandate for planes and trains until May 3. The current mandate was set to expire April 18.

April 11, 2022

• California Representative Jackie Speier tests positive for coronavirus.

April 7, 2022

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tests positive for coronavirus. She is not showing symptoms, and she is vaccinated and has received two booster shots. Several other big names in Washington have recently contracted coronavirus, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Maine Senator Susan Collins, California Representative Adam Schiff, and Texas Representative Joaquin Castro.

April 5, 2022

• California tops 8.5 million diagnosed covid cases.


• The city of San Jose votes to end its mask mandate, more than a month after the state lifted the requirement for people to wear masks in indoor public places.

April 1, 2022

• Starting April 1, individuals will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination or negative test for large indoor events in California. However, state health officials say it will still be a strong recommendation that this protocol continues.


• The CDC announces that it is ending a policy that limited asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

March 30, 2022

• President Biden receives his second booster shot.

March 29, 2022

• The FDA authorizes an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for anyone age 50 and old as well as for certain younger people with severely weakened immune systems.

March 27, 2022

• The Oscars felt much like a pre-pandemic awards show, with stars walking the red carpet and filling The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. It was all smiles up until Will Smith slapped Chris Rock live during the show for a joke about Smith's wife Jada.

March 22, 2022

• Hillary Clinton announces on twitter that she has tested positive for coronavirus. She says she is vaccinated and has mild symptoms. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that she is positive again for COVID-19 and will not accompany President Joe Biden to Europe for meetings on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

March 19, 2022

• China's health authorities reported two COVID-19 deaths, the first since January 2021, as the country battles its worst outbreak in two years driven by a surge in the highly transmissible omicron variant.

March 17, 2022

• Today marks two years since the start of the shelter in place orders in most of the Bay Area. Now, with most restrictions lifted, St. Patrick's day celebrations looked a lot like they did before the pandemic.

March 15, 2022

• The Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, tests positive for coronavirus. Vice President Kamala Harris, his wife, is testing negative.

March 14, 2022

• This is the first school day since California lifted its mask mandate for public schools on March 12.

March 13, 2022

• Former President Barack Obama announces he has tested positive for coronavirus, despite being fully vaccinated and boosted. He says his symptoms are mild.

March 11, 2022

• San Francisco lifts its vaccine mandate for indoor businesses like bars, restaurants, and gyms.

March 10, 2022

• Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month through April 18.


• Students at Oakland Unified schools will have to continue masking in class until after Spring Break. The superintendent says the district's indoor mask mandate will remain in effect until at least April 15.

March 9, 2022

• The 7-day test positivity rate in California declines to 1.8%. That's the lowest it's been since the Fourth of July in 2021.


• Mayor London Breed announced that San Francisco's policy of requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test for indoor settings like bars, restaurants, and gyms will be lifted Friday, March 11. Businesses can continue to require vaccines if they choose to. Masks can also still be required even though there is no city, county, or state mandate.

March 8, 2022

• California's 7-day test positivity rate drops to 1.9% as the omicron wave declines.


• Hawaii becomes the last state to lift its indoor mask mandate. It will end on March 25.

March 7, 2022

• Worldwide, the death toll from coronavirus tops 6 million. Nearly 1 million lives have been lost in the United States. More than 85,000 Californians have died in the pandemic.


• Hayward lifts the mask mandate inside City of Hayward facilities if you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you're not, you are still required to wear a mask. This city says this is in line with the current Alameda County public health standards. Public health officials are still encouraging people to mask up when inside public spaces, regardless of vaccination status.

March 4, 2022

• The San Francisco Unified School District will be dropping its mask mandate for middle school and high school students on March 12. Officials say although the mandate is being dropped, it will be strongly recommended that students still wear a mask. Marin and Alameda counties, along with the city of Berkeley, say they will align with the state, and remove the school mask mandate after next week.

March 3, 2022

• Coronavirus has claimed more than 85,000 lives in California.


• Alameda County, the city of Berkeley, and Marin County said today they will align with the state and lift the school mask mandate after next week. In San Francisco, the city will lift its mask mandate in city buildings, beginning March 18th. That includes libraries and recreation centers.

March 2, 2022

• Santa Clara County lifts its indoor mask mandate, matching a move made by the state and the rest of the Bay Area back on Feb. 16.

March 1, 2022

• Effective today, masks won't be required for unvaccinated individuals in most public indoor settings in California. Masks are strongly recommended.

February 28, 2022

• California announces several changes to mask rules. Starting March 12, masks won't be required in schools and child care facilities in California. They will be strongly recommended. There will also be new indoor mask policies. Starting March 1, masks won't be required but strongly recommended for unvaccinated individuals in most indoor settings.

February 25, 2022

• The CDC relaxes its guidance for wearing masks indoors. The updated guidance drops the recommendation of universal masking in schools. The CDC said it is still reviewing a federal requirement that individuals wear masks on public transportation, including on airplanes.


• Governor Newsom announces the beginning of the end for all remaining pandemic executive orders. 19 of the remaining orders are now terminated. 18 more will end on March 31. The remaining 15 will expire on June 30. The state of emergency remains in effect.


• The state's biggest county, Los Angeles, lifts its indoor mask requirement. The state allowed it to expire on Feb. 15 and nearly all counties followed immediately.


• The number of ICU patients in California drops below 1,000 for the first time since December.

February 24, 2022

• Santa Clara County announces it plans to lift its indoor mask mandate in less than one week on March 2 because it has met the benchmarks set for low coronavirus activity.


• Moderna officials say that a second COVID-19 vaccine booster dose will be needed globally in the fall, given waning immunity and concerns over omicron and the potential for emerging variants.

February 23, 2022

• Target announces that the company will not require U.S. employees or guests to wear masks in stores. The company says it will follow state and local COVID-19 safety regulations.

February 22, 2022

• The Los Angeles Unified School District drops its outdoor mask mandate. The change for all students and staff means masks are not be required at recess, eating periods and during athletics, as long as they are outdoors. The indoor mask mandate remains in place for all students and staff.

February 21, 2022

• For the first time in nearly a month, the daily average of COVID deaths in the United States is under 2,000.

February 20, 2022

• Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for coronavirus, Buckingham Palace announces.


• Justin Bieber's "World Justice Tour" is postponed after the pop star and other members of his team test positive for coronavirus. Bieber was scheduled to perform in Las Vegas tonight. That concert has been postponed to June.

February 19, 2022

• After being canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese New Year parade is back in San Francisco. The parade is the largest of its kind outside of Asia. Thousands came out to celebrate the year of the tiger.

February 17, 2022

• As the omicron surge declines, Governor Gavin Newsom details the next phase of the state's COVID-19 pandemic response called the "SMARTER" plan.


• Disneyland no longer requires guests to wear masks in most indoor areas.

February 16, 2022

• California health officials have lifted the statewide COVID-19 indoor mask mandate in public settings for vaccinated people. All Bay Area counties, except for Santa Clara, follow the state's lead.


• SF Pride will resume in-person celebrations this year, for the first time since the pandemic began.

February 15, 2022

• This is the final day of California's mask mandate for indoor public spaces. Beginning tomorrow, vaccinated people will not be required to wear masks when they're in places like stores, restaurants, gyms, and theaters. Every Bay Area county, except Santa Clara, will follow the state's guidance. Mask rules for schools, transit facilities, hospitals, and jails are not changing.

February 13, 2022

• Few masks were seen on the faces of people watching Super Bowl 56 as the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.

February 11, 2022

• Federal health regulators delayed next week's public meeting to review Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, saying they want to see more data.


• Capacity limits for events in Sonoma County expire. The omicron surge has waned significantly since the limits were put into place on Jan. 12.

February 9, 2022

• Most Bay Area counties are following California's lead and will lift universal indoor mask requirements for vaccinated people on Feb. 16. Santa Clara County is the only local county that plans to continue to require masks indoors.


• Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation to extend COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for workers.

February 8, 2022

• For the first time since December, U.S. daily cases are below 300,000. California's test positivity rate drops to 8.8%.

February 7, 2022

• After months of rising cases due to the omicron surge, every state in the U.S. is now reporting declining or stable new case rates, according to federal data. Less than one month ago, the U.S. was averaging more than 800,000 new cases per day. Now that average has plummeted to just over 313,000 new cases per day - a 61% drop since the nation's peak in mid-January and a 56% drop in the last two weeks.


• Gov. Gavin Newsom announces that California will allow its current mask mandate to expire on Feb. 15. The mandate required everyone, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks in indoor public places. Local governments can choose to extend the mandate.


• The California Legislature has approved a bill requiring workers receive up to two weeks of paid time off if they get sick from coronavirus.


• The city of Berkeley begins a vaccine mandate for anyone over the age of 5 entering places like restaurants, gyms, and events with more than 500 people. The mandate also requires employees of those and other businesses to be fully vaccinated, including proof of a booster shot.

February 4, 2022

• The death toll from coronavirus in the United States surpasses 900,000. California exceeds 8 million diagnosed coronavirus cases and 80,000 reported deaths.


• CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has given the greenlight for full approval for Moderna's vaccine for all adults, which was the last step in the process for the vaccine to move from an emergency use authorization to a permanent approval.


• Sonoma County announces it will lift its event capacity limits in one week, on Feb. 11, because the omicron surge is waning.


• Contra Costa County lifts its vaccine mandate for businesses including restaurants, bars, and gyms, because the county is more than 80 percent fully vaccinated. Private businesses can still choose to require patrons to be vaccinated.


• The first of two booster mandates takes effect in San Jose, requiring booster shots, or a negative covid test, to attend events at city-owned facilities with more than 50 people in attendance. Next week, police, fire, health care, and other city employees will be required to have a booster shot to maintain employment.

February 1, 2022

• Pfizer asks the FDA to authorize its vaccine for children younger than age 5.


• This is the first day of a vaccine mandate in Oakland. It applies to restaurants, bars, gyms, museums, theaters, City Hall, and other locations.


• San Francisco relaxes its mask mandate, bringing back a prior exemption which allows people to take masks off in a gym, office, or church where everyone is fully vaccinated.

January 31, 2022

• Moderna has now received full FDA approval for its COVID-19 vaccine, the second vaccine maker to be granted full approval, after Pfizer.

January 27, 2022

• Beginning on February 1, San Francisco office workers, gym members and other "stable cohorts" of people may remove masks indoors again, reinstating the mask exemption that was in place before the latest omicron surge.


• The VTA in Santa Clara County is adding a vaccine mandate for employees, effective April 29. Workers must be fully vaccinated but boosters are not required. Since August, new hires have been required to be fully vaccinated.

January 26, 2022

• The 7-day test positivity rate in California drops for the second day in a row to 18.7%.

January 25, 2022

• The number of new coronavirus cases worldwide set a pandemic record with 21 million in one week, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. reported the most of any country, as well as the highest number of deaths.


• Pfizer and BioNTech have begun a clinical trial for their Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The results should be back in the first half of the year.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate drops below 20%, to 19.6%.


• Everyone going to the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles County next month will receive a KN95 mask to wear.


• Two cases of the new omicron sub-variant BA.2 have been detected in Santa Clara County. There are 11 total confirmed cases in California.

January 24, 2022

• Tax filing season begins and the IRS is urging people to file early, saying a combination of pandemic-related strains, including staffing shortages, may delay the processing of returns.

January 21, 2022

• Today marks two years since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the U.S. It happened in Washington state and came just two weeks after the novel coronavirus was first identified in China. Since that initial case, more than 68.5 million people have tested positive across the U.S. The infection has claimed more than 855,000 lives in the nation.


• Santa Clara County offers 60,000 free at-home Covid tests to residents.

January 19, 2022

• Starbucks is no longer requiring its U.S. workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reversing a policy it announced earlier this month. The company's decision follows a Supreme Court ruling on the federal mandate.

January 18, 2022

• The Biden administration quietly launched its website for Americans to request free at-home COVID-19 tests, a day before the site was scheduled to officially go online. The website, COVIDTests.gov, now includes a link for Americans to order four at-home tests per residential address, to be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

January 15, 2022

• The White House will launch a new website on Wednesday, Jan. 19, to distribute 500 million free, at-home rapid tests that'll be mailed to Americans' doorsteps. People will be able to order online and receive four tests per household from this first batch of 500 million. A second batch of 500 million will eventually be offered.


• Starting today, Americans can get at-home covid tests for free through private insurance. You won't be reimbursed for tests purchased before today. Going forward, if you buy tests, you can have them paid for at the time of purchase by insurance or get reimbursed by submitting a claim. Insurers must pay for up to 8 tests per covered individual per month.

January 14, 2022

• For the second day in a row, California's test positivity rate declines to 22.9%. But, for the fourth day in a row, the state reports more than 100,000 new cases of coronavirus.


• The CDC updates its mask guidance to recommend higher quality masks like N95 or KN95 over cloth masks, which it says offer the least protection.

January 13, 2022

• California's test positivity rate drops for the first time in over a week, to 23.0%. The number of new cases reported is above 100,000 for the third day in a row. Sewer data from Santa Clara County shows a decrease in coronavirus samples, an encouraging sign that the omicron surge may be peaking.


• The Supreme Court has stopped the Biden administration from enforcing a requirement that employees at large businesses be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a mask on the job. At the same time, the court is allowing the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the U.S.


• San Francisco's annual tribute to Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. has been canceled for 2022.


• Teachers in the Oakland Unified School District stage a sickout at nine schools to support students who are demanding more COVID safety measures. A group of students says they will stage a walkout on Tuesday unless their demands are met.

January 12, 2022

• For the second day in a row, California records more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases. The test positivity rate sets a record of 23.1%.


• Today Sonoma County's new health order takes effect limiting the number of people at indoor and outdoor events, and recommending that everyone stay home except for going to work, school, and essential errands.


• Russian River Brewery is postponing the release of its infamous Pliny the Younger beer due to the omicron surge.

January 11, 2022

• California exceeds 6 million diagnosed coronavirus cases. Only two weeks ago the state reported 5 million cases. It's been 17 weeks since California crossed the 4 million mark.


• California sets a new 7-day test positivity record at 22.4%.


• The American Red Cross declares a national blood crisis for the first time because of a drastic drop in donations that it blames on the pandemic.


• Gov. Gavin Newsom signs an executive order to allow schools more flexibility in staffing decisions like giving additional hours to substitute teachers and rehiring recent retirees for short stints.


• San Jose's City Council approved a mandate that requires people to provide proof they had a booster shot in order to attend big events at city-owned facilities, including the SAP Center and the San Jose Convention Center. City staff tell us it goes into effect immediately. The new rule also applies to venue staff, and it requires city employees to get a booster, if eligible.

January 10, 2022

• California's 7-day test postivity rate continues its record setting stretch, climbing to 22.1%.


• Sonoma County issues a new health order capping indoor events at 50 people, outdoor events at 100 people, and gatherings of high-risk individuals at 12 people (family gatherings excluded). The order takes effect Jan. 12 and lasts until Feb. 11. It's issued because of an extraordinarily high number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the county.


• Schools in the West Contra Costa Unified district are closed today because of a spike in omicron cases. When classes resume tomorrow, all staff will be required to wear a medical grade KN-95 mask.

January 8, 2022

• Gov. Gavin Newsom signs an executive order aimed at preventing price gouging of at-home COVID-19 test kits.

January 7, 2022

• The Supreme Court hears arguments about President Biden's vaccine mandate on the nation's large employers. The court also heard arguments on a separate vaccine mandate for most health care workers.


• Twelve schools in Oakland were forced to close because of a teacher sickout over covid safety concerns.


• California's test positivity rate continues its record setting streak by increasing to 21.7%.


• UC Berkeley becomes the final UC school to move its undergraduate classes to remote instruction for the beginning of the next term. Remote classes will begin Jan. 18.


• The FDA now recommends only a five month wait for the Moderna booster shot, not the original six. This matches a recommendation already made for Pfizer's booster shots. Johnson & Johnson recipients should wait two months for their booster shot.

January 6, 2022

• California sets a record high test positivity rate for the third day in a row at 21.4%.


• San Francisco State University delays in-person learning until Feb. 14. The school semester will start as planned on Jan 24. with remote services.


• Cal State East Bay will begin the Spring semester with online classes for the first two weeks.

January 5, 2022

• There's a new record high test positivity rate in California of 21.3%.


• California extends its indoor mask mandate for an additional month. Instead of expiring on Jan. 15 it will now last until Feb. 15.

January 4, 2022

• California sets a record high test positivity rate of 20.4%.


• The CA Department of Public Health recommends people wear N95 level masks, or double layer a cloth mask with a surgical mask, to protect against the highly transmissible omicron variant.


• The CDC recommends shortening the recommended interval of time between when people who had an initial series of Pfizer vaccinations and when they receive a Pfizer booster shot, from six months to five months. This matches a move made by the FDA yesterday.

January 3, 2022

• The FDA makes two significant changes to booster shots. It authorizes them to children ages 12 to 15. And, it shortens the time frame between the second dose and the booster shot. What was once a six month waiting period is now five months.

December 31, 2021

• New Year's Eve parties are subdued or canceled this year due to the surge in the omicron variant.

December 29, 2021

• New cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to their highest level on record, a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant. New cases per day have more than doubled over the past two weeks, eclipsing the old mark of 250,000, set in mid-January, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate reaches double digits, climbing to 11.2%


• The four Bay Area counties that had an exemption to the state's mask mandate for indoor public places each rescinded it today. The exemptions were for places like gyms and offices where everyone is fully vaccinated and only a small, stable group of people is present. Now, in all Bay Area counties, people must wear masks in all indoor public places.


• San Francisco, along with tightening its mask mandate, also announces a booster shot mandate for certain high-risk settings and for events with more than 1,000 people.

December 28, 2021

• California is the first state in the nation to top 5 million diagnosed coronavirus cases. The 7-day test positivity rate reaches 9.7%, from just 2.3% on Dec. 15. Every county in the Bay Area is seeing a surge of cases.


• San Francisco cancels its New Year's Eve fireworks show, citing the rise in covid activity due to the omicron variant.


• Contra Costa County rescinds its masking exemption for controlled indoor spaces like gyms and offices. Effective tomorrow, you have to wear a mask in all public indoor spaces.


• Santa Clara County announces a booster shot mandate for anyone working in health care facilities, jails or homeless shelters. No exception will be made for those with religious or medical exemptions. On Feb. 1, employees will be barred from working in these high-risk settings if they don't have a booster shot.

December 27, 2021

• The CDC updates its guidelines for isolation. Instead of 10 days, it now recommends five days of isolation for people who test positive for covid.

December 24, 2021

• Citing the omicron variant, United, Delta, and Alaska airlines cancel hundreds of Christmas Eve flights.

December 23, 2021

• For the second time in two days, the FDA authorizes a pill to treat coronavirus symptoms. This pill is manufactured by Merck.


• California's test positivity rate climbs to 4.2% from 2.6% a week ago.

December 22, 2021

• The omicron variant has now been diagnosed in all 50 states. South Dakota was the last state to report a confirmed case.


• Marin County says the omicron surge has arrived. It just recorded the highest number of new cases in a single day since January. The daily total, 112, beats the peak of Delta cases seen over the summer.


• The FDA authorizes the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus.


• Governor Newsom lays out new actions to slow the spread of COVID in California that include a booster mandate for health care workers, increased testing access for students, and expanded hours at testing sites.


• Event cancellations are underway. The Gay Men's Chorus is pulling the plug on its traditional Christmas Eve concerts at the Castro Theatre after breakthrough cases were detected within the chorus. Broadway S-F is also reporting breakthrough cases and canceling all remaining performances of A Christmas Carol.


• NHL players will not be allowed to participate in the Beijing Olympics after the league pulled the plug amid a rash of postponements caused by positive COVID-19 test results.


• Amazon, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens are limiting the number of at-home Covid kits customers can buy due to huge demand.


• The California State University (CSU) system will require all students, faculty and staff members to get their COVID-19 booster shot for the spring 2022 semester.

December 21, 2021

• Rep. Barbara Lee, whose district includes Oakland, announced that she has a breakthrough case of Covid. She has been fully vaccinated and got a booster shot.


• Fighting the omicron variant surging through the country, President Joe Biden announced the government will provide 500 million free rapid home-testing kits, increase support for hospitals under strain and redouble vaccination and boosting efforts.


• San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced a proposal to require city employees to get a COVID-19 booster vaccination as a condition of employment.


• The Oakland City Council approved a broad mandate to require proof of vaccination in many indoor public spaces including restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, theaters, city hall, museums, gyms, libraries, and senior living centers. It will take effect on February 1. This is more expansive than the requirement in San Francisco, but less expansive than Los Angeles.


• Santa Cruz County announces its first diagnosed cases of the omicron variant in two people in their mid 20's.


• For the first time, a child in Solano County died of coronavirus. The infant was less than a year old.

December 20, 2021

• Omicron is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week.


• Moderna says that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine should offer protection against the omicron variant.


• Contra Costa County reports its first three omicron cases. Now, six Bay Area counties have diagnosed cases: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Sonoma.

December 19, 2021

• U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Cory Booker each say they tested positive for COVID-19. Both are fully vaccinated and have received booster shots.

December 17, 2021

• Marin and Sonoma Counties each announce their first diagnosed cases of the omicron variant. There are now five Bay Area counties with confirmed cases, including Santa Clara, Alameda, and San Francisco.


• A federal appeals court panel allowed President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large, private employers to move ahead. The vaccine requirement would apply to companies with 100 or more workers. Employees who are not fully vaccinated would have to wear masks and be subject to weekly coronavirus tests. There would be exceptions for those who work outdoors or only at home.


• The NFL rescheduled three games from Saturday to Tuesday because of widespread coronavirus activity across the league.

December 16, 2021

• Santa Clara County announces 10 confirmed cases of the omicron variant. That is the most of any Bay Area county. Alameda County has confirmed 7 cases. San Francisco diagnosed the first omicron case in the entire United States on Dec 1.


• Most Americans should be given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson & Johnson shot that can cause rare but serious blood clots, the CDC recommended.


• Revised rules from the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board erase distinctions between vaccinated and unvaccinated employees when it comes to self-isolating after possible covid exposures.


• Apple will delay bringing its workers back to the office until a "yet to be determined" date while giving all of its corporate and retail employees $1,000 to buy equipment for their home offices.

December 15, 2021

• California's statewide indoor mask mandate takes effect, but yields few changes in the Bay Area. Solano County sees the biggest difference since it did not have a county-wide mandate. Santa Clara, San Mateo, Napa, and Alameda counties already required masks in public. The City of Berkeley is an exception because it allowed an exemption for certain indoor places, like offices and gyms, where everyone is fully vaccinated. That's the same exemption allowed in San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Sonoma Counties. Marin County, which had relaxed all mask rules, is now matching this exemption as well.

December 14, 2021

• In a clarification of guidelines from the CA Department of Public Health, counties that have existing mask mandates in place may keep their current rules. In the Bay Area, that means Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Sonoma Counties can keep their rules which allow fully vaccinated people in limited indoor spaces like offices and gyms to take off their masks. Marin and Solano Counties do not have a mask mandate and will have to comply with the state's new rules beginning tomorrow.

December 13, 2021

• The number of coronavirus cases in the United States tops 500 million. It is roughly one fifth of all cases diagnosed in the world.


• With a rise in coronavirus activity, California announces it will reinstate the mask mandate for indoor public spaces beginning on Dec. 15. This comes exactly six months after the state celebrated California Reopening and a lifting of most restrictions. The impact will be minimal in the Bay Area with five counties seeing no change at all, two counties seeing minor changes, and two counties seeing significant changes. In San Francisco and Contra Costa counties, mask mandates were only lifted in limited indoor settings like gyms and offices where everyone was fully vaccinated. Alameda County had recently eliminated this rule on Dec. 8. The largest change will be seen in Marin and Solano counties which do not have a public indoor mask mandate in place at this time.

December 10, 2021

• Santa Clara County announces its first diagnosed case of the omicron variant of coronavirus. There are also six known cases in Alameda County. One case in San Francisco is the first diagnosed case in the United States.

December 9, 2021

• Alameda County tightens up indoor masking rules that had been relaxed last month for fully vaccinated people in places like offices, gyms, and places of worship. They are no longer exempt and must now wear a mask in those locations, regardless of vaccination status.


• U.S. health authorities say that 16- and 17-year-olds should get a booster dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine once they're six months past their last shot.


• The omicron variant is now detected in 25 states across America.

December 8, 2021

• Pfizer says that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine may protect against the new omicron variant even though the initial two doses appear significantly less effective.


• A sixth omicron case is confirmed among a cluster of 12 coronavirus patients in Alameda County. And, it's revealed that 11 of those with covid work at Kaiser's Oakland Medical Center.

December 3, 2021

• More omicron cases are diagnosed in the Bay Area. Five Alameda County residents are confirmed to have the variant.


• Across the U.S., 13 states now report confirmed or probable cases of the omicron variant. The latest include Louisiana, New Jersey, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Nebraska, Missouri, and Utah.

December 2, 2021

• A second case of omicron is announced in California. The patient is a fully vaccinated Los Angeles county resident who recently traveled to South Africa.


• Hawaii, New York, Colorado, and Minnesota all report cases of omicron. California reported the first case in the U.S. on Dec. 1.


• President Biden announces a plan to combat coronavirus in the winter months. It includes making at-home rapid tests free, extending the mask requirement on public transit through March 18, and requiring more stringent testing protocols for all international travelers. Beginning Dec. 6, inbound International travelers must show a negative covid test within 24 hours of departure for the U.S.

December 1, 2021

• A San Francisco resident becomes the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with the omicron variant of coronavirus.

November 30, 2021

• More than 200 confirmed cases of the omicron variant, first identified in Southern Africa, have been reported in 20 countries around the world. No case has yet been diagnosed in the United States.


• A FDA panel endorses Merck's covid pill, voting 13-10 that the benefits outweigh the risks. Experts backing the treatment stressed it should not be used by pregnant women and called on the FDA to recommend extra precautions, including pregnancy tests for women before using the drug. The panel's vote specifically backed the drug for adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who face the greatest risks, including those with conditions like obesity, asthma and old age.

November 29, 2021

• The U.S. imposes a new travel ban on eight countries in the southern region of Africa because of the new omicron variant.


• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strengthens recommendations for booster doses of coronavirus vaccines, saying all adults should get boosted six months after the second dose of Pfizer/BioNTech's or Moderna's vaccine or two months after the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.


• The city of Los Angeles began its enforcement of the SafePassLA ordinance - one of the strictest COVID-19 vaccine mandates of its kind in the nation.

November 26, 2021

• The discovery of a new coronavirus variant sent a chill through much of the world as nations raced to halt air travel, markets fell sharply and scientists held emergency meetings to weigh the exact risks, which were largely unknown. A World Health Organization panel named the variant "omicron" and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the delta variant, the world's most prevalent.

November 22, 2021

• A mandate that federal employees be vaccinated takes effect today. The TSA says 93% of its employees are in compliance.


• An indoor mask mandate is now in effect in Santa Cruz County and it covers private settings like a home. If you are getting together with others who don't live in the same household the county says you should mask up regardless of vaccination status. Businesses are also required to follow the guidelines. You can take off your mask when eating or drinking.

November 19, 2021

• Both the FDA and CDC authorize booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for all adults six months after their final dose.


• San Francisco International Airport officials say today is expected to be the busiest day at the airport since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the weekend before Thanksgiving. 50,000 travelers are expected to pass through TSA checkpoints. In 2019, before the pandemic, that number was 80,000.

November 17, 2021

• Moderna has asked the FDA to authorize its booster shot for anyone age 18 and up. The FDA could grant the request as soon as this week.


• OSHA suspends enforcement of the vaccine mandate for companies with more than 100 employees. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had ordered OSHA to hold off until after further court rulings.

November 16, 2021

• Pfizer is asking U.S. regulators to authorize its experimental pill for COVID-19, setting the stage for a likely launch of the promising therapy in the coming weeks.

November 11, 2021

• Veterans Day events return after being canceled by the pandemic last year.

November 9, 2021

• Pfizer requested the FDA allow all Americans over 18 to be eligible for booster shots, submitting data from a 10,000-person trial that found its third shots to be safe and effective for adults of all ages.


• Alameda County announces a vaccine mandate for first responders. It will take effect on December 21. Other Bay Area counties have similar requirements, except for San Mateo, Solano, and Napa counties.

November 8, 2021

• The U.S. lifts international travel restrictions for the first time in almost two years, allowing people from certain countries to enter the U.S. through airports and land borders. Visitors must be fully vaccinated and some must show a recent negative Covid test.

November 6, 2021

• A federal appeals court in Louisiana temporarily halts the Biden administration's new vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers. The administration says it is confident that the requirement will withstand legal challenges in part because its safety rules preempt state laws.
  

November 5, 2021

• A course of pills developed by Pfizer can slash the risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 by 89% if taken within three days of developing symptoms, according to results released by the pharmaceutical company.


• Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he's unvaccinated against coronavirus and has consulted Joe Rogan for COVID treatment.

November 4, 2021

• President Joe Biden's administration announced two new sweeping nationwide safety standards -- one that demands large businesses require their employees to either get the vaccine or test for COVID-19 regularly, and another that mandates vaccines for most health care workers.


• Britain granted conditional authorization to the first pill shown to successfully treat COVID-19 so far. It also is the first country to OK the treatment from drugmaker Merck, although it wasn't immediately clear how quickly the pill would be available.

November 3, 2021

• Vaccinations of children ages 5 to 11 begin in the Bay Area.


• The number of ICU patients across California drops below 1,000. It hasn't been this low since the end of July.

November 2, 2021

• U.S. health officials gave the final signoff to Pfizer's kid-size COVID-19 shot, a major expansion of the nation's vaccination campaign. Children ages 5 to 11 can now be vaccinated against coronavirus.

November 1, 2021

• COVID-19 has killed 5 million people globally in less than two years, according to Johns Hopkins University.


• Marin County becomes the first in the Bay Area to lift the indoor mask mandate for public places that's been in place since August. Now, fully vaccinated people don't have to wear a mask in shops, restaurants, bars and more places, unless other rules apply.


• The City of Berkeley, plus the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa, relax indoor mask rules for certain places like offices, gyms, and churches. If everyone is fully vaccinated, then masks are no longer required.


• This is the deadline for San Francisco city workers to be vaccinated and to return to work in the office. 98 percent of employees have met the vaccination deadline.

October 31, 2021

• Halloween events return after a hiatus due to the pandemic.


• White House press secretary Jen Psaki says she has contracted COVID-19.

October 29, 2021

• Another 28 million Americans are one step closer to getting vaccinated against COVID-19 after the FDA authorized the Pfizer shot for 5- to 11-year-olds.


• Marin County is the first in the Bay Area to meet the metrics to lift the regional indoor mask mandate and that will happen at noon on Monday, Nov. 1. Marin County has low transmission, low hospitalizations, and a vaccination rate above 80%. When the mandate lifts, people will not have to wear a mask in most public places, unless other rules require them.


• After a two year wait because of the pandemic, the music festival known as Outside Lands is back at Golden Gate Park.

October 28, 2021

• The health departments for Alameda County and the City of Berkeley announce that mask mandates will be lifted, on Nov. 1, for certain indoor locations like offices, gyms, and religious locations where everyone is fully vaccinated. Contra Costa County will also lift its indoor mask mandate for those locations on that day. San Francisco and Marin counties already took this step on Oct. 15.

October 27, 2021

• The Oakland Unified School District sets January 1 as the deadline for eligible students to have received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine. If students don't, they will have to make the switch to an independent study program, or un-enroll from school.

October 26, 2021

• Vaccine advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted 17-0, with one abstention, to recommend Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11.


• The United States lays out new travel requirements for international travelers, including a vaccine mandate.


• Contra Costa County has suspended the permit of the In-N-Out in Pleasant Hill after more citations for not following the vaccine mandate and allowing indoor dining without checking the vaccination status of customers.

October 22, 2021

• Kid-size doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine appear safe and nearly 91% effective at preventing symptomatic infections in 5- to 11-year-olds.


• Cupertino-based Apple is requiring unvaccinated employees working at its corporate offices to undergo daily COVID tests.

October 21, 2021

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed recommendations for booster doses for Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccines, allowing millions more Americans to begin getting booster shots. Walensky also endorsed the mix-and-match approach to boosters, saying eligible people could choose whichever vaccine they wished as a booster.

October 20, 2021

• The FDA signed off on extending COVID-19 boosters to Americans who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine and said anyone eligible for an extra dose can get a brand different from the one they received initially.

October 18, 2021

• Colin Powell, the barrier-breaking soldier and diplomat who served Democratic and Republican presidents in war and peace but whose sterling reputation was stained by his faulty claims to justify the U.S. war in Iraq, died of COVID-19 complications. He was 84.

October 15, 2021

• Foreign visitors who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to travel to the United States starting on Nov. 8, the White House said Friday.


• A panel of U.S. health advisers has endorsed booster doses of Johnson & Johnson's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.


• San Francisco and Marin Counties lift the mask mandate for certain indoor gatherings. Masks are no longer required in settings like gyms and offices where everyone is fully vaccinated. Contra Costa County will match these guidelines on Nov. 1. A broader, regional, indoor mask mandate that applies to public settings like restaurants and bars remains in effect because no county has met the metrics to lift that mandate.


• As the CDC made their recommendations for safe ways to enjoy the holiday season, Bay Area health officials offered their own guidelines and recommendations for Halloween this year.

October 14, 2021

• The panel of advisers to the FDA voted unanimously to recommend a half-dose Moderna booster shot for seniors, adults with other health problems, jobs or living situations that put them at increased risk for COVID-19.


• BART adds a vaccine mandate for employees and contractors and sets a Dec. 13 deadline.


• Contra Costa County will lift masking requirements on Nov. 1 in certain indoor settings where everyone is fully vaccinated. Eligible settings are in controlled spaces not open to the general public, including offices, gyms and fitness centers, employee commuter vehicles, indoor college classes and organized gatherings in any other indoor setting, such as a religious gathering. Similar rules take effect in San Francisco and Marin tomorrow.

October 13, 2021

• Today is the deadline for some workers in San Francisco to prove they're vaccinated. Employees of restaurants, bars, clubs, and gyms must now be fully vaccinated. Customers of these businesses have had to show proof of vaccination since August 20. The vaccine mandate also now applies to health care workers including pharmacists, dentists, home health aides, plus workers at adult day centers and residential care facilities.


• The U.S. is easing travel restrictions for fully vaccinated visitors from Canada and Mexico, allowing people traveling for non-essential reasons to cross U.S. land borders. Travelers must show proof of vaccination.

October 12, 2021

• The Biden Administration has purchased 65 million Pfizer pediatric vaccine doses, enough to vaccinate all children ages 5 to 11. States are being told to prepare to vaccinate children starting next month, even though vaccines are not yet authorized for anyone under age 12.

October 11, 2021

• Drugmaker Merck asks U.S. regulators to authorize its pill against COVID-19 in what would add an entirely new and easy-to-use weapon to the world's arsenal against the pandemic.


• It's been 19 months since San Francisco has seen a cruise ship dock in the city. That changed today, when the Majestic Princess arrived before dawn.


• The World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off has returned to Half Moon Bay. But for a second year in a row, the Art and Pumpkin Festival had to be canceled because of the pandemic.


• The government's top infectious diseases expert says families can feel safe trick-or-treating outdoors this year for Halloween as COVID-19 cases in the U.S. decline, especially for those who are vaccinated.

October 8, 2021

• Governor Newsom signed a COVID-19 recovery package that helps bars and restaurants in California, making it possible for them to keep parklets open and continue to-go cocktails.


• Marin County announced it will match San Francisco in easing mask rules for certain indoor settings - places like offices, gyms, and churches - where absolutely everyone is fully vaccinated, starting next Friday Oct. 15.


• San Francisco announced that cruise ships will return beginning Monday Oct. 11. A record number are scheduled to dock in the city in 2022, which promises a large economic boost. All cruise passengers and crew are required to be vaccinated.


• Los Angeles County put a new vaccine mandate into effect which requires people to show proof of vaccination at indoor portions of bars, wineries, distilleries, nightclubs and lounges. Full vaccination will be required to go to big sports events, concerts, and theme parks.

October 7, 2021

• Health officers for the nine Bay Area jurisdictions that require face coverings in most indoor public spaces reached consensus on criteria to lift those orders. But, the metrics may not be reached for months. San Francisco, separately, released guidelines to make masking optional in certain indoor settings. Those guidelines will take effect Oct. 15.


• The number of U.S. children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic may be larger than previously estimated, and the toll has been far greater among Black and Hispanic Americans, a new study suggests.

October 6, 2021

• The Los Angeles City Council passes one of the nation's strictest indoor vaccine mandates, requiring a proof of vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, salons, malls, and entertainment centers. This is broader than the vaccine proof requirements that are in effect in some parts of the Bay Area, like San Francisco.


• The Food and Drug Administration could issue an emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 soon after Oct. 26, when the agency's advisory committee plans to discuss Pfizer's data, the FDA's vaccine chief said.


• For the first time in 575 days, the Golden State Warriors played their first game with no capacity limits at Chase Center in San Francisco.

October 5, 2021

• Johnson & Johnson asked the FDA to allow extra shots of its COVID-19 vaccine as the U.S. government moves toward expanding its booster campaign to millions more vaccinated Americans.

October 4, 2021

• A coronavirus vaccine mandate takes effect in New York City for teachers and other school staff members.


• The Blue Angels arrive in the Bay Area for Fleet Week. The event was canceled last year because of the pandemic.

October 3, 2021

• Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has received his COVID-19 vaccine and will be eligible to play in all games. Wiggins faced the possibility of not being allowed into Golden State's home building at Chase Center for games starting Oct. 13 when the San Francisco Department of Public Health begins requiring proof of vaccination for large indoor events.

October 1, 2021

• The death toll from coronavirus across the United States tops 700,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. California has, so far, recorded 68,796 total deaths.


• American Airlines told employees today that, as a result of the federal vaccine mandate, all of American's U.S. based employees, and certain international crew, must be vaccinated.


• In a potential leap forward in the global fight against the pandemic, drugmaker Merck said that its experimental pill for people sick with COVID-19 reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half. That could add a whole new, easy-to-use weapon to an arsenal that already includes the COVID-19 vaccine.


• California will require eligible students in public and private schools to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The governor said the state will issue the mandate in the next school term following the FDA's approval, the earliest being Jan. 1, 2022 and the latest being July 1, 2022.


• Oakland's First Friday returned for the first event in more than a year.

September 30, 2021

• California's pandemic eviction moratorium expires today, allowing landlords to begin the process of evicting tenants who have not paid rent.


• Today is the deadline for California health care workers to be vaccinated.


• A 105-year-old Bay Area woman who survived the 1918 flu pandemic has died from COVID-19.

September 29, 2021

• United Airlines is firing almost 600 employees for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The airline requires all staff to be vaccinated. In a memo to staff, United executives said more than 99% of the airline's U.S. employees have been vaccinated, excluding those who submitted for a religious or medical accommodation.


• Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduces legislation that would require passengers on domestic flights to be vaccinated or test negative for coronavirus.


• Marin County opens its first site specifically for vaccine booster shots at the Northgate Mall in San Rafael.


• Santa Cruz County drops its indoor mask mandate because the CDC now ranks it with a moderate rate of coronavirus transmission. Five other local counties - San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Marin and Sonoma - are also at this level. San Francisco, Contra Costa, Solano, and Napa counties are in the next level with "substantial" transmission.


• The California Department of Public Health issues a new order mandating vaccinations for all workers at adult and senior care facilities.

September 28, 2021

• Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted Covid-19 vaccine data on children ages 5 to 11 to the FDA for initial review, but are not yet seeking emergency use authorization.

September 27, 2021

• President Joe Biden received his COVID-19 vaccine booster shot at the White House, days after booster doses were approved by federal health officials.


• During Media Day, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins declined to discuss whether he remains unvaccinated. He faces the possibility of not being allowed into the Chase Center for home games come Oct. 13 when the San Francisco Department of Public Health begins requiring proof of vaccination for large indoor events. He also stands to lose more than $350,000 per game.


• "The View" host Joy Behar said she and co-hosts Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines have all received numerous, negative COVID-19 tests and the results on Sept. 24, which delayed a live interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, turned out to be "false positives."

September 25, 2021

• The Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco returned after a 2-year delay because of COVID.

September 24, 2021

• President Joe Biden urged those now eligible for boosters of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to get the added protection a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the extra doses for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky countered the recommendations released yesterday by her agency's panel, and opted to include front-like workers in the groups of people eligible for booster shots.


• Andrew Wiggins, a forward for the Golden State Warriors, is unvaccinated, and today the NBA denied his request for religious exemption. This means he will not be allowed to play in games at the Warriors home arena, the Chase Center in San Francisco.

September 23, 2021

• Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 18 to 64 who have risky underlying health problems. The extra dose would be given once they are at least six months past their last Pfizer shot. The advisers refused to go further and open boosters to otherwise healthy front-line workers, which conflicts with the authorization made yesterday by the FDA. The vote now awaits final signoff from the CDC director.


• California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said the state is considering a vaccine mandate in schools, but they do not have a plan in place at this time.


• In a meeting that went past midnight, the Oakland Unified School Board voted to approve vaccine mandates for students age 12 and older.

September 22, 2021

• The FDA authorized booster doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for Americans who are 65 and older, younger people with underlying health conditions and those in jobs that put them at high-risk for COVID-19.


• In Contra Costa County, a vaccine requirement is now in effect. Customers will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter restaurants, gyms and other indoor businesses. Employees will have to show proof of full vaccination by Nov. 1 or test each week for COVID-19.


• Marin County has reached some milestones: 97 percent of the county's eligible residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 90 percent are fully vaccinated.

September 21, 2021

• All airport workers in San Francisco will now be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccine requirement takes effect immediately and applies to airline, service, concession and construction employees. Mayor London Breed says SFO is the first U.S. airport to issue a mandate like this.


• Salesforce's annual convention, Dreamforce, opened in San Francisco for the first time since 2019. The event is scaled back from its usual 170,000 attendees because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with only about 1,000 people attending the conference in person.

September 20, 2021

• Data shows the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11.


• California has the lowest COVID-19 case rate in the United States. According to the most recent data from the CDC, California has about 95 new cases over seven days per 100,000 people. The U.S. has nearly three times that rate, at about 251.


• San Jose's vaccine mandate for large events with 50 or more people at city-owned facilities takes effect.

September 19, 2021

• Chris Rock tweeted that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and sent a message to anyone still on the fence: "Get vaccinated."

September 17, 2021

• A FDA advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan to give Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots across the board, and instead endorsed the extra vaccine dose only for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease.


• Two of California Governor Gavin Newsom's children tested positive for COVID-19. The governor, his wife, and their two other children all tested negative.


• Apple is adding a testing mandate for its workforce in stores and at offices. For employees who are vaccinated, they will be tested from time to time. Unvaccinated workers will be tested far more frequently. Unlike several other tech companies, Apple has not issued a vaccination mandate. The testing mandate will take effect next month. Corporate employees are not supposed to return to the office until the beginning of next year.

September 15, 2021

• Starting today, first responders in Marin County will be required to show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who are not will need to go undergo weekly testing.

September 14, 2021

• Governor Gavin Newsom defeats a recall effort handily, with the race being called within an hour of polls closing. More voters called the pandemic the state's top issue, 31 percent, than any of four other issues offered in the exit poll - and 80 percent of those voters supported retaining Newsom in office.


• Contra Costa County announces it will implement a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for businesses. Beginning Sept. 22, customers will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter restaurants, gyms and other indoor businesses. Employees will have to show proof of full vaccination by Nov. 1 or test each week for COVID-19.


• Active-duty soldiers must be fully vaccinated by mid-December, the Army announced in a statement. Reserve and National Guard units will have until the end of June 2022 to be inoculated.

September 13, 2021

• The COVID-19 booster shot controversy continues as the White House battles mixed messaging with the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization. A review published in top medical journal "The Lancet" argues there isn't strong enough data to warrant booster shots for the general population.

September 10, 2021

• The second day of the Theranos trial was canceled when a juror notified the court of exposure to someone over the weekend who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Pending the results of a coronavirus test, court will resume Tuesday, Sept. 14.

September 9, 2021

• In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant.

September 7, 2021

• Starting today, Sonoma County employees must show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly COVID testing. The mandate applies to all 4,400 county workers. Last week, the same mandate went into effect for county emergency workers. Sonoma County health officials expanded the state's health order last month.


• Cases of the new variant, called Mu, are discovered in the Bay Area.


• All participants in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade must be vaccinated and wear face coverings, the department store announced. Singers, dancers and musicians may be exempt from wearing face masks. The number of participants will see a 10 to 20% cut this year and social distancing will be followed, Macy's added. Last year, much of the parade was pre-taped due to the pandemic. There were no high school band performances and limited spectators on the street.

September 6, 2021

• Nearly 18 months after Congress came to the rescue of jobless Americans, its historic expansion of the nation's unemployment benefits system expires nationwide, ending the supplemental $300 weekly benefit.


• On what's traditionally one of the sleepiest weekends at the movies, the Marvel film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" smashed the record for Labor Day openings with an estimated $71.4 million in ticket sales, giving a box office reeling from the recent coronavirus surge a huge lift heading into the fall season. Disney is the parent company of both Marvel and ABC7.

September 4, 2021

• Nearly 1,000 food concession workers at Oracle Park voted overwhelmingly to authorize their union to go on strike. Among other things, the workers say they haven't gotten a pay raise in three years, and many feel unsafe doing their jobs after 20 of their colleagues contracted COVID-19 since the start of this season.

September 3, 2021

• Today, the city of Berkeley puts into effect a health order requiring people to show proof of vaccination to enter most indoor settings including restaurants, bars, gyms and other congregate settings. The order will not be enforced by the city until 8 a.m. on September 10. The health order also mandates that, by October 15th, businesses verify that their employees are vaccinated.


• BottleRock kicks off in Napa today for Labor Day Weekend. The music festival was canceled last year because of the pandemic.


• Hundreds of Stanford's resident assistants, also known as RA's, are on strike. The strike comes several days after at least one RA tested positive for COVID-19 following an indoor, in-person RA training event.

September 1, 2021

• Starting today, all Sonoma County emergency workers must be vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID testing.


• Due to the surge of Covid-19 cases, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking unvaccinated Americans not to travel during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

August 31, 2021

• With the long Labor Day holiday weekend ahead, the CDC is issuing a warning to the unvaccinated, telling them not to travel.

August 25, 2021

• Moderna announced it has completed its submission to the FDA for full approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for people age 18 and older, and Pfizer and BioNTech announced they have begun submitting data for full FDA approval of a third dose of their vaccine.

August 24, 2021

• The San Jose City Council unanimously approves a vaccine mandate for events with 50 people or more at city facilities, like the SAP Center and Convention Center.


• Also today, the Benicia City Council votes for an indoor mask mandate, which is the only one in Solano County.


• All Santa Cruz County employees will need to get vaccinated for COVID-19 or be tested weekly. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt the measure. Employees have 30 days to comply. If they refuse, they could face leave without pay or termination.

August 23, 2021

• The FDA gives full approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, a milestone that could boost public confidence in the shots and spur more companies, universities and local governments to make vaccinations mandatory. The vaccine will be marketed under the name Comirnaty. Moderna has also applied to the FDA for full approval of its vaccine. Johnson & Johnson, maker of the third option in the U.S., said it hopes to do so later this year.


• Starting today, San Jose city employees must show proof of vaccination or submit weekly negative test results.

August 22, 2021

• A cruise ship headed for the Mexican Riviera set sail from the Port of Long Beach on Saturday - the first cruise ship to depart from California in 17 months.

August 20, 2021

• San Francisco's indoor vaccine mandate takes effect today. Proof of vaccination is now required at indoor businesses like restaurants, bars, gyms and museums.

August 19, 2021

• Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., all said they have tested positive for coronavirus. All three are fully vaccinated.


• The Culver City Unified School District, in Los Angeles, is issuing a COVID vaccine requirement for all eligible students and staff, a mandate that is believed to be the first of its kind in California.


• San Jose State University welcomes back students for the first day of the fall semester.


• The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival has been canceled in Golden Gate Park because of COVID concerns. The event will be live streamed on October 1, 2, 3 starting each day at 1 p.m. PT.

August 18, 2021

• U.S. health officials announced plans to offer COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging Delta variant and signs that the vaccines' effectiveness is falling.


• Anyone who attends an indoor event in California with 1,000 or more people will be required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test for COVID-19, state officials announced. The prior requirement applied to events with more than 5,000 people. The new rule from the California Department of Public Health takes effect Sept. 20.


• People attending major outdoor events in Los Angeles County will be required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, under a new order issued by the county health department.


• It's the first day of school for kids in the South Bay. The San Jose Unified School District says teachers and students are required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.

August 17, 2021

• U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the Delta variant spreads across the country.


• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated.


• Today's California coronavirus data shows our test positivity rate is under 6%. The positivity rate hasn't been this low since July 28, when it was 5.9%. It jumped to 6.2% on July 29. For reference, the state has been above 5% since July 23.


• The Lafayette Art and Wine festival held annually in downtown Lafayette has been canceled due to the Delta variant and spread of COVID-19. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair held annually at the Cow Palace in San Francisco has been postponed until 2022.

August 16, 2021

• The total number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in California now tops 4 million.


• This is the first day of school for the San Francisco Unified School District after 17 months of distance learning. Also today, 28,000 students in West Contra Costa Unified Schools return to in-person learning for the first time in a year and a half.


• A vaccinated employee in Gov. Gavin Newsom's office tested positive for COVID-19. The person has not interacted with the governor or staff that "routinely interacts" with Newsom, according to his press office.


• Walnut Creek becomes the latest Bay Area city to require employees to be vaccinated. Antioch is also instating this requirement, along with Berkeley, San Francisco, and San Jose.

August 13, 2021

• The CDC's advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend an additional dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for immunocompromised people.


• Contra Costa Co. health officials announced a new health order requiring first responders to verify they are fully vaccinated or test weekly for the virus. The order goes into effect Sept. 17 and applies to law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel who work in or may respond to emergency calls at high-risk facilities such as hospitals, jails, nursing and congregate care facilities. It also applies to non-emergency ambulance workers who provide medical transport for such facilities.

August 12, 2021

• San Francisco announces a proof of vaccination requirement at indoor bars, restaurants, clubs, theaters and entertainment venues, as well as indoor gyms and other fitness establishments. The mandate takes effect August 20. Staff at these businesses have until Oct. 13 to get fully vaccinated.


• San Francisco also announces an expansion of vaccine requirements for health care workers to include adult day centers, residential care facilities, dental offices, home health aides and pharmacists.


• Facebook employees will not be required to return to the office until January 2022, the company announced.

August 11, 2021

• California will require all K-12 teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.


• Stanford University will require weekly COVID-19 testing, regardless of vaccination status.

August 10, 2021

• San Francisco Unified School District will require all staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The school district is the largest in the Bay Area and has about 10,000 employees. Starting Sept. 7, all will either have to be fully vaccinated or get tested weekly for the virus. The district returns to in-person learning on Aug. 16. The vaccine requirement does not apply to students.


• Oakland Unified School District announced that effective Sept. 7, all staff, contractors and volunteers must be vaccinated, or will be subject to weekly coronavirus testing.


• "Hamilton" returns to San Francisco. It is the first "Hamilton" production to reopen in North America.

August 9, 2021

• 35,000 Oakland Unified students began their first day of class in person, after 17 months of online learning. The school district says masks will be required at all times inside their buildings but vaccines will not be mandated for teachers or students.


• Canada lifts its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but the United States is keeping similar restrictions in place for Canadians, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans.


• Members of the U.S. military will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning next month under a plan laid out by the Pentagon and endorsed by President Joe Biden.

August 8, 2021

• The Tokyo Olympics come to a close. Held in the middle of a resurging pandemic, rejected by many Japanese and plagued by months of administrative problems, these Games presented logistical and medical obstacles like no other.


• A total of 21,572, 282 Californians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest state data.

August 7, 2021

• The U.S. is now averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a day, returning to a milestone last seen during the winter surge.

August 6, 2021

• The U.S. has recorded its highest single-day COVID-19 case total in exactly six months with more than 120,000 new cases reported, according to newly updated CDC data. California today reported 14,402 new cases. Every single state in the country is reporting "high" or "substantial" community transmission, according to CDC guidelines.


• Napa County's indoor mask mandate takes effect. It joins the mandate that started in 7 other Bay Area counties on Aug. 3 requiring everyone to wear a mask indoors regardless of vaccination status.

August 5, 2021

• Napa County joins seven other Bay Area counties in an indoor mask mandate. That leaves Solano County as the only local county not requiring everyone to wear a mask when indoors in public.


• California updates its requirement for all health care workers to be vaccinated. It also adds a requirement that visitors to hospitals and other health care facilities be vaccinated.

August 4, 2021

• Worldwide, the number of coronavirus cases tops 200 million, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University.


• The head of the World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines to help ensure that doses are available in countries where few people have received their first shots.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate average climbs to 7 percent, from a record low of 0.7% reached on May 31.

August 3, 2021

• Once again, an indoor mask mandate takes effect in the Bay Area. Everyone must wear a mask indoors, no matter if they're vaccinated or not. This applies to seven local counties including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma.


• California now ranks high for coronavirus transmission, as defined by the CDC. It joins 33 other states in the CDC's worst possible category. In the Bay Area, every county except Santa Clara qualifies with high rates of transmission.


• The number of coronavirus patients in the ICU statewide tops 1,000. The number of critically ill patients has doubled since July 1, when 502 were in the ICU. California has not had more than 1,000 ICU coronavirus patients since March 19.

August 2, 2021

• Health officers in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and the city of Berkeley announced a mask mandate, requiring every resident to wear a face mask indoors in public settings, regardless of vaccination status. The mandate will take effect at midnight on Aug. 3.


• San Francisco's historic cable cars are back! Today kicks off a month of free rides.


• U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has tested positive for the coronavirus, the first senator to disclose a breakthrough infection after being vaccinated.


• 70 percent of U.S. adults have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, a major milestone that the Biden administration wanted to reach by the 4th of July.

July 31, 2021

• More than 3.6 million Americans are at risk of eviction as a federal eviction moratorium expires. A moratorium in California will remain in place until September 30.

July 30, 2021

• The Delta variant of coronavirus surging across the United States appears to cause more severe illness and spread as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal document from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

July 29, 2021

• The nation's millions of federal workers will be required to verify they've been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else face mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and other new rules, the Biden administration announced.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate climbs above six percent, to 6.2%. One week ago the rate was reported at 4.9%. One year ago, the rate was 7.9%.


• A group of more than 300 bars in San Francisco begins requiring proof of vaccination or a 72-hour negative COVID-19 test for customers to enter their establishments amid a spike of cases in the city.

July 28, 2021

• California's Department of Public Health is now recommending that residents wear face masks in public indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status, as the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to spread.


• Major tech companies including Google and Facebook are now requiring employees to be fully vaccinated before returning to work in the office.


• Fully vaccinated travelers from the United States and much of Europe can enter England without quarantining starting next week.

July 27, 2021

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where coronavirus is surging.


• The California State University announced that it will now require everyone who comes to its campuses to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

July 26, 2021

• All California state workers, as well as health care workers, will be required to be vaccinated, beginning next month.

July 23, 2021

• California's 7-day test positivity rate tops 5 percent for the first time since February, reaching 5.2%.


• More than one million residents of Alameda County are fully vaccinated, which is more than 70 percent of the eligible population.


• Belated and beleaguered, the virus-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics finally opened with a ceremony that unfolded in a near-empty stadium.

July 22, 2021

• The California Employment Development Department announced that it will begin paying unemployment insurance benefits for claimants whose payments have been pending for at least two weeks.


• With cases of COVID-19 on the rise in the Bay Area, health officials from San Francisco, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties are urging employers to require employees to be vaccinated.

July 19, 2021

• California's 7-day test positivity rate tops 4 percent, reaching 4.1%. Today's report includes 14,097 new cases, the highest number in recent memory. The number of hospitalized patients tops 2,000 and there are more than 500 patients in the ICU.


• A Bay Area virologist appears to have discovered the root cause of covid long haulers symptoms, which is leading to better treatment and an end to suffering.


• Canada announced it will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7.


• The American Academy of Pediatrics released new COVID-19 guidance for schools that supports in-person learning and, among other things, recommends universal masking in school of everyone over the age of 2.

July 18, 2021

• U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff will not compete at the Tokyo Olympics after announcing she has tested positive for COVID.

July 17, 2021

• An unidentified overseas visitor has tested positive for Covid-19 at the Tokyo Olympics athletes' village, organizers said. It's the first such case amid concerns the Games could become a super-spreader event. The opening ceremony is set for July 23.

July 16, 2021

• 7 Bay Area counties issue a recommendation that everyone should wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Only Napa and Solano Counties do not involve themselves in the announcement.

July 15, 2021

• A rapid and sustained increase in COVID-19 cases in the nation's largest county requires restoring an indoor mask mandate even when people are vaccinated, Los Angeles County's public health officer said. It takes effect on Sunday, July 18.


• The University of California announced that it will require all students, faculty and staff to have the COVID-19 vaccine before the fall term begins.

July 14, 2021

• California's 7-day test positivity rate average tops 3 percent. It was at a record low of 0.7% on May 31.

July 13, 2021

• Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new California state budget that includes some $100 billion in spending and tax relief to help Californians recover from the pandemic.

July 9, 2021

• Pfizer is about to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying that another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity and maybe help ward off the latest worrisome coronavirus mutant.


• California will continue to require that masks be worn in school settings this fall, state officials announced, despite new guidance from the CDC that vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear them inside school buildings.

July 8, 2021

• California's 7-day test positivity rate climbs above 2 percent, reaching 2.1%. It reached a record low of 0.7% on May 31.

July 4, 2021

• Joey Chestnut broke his own record in the men's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. The annual Fourth of July frankfurter fest normally happens outside Nathan's flagship shop in Brooklyn's Coney Island neighborhood. But this year's planning took place amid shifting coronavirus restrictions, and the event was held in a nearby minor league baseball stadium, Maimonides Park, with 5,000 spectators. Last year, it was held indoors and without an in-person audience because of the pandemic.

July 2, 2021

• Animals at the Oakland Zoo received doses of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine.

June 27, 2021

• "F9" sped to a box office take of $70 million in its first weekend, the biggest opening for a film since the pandemic began. The ninth installment in the "Fast & Furious" franchise opened only in theaters and had the widest release of any movie since the start of the pandemic

June 25, 2021

• The start of the Bay Bridge series, between the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park, marks the biggest event in the Bay Area since the pandemic began. The ballpark is dropping all capacity limits, social distancing requirements, and no proof of vaccination or negative COVID test required. About 35,000 fans are expected to attend the game.


• Hawaii will drop its COVID-19 testing and quarantine rules for fully vaccinated domestic travelers in two weeks, beginning on July 8.

June 24, 2021

• The mass vaccination site at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara closes today. The site has administered more than 350,000 doses, averaging 3,000 shots a day. Supply issues from the federal government hampered efforts early on, and vaccine hesitancy didn't help matters once more doses finally became available.

June 18, 2021

• California launches a digital Covid-19 vaccine record.


• Today President Biden announced that 300 million COVID-19 shots have been administered in the 150 days since he took office on Jan. 20.

June 17, 2021

• Cal/OSHA regulators decided to allow fully vaccinated workers to take off their masks while at the workplace, conforming with California's general state guidelines that took effect on June 15.

June 15, 2021

• After 15 months of restrictions, today is officially the day that California Reopens. Mask mandates are much looser and aligned with the CDC's guidelines. Social distancing requirements are no longer in place and business capacity limits have been removed.


• Mayor London Breed announces San Francisco is bringing back cable cars sooner than previously announced. They'll return in August and will be free to all riders for the whole month.


• BART ridership hits a pandemic high. 78,377 passengers represents 19 percent of pre-pandemic ridership, which is the highest weekday percentage since March of last year.


• The United State's death toll from coronavirus tops 600,000.

June 14, 2021

• The mass vaccination site at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara will close on June 24. Since opening in February, billed as the state's largest mass vaccination site, this location has administered more than 350,000 vaccinations.


• Disneyland announces that visitors will no longer need to wear masks at the amusement park starting tomorrow, June 15, the day that California reopens and all restrictions lift.

June 11, 2021

• The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in California drops below 1,000 for the first time, to 982 total. This number peaked at 21,936 on Jan. 7.


• California held its second "Vax for the Win" drawing today. Another 15 people won $50,000 each.

June 10, 2021

• President Joe Biden promises the U.S. will donate 500 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to lower-income countries.


• Moderna has filed with the FDA for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 12 to 17.

June 9, 2021

• California announced major changes to when masks will be required following the June 15 reopening date. The state's new rules will align with the CDC with different requirements for unvaccinated people. However, California's workplace regulators, Cal/OSHA, have reversed themselves for the second time in a week. They withdrew a controversial, pending mask regulation.

June 8, 2021

• Pfizer announced they are moving into phase 2/3 vaccine trials in younger children, ages 5 to 11, with lower doses than with adults.


• Alameda and Napa counties learn they will move into the yellow tier with the state's fewest restrictions tomorrow. This is the final week of tier updates. The state will abandon the tier system on June 15 when California reopens.

June 4, 2021

• California selected the first 15 winners of a $50,000 grand prize as part of the state's "Vax for the Win" program.


• Alameda County revises down its Covid-19 death toll, saying it over-counted more than 400 fatalities.

June 3, 2021

• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an extension of the emergency order which allows restaurant parklets for outdoor service, as well as continuing to allow cocktails to-go. Those had been illegal before the pandemic.


• Cal/OSHA approves new workplace mask rules, but only as a stopgap while it considers further easing COVID rules in coming weeks or months.


• Ten Bay Area and Northern California health officers gathered for the first time since March 2020, without masks or physical distancing, urging schools to reopen fully for in-person learning in the fall.

June 2, 2021

• President Biden announces a Month of Action to reach his administration's goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day. In a dozen states, including California, more than 70% of the adult population has received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, according to health data.

June 1, 2021

• Marin County becomes the first in the North Bay to move into the state's least restrictive, yellow tier. Solano County is the last in the Bay Area to leave the red tier and move into the orange tier.


• Moderna is asking for full FDA approval for its COVID-19 vaccine. So far, it's only been granted an emergency use authorization. Moderna is the second company to seek full approval, following Pfizer.


• "Hamilton" is returning to San Francisco. The hit Broadway musical will have a month-long engagement at the Orpheum Theatre, from August 10 to September 5.

May 31, 2021

• California's 7-day test positivity rate drops to a new record low of 0.7%.


• This year's Memorial Day was marked with a return of in-person ceremonies, which were mostly suspended last year because of the pandemic.

May 27, 2021

• Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a $116.5-million plan to incentivize more Californians to get the COVID-19 vaccine and reward those who are already vaccinated.

May 25, 2021

• Half of adults in the U.S. are fully vaccinated against coronavirus. In California, 42% of the state's entire population is fully vaccinated.

May 24, 2021

• California's 7-day test positivity rate drops to a new record low of 0.8%.


• San Francisco's largest hotel, the 2,000-room Hilton Union Square, reopens for the first time in the pandemic.

May 23, 2021

• San Francisco's iconic Grace Cathedral reopens for indoor worship for the first time in 14 months.

May 21, 2021

• The state releases details of what a fully reopened California will look like on June 15. The biggest change is the removal of all capacity limits and physical distancing requirements, regardless of setting.

May 20, 2021

• For the first time since March 5, 2020, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital has no COVID-19 patients.


• San Francisco loosens restrictions on dozens of activities affecting restaurants, churches, and more.

May 18, 2021

• Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties learn they will be moving into the state's yellow tier with the least restrictions. They join San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Solano County is the only one in the Bay Area still in the red tier. All other Bay Area counties are in the orange tier. The tier system will expire on June 15, the date set by the state to Reopen California.

May 17, 2021

• California health officials announce that the state will begin following the Centers for Disease Control's eased mask guidelines for some indoor settings starting June 15.


• The CDC recommends that school districts across the country continue mask protocols at least through the end of this school year.


• Today is Tax Day. The traditional April 15 deadline was delayed because of the pandemic.

May 16, 2021

• The TSA sets a new pandemic record by screening more than 1.8 million travelers at airport checkpoints nationwide.

May 14, 2021

• More than 15 million Californians are now fully vaccinated.


• Following the CDC's updated guidance on masks, stores including Walmart and Trader Joe's announce they will no longer require fully vaccinated customers to wear masks while shopping.


• Walt Disney World changes its mask rules for guests, following new guidance from the CDC. The resort in Orlando, Florida announced that masks and face coverings for guests will be "optional in outdoor common areas" at Disney World starting on May 15.

May 13, 2021

• In a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. California does not announce if it is changing its rules and local counties are waiting for state guidance.

May 12, 2021

• U.S. health advisers endorse the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in kids as young as 12.

May 11, 2021

• San Mateo County moves in the state's yellow tier, with the least restrictions. It joins San Francisco as the only Bay Area counties in this tier.

May 10, 2021

• San Mateo County learns that it will move into the yellow tier of restrictions tomorrow.


• California sets record low 1.0% 7-day test positivity rate.

May 7, 2021

• Pfizer/BioNTech has initiated its application to the Food and Drug Administration for full approval of its Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and older. This is the first Covid-19 vaccine in the United States to take this step.


• The Legion of Honor in San Francisco reopens for the first time this year.

May 6, 2021

• This is the first day that San Francisco is in the state's yellow tier of restrictions, which allows indoor bars to reopen along with indoor family entertainment centers like roller rinks.

May 5, 2021

• Alameda County announces the Oakland Coliseum mass vaccination site will close on May 23. Demand has dropped recently from 4,000 to 400 first dose appointments each day. FEMA opened this site on February 15 and ran it through mid-April. Then the state, Alameda County, and Contra Costa County took over. The state, through CalOES, ends its involvement on May 9. Alameda County will assume full responsibility for the site on May 10 and keep it open for two more weeks to complete second doses.

May 4, 2021

• San Francisco and Los Angeles counties move into the state's least restrictive, yellow tier. That means that, for the first time, indoor bars can reopen without the requirement of serving food. Trinity County also moves into the yellow tier today. A total of seven California counties are now in this least restrictive tier. Not a single county remains in the most restrictive, purple, tier. 12 counties are in the red tier and 39 are in the orange tier.


• President Biden sets a new vaccination goal to deliver at least one coronavirus vaccine dose to 70% of adult Americans by July Fourth.


• U.S. travel restrictions on India take effect today, designed to limit the spread of coronavirus.

May 3, 2021

• The Bay Area now exceeds 450,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus. It represents about 12 percent of the state's total of 3.64 million cases.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate drops to a new record low of 1.1%.


• The state issues new mask guidelines to align with the CDC's updated rules. Fully vaccinated people only have to wear a mask outdoors at crowded events.


• Historic streetcars will resume operation in San Francisco on May 15, running between Fisherman's Wharf and Market Street.


• The Main branch of the San Francisco Public Library reopens to the public for the first time in more than a year. Cheering staff greet the first visitors.

April 30, 2021

• Disneyland reopens to visitors for the first time in more than a year.


• The state issues guidance for races like marathons and triathlons to resume safely, beginning on May 1. Rules include masks, staggered starts, and limited post-race parties with no music or alcohol.


• Statewide, 40 percent of Californians, or 12.4 million people, are fully vaccinated. 60 percent have received at least one dose. Contra Costa County has administered more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccines, several weeks ahead of its July 4th goal.


• The U.S. will restrict travel from India starting May 4, the White House announced, citing a devastating rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus.

April 28, 2021

• The deadline for Americans to obtain a REAL ID card has been pushed back once again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new enforcement date is now May 3, 2023.

April 27, 2021

• California will align itself with the CDC's new guidelines for mask wearing. If you're fully vaccinated, the CDC says you can now take your mask off at small outdoor gatherings, or when dining outside with friends from multiple households. The CDC is telling unvaccinated people that they still need to wear a mask at such gatherings.

April 26, 2021

• The SAP Center in San Jose welcomes fans to a Sharks game, making it the center's first public event since March 8, 2020. Everyone is required to provide proof of a negative COVID test or proof of receiving a complete COVID-19 vaccination, with the final dose received at least two weeks prior to the day of the game.

April 23, 2021

• California exceeds 60,000 coronavirus deaths.


• Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to allow the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to go back into use. It had been paused for an investigation into multiple cases of rare, but severe, blood clots.


• The Chase Center hosts the first indoor sporting event in the Bay Area since the pandemic began, welcoming fans to watch the Warriors play the Denver Nuggets. Capacity is limited and proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test are required for entrance.

April 22, 2021

• Students who plan to take classes in-person at any of the University of California or California State University schools in the fall will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

April 21, 2021

• President Joe Biden announced his administration has met the goal of 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered during his first 100 days ahead of schedule. Today is the 92nd day of his administration.

April 20, 2021

• For the second year in a row, the annual 4/20 celebration on Hippie Hill has been canceled. Crews put up fences around Robin Williams Meadow in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.


• The state's 7-day coronavirus test positivity rate drops to a new record low of 1.3%.

April 19, 2021

• Nationwide, coronavirus vaccinations are now available to anyone age 16 and up.


• California sets a new record low test positivity rate of 1.4%.

April 18, 2021

• Half of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 shot.

April 17, 2021

• The global death toll from coronavirus tops 3 million. More than 560,000 lives have been lost in the United States, accounting for more than 1 in 6 of the world's deaths.


• More than 10 million Californians are fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

April 15, 2021

• In the final step of vaccine eligibility expansion, anyone age 16 and up can now sign up to get a coronavirus vaccine in California.


• The state's largest mass vaccination site at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara sets a record with 12,000 vaccination appointments booked in a single day.


• San Francisco reopens and expands additional activities that are allowed by the state for counties assigned to the orange tier, including indoor live-audience events and performances as well as private events such as conferences and receptions. In alignment with the State's guidelines, San Francisco will also expand the number of individuals allowed to participate in indoor and outdoor social gatherings and will loosen some restrictions on other activities, including dining, outdoor bars, retail, and recreation.


• The Alameda County Fair has been rescheduled for Oct. 22 through Oct. 31 this year with safety measures in place amid the ongoing pandemic.


• Tax day is delayed this year because of the pandemic; taxes are due on May 17, 2021.

April 14, 2021

• 50% of Californians over the age of 16 have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. 30% of the state's population age 16 and up has been fully vaccinated. California's vaccination progress can be tracked here.


• Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine will remain in limbo a while longer after U.S. health advisers told the government that they need more evidence to decide if a handful of unusual blood clots were linked to the shot.

April 13, 2021

• The FDA and CDC recommend a "pause" in using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots. All 50 states, including California, follow that recommendation.


• Santa Clara County and San Francisco both expand vaccine eligibility to anyone over the age of 16. Alameda and Contra Costa Counties have already taken this step. This will become the rule statewide on April 15.

April 12, 2021

• Alameda County expands vaccine eligibility to anyone over the age of 16. This will become the statewide standard on April 15. The first county in the Bay Area to expand vaccinations to age 16 and up was Contra Costa County, where it took effect on March 30.


• Some San Francisco public schools reopened for in-person classes for the first time in more than a year.


• Salesforce announces that it will reopen its tower and bring workers back to the office beginning in May. Employees will still have the option to work from home through at least Dec. 31.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate drops to a new record low of 1.5%.


• This is the first day that the mass vaccination site at the Oakland Coliseum is run without a federal partnership. The state and two counties, Alameda and Contra Costa, are taking over providing supplies for the site. More than 6,000 shots a day were consistently administered at this site and the state says it will maintain that number.

April 8, 2021

• Alameda County expands vaccine eligibility to those age 16 and up, but only for people living in certain ZIP codes: 94601, 94603, 94605, 94606, 94607, 94621, 94541, 94544, 94545, 94577, 94578, 94580. The ZIP codes include areas of Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro and San Lorenzo. Officials say this is where many frontline workers live, including people who have not been able to work from home.

April 7, 2021

• As of today, in the Bay Area, only Solano County remains in the red tier of restrictions. Contra Costa, Napa and Sonoma counties all moved into the orange tier today.

April 6, 2021

• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan to fully reopen California's economy on June 15 if current COVID-19 trends hold.


• President Joe Biden announced that he's bumping up his deadline by two weeks for states to make all adults in the U.S. eligible for coronavirus vaccines, setting a new deadline of April 19.


• It's announced that Contra Costa, Napa, and Sonoma counties will move from the red to the orange tier tomorrow. That leaves Solano as the only Bay Area county in the red tier of business restrictions.

April 5, 2021

• With less than a week until the federal partnership ends, a deal is struck to keep the mass vaccination site open at the Oakland Coliseum. This has been the most productive vaccination site in the Bay Area with more than 6,000 shots administered on a daily basis.

April 2, 2021

• California will allow indoor concerts, theater performances and other private gatherings starting April 15. Guidelines were released today.


• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward.

April 1, 2021

• California makes its biggest expansion yet of vaccine eligibility by allowing anyone age 50 and up to get vaccinated. This applies to about 7 million Californians.


• Governor Gavin Newsom gets his coronavirus vaccine.


• The Oakland A's host their home opener against the Houston Astros amid coronavirus precautions like reduced capacity and limited concessions.


• Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo opened up its roller coasters for the first time in over a year. The theme park has been allowing visitors inside since July for the animal displays.

March 31, 2021

• Today is the first day that Alameda and Santa Cruz counties are in the orange tier.


• Pfizer says study results show its COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective in children ages 12 to 15.

March 30, 2021

• Contra Costa County begins to offer vaccinations to anyone over the age of 16.


• Alameda and Santa Cruz counties find out they will move from the red to the orange tier of the state's business restrictions, effective tomorrow.


• Some students in the Oakland Unified School District returned to class for the first time since the pandemic began.

March 29, 2021

• The U.S. government's first look at the real-world use of COVID-19 vaccines found their effectiveness was nearly as robust as it was in controlled studies.


• The San Mateo County Fair announces that it will resume this summer. It had to cancel last year's event because of the pandemic. This year's fair will be held from Saturday, June 5 to Sunday, June 13.

March 28, 2021

• Contra Costa County announces that it will start to vaccinate people age 16 and up on March 30, ahead of the state's timeline. The state will make this group eligible on April 15. Contra Costa is already vaccinating people age 50 and up; the state makes that group eligible starting on April 1.

March 25, 2021

• Governor Newsom announces that California will begin offering vaccinations to anyone over the age of 50 starting on April 1, and expanding to include anyone over the age of 16 on April 15.

March 24, 2021

• Today is the first day in the orange tier for San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Marin counties.


• Seven Bay Area counties formalized an agreement with the state over COVID-19 vaccine distribution guidelines involving Blue Shield.

March 23, 2021

• Three more Bay Area counties will soon move into the orange tier: San Francisco, Santa Clara and Marin. San Mateo County became the first to move from red to orange last week.

March 22, 2021

• Advanced trial data from a U.S. study on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shows it is 79% effective. If authorized, it would become the fourth vaccine available in America.


• Contra Costa County expands vaccine eligibility to anyone who lives and works in the county who is age 50 and up. The only other Bay Area county offering vaccines to ages 50+ is Solano.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate sets a new record low of 1.7%.

March 19, 2021

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates its physical distancing guidelines for children in schools from 6 feet to 3 feet.


• Oakland's Fairyland reopens to the public, after being closed almost constantly for approximately a year.

March 17, 2021

• Today marks one year since most of the Bay Area began to shelter in place.


• On Saint Patrick's Day, San Mateo County enters the orange tier which allows bars to reopen for outdoor service. All other Bay Area counties are in the more restrictive, red tier.


• Solano County becomes the first in the Bay Area to begin vaccinating people as young as 50 years old.


• Disney CEO Bob Chapek announces that Disneyland will reopen on April 30.


• Oakland's Mills College announces that it will stop admitting new students after fall 2021 and will most likely grant its last degrees in 2023.


• The IRS delays this year's tax filing deadline from April 15 to May 17.

March 16, 2021

• San Mateo County is the only Bay Area county that will be changing tiers: it moves to the orange tier tomorrow. In the orange tier, outdoor bars can open. Indoor entertainment centers, like bowling alleys, and indoor pools can also also. Wineries, breweries, and distilleries can welcome customers inside. Businesses that were already operating inside can have more customers at once.


• The state sets a new record low of 1.8 percent for its 7-day coronavirus test positivity rate.

March 15, 2021

• California begins Phase 1C of vaccine distribution. Transit workers, and people ages 16 to 64 with certain underlying health conditions are now eligible to be vaccinated. This includes about four million people statewide.


• The Oakland Unified School District and its teachers' union have reached a deal to get students back into classrooms by the end of this month.


• Alcatraz Island reopens to visitors.


• The state's 7-day coronavirus test positivity rate drops below 2 percent to 1.9 percent.

March 14, 2021

• Contra Costa and Sonoma Counties move into the red tier. They are the last two counties in the Bay Area to leave the purple tier. The main difference in the red tier is that indoor dining is allowed, as well as indoor gyms, movie theaters, and museums.

March 13, 2021

• Restrictions for breweries, wineries, and distilleries that don't serve food are relaxed. They can now welcome customers outside, with some limitations.

March 12, 2021

• Because the state has reached a milestone of providing 2 million vaccines to underserved communities, it is revising business restrictions. The change allows Sonoma and Contra Costa Counties to move into the red tier, effective Sunday, March 14.

March 11, 2021

• President Biden signs the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 Relief Plan, called the American Rescue Plan. He follows it with the first primetime address of his presidency and announces plans to make all Americans eligible for vaccines by May 1.


• Today marks one year since the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a pandemic.


• California health officials announced that breweries, wineries and distilleries that do not serve food can now operate outdoors with modifications in the purple and red tiers. Patrons must have reservations, observe a 90-minute time limit and service for on-site consumption must end by 8 p.m. This change will go into effect March 13. All Bay Area counties at this time are in the purple or red tiers.

March 10, 2021

• Three more local counties move into the red tier: Alameda, Santa Cruz, and Solano.


• The House passes the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 Relief Plan which includes $1,400 stimulus checks.


• The number of coronavirus patients in ICUs statewide drops below 1,000 to 992.

March 8, 2021

• The CDC releases guidelines recommending what activities are safe to do after you are fully vaccinated, which include being able to spend time indoors with other vaccinated people without wearing masks.

March 6, 2021

• The senate narrowly passes its version of President Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan. The bill now goes back to the house, and, if it passes, onto Biden for his signature.

March 5, 2021

• Governor Gavin Newsom signs the $6.6 billion bill aimed to incentivize schools to reopen for in person class.


• Theme parks can reopen and spectator sporting events can resume, starting April 1, in counties that are in the red tier of restrictions.


• The San Francisco Unified School District, the largest in the Bay Area, announces it has reached a deal with its labor unions to reopen school for in-person classes beginning on April 12.

March 4, 2021

• California lawmakers approve a $6.6 billion plan aimed at pressuring school districts to return students to the classroom before the end of the school year.


• California will begin setting aside 40% of all vaccine doses for people who live in the most vulnerable neighborhoods in an effort to inoculate people most at risk from the coronavirus and get the state's economy open faster.


• All indoor and outdoor youth sports will be allowed to resume in California.


• The state's 7-day test positivity rate sets a new record low of 2.1%.

March 3, 2021

• San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Napa Counties move into the state's red tier of restrictions which allows indoor dining, indoor gyms, indoor movie theaters, and museums to reopen. Five Bay Area counties are now in the red tier.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate drops to a new record low of 2.2%.

March 1, 2021

• Johnson & Johnson begins shipping the first of 4 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine.


• California's public schools could tap into $6.6 billion from the Legislature if they return to in-person instruction by the end of March, according to a new agreement announced between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state's legislative leaders.


• California's 7-day test positivity rate sets a record low of 2.3%.

February 28, 2021

• The first major awards show of 2021, the 78th Annual Golden Globes, featured nominees appearing virtually and hosts on different coasts.

February 27, 2021

• The FDA issues an Emergency Use Authorization for Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine.

February 26, 2021

• A FDA panel unanimously endorses a single-shot coronavirus vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson. The FDA could authorize the vaccine over the weekend with distribution beginning as soon as Monday, March 1.


• The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order allowing indoor worship services to resume at 20% capacity in Santa Clara County, reversing the Ninth Circuit's decision.

February 24, 2021

• California's coronavirus death toll surpasses 50,000. A jump of more than 800 deaths comes from a backlog of previously unclassified deaths in Los Angeles County from the winter surge.


• Today, San Mateo and Marin counties move into the red tier of the state's classification system. This means that indoor dining, indoor gyms, indoor movie theaters, and indoor museums can reopen. Retail capacity is increased to 50%.


• Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine protects against COVID-19, according to an analysis by U.S. regulators. This sets the stage for a final decision on emergency use authorization of the vaccine.

February 23, 2021

• San Francisco lifts the mandatory 10-day quarantine rule that had been in place for travelers who went outside the Bay Area's 10 counties. The rule began in mid-December, following the Thankgsiving travel rush.

February 22, 2021

• The coronavirus death toll in America exceeds 500,000. Nearly 50,000 of the deaths are in California, including more than 5,000 in the Bay Area.


• The number of ICU patients statewide drops below 2,000. It's been above that threshold since December 2020 during the winter surge.

February 16, 2021

• A major FEMA vaccination site opens at the Oakland Coliseum. It's the first federally managed site in the Bay Area and only one of two in California; the other one is in Los Angeles. The goal is to give out 6,000 vaccination doses each day at each site.
  

February 12, 2021

• The CDC releases long-awaited guidelines for safely reopening schools which include masks, social distancing and other strategies. Vaccination of teachers, while important, is not a prerequisite for reopening.


• California is expanding the list of people eligible for coronavirus vaccination by including those between ages 16-64 who are severely disabled, and those with health conditions that put them at high risk. The new rules take effect March 15.


• The total number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in California drops below 10,000 for the first time since December 7, 2020. Hospitalizations set a record on January 7 with 21,936 patients.

February 10, 2021

• California now has the highest coronavirus death toll of any state in the nation, with 44,995 total deaths. That number eclipses New York state's total of 44,683 deaths. However, when calculated per capita, the state with the highest death rate per 100,000 people is New Jersey, followed by New York in second place. California ranks 32nd out of all U.S. states in terms of death rates, according to The New York Times.


• The South Africa variant of the coronavirus is now in California, according to Governor Gavin Newsom. Two cases have been found in Alameda and Santa Clara counties.

February 9, 2021

• Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara opens as the state's largest vaccination site, capable of administering 15,000 vaccinations a day.


• San Francisco announced that it will expand vaccination eligibility to teachers, child care workers, food and grocery workers, and emergency workers (including police officers). This takes effect on Feb. 24.


• For the first time in months, California reports a daily total of new cases that is under 10,000. Today's number of new cases is 8,251, down 85 percent from the peak of 53,711 set on Dec. 16.

February 7, 2021

• The union representing teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District says it has reached a tentative agreement regarding the reopening of public schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.


• Gov. Gavin Newsom's office issued revised guidelines for indoor church services after the Supreme Court lifted the state's ban on indoor worship during the coronavirus pandemic, but left in place restrictions on singing and chanting.

February 5, 2021

• The 49ers announce that Levi's Stadium will become the state's largest mass vaccination site.


• The Moscone Center opens as a mass vaccination site in San Francisco. It is one of three in the city.

February 4, 2021

• Johnson & Johnson files an Emergency Use Authorization with the FDA for its coronavirus vaccine.


• Alameda becomes the second county in the Bay Area to record more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths. Santa Clara County has now recorded more than 1,500 deaths.

February 3, 2021

• The Oakland Coliseum is announced as one of two mass vaccination sites in California supported by the federal government. Vaccinations are scheduled to begin at the Coliseum on Feb. 16.


• San Francisco files a lawsuit against its school district in an effort to reopen in-person instruction.


• More people in America have received their first dose of the vaccine than have been infected with coronavirus.

February 1, 2021

• A CDC requirement begins at 9 p.m. for all travelers to wear masks while using any form of public transportation, as well as rideshares and airplanes.

January 29, 2021

• Johnson & Johnson reveals that its vaccine is 66% effective overall at preventing moderate to severe illness, and 85% effective against the most serious symptoms. The J&J vaccine is administered in a single dose, unlike the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna which require two doses to reach their full effectiveness.

January 28, 2021

• Santa Clara becomes the first Bay Area county to exceed 100,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus. The six-figure total comes almost exactly one year after Santa Clara reported its first case of coronavirus on January 31, 2020.

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January 26, 2021

• Worldwide, the number of diagnosed coronavirus cases tops 100 million.


• The United Kingdom exceeds 100,000 coronavirus deaths. It's the UK's worst civilian loss of life since World War II.


• The state updates its vaccination distribution plan. After the completion of Phase 1B, which includes teachers and food workers, the state will move to an age-based priority system.

January 25, 2021

• Governor Newsom lifts the regional stay at home order for all of California, saying the projected ICU availability is above the 15% threshold.

January 22, 2021

• California sees a new record number of deaths reported in a day: 764. At that rate, someone died from coronavirus every 1 minute and 53 seconds.

January 20, 2021

• California becomes the first state in the nation to top 3 million diagnosed coronavirus cases. This number includes patients who have recovered. Texas has more than two million diagnosed cases. Illinois, Florida, and New York each have more than one million cases. Of those five states, Illinois has the highest case rate per capita (8,495), calculated per 100,000 people. The per capita case rates for California (7,585), Texas (7,363), and Florida (7,263) are very similar. New York (6,467) has the lowest case rate of these 5 states.
  

January 19, 2021

• The U.S. death toll from coronavirus tops 400,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

January 17, 2021

• Los Angeles County becomes the first in the nation to surpass 1 million diagnosed coronavirus cases.

January 15, 2021

• The global death toll from coronavirus tops 2 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.


• President-elect Joe Biden lays out details of his vaccination plan to tackle the coronavirus pandemic with the goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in his first 100 days in office.

January 14, 2021

• Santa Clara County's pandemic death toll tops 1,000. It is the first Bay Area county to reach this milestone. Alameda County has the second highest number of deaths with 776. Statewide, 31,654 lives have been lost to coronavirus.


• President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan, which includes $1,400 stimulus checks.

January 13, 2021

• California now allows those age 65 and older to get vaccinated.

January 12, 2021

• California's coronavirus death toll tops 30,000 with a total of 30,513 lives lost during the pandemic. 3,183 people have died in the Bay Area. This area's per capita death rate - calculated per 100,000 people - is 39.7. For comparison, Los Angeles County has so far reported 11,752 deaths and has a per capita death rate of 113. The Bay Area's 10 counties, including Santa Cruz County, have a combined population that is slightly smaller than that of Los Angeles County.


• The stay at home order is lifted for the 13-county Greater Sacramento Region because its ICU availability is projected to be above the state's 15 percent threshold.


• All air passengers entering the United States from another country will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before boarding their planes. The order takes effect January 26.


• The Trump administration is asking states to speed delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and older and to others at high risk by no longer holding back the second dose of the two-dose shots.

January 11, 2021

• The Bay Area Region's ICU availability drops to 0.7%. That's the lowest ever reported for this region. Once ICU capacity hits 0%, the region would pivot to its surge capacity of additional ICU beds.


• Statewide, the number of ICU patients continues its record setting streak with 4,868 total.


• The University of California announced that it is planning for in-person classes to resume during the fall 2021 semester at all 10 of its campuses.

January 10, 2021

• Nancy Bush Ellis, the only sister of former President George H.W. Bush, has died at 94 from complications of Covid-19.


• California's number of coronavirus patients in the ICU sets a new record at 4,863.

January 9, 2021

• California shatters its prior record for the number of deaths reported in a single day, with 695 newly reported deaths. The prior record was set on December 31, 2020 with 585 deaths. Edit: Today's number is later revised by the state to 708 deaths.


• The state announced today it has extended the stay-at-home order in the Bay area because ICU availability remains below the threshold of 15%.


• Today sets a new record high for the number of coronavirus patients in the ICU in California at 4,854.

January 8, 2021

• The Bay Area, made up of 10 counties including Santa Cruz, now has more than 300,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus. It took 6 months and 9 days to reach 100,000 cases in the beginning of the pandemic. It then took 2 months and 24 days to go from 100,000 to 200,000 cases. It has only taken 24 days to go from 200,000 to 300,000 cases.


• The Bay Area Region, which comprises 11 counties including Santa Cruz and Monterey, drops to 3.0% ICU availability, the lowest ever reported.


• The number of California coronavirus patients in the hospital (21,855) decreases from yesterday's record high. The number of ICU patients (4,812) sets a new record.

January 7, 2021

• New records are set in California for the number of coronavirus patients hospitalized (21,936) and in the ICU (4,712).

January 6, 2021

• In California, hospitalizations (21,922) and ICU patients (4,636) are at record high levels.

January 5, 2021

• The 2021 Grammy Awards will no longer take place this month in Los Angeles and will broadcast in March due to a recent surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.


• Yet again, hospitalizations (21,597) and ICU patients (4,634) are at record high levels in California.

January 4, 2021

• Both hospitalizations (21,128) and ICU patients (4,584) set new record highs for the state of California.

January 3, 2021

• The COVID-19 death toll in the United States has surpassed 350,000.


• For the first time in more than 4 weeks, the number of coronavirus patients in the ICU in California decreased, to 4,509. Hospitalizations, however, hit a new record high of 20,690.

January 2, 2021

• California's only new coronavirus record today is the number of ICU patients (4,531). The number of new cases (53,341) is the second highest ever reported.


• The U.S. set a record for air travel with nearly 1.2 million screened by the TSA, the most since the previous travel record set on Dec. 23.

January 1, 2021

• In a disheartening start to the new year, California obliterates its prior daily death record by reporting 585 new lives lost. The number of hospitalized patients decreases for the first time in more than three weeks to 20,450. The number of ICU patients (4,525) continues its record setting streak. The Bay Area Region's ICU availability drops to 6.3%, the lowest percentage ever reported.


• The United States tops 20 million coronavirus cases.

December 31, 2020

• San Francisco extends its stay at home and travel quarantine order indefinitely.


• California's death toll now tops 25,000. Today 428 lives were reported lost, the second highest daily total coming just one day after the state set a new daily record of 432 deaths yesterday. The record-setting streak of hospitalized patients (20,625) and ICU patients (4,432) continues.


• The Dow and S&P 500 ended the year at record high levels, after gaining 7.2% and 16.3% respectively for the year. The Nasdaq closed just shy of a record but is up 43.6% for the year.


• New Year's Eve celebrations are scaled back or canceled because of the pandemic.

December 30, 2020

• California shatters its prior one-day death record, reporting 432 lives lost. Hospitalizations (20,612) and coronavirus patients in the ICU (4,389) continue to set record highs.


• Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a new effort to reopen California schools for in-person learning as early as February and March.


• The new Covid-19 variant has made its way to California with the first instance diagnosed in a man in San Diego County.

December 29, 2020

• The regional stay at home orders for the Southern California and San Joaquin Valley regions are extended indefinitely. ICU availability in both areas has been at 0% for some time. The Bay Area region's stay at home is set to expire on Jan. 8 but could also be extended.


• The Covid-19 variant first noticed in the United Kingdom has come to the United States. The first known case is announced in Colorado.


• Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris receives her first shot of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine.


• The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in California tops 20,000 for the first time, setting a new record at 20,390. ICU patients (4,308) are also at record levels.

December 28, 2020

• California continues to set records for the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients (19,766) and ICU patients (4,228).


• The House passes a bill to send $2,000 stimulus checks to Americans. The measure heads to the Senate tomorrow.


• A coronavirus vaccine made by Novavax begins Phase 3 clinical trials in the U.S. It is the fifth vaccine to reach this final stage of testing. Two vaccines, made by Pfizer and Moderna, have received Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA and are being distributed to Americans.

December 27, 2020

• Today sees new state records for the number of hospitalized (19,237) and ICU (4,123) patients.


• The TSA screened 1,284,599 people at airport checkpoints nationwide, setting a record for the pandemic.


• President Trump signs the nearly $900 billion coronavirus relief package that Congress approved last week. It authorizes $600 stimulus checks to taxpayers making up to $75,000 and $600 for each dependent child. The package also extends unemployment benefits.

December 25, 2020

• The United States will require airline passengers from Britain to get a negative COVID-19 test before their flight, after the discovery of a new coronavirus variant in the UK that is more contagious.

December 24, 2020

• California surpasses 2 million total coronavirus cases. Total cases do include patients who have recovered. Hospitalization (18,875) and ICU (3,962) numbers remain at record high levels.


• Dr. Anthony Fauci celebrates his 80th birthday.

December 23, 2020

• California sets new records with the number of hospitalized (18,448) and ICU patients (3,827).


• Coronavirus has now reached every continent in the world.


• Nearly 1.2 million travelers passed through TSA checkpoints, setting a pandemic travel record.

December 22, 2020

• There are again new records for the number of hospitalized (17,843) and ICU (3,755) patients in California. The state is on the verge of topping 2 million cases total and will likely set that milestone by Christmas.


• Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said she plans to retire.


• President Trump says he will not sign the coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress.

December 21, 2020

• President-elect Joe Biden receives the coronavirus vaccine on live television.


• The House passes a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill. The bill includes $600 stimulus checks for most Americans.


• California continues its record setting streak of hospitalized (17,190) and ICU (3,644) coronavirus patients.

December 20, 2020

• The number of hospitalizations has reached 16,843, with 3,614 in the ICU, both of which are single-day records in California.

December 19, 2020

• We have new records for hospitalized (16,465) and ICU patients (3,523) in California.

December 18, 2020

• The FDA authorizes Moderna's vaccine, one week after authorizing Pfizer's vaccine.


• Vaccinations are underway in all counties across the Bay Area.


• The state's stay at home order takes effect in the entire Bay Area region, made up of 11 counties including Santa Cruz and Monterey.


• San Francisco's quarantine begins, requiring anyone who comes to San Francisco from outside the Bay Area (defined as 9 counties plus Santa Cruz Co.) to quarantine for 10 days. (This rule is lifted on February 23, 2021.)

December 17, 2020

• A government advisory panel endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine, by Moderna, paving the way for the shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign.


• California shatters its prior record of pandemic related deaths with 379 reported in the most recent 24 hour period. Today also marks another record for the number of hospitalized patients (15,431) and ICU patients (3,280). 52,281 new cases were reported which is close to the record set yesterday, however there is a still a backlog of cases that is inflating the daily numbers.


• Vaccinations begin in Santa Clara and Alameda Counties, which have the two highest total numbers of cases in the Bay Area.


• San Francisco announces a 10-day quarantine for anyone who travels into the Bay Area, defined as 10 counties including Santa Cruz, effective Dec. 18.

December 16, 2020

• California hits new records in each of the four major metrics - new cases (53,711), new deaths (293), total hospitalized patients (14,939) and patients in the ICU (3,188). Both the 7-day and 14-day positivity rates are above 11% for the first time since April.


• The Bay Area Region drops below the state's 15% threshold of ICU availability, triggering the regional stay at home order starting at 11:59 pm on December 17th. 7 of the region's 11 counties had already implemented the rules voluntarily. The order will be new in San Mateo, Napa, Solano, and Santa Cruz counties.


• Vice President Mike Pence will publicly receive the coronvirus vaccine on Dec. 18.

December 15, 2020

• Coronavirus vaccinations begin in the Bay Area, with a San Francisco doctor the very first to receive the injection.


• New records are set in California for the highest number of coronavirus patients hospitalized (14,283) and in the ICU (3,081). In a sign of the intensity of the current surge, California has placed an order for 5,000 additional body bags and has 60 53-foot refrigerators on standby at hospitals around the state.


• The total number of cases in the Bay Area, including Santa Cruz County, tops 200,000. It took roughly six months for this area to reach 100,000 cases and less than half that time for the number to double.


• U.S. officials authorized a rapid coronavirus test which can be done entirely at home.

December 14, 2020

• The coronavirus death toll in the United States tops 300,000.


• The first coronavirus vaccinations are administered in the United States. In California, a nurse in Los Angeles is among the first recipients. The first Bay Area vaccinations are expected to take place tomorrow.


• Yet again, the number of hospitalized (13,635) and ICU patients (2,967) in California sets records.

December 13, 2020

• The first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine arrive in California.


• Santa Clara County announces more than 2,000 new cases, the highest single day total for the county in the pandemic.


• California hospitalizations (13,047) and ICU patients (2,820) set record highs again.

December 12, 2020

• California sets a new record with 225 coronavirus deaths reported in the most recent 24 hour period. The state also sets a record for the most cases (35,729) diagnosed in a day. The number of hospitalized patients (12,444) and ICU patients (2,752) are also at record levels.


• The San Joaquin Valley region ICU availability drops to 0 percent. California is divided into five regions and when a region's ICU availability drops below 15% the latest stay at home order is triggered, which shuts down gyms, salons, and on-site restaurant dining.

December 11, 2020

• The number of new cases in California sets a record at 35,468. Hospitalizations (12,013) and ICU patients (2,669) are also at record highs.


• The FDA grants Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine.

December 10, 2020

• An FDA advisory panel approves widespread use of Pfizer's vaccine, setting the country on a path to vaccination.


• Today we learn that the daily death toll from Covid-19 reached a record high of 3,124 Wednesday, Dec. 9, according to Johns Hopkins University. That's more deaths than those suffered in the 9/11 attacks.


• Sonoma County officials announced they will be joining many other counties in the Bay Area by enacting the regional stay-at-home order before it's required. It will take effect on Saturday Dec. 12.


• It is California's darkest day of the pandemic with a new record of deaths within a 24 hour period of 220. That's one more than the prior record set on July 31. The number of ICU patients (2,621) is at a record high for the seventh straight day. Hospitalizations in total (11,497) are also at record high levels.

December 9, 2020

• Playgrounds are allowed to reopen under the state's regional stay at home order, after petitions from parents and lawmakers.


• California sets a new record for the highest number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in a day (30,851) as well as a new record for the number of hospitalized patients (11,012). For the sixth straight day, the number of patients in the ICU (2,506) sets a record.


• ICU availability in the Greater Sacramento region drops below the state's 15 percent threshold which means that the regional stay at home order will take effect at 11:59pm on Dec. 10.


• Monterey County announces that it will voluntarily implement the regional stay at home order beginning on Dec. 13. Monterey is part of the Bay Area region, where ICU availability today is 20.9%,above the threshold.


• The Bay Area sets a record for jumping 10,000 diagnosed cases in the fastest time period yet. It took only two days to go from 170,000 cases to 180,000 cases. A jump this size used to take four days.


• Toll takers on the seven state-owned bridges in the Bay Area will not return to their booths. Tolls went all-electronic back in March to reduce the risk of infection and that has now become permanent.

December 8, 2020

• The United Kingdom begins distributing Pfizer's vaccine, which it approved last week. The second patient is an 81 year old man named William Shakespeare.


• The total number of diagnosed cases in the United States tops 15 million.


• For the fifth day in a row, California sets a record for the number of patients in the ICU (2,417). The number of hospitalized patients (10,567) also sets a record. The death toll in California tops 20,000.


• Marin County is the fifth Bay Area county to enact the state's regional stay at home order in advance of reaching the threshold of 15% ICU availability. Marin also moves into the state's purple tier, meaning coronavirus activity is widespread.


• Santa Clara County is the first in the Bay Area to top 40,000 cases.

December 7, 2020

• Alameda County enacts the state's regional stay at home order, even though its ICU availability remains above the state's 15% threshold. The San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions have ICU availability below 15% and enact the regional stay at home rules. In total, 33 million Californians live in counties where the new order is in effect.


• California sets a record for the number of patients hospitalized (10,070) and occupying ICU beds (2,360). The number of newly diagnosed cases (24,735) is the third highest yet.


• Warriors star Draymond Green tests positive for coronavirus.

December 6, 2020

• At 10 p.m., San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties implement the state's regional stay at home order which shuts down businesses like salons and indoor gyms and limits restaurants to delivery and takeout service only. Two other Bay Area counties commit to enacting the order within the next few days.


• California once again saw record breaking single-day COVID-19 case numbers, with 30,075 new cases.


• President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani tests positive for coronavirus and is hospitalized.

December 5, 2020

• Coronavirus cases in California reached new record-breaking heights with another 25,068 cases reported, bringing the state's total to more than 1.3 million, according to the latest state data.

December 4, 2020

• Five Bay Area counties announce they will implement the state's new regional stay at home order within days, without waiting for ICU availability to drop to the threshold of 15%. The counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and Santa Clara.

December 3, 2020

• Gov. Gavin Newsom announces a new stay at home order for California that would bring back many of the restrictions from March. When the stay-at-home order is triggered, bars, wineries, nail salons, hair salons and barbershops, and other personal care services will need to close. Private gatherings of any size will be prohibited. Restaurants will be limited to delivery and take out service. All non-essential travel is banned. The stay at home order will take effect if a region's available ICU capacity drops below 15%. Currently, the Bay Area region has 25.4% ICU beds available.


• The record of ICU patients set in July is broken with 2,066 patients needing ICU care. For the fifth straight day, the number of hospitalized patients sets a state record.


• The total number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area tops 160,000.

December 2, 2020

• For the first time, 100,000 Americans are hospitalized for coronavirus.


• California sets a record for hospitalized patients for the fourth day in a row.


• The number of new daily cases statewide tops 20,000 for the first time.


• Coronavirus has claimed more than 2,000 lives in the Bay Area.


• The U.K. becomes the first country in the world to approve Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. Distribution of 800,000 doses could begin next week.


• The Centers for Disease Control shortens the recommended quarantine lengthfrom 14 days to as littleas 7 days. If you quarantine and get a negative test after 7 days, your quarantine can be considered complete. If you don't get a test then you should quarantine for 10 days.

December 1, 2020

• Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meet to issue recommendations to the CDC about how to prioritize distribution of a coronavirus vaccine.

November 30, 2020

• The state's curfew takes effect in San Francisco and San Mateo counties since the two moved into the purple tier over the weekend.


• Santa Clara County becomes the first in the Bay Area to require travelers to quarantine for 14 days. It applies to people who have traveled more than 150 miles outside of the county.


• Moderna becomes the second company to file for an Emergency Use Authorization with the FDA. The request will be considered on December 17 and, if approved, vaccine distribution could begin soon after.


• The number of coronavirus cases in the United States tops 13.5 million.

November 29, 2020

• New restrictions begin in San Francisco after it was assigned to the state's purple tier yesterday.


• On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, nearly 1.2 million travelers passed through TSA checkpoints, setting a record for the highest number of daily travelers in the pandemic. The number of travelers is at 41 percent of the number from this time in 2019.

November 28, 2020

• Both San Francisco and San Mateo counties are moved up from the red to purple tier in the state's categorization, which means tougher restrictions. Marin County is the only Bay Area county outside of the purple tier. Marin County is in the red tier.


• Santa Clara County announces new restrictions as coronavirus cases rise. Recreational, professional, collegiate and youth sports are temporarily prohibited which affects the San Francisco 49ers, San Jose Sharks, and sports at San Jose State University, Santa Clara University and Stanford. The county is also issuing a mandatory directive on travel, which "strongly discourages" non-essential and leisure travel. Under the new order, anyone entering the county from more than 150 miles away must quarantine for 14 days.

November 27, 2020

• The total number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the Bay Area tops 150,000, even though some county health departments are not reporting new numbers because of the Thanksgiving holiday.


• Los Angeles County issues a new stay-at-home order that prohibits people from gathering with anyone outside of their household either in public or private. The order takes effect on Monday, November 30. L.A. has the most cases by far of any county in California.


• Despite the pandemic, shoppers flocked to local stores and malls for Black Friday deals. Crowds were smaller than in previous years.

November, 26, 2020

• The number of diagnosed coronavirus cases in San Francisco tops 15,000.


• Alameda County exceeds 500 coronavirus deaths.


• GLIDE Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco hosted its 51st annual Thanksgiving brunch. Because of the pandemic, meals were prepared indoors then served outdoors.

November 25, 2020

• The number of coronavirus cases worldwide tops 60 million. The United States has the highest number of reported cases: 12.7 million. India is in second place with 9.2 million diagnosed cases, followed by 6.1 million cases reported in Brazil.


• On the eve of Thanksgiving, and for the second time in five days, California sets a record for the number of newly diagnosed coronavirus cases. 18,350 new patients were diagnosed in the most recent 24-hour reporting period, eclipsing the record of 15,442 set on November 21. This also sets a national record for the number of new cases diagnosed in a state.


• Santa Clara County sets a record high with 512 new cases. The county also saw its highest daily number of hospitalized patients.


• Los Angeles County, which has the highest number of coronavirus cases in California, shuts down outdoor dining at 10 p.m. Starting tomorrow, bars and restaurants can only offer delivery, take out, and drive through food service.

November 24, 2020

• In what could be the biggest fraud of taxpayer dollars in California history, at least 35,000 CA unemployment claims were filed for prison inmates, including Scott Peterson. The state's EDD has paid out at least $140 million in benefits.


• Eight California counties move into more restrictive tiers because of rising coronavirus activity. No Bay Area counties are affected. At this time, not a single one of California's 58 counties remains in the lowest, yellow, tier.

November 23, 2020

• AstraZeneca announces its vaccine is 90 percent effective when administered as a small first dose and a larger second dose. One major advantage of its vaccine is that it does not require ultra-cold storage like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines do.


• San Francisco International Airport says travel was down 75% over the weekend compared to this weekend last year, the weekend before Thanksgiving. Health experts advise people not to travel to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

November 22, 2020

• More than 1 million people passed through TSA security checkpoints today making it the busiest travel day since the pandemic began. A total of 3 million people were screened over the weekend from Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22.


• Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that he and his family are in quarantine after they were exposed to Covid-19. No members of the family have tested positive.

November 21, 2020

• A curfew begins in California affecting all counties ranked in the most restrictive, purple, tier. It is in effect from 10 pm to 5 am and during that time people are asked to avoid any non-essential activities, especially gatherings.

November 20, 2020

• California sets a new single-day record for new coronavirus cases with 13,005 people diagnosed.


• The total number of diagnosed cases in the Bay Area tops 140,000.


• Donald Trump Jr. has tested positive for coronavirus. The president's son is quarantining at his cabin in upstate New York. Also, Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew has tested positive for coronavirus. Andrew Giuliani serves as a special assistant to the president.


• Pfizer is asking U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as December.


• The Sierra ski season begins with new rules to keep snow lovers safe during the pandemic.

November 19, 2020

• Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an overnight curfew for all California counties in the purple tier amid climbing coronavirus cases. The curfew will affect 41 of the state's 58 counties, which includes more than 94 percent of the state's population. It takes effect at 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 21 and expires at 5 a.m. on December 21.

November 18, 2020

• The nationwide death toll from coronavirus exceeds 250,000. In California, coronavirus has claimed the lives of 18,360 people.


• Pfizer says that more interim results from its ongoing coronavirus vaccine study suggest the shots are 95% effective and that the vaccine protects older people most at risk of dying from COVID-19.

November 17, 2020

• U.S. regulators allow emergency use of the first rapid coronavirus test that can be performed entirely at home and delivers results in 30 minutes. It is made by Lucira Health, which is based in Emeryville.


• Empty shelves surface at Bay Area stores as customers stockpile paper towels and toilet paper again, in scenes reminiscent of panic buying from March.

November 16, 2020

• 40 California counties reversed progress and moved backwards within the state's 4 color coded reopening tiers. In the Bay Area, Alameda, Napa, and Santa Clara jumped two tiers from orange to purple. Contra Costa and Solano Counties moved from red to purple. Marin and San Mateo counties moved from orange to red. San Francisco had been the only local county in the state's lowest category - yellow - and it jumped two tiers into the red category. Sonoma County remains in the purple tier. The higher tiers mean increased restrictions on business openings.


• Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine could be up to 94.5% effective.

November 15, 2020

• The U.S. has more than 11 million diagnosed coronavirus cases. The milestone comes less than oneweek after reporting 10 million cases.

November 14, 2020

• California officially exceeds 1 million diagnosed cases of coronavirus. The total number includes patients who have recovered.


• Indoor dining is now banned in San Francisco. In an attempt to reduce the spread of coronavirus, gyms and movie theater capacity is reduced. The city is also pausing plans to reopen more high schools.

November 13, 2020

• The governors of California, Washington and Oregon issue an advisory recommending against non-essential travel as the holiday season looms and the US sees a spike in COVID-19 cases. The advisory is merely a recommendation, not a requirement.


• Contra Costa County puts new restrictions into effect, after moving from the orange to red tier earlier this week. Today, capacity limits are reduced for indoor dining, movie theaters, gyms, and stores. Offices can open only for essential workers. Bowling alleys and indoor pools have to shut. Indoor dining will be closed on Tuesday, November 17, along with indoor gyms.


• Santa Clara County and Marin County announce they will shut down indoor dining on Tuesday, November 17.


• Governor Gavin Newsom apologizes afterit is revealed he attended a birthday party at the French Laundry, dining outside with about 12 people from different households.

November 10, 2020

• California's coronavirus death toll passes 18,000.


• 11 California counties move into more restrictive tiers on the state's list. In the Bay Area, Contra Costa County and Santa Cruz County move from orange to red.


• Alameda County now has more than 25,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.

November 9, 2020

• On the first weekday since being named president-elect, Joe Biden names the leaders of his coronavirus task force. The members include three UCSF doctors.


• Pfizer says an early peek at its vaccine data suggests the shots may be 90% effective at preventing COVID-19.


• The U.S. has confirmed more than 10 million coronavirus cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as infections continue to rise in nearly every state.


• With the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, the San Francisco Symphony announced that it will cancel all concerts through June 30, 2021.


• Health agencies representing nearly all Bay Area counties release joint recommendations for the holiday season. They stop short of issuing requirements.


• Some students in the city of Berkeley returned to in-person classes for the first time in months.


• Contra Costa County tops 20,000 diagnosed coronavirus cases.

November 8, 2020

• Worldwide, the total of diagnosed coronavirus cases tops 50 million.

November 5, 2020

• UC Berkeley's football home opener against the Washington Huskies on Saturday was canceled after a Cal player tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the quarantine of several other players.


• 49ers player Kendrick Bourne tests negative for coronavirus, raising concernsthat the positive test which kept him out of today's game against the Green Bay Packers may have been a false positive.


• Sonoma County exceeds 10,000 cases of coronavirus.

November 4, 2020

• 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne has tested positive for coronavirus. It means that he, and three other players who had been in close contact with him - Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams, and Deebo Samuel - will all miss tomorrow's game at Levi's Stadium against the Green Bay Packers.

November 2, 2020

• Voters experience what it's like to cast ballots in a pandemic for the first time in their lives. Masks, social distancing, and hand sanitizer are commonat polling places for those voting in person. All registered California voters received mail-in ballots for this election because of the pandemic.
  

November 1, 2020

• The 2021 Chinese New Year live parade in San Francisco has been canceled because of current COVID-19 conditions.


• The BBC says Britain's Prince William had the coronavirus apparently around the same time as his father Prince Charles earlier this year.

October 31, 2020

• Because of the pandemic, trick or treating is discouraged on Halloween this year.

October 29, 2020

• Solano County confirms its first patient co-infected with both coronavirus and the seasonal flu.

October 28, 2020

• Alameda County announces the date of November 9 for middle schools and high schools to be allowed to begin offering in-person classes for students.


• The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 943 points as surging coronavirus cases in the U.S. and Europe threaten more business shutdowns and pain for the economy. German officials agreed to impose a four-week partial lockdown and the French government announced a nationwide lockdown as European governments sought to stop a fast-rising tide of coronavirus cases sweeping the continent.

October 27, 2020

• Three Bay Area counties - Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo - advance in the state's reopening tiers, moving from red to orange. However, Napa and Solano Counties warn of possible regression.


• After being removed from a travel advisory list on September 15, Californians once again are being asked to quarantine after traveling to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

October 26, 2020

• California has recorded more than 900,000 total diagnosed cases of coronavirus.

October 25, 2020

• In the United States, more than 225,000 people have died from coronavirus.

October 24, 2020

• Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff and a top adviser both test positive for coronavirus. Pence himself tests negative.

October 23, 2020

• Alameda County is easing restrictions on indoor businesses starting today. Restaurants can offer indoor service at 25% capacity, or fewer than 100 people. That formula also applies to movie theaters and indoor worship services as well as gyms and fitness centers. Indoor stores and malls can increase their capacity to 50%.

October 22, 2020

• Remdesivir, made by Foster City-based company Gilead Sciences, is the first and only drug to receive FDA approval to treat COVID-19.

October 21, 2020

• Spain has become the first country in western Europe to accumulate more than 1 million confirmed infections, as the nation of 47 million struggles to contain a resurgence of coronavirus.

October 20, 2020

• San Francisco is the first Bay Area county to move into the yellow tier, which is the least restrictive of the state's categories. The city will move forward on reopening offices and expanding capacity at businesses, including fitness, dining, places of worship, personal services, recreation, and more.


• Napa County announces that it will move from the red to orange tier tomorrow.


• California issues reopening guidelines for theme parks and outdoor stadiums after months of closures.

October 19, 2020

• The number of diagnosed coronavirus cases worldwide tops 40 million.

October 16, 2020

• Eight million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States, according to John Hopkins University.
  

October 14, 2020

• First Lady Melania Trump reveals that her 14-year-old son Barron Trump tested positive for coronavirus. He has since tested negative, as have the First Lady and the President.


• Playgrounds in San Francisco reopen, amid strict restrictions to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.

October 13, 2020

• The state releases guidelines for celebrating Halloween. The guidelines strongly discourage trick or treating.


• 10 California counties change tiers in the state's color-coded ranking of business restrictions. Alameda and Santa Clara counties both moved from red to orange, which reduces the number of restrictions. They join San Francisco at the orange level. Sonoma County is in the purple tier, with the most restrictions. All other Bay Area counties are in the red tier.

October 12, 2020

• President Donald Trump's physician says the president tested negative for COVID-19 "on consecutive days."

October 5, 2020

• Santa Clara County surpasses Alameda County for the highest number of diagnosed coronavirus cases in the Bay Area. Santa Clara County has 21,840 cases and Alameda County has 21,708. In total, there are nearly 108,000 diagnosed cases across the nine Bay Area counties.


• President Trump leaves Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he's been receiving treatment for coronavirus, and returns to the White House.

October 1, 2020

• President Trump announces he has tested positive for coronavirus. First Lady Melania Trump has also tested positive.


• Alameda County announces that starting Oct. 13, elementary schools may reopen. Also, indoor gyms, personal services and libraries may reopen starting Oct. 9 with restrictions.

September 30, 2020

• The Walt Disney Company announces the layoffs of 28,000 employees in the parks division. Disneyland has been closed since March. Walt Disney World, in Florida, reopened over the summer. Disney is the parent company of ABC7.

September 29, 2020

• San Francisco is moving into the "orange" COVID-19 reopening tier and Contra Costa County is moving into the "red" tier, California officials announced.

September 28, 2020

• The worldwide death toll from coronavirus tops 1 million.

September 25, 2020

• Across the United States there are now more than 7 million diagnosed coronavirus cases.


• Alameda County gives nail salons permission to operate indoors. At this time, in the Bay Area, only Sonoma County does not allow this.

September 24, 2020

• In Santa Clara County, the death toll from coronavirus now tops 300.


• The Pac-12 announces a start date for college football of November 6, reversing an earlier decision to delay games until the spring.

September 23, 2020

• Four Napa County school districts announce they will open for in-person instruction beginning October 26. Families will have the option to continue with full distance learning.

September 22, 2020

• The death toll from coronavirus in the United States now tops 200,000.


• Three more Bay Area counties - Alameda, San Mateo, and Solano - move from the purple to the red tier in the state's classification, which means more businesses can reopen.

September 19, 2020

• The number of diagnosed cases in the Bay Area tops 100,000.

September 17, 2020

• It has been exactly six months since most of the Bay Area began to shelter in place. 7 million people in six counties - Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Santa Clara - were told to restrict travel and activities only to essential tasks.

September 16, 2020

• Contra Costa County lifts some business restrictions, for example allowing personal care services involving the face to begin operating outdoors. Contra Costa remains in the purple tier in the state's classification system, meaning coronavirus activity is widespread.

September 15, 2020

• Marin County improves its position, moving from the purple tier to the red tier on the state's classification of coronavirus activity. It opens up the possibility for more businesses to reopen. Red means that coronavirus activity is substantial; it's a step down from the purple category of widespread coronavirus activity.


• California is among six states removed from New York state's travel advisory list. The advisory required travelers to quarantine for 14 days.

September 14, 2020

• Indoor salons and indoor gyms are allowed to reopen in San Francisco for the first time in six months.


• Alameda County now has more than 20,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, more than any other Bay Area county.


• BART increases the frequency of trains, saying ridership is picking up.

September 11, 2020

• Annual remembrances for 9/11 are changed because of the coronavirus pandemic as well as the miserably low air quality levels from nearby wildfires.

September 10, 2020

• San Francisco announces that indoor salons and more will be allowed to open on Monday, September 14 for the first time in nearly six months.

September 9, 2020

• The worldwide death toll from coronavirus exceeds 900,000 according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.


• 15 Marin County schools reopen today for in-person instruction after receiving a waiver from the state. Marin County remains classified in California's worst tier, purple, which means coronavirus activity is widespread.


• Today Governor Gavin Newsom signed three bills to help California's small businesses. One authorizes up to $100 million in tax credits for small businesses that hire or rehire employees in the next three months. Companies with fewer than 100 employees that lost at least half their typical revenue between April and June will be eligible. They can get $1,000 in credits for each worker hired.

September 8, 2020

• Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties change tiers in the state's color-coded coronavirus classification system. These are two of five California counties moving from purple, the worst category, to red, which allows more businesses to open. Marin County expected to move from the "purple" to "red" category, but the state opted to hold off and monitor the county's coronavirus trends for another week.

September 4, 2020

• The Bay Area now has more than 90,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• Alameda County allows indoor salon operations to resume. Outdoor fitness and dance classes, as well as outdoor entertainment centers, can reopen.

September 3, 2020

• 15 schools in Marin County will be allowed to reopen for in-person instruction as early as September 8.

September 2, 2020

• Governor Gavin Newsom announces the state will be using $600 million to purchase hotels, motels and apartment buildings by the end of the year for supportive homeless housing to alleviate the pandemic's financial impact.

September 1, 2020

• Stanford University closes most of its campus to the public to limit the spread of coronavirus.

August 31, 2020

• The number of diagnosed coronavirus cases in the United States exceeds 6 million. No other country in the world has reported as many cases. Brazil has the second-highest total with 3.9 million cases, followed by India with 3.6 million cases.


• California has more than 700,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• Napa County reopens indoor dining, gyms, and churches, with restrictions.


• Santa Clara County reopens salons and malls with reduced capacity.


• State lawmakers vote on AB 3088 which would extend eviction protections. The deadline to pass the bill is midnight tonight.


• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits a San Francisco salon and goes inside for a shampoo and blowout, which violates current city health orders. The visit leads to a firestorm of controversy.

August 30, 2020

• There are more than 25 million diagnosed coronavirus cases worldwide. The United States has reported more than any other country.

August 28, 2020

• Alameda County allows for more outdoor business activity, including hair and nail salon operations. Contra Costa County also allows these to begin, along with some other operations.


• San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces that businesses including salons can reopen for outdoor services beginning on September 1, with outdoor gyms allowed starting September 9.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces a new framework for evaluating coronavirus activity and allowing businesses to resume operations with a color-coded system. The state is moving away from the watch list; if a county was on the watch list for increased coronavirus activity then it faced additional business restrictions.

August 26, 2020

• The number of diagnosed coronavirus cases worldwide now tops 20 million.


• The Centers for Disease Control updates its guidance for coronavirus testing. The CDC now says you do not necessarily need a test if you have been in close contact with a person with a COVID-19 infection, as long as you don't show symptoms. California Governor Gavin Newsom is among those critical of the change.


• Gov. Gavin Newsom announces a new partnership with PerkinElmer to produce more coronavirus tests with faster results, at a lower price to the state.

August 21, 2020

• Napa County comes off the state's watch list because its coronavirus activity is within limits set by the state.


• Alameda County announces that more outdoor activities will be allowed beginning in one week, including outdoor hair and nail salon operations. Wineries will be allowed to provide outdoor tastings without offering food. Outdoor swimming pools will be allowed to open.

August 19, 2020

• The Bay Area now has more than 75,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus and it has claimed more than 1,000 lives.

August 17, 2020

• The Democratic National Convention holds its first day as a virtual production due to coronavirus concerns. It is scheduled to last through Thursday, August 20.


• Alcatraz reopens to the public after being closed for five months due to the coronavirus pandemic.


• The Bay Area's biggest school district, San Francisco Unified, holds its first day of class with all online learning.


• The state's watch list of counties with increased coronavirus activity has been unfrozen. Five counties have been added to the list since July 25, when the data glitch prompted the list to be frozen. One county, Santa Cruz, has been removed.

August 14, 2020

• California becomes the first state in the nation to report more than 600,00 diagnosed cases of coronavirus. This total does include patients who have recovered and are no longer ill.


• Santa Cruz County is removed from the state's watch list, but the information is not revealed until Monday, August 17 when Governor Gavin Newsom announces that the watch list has been unfrozen since the state's coronavirus data backlog has been resolved.

August 13, 2020

• Contra Costa County exceeds 10,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus. That is the third highest total of any Bay Area county, following Alameda and Santa Clara Counties.


• Stanford University reverses plans to allow some students to live on campus because the coronavirus pandemic has not diminished as much as the university expected.


• For the first time in 21 weeks, the number of new unemployment claims filed was under one million.

August 12, 2020

• Wearing masks and observing social distancing, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his newly named running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, hold their first event together.


• The San Jose Unified School District starts a new school year with all remote learning for the first time.

August 11, 2020

• Russia announces it has the first coronavirus vaccine that is approved for use, despite international skepticism.


• Marin County allows beauty salons to reopen for business as long as they are operating outside. Indoor operations are not allowed because Marin County is on the state's watch list for increased coronavirus activity.


• Both the Big Ten and Pac-12 won't play football this fall because of concerns about COVID-19, taking two of college football's five power conferences out of a crumbling season amid the pandemic.

August 10, 2020

• The number of coronavirus cases worldwide exceeds 20 million. There are more than 5 million reported cases in the United States.


• For the first time ever, Oakland Unified School District begins a new school year with all classes held online.

August 9, 2020

• The United States has diagnosed more than 5 million cases of coronavirus, more than any other country in the world.


• New Zealand marks its 100th day without a new diagnosed case of coronavirus.


• California's Public Health Director, Dr. Sonia Angell, abruptly resigns, without providing a reason.

August 8, 2020

• President Trump signs four orders on unemployment, student loans, evictions, and social security payroll taxes, to relieve the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

August 7, 2020

• California has now recorded more than 10,000 deaths from coronavirus.

August 6, 2020

• Alameda County now has more than 12,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, the most of any Bay Area county.


• Napa County has exceeded 1,000 cases of coronavirus.


• Sonoma County approves fines for violating health orders. Individuals face $100 fines for not wearing a mask or ignoring social distancing guidelines. San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Marin, Napa, and Contra Costa Counties have also approved fines.

August5, 2020

• San Francisco now has more than 7,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• In Santa Clara County, the total number of coronavirus cases exceeds 11,000. In the Bay Area, only Alameda County has more cases.


• California officials now say numbers of COVID-19 cases are being underreported because of a technical problem. It's a technical problem with the electronic system used by state and local health departments.

August 4, 2020

• San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County both approve fines for people not wearing a mask or face covering. The first offense is $100.


• Contra Costa County now has more than 8,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus. It is the third highest total in the Bay Area, following Alameda and Santa Clara Counties.


• In Santa Clara, California's Great America theme park announces it will remain closed for the rest of the year.

August 3, 2020

• Santa Clara County now has more than 10,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, becoming only the second Bay Area county to exceed that mark. Alameda County has the most cases of any local county. Alameda County's current total is above 11,500.

August 2, 2020

• At 12:01am, San Mateo County closes businesses including indoor gyms and salons because it has been on the state's watch list for more than three consecutive days for increased coronavirus activity.

August 1, 2020

• California's total number of coronavirus cases tops 500,000.The state sets another new record for the number of deaths reported in a 24 hour period with 219 total.

July 31, 2020

• A Central Valley teenager is California's youngest victim of coronavirus. A 17-year-old Los Angeles boy whose death was reported on March 24, 2020 was originally said to have died of coronavirus; further tests revealed that was not the cause of death. The state's coronavirus death toll now tops 9,000.

July 30, 2020

• The Bay Area exceeds more than 50,000 total cases of coronavirus. The number jumped from 49,819 to 51,155 overnight. This includes the nine Bay Area counties plus Santa Cruz County. The total number of cases includes people who have recovered. Deaths in the Bay Area now exceed 800.


• The NBA season resumes after a four month hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. 22 teams are taking part. The Golden State Warriors are not included because the team's record was too poor to qualify.


• Former presidential candidate Herman Cain passes away weeks after being diagnosed with coronavirus.


• California Pizza Kitchen files for bankruptcy amid the pandemic.

July 29, 2020

• The United States has more than 150,000 deaths from coronavirus, the most reported by any country in the world.


• San Mateo County is the last Bay Area county to join the state's watch list for increased coronavirus activity. If it stays on the list for three consecutive days then businesses like indoor malls, gyms, and salons will have to close.


• The state reports a record number of deaths in a 24 hour period. 197 people lost their lives.


• The Oakland Zoo reopens to the general public.


• Governor Gavin Newsom unveils a plan to tackle the problems that have plagued the state's Employment Development Department and caused delays and other issues for people trying to access unemployment benefits.

July 28, 2020

• Contra Costa County Supervisors vote in favor of issuing fines to people who do not obey public health orders to wear a face covering. Fines for an individual's first offense will be $100. A third citation is $500.

July 27, 2020

• Gov. Gavin Newsom announces a $52 million investment in the Central Valley to enhance COVID-19 response because of a recent surge of coronavirus activity in eight counties there.


• The world's biggest COVID-19 vaccine study got underway with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test shots created by the U.S. government -- one of several candidates in the final stretch of the global vaccine race.


• Google tells employees they can continue to work from home through July 2021. Previously, the Mountain View-based search giant had told staff they could work remotely through the end of 2020.


• The Oakland Zoo reopens to members only. The public can visit beginning on Wednesday, July 29.

July 26, 2020

• Santa Cruz County is confirmed to be on the state's watch list for increased coronavirus activity, which means that businesses like salons and gyms have to shut down. In the Bay Area, only San Mateo County is not on the watch list.


• Actor Mel Gibson reveals he had to be hospitalized for coronavirus.

July 24, 2020

• Alameda County becomes the first in the Bay Area to exceed 10,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• California reports a record high number of deaths for the second day in a row. 159 people died in the past 24 hours, bringing the state's total to 8,186.


• Governor Newsom announces new protections for essential workers in a move designed to aid the Latino community which is disproportionaly bearing the brunt of coronavirus cases.

July 23, 2020

• The United States now has more than 4 million diagnosed cases of coronavirus, the most reported by any country in the world. Brazil is in second place with 2.2 million cases. India ranks third with 1.2 million. All other countries have fewer than 1 million cases each, according to Johns Hopkins University.


• It's finally opening day for Major League Baseball, delayed four months because of the coronavirus pandemic.


• For the first time since March, weekly unemployment claims increased. 1.4 million Americans filed unemployment for the first time last week. The total number of people receiving jobless benefits is 16.2 million, which is actually a slight decrease.


• President Trump calls off the Republican National Convention, scheduled for Florida, amid rising coronavirus concerns.


• California records its highest daily death toll of the pandemic. 157 people died in the past 24 hours, bringing the state's total to 8,027.

July 22, 2020

• With 413,576 cases, California passes New York for the state with the highest number in the United States. The total includes people who have recovered. New York's 32,520 confirmed deaths are four times California's tally of nearly 8,000 deaths. California's population is roughly double that of the state of New York.


• California reports a record number of new cases in a day (12,807), a record number of hospitalizations (7,170), and a record high death rate (95 deaths/day average).


• Worldwide, there are more than 15 million diagnosed cases of coronavirus. The United States is on the brink of recording 4 million cases, more than any other country.

July 21, 2020

• President Trump holds his first coronavirus briefing since April, in which he encouraged people to wear masks.


• California becomes the second state to report more than 400,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus. Only New York has more cases, and California may soon eclipse it. There are a record high number of coronavirus patients hospitalized and in ICUs in California.


• Marin County supervisors have approved a temporary ordinance that imposes civil penalties on people and businesses who fail to follow face covering orders.


• Walmart announces it will not be open on Thanksgiving this year, to give its employees a break to be with their families.

July 20, 2020

• Walmart begins a mandatory mask policy at all stores in the United States.


• Salons are given the green light by the state to move their operations outside.


• San Francisco closes indoor malls and non-essential offices because it has remained on the state's watch list for more than 3 days. In the Bay Area, only San Mateo County is not on the watch list.


• The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced it will be delaying education-based athletics for the 2020-2021 school year.

July 18, 2020

• Alameda County now has more than 9,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, more than any other county in the Bay Area.

July 17, 2020

• It's been exactly four months since most of the Bay Area began to shelter in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces that school cannot begin in person in any county that is on the state's watch list for increased coronavirus activity. Currently, 33 of California's 58 counties are on that list.


• San Francisco says it has been placed on the state's watch list, and plans to close indoor malls and non-essential offices within 3 days. San Mateo County is the only one in the Bay Area to not reach the watch list, but data shows it is approaching the threshold.


• Sonoma County now has more than 2,000 cases of coronavirus.


• There are more than 3,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus in Monterey County.


• India becomes the third country in the world to surpass 1 million cases of coronavirus. Brazil has more than 2 million. The United States is the only country to record more than 3 million cases.


• More than 14 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed around the world. It has caused more than 600,000 deaths.

July 16, 2020

• Santa Clara County now has more than 7,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, the second highest total in the Bay Area after Alameda County.


• Marin County has more than 2,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus. That does not include the number of cases at San Quentin State Prison, which has 1,162 inmates with coronavirus according to California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.


• Target and CVS Health announce that masks will be mandatory for customers in all stores nationwide, joining a growing list of corporations with this requirement that includes Walmart, Starbucks, Best Buy, Kohl's, and Kroger.


• A San Francisco judge has ruled that witnesses for an upcoming criminal case will be wearing transparent face masks. It's the first ruling of its kind as courts grapple with a new coronavirus reality.


• The federal ban on cruise ships operating in U.S. waters is being extended through September.

July 15, 2020

• The state sees a record number of new coronavirus cases in one day with 11,126. On average, California records 7,927 new cases in a day.


• California's death rate from coronavirus hits a new record high of 83 deaths per day.


• Taxes are due today. The traditional April deadline was delayed for 3 months because of the pandemic.


• Some Santa Clara County businesses that reopened on Monday, July 13 have to close today, including gyms, hair salons, nail salons, indoor malls, indoor churches, and non-essential offices. That's because Santa Clara County has been on the state's watch list for more than three days.


• Alameda County's request for a variance is approved by the state, which means that outdoor dining is allowed and the Oakland Zoo can reopen. Only one county in California does not have a variance: Imperial County, on the southern border.


• Alameda County officially joins the state's watch list of counties with increased coronavirus activity. 7 of the Bay Area's 9 counties are now on the list. Only San Francisco and San Mateo Counties are not on the watch list.


• San Francisco Unified School District, the largest in the Bay Area, announces that fall classes will begin with distance learning, and not with students in the classroom.


• San Francisco further pauses the reopening of businesses including hair and nail salons, indoor museums, and outdoor swimming pools. These businesses were originally told they would be able to open on June 29.


• Starbucks begins a mandatory mask policy at all stores in the United States.


• The 2021 Rose Parade is officially canceled for the first time since World War II.

July 14, 2020

• Alameda County becomes the first in the Bay Area to exceed 8,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• Alameda County Supervisors unanimously vote in favor of filing a variance with the state, which will allow the county to advance reopening plans beyond the statewide limits.


• Contra Costa County now has more than 5,000 cases of coronavirus.


• There are now 600 cases of coronavirus in Santa Cruz County.


• The first Covid-19 vaccine tested in the United States is poised for final testing.


• The Trump administration rescinds a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic.

July 13, 2020

• Worldwide, more than 13 million cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed.


• The Bay Area, including Santa Cruz County, has a total of more than 35,000 coronavirus cases.


• Napa County has 500 cases of coronavirus.


• San Mateo County now has more than 4,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces new restrictions will take effect to curb the spread of coronavirus. Statewide, all bars must close. Indoor dining has to shut down, along with indoor wineries and tasting rooms. Movie theaters, entertainment centers like bowling alleys, indoor museums, and cardrooms have to close. Counties that have been on the state's watch list for 3 days or more must also close the following: gyms, hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, indoor malls, and indoor places of worship. 5 Bay Area counties are on the watch list including Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, and most recently, Sonoma. Alameda and Santa Clara Counties were just added to the watch list, and if they are not removed within 3 days they will have to close additional businesses. San Francisco and San Mateo Counties are not on the watch list or being monitored.


• Santa Clara County's new health order takes effect, which allows gyms, hair salons and tattoo parlors to reopen. However, the county is being monitored by the state because of increased coronavirus activity so these businesses may have to close on Wednesday, July 15.


• The San Francisco Zoo officially reopens to members only. The public can visit the zoo beginning on Wednesday, July 15.

July 12, 2020

• Santa Clara exceeds 6,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• Alameda County is added to the state's monitoring list for increased coronavirus activity. If the situation does not improve, then the county faces additional restrictions and may have to close some businesses.

July 11, 2020

• The World Health Organization acknowledges that airborne transmission of coronavirus is possible.

July 10, 2020

• Sonoma County has been put back on the state's monitoring list for increased coronavirus activity. If it continues, then indoor dining, indoor tasting rooms, and bars could close as early as July 13.


• San Francisco announces that the Zoo will reopen on Monday, July 13. It will also allow shoppers to bring reusable bags to stores, which had been temporarily banned over concerns these might help spread coronavirus.


• California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announces that up to 8,000 prison inmates could be released over the next few months to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.


• Solano County now has more than 2,000 diagnosed coronavirus cases.


• Oakland public schools are one month away from resuming classes. All students will begin with online classes. Oakland Unified expects to teach students in small groups, once the fourth week of the school year starts.


• Alameda County finds out from the state that it needs to shut down outdoor dining. Alameda is one of two state counties without a variance, which is the permission to advance reopening, and thus does not have state permission to allow outdoor dining.

July 9, 2020

• Napa County closes indoor dining, indoor tasting rooms, and more because it has been on the state's watch list for several consecutive days due to a rise in coronavirus activity. These will be closed for at least three weeks.

July 8, 2020

• The number of diagnosed cases worldwide exceeds 12 million, just 5 days after reaching the 11 million milestone. The U.S. has 3 million cases, and 131,480 deaths, the highest number in the world.


• The COVID Tracking Project says today saw a new daily high in cases in the U.S., with 62,197 total cases. The project said the number of patients currently hospitalized is more than 43,000, which is about the levels in mid-May. The 7-day average on deaths is now creeping back up as well, with more than 800 deaths reported by states.


• The Ivy League became the first Division I conference to postpone fall sports due to the coronavirus pandemic.The league cited restrictions on student and staff travel, requirements for social distancing, limits on group gatherings, and regulations for visitors to campus as some of the factors that led to the decision.


• As United Airlines faces its biggest crisis in company history, the airline says it is prepared to furlough almost 36,000 employees in October, or 45% of its US-based workers.


• Santa Clara County releases guidelines for gyms to reopen safely. The rules require face masks and physical distancing. Locker rooms and showers are off limits. Any strenuous activity, that results in heavy breathing or an elevated heartrate, must be done outside.


• Stanford University announces it will cut 11 varsity sports teams and eliminate 20 staff positions.


• San Francisco health officials release rules for schools to reopen.


• Alameda County surpasses 7,000 cases of coronavirus, the most of any Bay Area county.

July 7, 2020

• Santa Clara County's attestation for a variance is approved by the state which means that it can advance its reopening plans. Gyms, hair salons, nail salons, hotels, outdoor pools, and outdoor dining all expect to reopen on July 13. Only two counties out of California's 58 have not filed for a variance: Alameda and Imperial Counties.


• San Francisco decides to pause its next planned reopening, which means that indoor dining is on hold. It was scheduled to resume on July 13.


• Both Contra Costa and San Francisco counties exceed 4,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• There are more than 500 diagnosed coronavirus cases in Santa Cruz County.


• The number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area, including Santa Cruz County, exceeds 30,000.

July 6, 2020

• California's State Capitol building is closed for the next week after two people who work there test positive for coronavirus.


• Santa Clara County is removed from the state's watch list. Contra Costa, Marin, and Solano counties remain on the list.


• Napa County says the state has placed it on the watch list and anticipates having to close indoor dining, indoor tasting rooms, indoor museums, movie theaters, as well as both indoor and outdoor bars, on July 9. The closures will last through the end of the month.

July 5, 2020

• Broadway star Nick Cordero dies from coronavirus. Cordero, age 41, had been hospitalized since March, during which time he had a leg amputated and was put into a medically induced coma.


• Marin County bans indoor dining because of worsening coronavirus numbers which have put it on the state's watch list. The restriction takes effect at 11:59 p.m. and will last for at least 3 weeks. Marin County allowed outdoor dining to resume on June 29.


• Sonoma County reports its biggest spike of coronavirus cases.92 people tested positive for the virus on July 3. If the trend continues, Sonoma could end up on the state's watch list.

July 4, 2020

• Fourth of July celebrations are modified or minimized to accommodate health concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.


• A record number of coronavirus tests - 127,000 - are performed across California.


• Outdoor dining shuts down in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, after restaurants received notices from California's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for allegedly violating state rules about what is allowed to reopen .


• Santa Clara County's application for a variance, which would allow it to advance reopening, is denied by the state.

July 3, 2020

• The number of coronavirus cases worldwide tops 11 million. Globally there are more than 523,000 reported deaths, including 129,405 in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University.


• Major League Baseball cancels the All-Star Game for first time since World War II because of the coronavirus pandemic.


• Marin County is placed on the state's watch list because of an increase in coronavirus activity. If it does not slow down, and Marin County remains on the watch list, then indoor dining could close as early as July 5.

July 2, 2020

• Alameda County now exceeds 6,000 diagnosed coronavirus cases.


• Napa County has more than 400 cases of coronavirus.


• Santa Clara County lays out its plans for the next steps of reopening, which are contingent on the state approving Santa Clara's newly filed attestation for a variance, which is the formal process by which counties advance reopening. The new order would take effect no earlier than July 13. It would allow personal care services, including hair and nail salons, as well as gyms, hotels, and small social gatherings to resume.


• In Vallejo, Six Flags reopens partially for the first time since it shut in mid-March. No rides are operating, but visitors can see the animal attractions. Capacity has been lowered from 12,000 to 2,000 and temperatures are taken upon entry.

July 1, 2020

• The Bay Area, including Santa Cruz County, has more than 25,000 total diagnosed cases.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces the return of some stricter restrictions and business closures ahead of Fourth of July weekend. Effective immediately, restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums and cardrooms have to shut down indoor operations. Those businesses can still operate outdoors. This applies to 19 counties that are on the state's watch list due to rapid increases in the number of coronavirus cases. Bars, both indoor and outdoor, must close in those 19 counties.


• Many beach parking lots are closing for the holiday weekend to reduce crowds of visitors including in Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, and Monterey.


• The city of Monterey issues an emergency order to require the use of a face covering in business districts while also closing the city's beaches for the holiday weekend.


• Solano County closes down indoor dining, indoor tasting rooms, as well as indoor and outdoor bars, following an order from the state.

June 30, 2020

• Travelers from California are subject to a 14-day quarantine if they arrive in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut.


• The European Union has excluded the United States from its initial "safe list" of countries from which the bloc will allow non-essential travel. 14 countries outside of the EU will be allowed in: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.


• Contra Costa County now has more than 3,000 cases of coronavirus.

June 29, 2020

• Marin County reopens hair salons, indoor restaurant dining, campgrounds, RV parks and more.


• Muir Woods National Park reopens.


• Contra Costa County decides to postpone openings that were planned for July 1. It will no longer allow gyms, museums, hotels, bars, indoor restaurant dining, nail salons, massage shops, tattoo parlors, and other personal care services to resume business.


• Alameda County announces it will put on hold any future reopening plans, including a plan to file an attestation for a variance with the state which would have allowed it to accelerate reopening.


• Napa County exceeds 300 coronavirus cases.


• The state adds four counties, including Solano, to a watch list of counties being monitored because of rapidly increasing coronavirus cases. There are 19 counties on the list which represent 72% of California's population.


• Los Angeles County becomes the first county in the United States to report more than 100,000 diagnosed coronavirus cases.


• All beaches in Los Angeles County will be closed for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend to reduce crowding and the chance of community spread of the coronavirus.


• In New York, Broadway will remain dark through the rest of the year. Refunds are being offered for tickets through early January. Broadway closed abruptly on March 12 and this is the third extension of the shutdown.


• As of today, the United States has reported more than 2.5 million cases of coronavirus.

June 28, 2020

• The global number of diagnosed coronavirus cases tops 10 million.


• The worldwide coronavirus death toll exceeds 500,000. There are 125,000 deaths in the United States.


• In an effort to reduce rapidly increasing rates of coronavirus infections, Governor Gavin Newsom orders seven counties to close bars and recommends closures in another eight counties, including Contra Costa and Santa Clara. Those two counties had not yet allowed bars to open. Indoor bars were set to reopen on July 1 in Contra Costa County.

June 27, 2020

• The United States records its largest single-day increase with 45,000 new coronavirus cases.


• Santa Clara County exceeds 4,000 diagnosed coronavirus cases.

June 26, 2020

• San Francisco abruptly halts plans to reopen more businesses on June 29, citing a sharp increase in cases overnight. Hair salons, nail salons, tattoo shops, museums, zoos, and outdoor bars are now on hold.


• Contra Costa County warns that an increase in coronavirus cases jeopardizes its next planned stage of reopening. On July 1, indoor dining, bars, gyms, museums, hotels, nail salons, and tattoo parlors expect to be able to open.


• Marin County reduces the amount of businesses scheduled to reopen on Monday, June 29. It will allow hair salons, barbershops, indoor dining, campgrounds, RV parks, picnic and barbecue areas to reopen. Hotels, nail salons, tattoo parlors, massage and skincare services, and gyms will not be allowed to reopen.


• San Quentin State Prison, located in Marin County, now has the highest number of active coronavirus cases among inmates of any prison in the state system. 545 San Quentin inmates are infected.


• San Mateo County has more than 3,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• Sonoma County exceeds 1,000 cases of coronavirus.


• Bay to Breakers officially cancels the 2020 race. The annual running race across San Francisco usually takes place in May. Because of the pandemic, in March the race organizers postponed the event to September, but now have canceled it completely.

June 25, 2020

• San Francisco receives state approval to advance its reopening plans, which means that hair salons, nail salons, tattoo shops, massage parlors, museums, zoos, outside swimming pools and outdoor bars can reopen. Only Alameda County, Santa Clara County, and Imperial County out of California's 58 counties have not filed a variance.


• Santa Cruz County announces that beach restrictions will end tonight. Rules that forbid people from sunbathing or having a picnic were too hard to enforce.


• Chuck E. Cheese files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Texas-based chain had been experiencing financial trouble before the pandemic, but the prolonged closure of its restaurants has taken an even greater toll.


• In Paris, the Eiffel Tower reopens to the public for the first time since March.

June 24, 2020

• It is 100 days since most of the Bay Area began to shelter in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus.


• Marin County exceeds 1,000 cases of coronavirus. This count does not include cases diagnosed at San Quentin prison. The first case at San Quentin was reported on June 1; now, there are more than 500 diagnosed cases among inmates and staff.


• California records its highest ever single day coronavirus case count with 7,149 new cases.

June 23, 2020

• The state records its highest ever single day total of new coronavirus cases, with 7,149 diagnosed.


• Solano County now has more than 1,000 diganosed cases of coronavirus.


• Santa Cruz County announces more than 300 cases of coronavirus.

June 22, 2020

• The number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases hit another milestone, topping 9 million worldwide. It took only seven days for the number of cases to increase by one million.


• The number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area, including Santa Cruz County, tops 20,000.


• Alameda County now reports more than 5,000 coronavirus cases. It is the first county in the Bay Area to exceed 5,000 cases.


• San Francisco updates its timeline for reopening. In one week, on June 29, hair salons, nail salons, tattoo shops, massage parlors, museums, zoos, outside swimming pools and outdoor bars can reopen. The original date to open these businesses was July 15. The earlier opening is contingent on San Francisco receiving state approval for a variance.


• The Monterey Bay Aquarium announces it will reopen on July 13.


• Apple holds its annual Worldwide Developers Conference completely online for the first time ever.

June 21, 2020

• The World Health Organization reports the largest single one-day increase in the number of coronavirus cases. More than 183,000 new cases worldwide were reported in the last 24-hour period.


• Actor and comedian D.L. Hughley says he has tested positive for coronavirus after he collapsed on stage during a show in Nashville on June 19.

June 20, 2020

• Despite coronavirus concerns about large crowds in indoor spaces for prolonged periods of time, President Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail with a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The fire department reports the venue was one-third full with 6,200 people attending the event. Six members of Trump's advance team, including two secret service agents test positive for coronavirus.

June 19, 2020

• The state allows nail salons, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, and body waxing to resume.


• Solano County allows personal care services like nail salons and tattoo parlors to reopen.


• San Mateo County allows nail salons and more to reopen.


• Sonoma County opens up nail salons and other personal care services.


• Napa County allows nail salons, tattoo parlors, estheticians, cosmetologists, masseuses, and ear piercing salons to resume business. It also allows indoor gyms and fitness studios to reopen.


• Alameda County allows outdoor restaurant dining to resume. It is the last Bay Area county to take this step. Also today in Alameda County, indoor and outdoor religious services, in-store shopping, outdoor museums, and outdoor fitness classes are allowed.


• Marin County allows people to form social bubbles, defined as "a stable group of 12 people or less who have collectively agreed to limit their in-person social activities to only each other for at least three weeks".


• Contra Costa County is now on a watch list with the California Department of Public Health because of increasing coronavirus hospitalizations.


• San Mateo County exceeds 100 reported deaths from coronavirus.


• There are more than 8.5 million coronavirus cases diagnosed worldwide.


• Brazil now has more than 1 million reported cases of coronavirus. Only the United States has more, currently in excess of 2.2 million cases.

June 18, 2020

• Governor Gavin Newsom requires masks or face coverings to be worn in public statewide. Every Bay Area county, except for Solano County, already had some form of a face covering requirement in place.


• San Francisco now has more than 3,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• Marin County releases updated guidance on how to safely reopen schools in the fall.

June 17, 2020

• The 50th death from coronavirus is reported in Contra Costa County.


• Hair salons and barbershops in Contra Costa County are allowed to reopen for business.


• Contra Costa County announces that nail salons and other personal care services that do not involve the face can reopen on July 1, along with dine-in restaurants, bars, gyms, museums, hotels, indoor religious services and more.


• San Mateo County allows a slew of businesses to open including indoor dining, gyms, hotels, museums and more. On Friday it will allow nail salons and personal care services to open, which matches the maximum allowed by the state. This comes one day after the county had its variance approved by the state, which allowed it to accelerate reopening plans.

June 16, 2020

• Contra Costa County exceeds 2,000 cases of coronavirus.


• Marin County supervisors vote in favor of requesting a variance from the state to advance reopening.


• San Francisco County supervisors vote unanimously to request a variance from the state to receive permission to advance reopening plans.


• San Mateo County receives state approval of its attestation for variance, which means that it can advance its reopening process. Only five counties in the state, four of them in the Bay Area, have not taken this step.


• Contra Costa County announces that indoor religious services can resume tomorrow, along with the reopening of hair salons and barbershops.


• Solano County announces that it will align with the new state guidelines on Friday, June 19 and allow nail salons and other personal care service businesses to reopen.


• The San Francisco Opera cancels its 2020 Fall season because of the pandemic. Performances are expected to resume in Spring 2021.


• Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival.

June 15, 2020

• Worldwide, Johns Hopkins University says the number of confirmed coronavirus cases exceeds 8 million.


• San Francisco moves into Phase 2B of reopening which allows for in-store shopping, outdoor fitness classes, indoor household services like cooks and cleaners, outdoor religious services, summer camps with up to 12 children, and outdoor gatherings of no more than 12 people. The city's rules also allow for professional sports games to resume as long as no spectators are present.


• The Oscars will be postponed for only the fourth time in history because of the coronavirus pandemic.


• 24 Hour Fitness files for bankruptcy and says it will permanently close more than 130 locations, with about 10 percent in the Bay Area.

June 14, 2020

• Coronavirus has claimed 500 lives in the Bay Area.

June 13, 2020

• More than 5,000 people have died in California because of coronavirus. There are also nearly 150,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus.


• There are more than 2 million coronavirus cases in the United States.

June 12, 2020

• Statewide, movie theaters, restaurants, wineries, bars, zoos, museums, gyms, fitness centers, hotels, cardrooms, racetracks, and campgrounds are allowed to reopen. The state announces it will allow personal services, including nail salons, waxing, facials, and massages to resume, beginning June 19. Tattoo parlors and body piercing shops can also reopen. California will no longer limit the number of people who can attend an outdoor religious service; limits on indoor religious services remain at 25% of the building's capacity or 100 people, whichever is lower.


• San Francisco allows outdoor restaurant dining to resume, three days ahead of the original schedule.


• Alameda County announces that outdoor dining will be allowed beginning June 19. All other counties in the Bay Area already allow this. Alameda County will also permit religious services, indoor shopping, outdoor museums, and outdoor fitness classes.


• The Centers for Disease Control releases guidelines for events and gatherings like weddings, concerts and festivals.


• Santa Clara County has reached 150 coronavirus deaths.


• Solano County allows campgrounds, RV parks, racetracks, and day camps to reopen.


• Sonoma County reopens wineries and breweries. Previously, they were only allowed to open for tastings if they served food at the same time.


• San Mateo County's Board of Supervisors votes in favor of supporting an attestation to the state that the county is ready to advance. If approved, it would allow dine-in restaurants, hair salons, gyms, zoos, museums, hotels, campgrounds, and day camps to operate.

June 11, 2020

• The DMV is reopening all field offices statewide.


• Marin County allows limited indoor retail sales to resume. It also allows house cleaners to resume working, although no one can be home while they are cleaning.


• The City of Sunnyvale allows restaurants to open for outdoor dining. Santa Clara County gave the green light for this on June 5.

June 10, 2020

• The United States exceeds 2 million reported cases of coronavirus. Worldwide there are 7.4 million cases.


• Alameda County surpasses 4,000 coronavirus cases, the most of any Bay Area county.


• Sonoma County announces that wineries and breweries can open tasting rooms without having to serve food. Bars and pubs are not allowed to reopen. The new rules take effect on Friday, June 12.


• Santa Clara County will soon require any essential worker, anyone with coronavirus symptoms, and anyone exposed to a known coronavirus case to get tested. The requirement starts Monday, June 15.


• Disneyland announces plans to reopen on July 17, on the 65th anniversary of the park's original opening in Anaheim.


• Several members of the National Guard test positive for coronavirus after responding to protests in various cities following the death of George Floyd.

June 9, 2020

• Santa Clara County surpasses 3,000 cases of coronavirus. It has also recorded 146 deaths, the most of any Bay Area county.


• For the first time, a BART worker tests positive for coronavirus.


• Gyms in Solano County open for business, days before the state officially gives them the green light.


• San Francisco will allow outdoor restaurant dining beginning Friday, June 12. That's slightly earlier than the original date of June 15.

June 8, 2020

• Worldwide, there are more than 7 million reported cases of coronavirus and more than 400,000 reported deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.


• New Zealand reports that it has eradicated coronavirus because all current patients have recovered and no new cases have been diagnosed for more than two weeks. The island nation of 5 million people has reported about 1,500 total cases of coronavirus and 22 deaths. For comparison, the Bay Area is home to roughly 7 million people and so far has more than 15,000 diagnosed cases and over 460 reported deaths.


• Contra Costa County announces that hair salons and barbershops can reopen on June 17. Indoor dining, bars, churches, gyms, museums, and hotels can reopen on July 1.


• Solano County allows more businesses to reopen including gyms and fitness centers, wineries, bars and breweries, family entertainment centers, zoos and museums as well as hotels. Indoor restaurant dining is also allowed.


• Yosemite National Park announces it will reopen on June 11.


• 62 pages of guidelines to reopen California schools safely are released, including the removal of shared tables from cafeterias so that students eat lunch in classrooms.


• The state releases guidelines allowing indoor movie theaters to reopen. Theater capacity will be limited to 25% of the seating, among other restrictions.


• New York City begins to relax restrictions and allow reopening to begin.

June 7, 2020

• More than 110,000 people have now died of COVID-19 in the United States.

June 6, 2020

• Outdoor restaurant dining, curbside library pickup, and charter boat operations are allowed to resume in San Mateo County.

June 5, 2020

• The Bay Area now exceeds 15,000 cases of coronavirus.


• Alameda County has more than 100 coronavirus deaths reported.


• Alameda County announces it will relax restrictions effective June 8 to allow for library curbside pickup, childcare, appliance repair, pet grooming services, and small outdoor gatherings with people belonging to the same social bubble. A social bubble is defined as a group of no more than 12 people, but it is not restricted to only members of the same household. Churches and dine-in restaurants are still not allowed.


• Alameda County tightens up rules on face masks in public, making them mandatory at virtually all times when outside and within 30 feet of another person. This includes requirements to wear a mask when exercising, which had previously been exempt.


• Contra Costa County opens outdoor restaurant dining as part of newly relaxed restrictions. Outdoor swimming pools, dog parks, picnic tables, barbecues, and camp sites can also reopen. You can hold religious services outdoors with up to 100 people, and services indoors with a maximum of 12 people.


• Napa County allows casinos, card rooms, wineries, bars, tasting rooms, museums, campsites, and hotels to reopen. Entertainment centers like bowling, mini golf and batting cages can also reopen. Professional sports can resume without an audience.


• Santa Clara County allows outdoor dining and in-store shopping to resume, along with childcare and summer camps. It also opens up outdoor swimming pools and allows for outdoor recreational activities like tennis, frisbee, and golf with one other household. Outdoor ceremonies and religious gatherings with up to 25 people are permitted.


• Sonoma County allows church services, indoor retail shopping, indoor restaurant dining, and hair salons to reopen. Outdoor recreation and equipment rental can also resume.


• California will allow schools, bars, and gyms to begin resuming operations next week.

June 4, 2020

• Today is the 80th day since most of the Bay Area began to shelter in place.


• San Mateo County announces that it will allow outdoor dining for restaurants, curbside library pickup, and charter boats to operate beginning Saturday, June 6. It also relaxes limits on how many people can gather for funerals.

June 3, 2020

• Contra Costa County reopens indoor retail shopping, business offices, outdoor museums, and pet grooming. Childcare and children's summer camps can resume. Small outdoor social gatherings are permitted. Libraries can provide curbside pickup.


• Sonoma County allows visitors to drive to parks and trails. Picnic areas, barbeques, and campgrounds remain closed.

June 2, 2020

• Santa Cruz County's Board of Supervisors approve a plan to allow businesses and restaurants to use outdoor space for dining and shopping.


• USC will reopen for in-person classes this Fall. The semester will begin a week earlier than originally scheduled and will end by Thanksgiving in hopes of minimizing the virus as the flu season begins.

June 1, 2020

• There are more than 15,000 cases in the greater Bay Area, which includes the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Monterey, and San Benito.


• Marin County reports more than 500 cases of coronavirus.


• Marin County enters its fourth stage of phase two, which allows for outdoor retail, offices, and curbside library services. Parking lots reopen at county parks, beaches, and open space preserves.


• San Mateo County takes the next steps in phase two, allowing churches to reopen and shoppers to enter retail stores. Beach access limits are also lifted.


• San Francisco allows low-contact services and outdoor equipment rental to open for curbside pickup and dropoff. This includes services like dog grooming, shoe repair, and electronics repair.


• Los Angeles County advances into deep stage two, allowing restaurants and hair salons to reopen for limited in-person services.

May 30, 2020

• Parking lots and restrooms at Half Moon Bay beaches reopen. People are not allowed to lounge or sunbathe on the beach, but can run or walk on the sand, and can cross the beach to reach the ocean.


• Santa Cruz County receives state approval to move deeper into stage two, which allows dine-in restaurants and hair salons to reopen immediately, with modifications to allow for social distancing.


• Monterey County is approved to move deeper into stage two.

May 29, 2020

• Los Angeles county files paperwork with the state attesting that it is ready to move deeper into stage two.


• Major protests break out, including in San Jose and Oakland, over the recent police death of George Floyd.

May 28, 2020

• San Francisco lays out a detailed timeline for reopening restaurants, stores, and salons with phases. The timeline starts in June and goes into August.


• The Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival, scheduled for October, is canceled. So is Half Moon Bay's Ol' Fashioned Fourth of July Parade.


• The Boston Marathon is canceled for the first time in its 124-year history.

May 27, 2020

• The United States has recorded more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths. Worldwide, coronavirus has claimed at least 350,000 lives and has sickened more than 5.6 million people.


• Tulare County files paperwork with the state to advance its reopening process. Only 10 of California's 58 counties have not taken this step: Alameda, Contra Costa, Imperial, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.


• Solano County allows hair salons and barbershops to reopen, following guidelines issued by the state yesterday. Shopping malls reopen.


• BART releases a 15-point plan to provide a safe environment for passengers. Ridership is still down 92%.

May 26, 2020

• Governor Gavin Newsom announces that the state is moving into stage three and allowing hair salons and barbershops to reopen. Nail salons may not reopen. Beauty services that involve touching the face, like shaving, waxing, threading, and facials, are not allowed. California's 47 counties that were already in deep phase two are allowed to move into phase three.


• Lassen County becomes the first in California to retract its attestation to advance reopening. Lassen County diagnosed its first coronavirus cases on May 22, after it had advanced reopening.


• Santa Cruz County announces its phase two shelter in place order will stay in effect until July 1. Churches can reopen and in-store shopping can resume under this order.


• The trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange reopens for the first time since March.


• Six Flags announces new guidelines for reopening theme parks, but does not say when they expect to reopen.

May 25, 2020

• The state allows churches to reopen and all stores to reopen for in-person shopping. There are restrictions for both activities. Churches may only operate at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. The sharing of any items like prayer books or rugs is discouraged, as is group singing, to reduce the risk of transmission.


• 11 counties, out of California's 58, have not filed paperwork with the state to move deeper into phase 2. More than half are in the Bay Area.


• Many Memorial Day commemoration events are canceled because of the pandemic.

May 24, 2020

• Several Republican groups file a lawsuit over Governor Gavin Newsom's executive order to send mail-in ballots to all voters for the November election. Newsom announced the mail-voting expansion earlier this month in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 23, 2020

• On Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of protesters gathered today outside the capitol in Sacramento to protest the governor's stay at home order.

May 22, 2020

• Santa Clara county begins phase 2 of relaxing restrictions. It is the last Bay Area county to begin this step.


• Masks or facial coverings in public are now required in Santa Clara County.


• Sonoma County moves deeper into phase two with some permissions that aren't available in other counties. Libraries can provide curbside pickup. Restaurant dining is allowed at outdoor tables only. You can also dine at wineries, breweries, and bars as long as you're outside. Sonoma is the third Bay Area county to advance into stage two. 45 of California's 58 counties have received approval to move further into stage two.


• Sonoma County, Marin County, and San Francisco announce that summer camps for kids can reopen.

May 21, 2020

• More than 5 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide.


• Solano County becomes the second Bay Area county to receive state approval to move further into stage 2, which means dine-in restaurants, shopping malls, and stores can reopen with social distancing requirements. The City of Vacaville announces summer camps and other parks and recreation programs will likely begin on June 15. 43 of California's 58 counties have filed the paperwork to move deeper into stage 2.


• More than 2.4 million Americans filed for unemployment for the first time in the past week. Total unemployment filings are now at 38.6 million in the nine weeks since the virus hit the economy.

May 20, 2020

• Today sets a new record for new coronavirus cases in one day. The World Health Organization reports 106,000 new cases in the past 24 hours. The total number of cases worldwideis approaching 5 million, including 1.5 million in the United States.


• All 50 states are now relaxing restrictions and reopening in some form.


• 33 of California's 58 counties have been approved to move deeper into phase two, a process that's formally known as an attestation for regional variance.


• San Mateo County allows child care facilities to reopen for everyone, not just the children of essential workers. There are strict requirements to ensure everyone's safety, including stable groups of no more than 12 children.

May 19, 2020

• The Bay Area surpasses 400 coronavirus deaths.


• Napa County becomes the first in the Bay Area to receive state permission to open dine-in restaurants, retail stores, and shopping malls to reopen. Wine tasting and vineyards are not allowed to reopen.


• Alameda and Contra Costa Counties move into phase two.

May 18, 2020

• Santa Clara County announces it will move into phase two on Friday, May 22. It is the last Bay Area county to begin to relax restrictions.


• Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties begin phase two.


• While in Napa County, Governor Gavin Newsom announces modifications to the state's stay at home order that will allow almost every county to move faster into phase two. Sporting events, without spectators, may resume in the beginning of June. Church services and salons are still weeks away from opening.


• The United States has more than 1.5 million cases of coronavirus and has reported more than 90,000 deaths.

May 17, 2020

• Specialty's Cafe & Bakery, based in Pleasanton, is closing all 50 of its locations after 33 years in business. The company says the pandemic and shelter in place orders have decimated revenues.

May 16, 2020

• UC Berkeley holds a virtual commencement for the Class of 2020 in the online video game world of Minecraft.

May 15, 2020

• The House passes Democrats' new $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill, despite Republican opposition. The bill now heads to the Senate where it is unlikely to pass.


• JC Penney files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.


• The USNS Mercy leaves Los Angeles because it is no longer needed. The hospital ship arrived in March in case of a surge in hospital demand due to the pandemic.


• Contra Costa County announces it will permit drive-through and drive-in gatherings for events like church services and graduation ceremonies, starting Monday, May 18.


• Starting today, parking around Oakland's Lake Merritt will be blocked off on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays to reduce crowding. Food trucks are also banned on weekends.


• San Jose will bring back the downtown farmers market on June 5, with social distancing protocols in place.

May 14, 2020

• Marin County reveals plans to advance to phase two on Monday, May 18, along with San Francisco and San Mateo counties.


• Governor Gavin Newsom releases his revised May budget. California is facing a projected deficit of $54.3 billion.


• For the first time in 20 years, AAA is not releasing a traffic and travel forecast for Memorial Day.


• For the first time in 83 years, organizers of San Francisco's Stern Grove Festival have canceled the annual music event.


• Nearly 3 million more Americans filed for unemployment in the past week, bringing the total in the two months since the pandemic began to roughly 36 million. Economists forecast that the official unemployment rate could hit 18% or higher in May. In California, more than 21% of the state's workforce is unemployed. 4.2 million Californians have lost their jobs over the past 8 weeks.

May 13, 2020

• San Mateo County and San Francisco each announce plans to move into phase two on Monday, May 18, which means some shelter in place restrictions will be lifted.


• 18 counties in California are approved to move deeper into phase two. If a county wants to open schools, dine-in restaurants or shopping malls, they have to go through an attestation process, in which they certify the spread of COVID-19 is under control locally.


• Tesla and Alameda County reach a deal to allow the plant to reopen.

May 12, 2020

• California has conducted more than 1 million coronavirus tests. 69,382 have come back positive.


• Governor Gavin Newsom releases details about what is required for restaurants to resume dine-in service and for shopping malls and offices to reopen. This is still part of California's stage two of relaxing shelter in place restrictions.


• California State University announces almost all of its classes will be held remotely in the fall with virtually no in-person instruction.


• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveils a more than $3 trillion coronavirus aid package, providing nearly $1 trillion for states and cities, "hazard pay" for essential workers and a new round of cash payments to individuals.


• Testifying remotely before the Senate Health, Labor and Pensions Committee, White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that "the consequences could be really serious" if cities and states reopen the U.S. economy too quickly with the coronavirus still spreading.


• Los Angeles County officials are recommending that the stay-at-home order be extended three more months, until August, as the region continues efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

May 11, 2020

• The total number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area tops 10,000.


• Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the Fremont plant is reopening, in violation of Alameda County's public health order.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces the leaders of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado have signed a joint letter requesting $1 trillion in federal aid.


• Coronavirus has claimed more than 80,000 lives in the U.S.


• AP exams are administered online to students at home for the first time ever.

May 10, 2020

• There are more than 4 million coronavirus cases worldwide.

May 9, 2020

• Mendocino County moves into phase two.


• White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci announces he will begin a modified two week quarantine after being in contact with a White House staffer who tested positive for coronavirus. Both CDC Director Robert Redfield and FDA Director Stephen Hahn will self-quarantine for two weeks and telework from home.

May 8, 2020

• California enters stage two which relaxes some of the shelter in place restrictions. Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Santa Cruz are the only Bay Area counties to match the state's move. Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties remain with stricter restrictions than the state.


• Contra Costa County has more than 1,000 cases of coronavirus.


• Governor Gavin Newsom signs an executive order to send every registered voter in California a vote-by-mail ballot for the November election.


• The U.S. unemployment rate in April of 14.7% is its highest point since the Great Depression.


• Delta Airlines announces it will suspend service at Oakland International Airport from May 11 through September because of the low number of air travelers during the pandemic. Delta will continue to serve San Francisco International Airport and Mineta San Jose International Airport.


• Roy Horn, of Siegfried and Roy, dies of coronavirus. He was 75.


• Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, tests positive for coronavirus. Her husband, Stephen Miller, is a Senior White House Advisor.

May 7, 2020

• Governor Gavin Newsom lays out details of the reopening that will occur tomorrow when the state moves into stage two of its shelter in place restrictions, which will allow some retail stores to open for curbside pickup. In the Bay Area, only Napa and Solano Counties plan to follow the state rules; all other Bay Area counties say they're not ready.


• Napa County announces it will require people to wear masks in public beginning Saturday, May 9.


• The DMV will reopen 25 offices across the state tomorrow to help customers with appointments and transactions requiring an in-person visit.


• 3.2 million Americans filed for unemployment in the past week. More than 33 million unemployment claims have been filed nationwide since the pandemic began.


• Neiman Marcus files for bankruptcy.


• For the first time in 108 years, the Alameda County Fair will not be held this year.


• President Trump's personal valet tests positive for coronavirus.

May 6, 2020

• Only Napa and Solano Counties say they plan to match California's move to Stage 2 of the shelter in place restrictions, scheduled to take effect on Friday.

May 4, 2020

• Worldwide, coronavirus is reported to have killed more than 250,000 people.


• Revised shelter in place rules take effect in six of the Bay Area's nine counties allowing businesses like car washes and gardening stores to reopen. The rules are scheduled to remain in effect through May 31.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces that California will begin Phase 2 of lifting its shelter in place restrictions by the end of the week, on May 8.


• Yuba and Sutter Counties defy the state order and allow businesses to reopen today, with additional restrictions and safety measures in place.


• A lawsuit is filed to reopen the beaches in Orange County. Governor Gavin Newsom ordered them closed last week because of large crowds.


• Ghost Ship warehouse fire defendant Derick Almena is released from the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, on bail. He's awaiting a new trial on 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter, for the 36 people who died in the fire Oakland in 2016. His release is tied to judicial emergency orders intended to stop the spread of coronavirus in jails.


• Finalists for the James Beard Awards are announced today following a six week delay. The nominees include 17 Bay Area mentions.

May 1, 2020

• A May Day protest takes place outside the State Capitol with thousands of people, many without masks, demanding an end to the shelter in place restrictions.


• Coronavirus has caused more than 300 deaths in the Bay Area's nine counties and Santa Cruz County.


• There are more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in the state of California.


• California has reported more than 50,000 coronavirus cases.


• Solano County revises and extends its shelter in place order to May 17.


• Sonoma County announces changes to its shelter in place order. The new order takes effect on May 4 and has no end date.


• Santa Cruz County begins to close beaches between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily to discourage visitors. People are still allowed to cross the beach to go swimming and surfing.


• Modoc County, which sits on the north border of California, goes against the state's restrictions and allows some businesses to reopen.


• More than 1 million people have recovered from coronavirus worldwide.


• Foster City-based Gilead Sciences has been granted emergency approval for use of its drug remdesivir. It's the first drug shown to help fight coronavirus symptoms.

April 30, 2020

• Gov. Gavin Newsom orders all beaches in Orange County to close following crowding last weekend.


• Santa Cruz County extends its shelter in place order indefinitely, but relaxes some restrictions.


• A potential coronavirus vaccine has entered pre-clinical testing at UC Davis.


• Starting today, Monterey County requires people to wear a mask or face covering in public.


• 3.8 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the past week, bringing the six week total to 30 million.


• The USNS Comfort hospital ship leaves New York City after treating only 182 patients.


• NASCAR will resume its season, without fans, on May 17.

April 29, 2020

• Six Bay Area counties agree to modify shelter-in-place restrictions beginning on May 4. The new rules will allow construction to resume. Outdoor businesses can reopen, along with some childcare facilities and outdoor recreation areas. The current restrictions in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara are set to expire on May 3.


• The total number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area's nine counties and Santa Cruz County top 8,000.


• There are more than 60,000 coronavirus deaths across the United States.

April 28, 2020

• The USA now has more than 1 million cases of coronavirus.


• Governor Gavin Newsom lays out a four stage plan of lifting restrictions in California and reopening businesses, with changes spread out over weeks and months. California's public schools could start the next academic year as early as July or August.


• Sonoma County relaxes restrictions and allows people to walk or bike to parks. Parking lots, picnic tables, and restrooms remain closed.


• El Dorado County will allow its shelter in place order to expire on April 30.


• Today is the first day that gig workers, independent contractors, and the self-employed can apply for unemployment insurance payments through California's Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

April 27, 2020

• The six Bay Area counties who originally coordinated to implement shelter-in-place restrictions announce a plan to extend restrictions through May. This affects Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties. The original shelter in place orders were scheduled to expire on May 3. Sonoma County's order is still set to expire on May 3. Solano County recently extended its order to May 17. Napa County's order has no expiration date.


• Alameda County surpasses 1,500 cases of coronavirus.


• There are more than 3 million coronavirus cases worldwide.

April 26, 2020

• Santa Clara County reports its 100th death from coronavirus. It has more cases and deaths than any other Bay Area county.


• More than 5 million coronavirus tests have been administered in the United States.

April 25, 2020

• The number of coronavirus deaths worldwide exceeds 200,000.


• There are more than 50 coronavirus deaths in Alameda County.


• 25 people in Contra Costa County have died from coronavirus.


• The number of cases of coronavirus in San Mateo County passes 1,000.


• In a sign of quarantine fatigue, crowds of people swarm beaches and parks, despite the stay at home orders.

April 24, 2020

• More than 250 people in the Bay Area have died from coronavirus.


• 10 coronavirus related deaths are reported at the Gordon Manor Residential Care Home in Redwood City. Former Stanford president Donald Kennedy is among the victims.


• Santa Clara County surpasses 2,000 known coronavirus cases. This number includes patients who have recovered. Only 176 people are currently hospitalized.


• Solano County extends its stay at home order to May 17.


• At a press conference, San Francisco Mayor London Breed says its likely the city's stay at home order will be extended. It's currently in effect through May 3.


• Caltrans begins the deck replacement project at the Alemany Interchange on Highway 101 in San Francisco. It had been scheduled for July, but with so few people driving during the pandemic, Caltrans accelerated the job.


• President Trump signs $484 billion coronavirus relief package into law.


• The number of coronavirus deaths in the United States has topped 50,000.


• The Navy's top Admiral is recommending the reinstatement of Captain Brett Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, who was relieved of command after he asked for more protection against coronavirus for his crew aboard the U.S.S Theodore Roosevelt. 856 crew members, and Crozier, have tested positive for coronavirus.


• States including Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia modify or lift stay at home orders.

April 23, 2020

• This is the deadliest day for coronavirus so far in California with 115 deaths reported. A total of 1,419 Californians have died from coronavirus and there are 37,339 confirmed cases.


• UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford estimates 34,000 - 44,000 lives would have been lost had the Bay Area done nothing to confront the coronavirus pandemic.


• Most of California's largest student loan servicers have agreed to postpone collection for the next 90 days. Interest will not accrue.


• Governor Gavin Newsom signs an executive order preventing debt collectors from garnishing the money Californians receive in their federal stimulus checks.


• More than 4.4 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance in the past week, bringing the 5-week total to roughly 26 million. Economists forecast the unemployment rate for April could go as high as 20 percent.

April 22, 2020

• Enforcement begins in the six Bay Area counties - Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo and San Francisco - that are requiring people to wear a mask or face covering in public.


• Napa County relaxes some restrictions associated with its stay-at-home order, allowing construction work, landscaping, gardening, drive-in religious services, and real estate showings to resume as long as people maintain physical distance. Golf courses are allowed to reopen under similar restrictions.


• The County of Santa Clara Medical Examiner-Coroner has identified three individuals who died from COVID-19 before March 9, which was originally thought to be the date of the county's first coronavirus death. This predates the original report of the first coronavirus deaths in the United States, which were recorded on February 26 in the state of Washington.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announced a modest step toward normalcy: starting to schedule essential surgeries once again. The change is being done in coordination with Washington and Oregon and is effective immediately, he said.

April 21, 2020

• There are now 200 coronavirus cases in Marin County.


• Worldwide there are more than 2.5 million cases of coronavirus.


• This year's Running of the Bulls in Spain has been canceled.


• Oktoberfest in Munich will not take place this year.


• Britain's Queen Elizabeth II marked her 94th birthday without the typical fanfare. The monarch decided that the celebratory display would not be appropriate during the pandemic.


• The U.S. Senate approved a $484 billion coronavirus aid bill. The money will fund small businesses, hospitals, and coronavirus tests.


• President Trump announces a 60 day pause on issuing green cards.

April 20, 2020

• Contra Costa County surpasses 20 deaths.


• There are more than 100 coronavirus cases in Santa Cruz County.


• The traditional 4/20 gathering at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park does not take place due to the shelter in place rules.


• Protesters drive to the State Capitol in Sacramento to show their opposition to the state's shelter in place rules. Similar protests take place in cities across the country.


• Georgia announces that most restrictions will be lifted on Friday.


• In South Carolina, the governor announces that businesses and beaches will begin to reopen.


• Tennessee's governor will let the current stay at home order expire on May 1.


• New York state reports fewer than 500 deaths for the first day since March 31.


• Oil prices sink to negative $37.63 per barrel.


• Paper stimulus checks are in the mail, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

April 19, 2020

• The number of people who have died from coronavirus in the Bay Area exceeds 200.


• The first California prison inmate dies of coronavirus.


• Americans frustrated by stay at home orders stage public protests in multiple states for the second day in a row.

April 18, 2020

• Face covering requirements in six Bay Area counties take effect in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo and San Francisco.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces that California has secured more than 10,000 rooms statewide to house the homeless during the pandemic.


• Protests against stay at home orders take place in several states.


• Beaches in Jacksonville, Florida reopen to the public.

April 17, 2020

• Coronavirus has claimed more than 150,000 lives worldwide.


• California has more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths. Roughly half are in Los Angeles County.


• Coronavirus has claimed 20 lives in San Francisco.


• There are 40 coronavirus deaths in Alameda County.


• San Francisco, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Sonoma and San Mateo County announce that masks or face coverings will be required when people are in public.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces the creation of the Governor's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. Members include four former governors as well as 80 businessleaders. It's co-chaired by Bay Area philanthropist and former Democratic Presidential candidate Tom Steyer.


• California's March unemployment rate jumps to 5.3% from 3.9% in February. It's the largest increase on record going back to 1976.


• The President has approved a major disaster declaration for all U.S. states and territories, which has never happened before.


• Wuhan, China has added 1,290 people to its coronavirus death toll, increasing the total by nearly 50%. Authorities admitted the healthcare system was overloaded and a lot of deaths were not counted.

April 16, 2020

• The number of coronavirus cases in Alameda County surpasses 1,000.


• Fremont requires people to wear a mask or face covering when in public.


• The San Jose Jazz Summer Fest is canceled for 2020.


• Governor Newsom announces an executive order to provide two weeks of paid sick leave for food service workers.


• President Trump unveils a 3-phase approach to lifting restrictions and resuming economic activity.


• 5.2 million additional Americans filed for unemployment last week, bringing the monthly total to roughly 22 million.

April 15, 2020

• There are more than 2 million coronavirus cases worldwide.


• The number of coronavirus cases in the United States tops 600,000.


• San Francisco surpasses 1,000 cases of coronavirus.


• Monterey County hits 100 coronavirus cases.


• Federal taxes are not due today. The deadline has been extended to July 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces new initiatives to help unemployed Californians, including $125 million in assistance for undocumented immigrants. The governor also signed an executive order creating the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program which will give more unemployed workers access to unemployment insurance payments. PUA benefits will apply to self-employed workers, independent contractors, those whose wage history isn't long enough to qualify for unemployment, and those who have exhausted unemployment benefits.
  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo orders all New Yorkers to wear face coverings in public when they can't maintain proper social distance.


• President Trump kicked off his White House briefing, in the Rose Garden, by proclaiming: "the data suggest that nationwide we have passed the peak on new cases."


• The roughly $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program, set up to help rescue small businesses with federally-backed forgivable loans, is expected to run out of funds tonight.

April 14, 2020

• Today Governor Gavin Newsom laid out a 6-point framework of what it will take to begin gradually lifting the state's shelter in place restrictions, but did not indicate how long this would take.


• President Trump announced that his administration is halting funding to the World Health Organization, accusing it of failing to do enough to stop the virus from spreading when it surfaced in China.


• The International Monetary Fund says the world economy will suffer its worst year since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

April 13, 2020

• Gov. Gavin Newsom announces that a gradual plan to lift shelter in place orders in California will be revealed tomorrow, in a coordinated effort with the governors of Oregon and Washington state.


• California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is ordering insurance companies to return premiums to customers and businesses affected by the pandemic and shelter in place orders.


• Some of the federal stimulus checks start arriving in bank accounts via direct deposit.


• Wyoming reports its first coronavirus death, becoming the 50th U.S. state to report a fatality.


• ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos has tested positive for coronavirus, but says his symptoms are mild. His wife also has the disease.


• Spain announces some workers in construction and factory jobs will be allowed to return to work.


• France extends lockdown measures to May 11.

April 12, 2020

• The Bay Area - nine counties plus Santa Cruz County - surpass 5,000 cases of coronavirus.


• New York state has more coronavirus cases than any country.


• The number of deaths in New York state surpasses 10,000.


• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves the hospital where he's been receiving treatment for coronavirus.

April 11, 2020

• There are more than 50 coronavirus deaths in Santa Clara County.


• Alameda County has more than 800 coronavirus cases.


• In the greater Bay Area there are more than 5,000 coronavirus cases. This includes the nine Bay Area counties, plus Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, Monterey County, Mendocino County, and Lake County.


• The United States now has the most reported coronavirus deaths in the world, with more than 20,000.


• With the approval of a disaster declaration for Wyoming, President Trump has now declared a disaster exists in all 50 states. The White House points out this this is the first time in U.S. history that a president has declared that a major disaster exists in all 50 states at once.

April 10, 2020

• Worldwide, more than 100,000 people have died from coronavirus.


• There are more than 500,000 cases of coronavirus in the United States.


• Contra Costa County surpasses 500 cases of coronavirus.


• A coronavirus outbreak at San Francisco's largest homeless shelter, MSC South on 5th Street, leaves 68 residents and two staff sick.


• Oakland announces it will close 74 miles of city streets to cars to allow more space for people to practice social distancing while walking, running, and biking.


• The American Heart Association says coronavirus appears to be the ninth leading cause of death in the United States.


• Burning Man, scheduled for late August in the Nevada desert, is canceled.


• Los Angeles requires both workers and customers at essential businesses to wear masks. Businesses can refuse service to customers who do not have a face covering.


• Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris livestreams a Good Friday service, its first since last year's fire.

April 9, 2020

• The death toll from coronavirus in California tops 500.


• New York state reports its deadliest day with 799 lives lost.


• The Mesa, Arizona grandmother, Wanda Dench, who mistakenly invited teenager Jamal Hinton to Thanksgiving back in 2016, lost her husband Lonnie to coronavirus. Wanda has tested positive for coronavirus.


• Nationwide, 6,606,000 people applied for unemployment in one week. This is just shy of the record set last week. This means more than 17 million people have applied for unemployment in three weeks.


• In California, more unemployment claims have been processed in the last month than in all of last year. Californians receiving unemployment benefits will see an extra $600 in their checks starting Sunday, thanks to the federal stimulus package.


• Spain's prime minister says it has reached its peak of coronavirus cases.
• 
  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is moved out of intensive care, but remains hospitalized to receive treatment for coronavirus.

April 8, 2020

• The number of coronavirus cases worldwide tops 1.5 million.


• There are more than 400,000 cases of coronavirus in the United States.


• Solano County surpassed 100 cases today, reporting 112 total.


• San Francisco reports its tenth death from coronavirus.


• Six patients at the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward die of coronavirus. They are among 59 people, made up of 35 patients and 24 staff, who tested positive.


• At midnight, beaches in Santa Cruz County will be closed for one week to keep people away during Easter weekend and Spring Break. Violators risk a $1,000 fine.


• The Grand Princess cruise ship departs San Francisco, sailing into the Pacific Ocean, with an unreported destination. Passengers from the February 21 cruise file a class-action lawsuit in San Francisco Federal Court against Carnival and Princess Cruises claiming the company knew the ship carried the coronavirus and still let passengers on board. A passenger from a cruise that departed San Francisco on February 11 later became California's first coronavirus fatality.


• JetBlue announces it will suspend all flights out of Mineta San Jose International Airport and will consolidate operations at San Francisco International Airport, due to drastic reductions in the number of airplane passengers. JetBlue is suspending service at seven other airports nationwide.


• Amidst the pandemic, Bernie Sanders drops out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, leaving Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee. In a video message to supporters, Sanders says, "I could not in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required by all of us in this difficult hour,"

April 7, 2020

• The number of cases in the Bay Area exceeds 4,000.


• The number of deaths in the Bay Area tops 100, reaching 110 total.


• Marin County reports its tenth death.


• Six Bay Area counties formally announce that in-person classes will not resume for the rest of the school year.


• VTA announces that light rail service will resume on April 9, weeks after a trainee tested positive for coronavirus.


• The Grand Princess cruise ship returns to dock at Pier 35 in San Francisco to get supplies. More than 650 crewmembers remain on board.


• New York City's death toll from coronavirus has eclipsed the number of those killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Health officials say more than 3,200 people have been killed in the city thus far. That's about 450 more than were killed in the city in 2001 when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center.


• Japan declares a state of emergency.


• The death toll in France tops 10,000. Starting tomorrow, Paris will ban all outdoor sports between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.


• Outbound travel restrictions in Wuhan, China, where coronavirus originated, are lifted. The airport reopens for the first time in 76 days. The city was locked down on January 23.

April 6, 2020

• The number of coronavirus cases in California tops 16,000.


• California lends 500 ventilators to the national stockpile to be used where the need is currently greatest.


• BART makes additional service reductions; trains will run once every 30 minutes.


• MUNI begins to reduce service from 68 bus routes to just 17.


• An inmate of a New York City jail is the first detained person in the city to die of the coronavirus, according to the New York City Department of Corrections.


• There are more than 10,000 coronavirus deaths reported in the United States.


• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is admitted to the ICU for treatment of coronavirus.

April 5, 2020

• Lake County announces its first case of coronavirus.The patient had been exposed while on the job outside of the county.


• Alameda County surpasses 500 cases of coronavirus.


• There are more than 90 coronavirus deaths in the Bay Area.


• The Grand Princess cruise ship sails out of the San Francisco Bay, after being anchored for three weeks. The ship has future plans to briefly dock at the Port of San Francisco to take on supplies.


• Navy Captain Brett Crozier, originally from Santa Rosa, has tested positive for coronavirus. Crozier was relieved of command on April 2 after he sent a letter to his superiors detailing an outbreak aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt. There are 155 confirmed cases of the virus among sailors on the aircraft carrier.


• A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City tests positive for coronavirus.


• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is admitted to the hospital; he previously announced he had been diagnosed with coronavirus.


• Queen Elizabeth gave a rare televised speech, the fifth in her 68-year reign, with words reminiscent of World War II. The Queen told people, "I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge, and those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any."

April 4, 2020

• Sonoma County exceeds 100 cases of coronavirus.


• San Francisco and San Mateo each exceed 500 cases of coronavirus.


• The first inmate at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin tests positive for coronavirus.


• Crew members who remain on board the Grand Princess cruise ship, docked in the San Francisco Bay, complete their quarantine, which means the ship receives permission to resume sailing.


• Governor Gavin Newsom announces the creation of a Coronavirus Task Force in partnership with UC Davis and UC San Diego to improve the state's testing capacity.


• Gov. Newsom says he does not anticipate the NFL season will start in August and will defer to health experts as to when they can resume.

April 3, 2020

• The total number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area passes 3,000.


• There are more than 80 deaths from coronavirus in the Bay Area.


• 27 people, including three staff members, at a senior housing facility called The Orinda Care Center test positive for coronavirus.


• There are more than 100 coronavirus cases in Sonoma County.


• Contra Costa County has recorded its fifth coronavirus death.


• A crew member from the Grand Princess cruise ship, still docked in the San Francisco Bay, has died of coronavirus. The person passed away in a San Francisco hospital after being transferred off the ship in March. Hundreds of crew workers remain on the ship; their quarantine ends tomorrow.


• California's state legislature will not reconvene as scheduled on April 13. Members recessed on March 16 shortly after approving a $1 billion spending package to address the outbreak.


• The U.S. Supreme Court postpones April arguments because of the pandemic, extending an already historic delay of major legal cases.


• The CDC and White House Coronavirus Task Force now recommend Americans wear a face covering when in public, especially when it is hard to maintain social distancing. Face masks are not required and medical grade masks, like N95, should be reserved for medical professionals.. Homemade coverings, including those made of fabric, are all acceptable if they cover your nose and mouth completely and do not require adjustments; do not wear something that makes you touch your face more often.


• The U.S. unemployment rate jumped from 3.5 to 4.4 percent in March.


• It's estimated the coronavirus pandemic will cost the global economy as much as $4.1 trillion, or nearly 5% of all economic activity.


• Mexican brewing company Grupo Modelo will stop brewing Corona and other beers, following a health emergency declaration in Mexico that orders the temporary suspension of non-essential products.

April 2, 2020

• Worldwide, the number of coronavirus cases passes 1 million. There have been more than 50,000 deaths.


• A record-shattering 6.6 million unemployment claims were filed nationwide in the past week, on top of an unprecedented 3.3 million the week before.


• More than 1.9 million Californians have filed for unemployment benefits since March 12, an average of more than 111,000 claims per day over the last week.


• There are more than 10,000 coronavirus cases in California.


• Santa Clara County surpasses 1,000 cases of coronavirus.


• Solano County reports its first coronavirus death. At this point, every Bay Area county has reported at least one death.


• There are at least 200 coronavirus deaths in California, including 73 in the Bay Area.


• The Federal Emergency Management Agency asked the Pentagon for 100,000 body bags because of the possibility funeral homes will be overwhelmed.


• The California Department of Public Health and many Bay Area health agencies recommend people wear masks when in public.


• The Democratic National Convention, scheduled for July in Milwaukee, is postponed to August.


• President Trump says he has tested negative a second time for coronavirus.

April 1, 2020

• There are more than 9,500 coronavirus cases in California, with roughly a third in the Bay Area.


• The University of California will temporarily suspend SAT and letter grade requirements for students applying to its campuses for the Fall 2020 semester.


• Governor Newsom officially announced that public schools will be closed for the rest of the academic year.


• The United States has more than 200,000 cases of coronavirus.


• The number of coronavirus cases worldwide tops 900,000.


• Spain's death toll becomes the second-highest in the world, after Italy.


• France surpasses China's official death toll.


• Wimbledon is canceled for the first time since World War II.

March 31, 2020

• The stay at home orders for most of the Bay Area will be extended to May 3. This affects Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. Starting at midnight on April 1, the rules will become more restrictive and will ban most commercial and residential construction, the use of playgrounds and dog parks, as well as shared recreational facilities like golf courses, tennis courts, and pools. Essential businesses that continue to operate must implement a social distancing protocol.


• Napa County announces its first death, Santa Rosa Police Detective Marylou Armer.


• Santa Clara County has now announced 30 deaths.


• California announces 150 coronavirus deaths.


• In a letter to school leaders, California's State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond writes, "Due to the current safety concerns and needs for ongoing social distancing it currently appears that our students will not be able to return to school campuses before the end of the school year."


• The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has climbed past 3,500, eclipsing China's official count.


• The White House is projecting 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic if current social distancing guidelines are maintained.


• Globally diagnosed cases of coronavirus pass the 800,000 mark.

March 30, 2020

• The number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area tops 2,000. There are more than 7,000 cases in California.


• The number of coronavirus deaths in the Bay Area surpasses 50.


• The shelter in place orders affecting most of the Bay Area will soon be extended to May 1.


• Instacart workers go on strike demanding the San Francisco based company provide hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes, hazard pay of $5 per order, and an expanded sick pay policy.


• Macy's, Kohl's, and Gap furlough most employees.


• The USNS Comfort hospital ship arrives in New York city.


• The first U.S. military service member dies of coronavirus, a New Jersey National Guardsman who had been hospitalized since March 21.


• EasyJet has grounded its entire fleet of aircraft due to the coronavirus pandemic.


• The number of diagnosed cases in Italy passed the 100,000 mark, second to the U.S. In Spain, the number of cases now exceed China's.


• The opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo has been rescheduled for July 23, 2021. The closing ceremony will now be held on Aug. 8, 2021.


• Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia order city-wide quarantines.

March 29, 2020

• California's total number of coronavirus cases passes 5,000.


• Santa Cruz County reports its first death.


• Alameda County reaches seven total deaths.


• Contra Costa County reports three total deaths.


• All California state parks close.


• The hospital ship USNS Mercy, docked near Los Angeles, accepts its first patients on board.


• Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of President Trump's coronavirus task force, said it is possible that 100,000 to 200,000 people in the U.S. will die from the coronavirus.


• President Trump extends the nation's social distancing guidelines to April 30.


• Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with chart-topping ballads and honky-tonk singles like "Home" and "Pickup Man," has died after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 61.

March 28, 2020

• California's coronavirus death toll tops 100.


• San Francisco reports its fourth death.


• Santa Clara County reports an additional five deaths, bringing its total to 25.


• A child less than one year old in Illinois becomes the first infant to die of coronavirus.

March 27, 2020

• Marin County reports its first death. The patient was a man in his 70s who had been a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship for a voyage that traveled from San Francisco to Mexico between February 11 and 21.


• San Francisco reports its third death.


• There are now six coronavirus deaths in San Mateo County.


• Santa Clara County reports its 20th death.


• East Bay Regional Parks close more park features and parking lots to encourage people to stay home and shelter in place.


• Disneyland and Disney World will remain closed indefinitely.


• President Trump signed a $2.2 trillion economic rescue package, after the House and Senate respectively passed it.Under the plan, many single Americans would receive $1,200, married couples would get $2,400 and parents would see $500 for each child.


• The United States has become the first country to exceed 100,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus.


• Governor Gavin Newsom issues a statewide moratorium on the eviction of renters.


• The USNS Mercy, a Navy hospital ship, arrives in Los Angeles and will begin taking non-coronavirus patients on Saturday to relieve the burden on medical facilities.


• Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warns that, by early next week, LA County could surpass the number of cases in New York.


• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has contracted coronavirus.

March 26, 2020

• San Francisco reports its second death.


• Alameda County now has four coronavirus deaths.


• Santa Clara County reports its 18th and 19th coronavirus deaths.


• Two passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship die. Both were men in their 60s and had been housed at Travis Air Force Base.


• The number of coronavirus cases in California passes 3,000.


• There are more than half a million coronavirus cases worldwide.


• The U.S. now has the most coronavirus cases in the world. With 82,404, it has surpassed Italy and China.


• VTA suspends light rail service after a trainee employee tests positive.


• SFMTA announces that Muni metro and light rail service will be suspended starting Mar. 30.


• REAL ID deadline is delayed one year to October 20, 2021.


• 3,283,000 people applied for unemployment in one week, the largest number ever documented by the weekly jobless claims report by the Labor Department.


• China temporarily bans most foreigners from entering the country.


• For the first time since 1946, the Indy 500 will not run on Memorial Day Weekend.

March 25, 2020

• Most Bay Area schools extend closures through May 1. This includes schools in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties. Schools have been closed since March 16.


• Santa Clara reports its 17th coronavirus death.


• San Mateo county now has five coronavirus deaths.


• It's announced that Prince Charles has coronavirus.


• The Senate passes the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus plan, called the CARES Act. The House will vote on the plan Friday.


• Gov. Gavin Newsom announces financial help for Californians, including a 90-day waiver of mortgage payments by Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and roughly 200 smaller banks and credit unions. Bank of America has agreed to a 30-day waiver. For the next 60 days, there is a moratorium on initiating foreclosure sales or evictions.


• The COVID-19 death toll in Spain has now reached 3,434, which is higher than the number of fatalities in China.


• More than half of the states in the U.S. have issued shelter in place orders, 27 total.

March 24, 2020

• The Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to open on July 24, are postponed to 2021.


• Alameda County reports its second death.


• San Francisco reports its first death, a man in his 40s with significant, underlying health conditions.


• The number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area passes 1,000. Statewide, there are more than 2,000 cases.


• A teenager in Los Angeles County becomes the first minor in California to die of coronavirus. (This cause of death is later revisited when Los Angeles county officials say they are no longer sure if coronavirus killed the 17-year-old boy.)


• China has announced it will lift lockdown measures in Wuhan on April 8. Diagnosed cases worldwide have topped 380,000 and the death toll has exceeded 16,000.


• 1.3 billion people in India are put into a complete lockdown. The Prime Minister announced a total ban on Indians venturing outside their homes for 21 days.

March 23, 2020

• BART reduces service hours to 5am-9pm weekdays and 8am-9pm weekends due to ridership losses approaching 90%.


• NYSE trading becomes all-electronic; trading hours remain the same.


• Contra Costa County offers drive-thru testing for first responders and health care workers.


• Marin County's Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis announces he has tested positive for coronavirus.


• Santa Clara County's Director of Communications and Public Affairs tests positive for coronavirus.


• Santa Clara County announces three more deaths from coronavirus, bringing the county's total to 13.


• Santa Cruz County advises travelers to stay home and avoid overcrowding beaches.


• Sonoma County announces the closure of parks.


• Alameda County reports its first death.


• After 14 days of quarantine, Grand Princess cruise ship passengers at Travis Air Force Base are allowed to leave. Some passengers refused to be tested for coronavirus over concerns it would delay their release.


• Wuhan, China reports no new cases for the fifth day in a row.


• The World Health Organization says "the pandemic is accelerating".


• The United Kingdom issues a stay at home order, matching measures already taken in France, Spain, and Italy.


• Japan to require a 14-day quarantine period for all visitors from the U.S., beginning on Thursday, Mar. 26.

March 22, 2020

• Napa county reports two cases of coronavirus. It is the last county in the Bay Area to have residents test positive.


• Alameda County passes 100 cases.


• San Francisco passes 100 cases.


• Santa Clara county reports 10 total deaths and more than 300 cases. The ninth death was a woman in her 60s. The tenth death was a woman in her 40s.


• Yolo County reports its first death, an older adult with underlying chronic health problems.


• Marin County announces it will close all parks indefinitely, starting Monday, Mar. 23, following an overwhelming number of weekend visitors.


• Lake County restricts lodging and waterways to discourage visitors.


• Hawaii's governor orders mandatory 14-day quarantine for all individuals arriving or returning to Hawaii.


• Sen. Rand Paul becomes the first senator to test positive for coronavirus.


• National Guard activated in California.


• President Trump issues a major disaster declaration for the state of California.


• The S&P 500 futures dropped 5%, hitting the limit down, the maximum drop allowed.

March 21, 2020

• Santa Clara University student tests positive.


• Vice President Mike Pence and wife test negative for coronavirus.

March 20, 2020

• Globally, the death toll from coronavirus passes 10,000.


• Total coronavirus cases in the Bay Area surpass 500; local death toll reaches double digits.


• First death in Sonoma County announced.


• First death in Contra Costa County announced; it is a resident in their 70s who had a pre-existing condition and had recently traveled overseas.


• Seventh and eighth deaths announced for Santa Clara County. The seventh death is a man in his 80s. The eighth death is a man in his 70s.


• San Mateo County surpasses 100 coronavirus cases.


• Gilroy Garlic Festival canceled for 2020.


• Bay to Breakers running race in San Francisco postponed from May to September.


• Yosemite National Park closed.


• Tax deadline delayed from April 15 to July 15.


• Starbucks reduces stores to drive-thru service only.

March 19, 2020

• Gov. Gavin Newsom announces a statewide order to shelter at home, affecting 40 million Californians. The order restricts all non-essential travel and activities outside the home.


• Italy's coronavirus death toll of 3,405 surpasses China's number of fatalities. This same day, China reports no new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time since the outbreak started.


• The U.S. State Department raises its global health advisory to level 4 - its highest level - telling Americans not to travel abroad because of the pandemic.

March 18, 2020

• First case of coronavirus announced in Mendocino County, as well as a shelter in place order.


• Solano County issues shelter in place order to take effect immediately.


• Napa County issues shelter in place order to begin at midnight on Friday, Mar. 20.


• Lake County issues shelter in place order to begin at midnight. There are no known cases of coronavirus in Lake County.


• Sixth death in Santa Clara County announced. The patient was a man in his 60s.


• The Dow Jones closes below 20,000 for the first time in three years. During the trading day it lost 6.3%, ending at 19,898.92.

March 17, 2020

• Shelter in place order takes effect in six counties including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Santa Clara. Nearly 7 million Bay Area residents are told to restrict activities and travel to only essential tasks.


• Sonoma County issues shelter in place order to take effect at midnight, Mar. 18.


• Fifth death reported in Santa Clara County, a man in his 50s.


• First coronavirus case at San Jose State University announced.


• CSU postpones commencement ceremonies.


• Death toll nationwide passes 100 and all 50 states have at least one coronavirus case, after West Virginia announces its first case.


• President Trump announces proposal to send immediate cash payments to Americans.


• Uber & Lyft suspend shared ride options.


• Former Golden State Warriors player Kevin Durant announces he has tested positive for coronavirus.


• The PGA Championship, which was to be played at Harding Park in San Francisco in May is postponed.

March 16, 2020

• Shelter in place order announced for six Bay Area counties - Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Santa Clara - to take effect at midnight, Mar. 17. Santa Cruz county also issues a shelter in place order.


• The first day that most Bay Area schools are closed and students are kept at home. Some classes transition to online learning.


• Most Bay Area public libraries close. Some buildings are repurposed as child care centers.


• Third and fourth deaths reported in Santa Clara County. Both were men, one in his 80s and one in his 50s.


• The Dow Jones experiences its largest point drop in history, losing 2,997.10 during the trading day.


• The Grand Princess cruise ship leaves the Port of Oakland and anchors within the San Francisco Bay. Medical workers remain on board to care for 340 crew members and six foreign passengers.


• SFMTA announces cable car service will be suspended, among other changes.


• French President Emmanuel Macron announced a shelter in place order for the entire country for 15 days starting at noon Tuesday, Mar. 17.


• Vaccination trial begins in Seattle.


• Verily Health launches website to allow people to apply for an appointment for a coronavirus test. The first two drive-through testing sites open at the San Mateo Event Center and Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose. Verily, formerly Google Life Sciences, is a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company.

March 15, 2020

• Governor Gavin Newsom orders all bars, nightclubs, wineries, and brewpubs to close, tells adults age 65 and over and those with chronic health conditions to stay home, allows restaurants to stay open but to reduce capacity so customers are socially distanced.


• First death reported in San Mateo County.


• The number of cases in Santa Clara County passes 100.


• The Centers for Disease Control warns against holding any gatherings larger than 50 people.

March 14, 2020

• UC Berkeley reports a student tested positive for coronavirus.


• Sonoma County reports first case of community spread of coronavirus.


• Many Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts announce closures.


• Many retail stores start shutting down.


• Contra Costa County bans groups of 100+ people, effective at midnight.


• San Mateo County bans gatherings of 50 people or more.


• President Trump extends travel ban with Europe to include UK and Ireland.


• The President tests negative for coronavirus.

March 13, 2020

• Stanford University confirms its first case of coronavirus.


• Second death reported in Santa Clara County, a woman in her 80s.


• Sonoma County bans gatherings of 250 people or more.


• Santa Clara County bans groups of 100 and restricts gatherings between 35 to 100 people.


• San Francisco bans gatherings of 100 people or more.


• President Trump declares a national emergency which opens up $50 billion in federal funding.


• NASCAR postpones season for two weeks.


• The Boston Marathon is postponed from April to September.


• The Masters golf tournament, scheduled for April, is postponed with no new date announced.

March 12, 2020

• San Francisco Unified School district announces all schools will close starting Monday for three weeks. Other districts soon follow.


• San Mateo County bans all gatherings of 250 people or more.


• Most passengers have disembarked the Grand Princess cruise ship at the Port of Oakland.


• Major League Soccer suspends the season.


• The National Hockey League suspends the season.


• NCAA cancels March Madness along with all remaining Winter and Spring Championships.


• Major League Baseball suspends spring training and delays Opening Day at least two weeks.

March 11, 2020

• The World Health Organization declares coronavirus a pandemic, meaning the disease is having a global impact.


• In a live address from the Oval Office, President Trump orders a 30-day travel ban for parts of Europe, beginning at midnight on Friday, Mar. 13. The President also orders the Treasury Department to defer tax payments without penalties or interest.


• San Francisco bans public gatherings of 1,000 people or more. As a result, the Golden State Warriors announce plans to play their upcoming game against the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center without fans present. All events at Chase Center are cancelled through March 21.


• Alameda County bans events of 1,000 people. The San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's announce that preseason exhibition games will be impacted.


• Utah Jazz basketball player Rudy Gobert tests positive for coronavirus. The news is announced moments before the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder were scheduled to play; the game is abruptly canceled and all fans sent home.


• The NBA announces the season is suspended.

March 10, 2020

• Santa Clara County bans gatherings of 1,000 people or more.


• Contra Costa County recommends canceling mass gatherings.


• The Archdiocese of San Francisco, which has 90 schools in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties, announces it will close all schools March 12 to March 25. The announcement comes after a student tested positive for coronavirus.

March 9, 2020

• The first coronavirus death in Santa Clara County is announced, a woman in her 60s who had been hospitalized for several weeks. She was the third confirmed case in the county.


• Marin County reports its first case of coronavirus. The patient is an older man who was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship between February 11 and 21. Marin County recommends canceling or postponing indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.


• Lake County declares a local health emergency.


• The Grand Princess Cruise ship docks at the Port of Oakland, with 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus among roughly 3,500 passengers and crew. The disembarkation process begins. Local passengers are bussed to Travis Air Force Base for 14 days of quarantine. Out-of-state passengers are flown to quarantine locations including Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Dobbins Air Reserve Station in Georgia, and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Foreign passengers are flown to their home countries.

March 8, 2020

• Plans to dock the Grand Princess cruise ship, with 21 confirmed coronavirus cases aboard, at the Port of Oakland are announced.

March 7, 2020

• Santa Cruz County reports its first case of coronavirus. The patient was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship that traveled between San Francisco and Mexico from February 11 to February 21.

March 6, 2020

• San Francisco makes public health recommendations that people in vulnerable populations, such as those over age 60, limit public outings, that businesses minimize travel and the number of people working in offices, and that non-essential large gatherings be canceled.


• Test results from the Grand Princess cruise ship are revealed by vice president Mike Pence. 19 crew members and 2 passengers have tested positive for coronavirus. 46 total tests were administered.

March 5, 2020

• Santa Clara county recommends postponing or canceling mass events.


• San Francisco reports its first two cases of coronavirus. The two cases are unrelated; neither patient had a history of travel or contact with an infected individual. The first patient is a man in his 90s with an underlying health condition. The second patient is a woman in her 40s.


• Sonoma County reports its second case of coronavirus. The first and second patients were both passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship between February 11 and 21, traveling between San Francisco and Mexico.


• Coronavirus test kits are airlifted to the Grand Princess cruise ship, which is off the coast of California. Hours later, the samples arrive via helicopter in Richmond, where they are transported by ambulance to a lab.

March 4, 2020

• Santa Cruz County declares a local health emergency.


• Mendocino County declares a local emergency and local health emergency.


• Governor Gavin Newsom declares a state of emergency in California.


• The first coronavirus death in California is announced. The fatality is a 71-year-old man from Placer County who traveled on the Grand Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico between February 11 and 21.


• The Grand Princess cruise ship, en route to Ensenada Mexico, aborts its current itinerary. It begins heading back to San Francisco with an unknown arrival date.

March 3, 2020

• California's primary election is held as planned.


• Contra Costa County reports its first, local case of coronavirus.


• Marin County proclaims health and local emergencies.

March 2, 2020

• Sonoma County declares a local public health emergency after announcing a new case of coronavirus in a county resident. The patient was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship, traveling from San Francisco to Mexico, between February 11 and 21.


• Alameda County reports its first local case of coronavirus.


• San Mateo County announces its first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in a county resident. The patient is an adult who had no known exposure to the virus through travel or community contact and is hospitalized.


• San Mateo County activates its Emergency Operations Center.


• Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers are released from quarantine at Travis Air Force Base. They are taken by bus to San Francisco International Airport as well as Sacramento International Airport to fly home.

February 29, 2020

• The first coronavirus death in the United States is announced in Washington state. A man with no travel history to China died on Feb. 28. Two deaths that occurred Feb. 26 at a Washington nursing home would later be recorded as the first coronavirus deaths in the U.S. (This is later disputed when Santa Clara County announces on April 22 that a woman's death on Feb. 6 was due to coronavirus.)


• The Grand Princess cruise ship leaves Hawaii, en route to Ensenada, Mexico.

February 28, 2020

• A Santa Clara County woman has been diagnosed with the virus, becoming the second patient in the country to contract coronavirus without having traveled to hard-hit countries, or interacting with confirmed patients.

February 27, 2020

• Solano County declares a local state of emergency


• All passengers have left the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

February 26, 2020

• The first case of suspected local transmission in the United States is a resident of Solano County. The patient had not traveled to affected areas or had contact with people knowingly diagnosed with coronavirus. The patient is receiving care at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.


• President Trump appoints vice president Mike Pence to lead the administration's efforts to fight the potential pandemic.


• The Grand Princess cruise ship arrives in Hawaii to make stops in Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the city of Hilo.

February 25, 2020

• San Francisco declares a local emergency, despite having no local cases.


• Sonoma County reports its first coronavirus patient. The person, a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, was transferred from Travis Air Force Base.


• Contra Costa County reports three cases of coronavirus from patients who were transferred from Travis Air Force Base. The patients were passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

February 21, 2020

• The Grand Princess cruise ship returns from a 10-day cruise to Mexico. It departs the same day for a 14-day cruise to Hawaii. Some passengers stay on the ship for the second cruise. Multiple people from both voyages will later test positive for coronavirus.

February 20, 2020

• The first confirmed case of coronavirus in Santa Clara County has fully recovered. The male patient was isolated at home and monitored by public health staff; he was never sick enough to require hospitalization.

February 16, 2020

• A State Department flight carrying U.S. passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship arrives at Travis Air Force base, where they will remain for a 14-day quarantine.

February 11, 2020

• The World Health Organization formally renames the novel coronavirus COVID-19. "Co" stands for coronavirus, "Vi" is for virus and "D" is for disease.


• The Grand Princess cruise ship departs San Francisco for a 10-day cruise to Mexico. Multiple passengers from this cruise will later test positive for coronavirus. One of them, a 71-year-old man from Placer County, will become the first coronavirus death in the state of California. (The date of the state's first death is later revised by a discovery made in late April that a Santa Clara County woman died from coronavirus on Feb. 6.)

February 7, 2020

• More American evacuees from China arrive at Travis Air Force Base.

February 6, 2020

• A flight of American evacuees from China lands at Travis Air Force base to refuel before continuing on to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Omaha, Nebraska. Passengers are subject to a 14-day quarantine.


• A 57-year-old woman in Santa Clara County dies. It is not until April 22 that her cause of death is revealed as coronavirus, making her the first death in the United States.

February 5, 2020

• The Diamond Princess cruise ship anchors off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.-Nearly 200 American citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China arrive at Travis Air Force Base for a two-week quarantine.

February 4, 2020

• The Diamond Princess cruise ship is scheduled to dock at Yokohama, Japan, but health screenings show 10 people have coronavirus. More than 700 will later become infected.

February 3, 2020

• Two coronavirus patients from San Benito county are transported to a San Francisco hospital for treatment.

February 2, 2020

• U.S. implements mandatory 14-day quarantine for all American travelers from China. Foreign nationals, other than immediate family members of U.S. Citizens who have traveled to China in the previous 14 days, will be denied entry into the U.S.-Delta, American, and United Airlines each announce plans to suspend all flights to China within days.

January 31, 2020

• Santa Clara County reports its first new coronavirus case.


• U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar declares a national public health emergency.

January 30, 2020

• The World Health Organization declares a "public health emergency of international concern" for only the sixth time in its history.

January 26, 2020

• The Centers for Disease Control confirm California's first case of coronavirus in Orange County. The patient is a traveler from Wuhan, China. This is the third coronavirus case in the United States.

January 21, 2020

• The first confirmed case of coronavirus in the United States is a man in his 30s who had recently traveled to Wuhan, China.

January 20, 2020

• The Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves Yokohama on a 14-day voyage. A passenger from Hong Kong disembarks early, on January 25, and tests positive for coronavirus on February 1. There are more than 3,700 people on board the cruise ship.

January 11, 2020

• China reports its first death from coronavirus, a 61-year-old man in Wuhan.

December 31, 2019

• The World Health organization says a mysterious pneumonia is sickening dozens in Wuhan, China.

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