2020 coronavirus pandemic in California

This article is about a current disease pandemic where information can change quickly or be unreliable. The latest page updates may not reflect the most up-to-date information. Please help improve this article using reliable sources or help by discussing changes on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

2020 coronavirus pandemic in California
Map of the outbreak in California by number of cases (as of March 29)   1000+ Confirmed cases   500–999 Confirmed cases   100–499 Confirmed cases   10–99 Confirmed cases   1–9 Confirmed cases
Map of the outbreak in California by percent infected (as of March 29)   0.04%+ Confirmed infected   0.02%–0.04% Confirmed infected   0.01%–0.02% Confirmed infected   0.005%–0.01% Confirmed infected   0%–0.005% Confirmed infected
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	California, U.S
First outbreak	Wuhan, Hubei, China
Index case	Orange County
Arrival date	January 26, 2020
Confirmed cases	9,399 (JHU)[1] 8,155 (CDPH)[2]
Active cases	9,052 (JHU) 7,836 (CDPH)
Recovered	160
Deaths	199 (JHU)[1] 171 (CDPH)[2]
Official website
cdph.ca.gov/covid19

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in California is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The first case of COVID-19 in California was confirmed on January 26.^[3] A state of emergency has been in place in the state since March 4. A mandatory statewide stay-at-home order was issued on March 19. As of March 31, 2020, the CDPH says that there have been 8,155 confirmed cases and 171 deaths in the state.^[2]

Timeline

January–February

On January 26, the CDC confirmed the first case in California, the third case in the U.S. The person, a man in his 50s, was released from the hospital in Orange County on February 1 in good condition to in-home isolation.^[3] On January 31, the CDC confirmed the seventh case in the U.S., a man in Santa Clara County, who had recently traveled to Wuhan.^[54] The man recovered at home and was released from in-home isolation on February 20.^[55]

On January 29, the U.S. Department of State evacuated 195 of its employees, their families, and other U.S. citizens from Hubei Province aboard a chartered flight to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County.^[56]

On February 2, the CDC confirmed the U.S.'s ninth case in a woman in Santa Clara County, California, who had recently traveled to Wuhan. This case was unrelated to the first case in Santa Clara.^[57] On the same day, the CDC reported the tenth and eleventh cases in San Benito County, including the second instance of human-to-human transmission.^[58]

On February 5, the U.S. evacuated 345 citizens from Hubei Province and took them to two air bases in California, Travis Air Force Base in Solano County and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, to be quarantined for 14 days.^[59][56] The evacuees from one more government evacuation flight on February 6 were also taken to bases in Nebraska and Texas.^[56][60]

On February 15, the government evacuated 338 U.S. nationals stranded aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which had been held in quarantine in Yokohama, Japan.^[61] Fourteen of those repatriated people were infected with the virus.^[62] Five more nationals who were also reported as being infected were evacuated from the ship the following week, and were quarantined at Travis Air Force Base; several more cases among the evacuees were later confirmed.^[63]

On February 26, a case of unknown origin was confirmed in a resident of Solano County.^[64][65] The UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento said that when the person was transferred there on February 19, the medical team suspected it was COVID-19 and asked the CDC to test for SARS-CoV-2. The CDC initially refused since the person, who had no known exposure to the virus through travel or close contact with a known infected individual, did not meet the criteria for testing. The person was ultimately tested on February 23; the test results returned positive on February 26.^[66]

After this first case of community transmission in the U.S., a case with no known origin recognized in Solano County, California,^[67] the CDC revised its criteria for testing patients for coronavirus, and on February 28 began sending out the new guidelines for healthcare workers. CDC director Dr. Redfield said the new health recommendation should be when a clinician or individual suspects coronavirus, then we should be able to get a test for coronavirus.^[68][69]

March

March 1–2

On March 2 two cases were reported in Alameda and Solano Counties, in health care workers at the NorthBay VacaValley Hospital. The workers were exposed to the patient in the case reported February 26 in Solano County.^[70] In Santa Clara County, three more cases were reported, bringing the total number of cases in the county to seven: a fifth case was reported in a woman with chronic health conditions who is hospitalized; the sixth and seventh cases were reported in a couple who are both hospitalized, and who had recently traveled to Egypt.^[71]

On March 2, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department reported two new cases, bringing the total to nine. Both were household contacts of previously confirmed cases and were in home isolation.^[72] In Placer County, a healthcare worker who had close contact with a confirmed case in Solano County's NorthBay VacaValley Hospital was presumptively tested positive.^[73] In Sonoma County, a resident was presumptively tested positive after returning from a cruise ship that departed San Francisco to Mexico.^[74] In San Mateo County, an adult resident was presumptively tested positive; they were placed in isolation in a hospital. The source of exposure was reported as unknown.^[74]

March 3–4

Twelve new cases were reported on March 3. Public health officials in Santa Clara County, California confirmed two new cases of unknown origin there.^[75] Public health officials in Contra Costa County confirmed a new case of unknown origin. The new case was hospitalized.^[76] Public health officials in Los Angeles County confirmed six new cases.^{[77][78][79][80]} Public health officials in Berkeley confirmed the city's first case of coronavirus in an individual who had recently traveled to Italy. The new case is isolated at home.^[81] Two new cases were confirmed in Orange County: one in a man in his 60s and another in a woman in her 30s. Both had recently traveled to foreign countries impacted by coronavirus.^[82]

On March 4, California public health officials in Placer County reported a second confirmed case in an "older adult" resident with underlying health conditions who was aboard the Princess Cruises cruise ship Grand Princess on a cruise to Mexico that departed San Francisco on February 11 and returned on February 21.^[83] Although initial reports indicated that the new case had been hospitalized in "critically ill" condition, public health officials in Placer County subsequently reported the new case's death later on the same day. This marked the eleventh death in the United States attributable to coronavirus, the first death in the U.S. attributable to coronavirus outside Washington state, and the first death in California attributable to coronavirus.^[84][85] The source of the new case's infection appears to be the same as that of a resident of Sonoma County who tested positive on March 2 and who was also aboard the cruise ship Grand Princess on the same dates.^[86][87] In relation to this, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency in California.^[88] Consequently, Princess Cruises, the owner and operator of the cruise ship Grand Princess, working with the CDC, the state of California, and public health officials in San Francisco, terminated a port call in Ensenada, Mexico planned for March 5 and ordered the cruise ship to return to San Francisco over concerns about the potential for an outbreak of coronavirus aboard the cruise ship. Sixty-two passengers still aboard Grand Princess who may have made contact with the Placer County case that died earlier in the day were quarantined aboard the cruise ship at the request of the CDC.^[89] In addition, eleven passengers and ten crew members were exhibiting potential symptoms of coronavirus, and Grand Princess was ordered by the state of California to remain offshore while test kits were being airlifted to the cruise ship.^{[90][91][92][93][94][95]} Public health officials in Santa Clara County confirmed three new cases.^[96]

March 5–6

On March 5, the San Francisco Department of Public Health reported two community spread cases within the city.^[97] The two cases are unrelated and both are hospitalized at different hospitals in San Francisco. One patient is a man in his 90s with underlying health conditions, and the second patient is a woman in her 40s. Neither of the patients recently traveled nor made contact with other coronavirus patients.^[98] Six additional cases of coronavirus were reported in Santa Clara County,^[99] while six AT&T retail stores in San Diego were closed after an employee at one of the stores tested positive for coronavirus.^[100][101] In addition, public health officials in Sunnyvale reported that the death of a 72-year-old man found unresponsive in his home was under investigation as a possible second death in California attributable to coronavirus after they subsequently learned from one of the man's family members that the man had been aboard the same Grand Princess cruise to Mexico linked to two other coronavirus cases in Sonoma and Placer Counties.^{[102][103][104]}

In Alameda County, officials confirmed a second case on March 6, a former passenger of the cruise ship Grand Princess.^[105] Three new cases were reported in Contra Costa County, with two being former passengers on Grand Princess.^[106] Three new cases were reported in Placer County; all were passengers on Grand Princess.^[107] Four new cases were reported in Santa Clara County, bringing the county's total to 24.^[108] In Sunnyvale, Lockheed Martin reported that one of its employees in its Sunnyvale office tested positive for coronavirus.^[109] Yolo County reported its first case, through community transmission.^[110]

March 7

Eight new cases were reported in Santa Clara County, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 32.^[111] A faculty member of the Stanford University School of Medicine has tested positive for coronavirus.^[112] The faculty member stopped attending work after symptoms had appeared, and the member's place of work was closed for terminal cleaning.^[112]

In Santa Cruz County, officials confirmed the county's first case, a former passenger of Grand Princess.^[113] Six presumptive positive cases were reported in San Francisco. All were reported as isolated at home in good condition. Each patient had contact with a confirmed case.^[114] In Elk Grove, a family tested positive and was quarantined, resulting in the closure of Elk Grove Unified School District for the week of March 7–13, including student activities and events. In a letter to families, the school district announced no students or employees had tested positive.^[115]

In Madera County, officials confirmed the county's first coronavirus case from a person who had been aboard Grand Princess. Their spouse, whom they were with on the cruise, was also being monitored. Both were taken to the Madera Community Hospital and were reported as in monitored isolation.^[116] In Fresno County, two people returning from Grand Princess were quarantined and tested for the virus, with one person testing positive, making them the county's first confirmed case.^[117]

March 8–9

Contra Costa County reported 5 new cases on March 8. Four of the patients did not travel or have known contact with a coronavirus case and are currently being treated at hospitals around the county. The fifth person had contact with a previous case and is being isolated at home. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the county to nine.^[118] Santa Clara County reported 5 new cases, bringing the total number of known cases in the county to 37.^[119] In Rocklin, Sierra College announced all classes and lectures would be moved online by March 18 after two office staff members were quarantined following exposure to COVID-19, with students being tested. In addition, the campus announced it would be limiting student activities, including continuing sporting events with no spectators.^[120] Shasta County reported its first presumptive case. A 50-year-old man with a history of recent travel was reported to be recovering in isolation at home.^[121]

On March 9, three tested positive in Sacramento County.^[122] Santa Clara County announced the state's second COVID-19 death.^[123] A woman in her 60's was in the hospital for several weeks, she was the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the county who had not traveled internationally or had contact with an already infected patient, which suggests it was a ‘community spread’ case. The patient was also the third confirmed case reported in the county on February 28.^[124] San Francisco reported five new cases, who each had known contact with an existing case. The patients are isolated at home and are in good condition. This brings the number of cases in San Francisco to 13.^[125] Elementary aged child attending grammar school in Elk Grove tests positive for COVID-19.^[126]

March 10–11

On March 10, Governor Gavin Newsom announced 24 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 157 confirmed cases in the state.^[127] Alameda County reported its third confirmed case in the county. The new case is the spouse of the second case, who was a passenger aboard Grand Princess. The new patient had already been quarantined at home and remains isolated.^[128] San Francisco reports a new case in a patient who had known contact with a confirmed case, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the city to 14 with 89 confirmed cases in the Bay Area. The patient of the new case is currently hospitalized.^[129] The city announces a ban on large gatherings and relief for small businesses^[130] A resident of an assisted living home in Elk Grove in Sacramento County tested positive from complications of the virus.^[131] County health officials said they have the capacity to only test 20 people per day and would be focusing all their efforts on the other residents of the retirement home.^[132] That resident died from complications of the virus on the same day.^[131] Ventura County confirms its first case of COVID-19.^[133]

Marin County reported two new cases on March 11, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county to three. The two cases lived with the first confirmed case, who was a passenger on Grand Princess. The pair have been isolated in their home and are experiencing mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization.^[134] A woman who was in her 60s and had underlying medical conditions died in Los Angeles County. She was not a resident of Los Angeles and had traveled extensively, including a long layover in South Korea. Her death is the first in Los Angeles County and the fourth in California.^[135] San Jose International Airport reported that three of its TSA agents have tested positive.^[136] All three agents worked in Terminal B, and 42 TSA agents have been quarantined.^[137] A firefighter in the city of Alameda tested positive for coronavirus and is being quarantined.^[138]

March 12–13

Alameda County confirmed four additional cases on March 12, bringing the total number to seven. Two of the four new cases are the first community-spread cases in the county, and the other two cases are linked to confirmed cases.^[139] San Francisco reported four new cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 18. Two of the new cases are hospitalized and the other two are isolated at home. One of the patients had close contact with a confirmed case, while the other three did not recently travel to a country with coronavirus cases and did not have close contact with a confirmed patient.^[140] Four firefighters with the San Jose Fire Department tested positive for the coronavirus. The sick firefighters also have multiple family members who have tested positive for COVID-19.^[141]

San Joaquin County reported 5 more cases on March 13, increasing the number to 8.^[142] The San Joaquin County Department of Public Health declared a Public Health Emergency, causing all schools within the county to close until April 6.^[143] Santa Clara County reported 13 more cases, bringing the county's total to 79. Health officials also announced the second coronavirus death in Santa Clara County; the patient was a woman in her 80s who was hospitalized on March 9.^[144] In San Jose, a fourth TSA agent at Mineta International Airport tested positive for COVID-19 and two additional firefighters have also tested positive, bringing the total number of San Jose Firefighters with the virus to six. As a result, 70 other firefighters are being monitored after possible exposure to the virus.^[144] Stanford University confirmed an undergraduate student has tested positive for the coronavirus; the student is self-isolating.^[145] Los Angeles County reported eight new cases, bringing their total to 40.^[146] San Diego County reported a total of eleven cases^[147][148] Contra Costa County updated their total to 25 cases.^[149]

March 14

Santa Clara County reported 17 new cases, bringing the total in the county to 91.^[150] San Francisco reported five new cases, bringing the total to 28,^[151] and issued an order forbidding visitors to hospitals.^[152] Two additional cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Marin County, bringing the total number to five. The two new cases had no known exposure to other cases, and are believed to be a result of community spread — the first in the county. The two people are quarantined at home and will remain in quarantine until they are no longer infected.^[153] A U.C. Berkeley graduate student has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The student doesn't live on campus or in the city of Berkeley; they have self-isolated at home and the person is in good condition with no serious symptoms.^[154]

San Luis Obispo County has confirmed its first coronavirus case a day after the county has both declared a public health emergency and closed down its schools. The patient is from North County (Atascadero, Templeton, and Paso Robles) and is currently recovering in isolation.^[155] Sonoma County reported its first case of community spread virus, bringing their total cases to three.^[156] Los Angeles County reported eleven new cases, bringing their total to 53.

March 15

San Francisco reported 9 new cases, bringing their total to 37.^[157] Two health workers at UC San Francisco have tested positive for the coronavirus; they have been self-quarantined.^[158] San Mateo County reported its first coronavirus related death; the total number of confirmed cases in the county is 32.^[159] Santa Clara County reported 23 new cases, bringing the total in the county to 114.^[160]Santa Barbara^[161] and San Bernardino^[162] Counties reported their first confirmed cases.

San Luis Obispo County has received their second case confirmed case after the County Public Health Laboratory conducted over 100 tests for COVID-19 last week. The patient is currently in isolation at home.^[163] Los Angeles County reported sixteen new cases, bringing their total to 69.^[164] San Diego County updated their total to 33 cases.^[165]

March 16–17

San Mateo County reported 10 new cases, increasing their total to 41,^[166] and Alameda County reported 8 new cases, bringing their total to 18.^[167] Santa Clara County reported 24 new cases, bringing their total to 138.^[168] San Francisco reported 3 new cases, bringing their total to 40.^[151] Los Angeles County reported 25 new cases, bringing their total to 94.^[169] San Diego County updated their total to 55 cases^[170] and Contra Costa County updated theirs to 34 cases.^[171] Nevada County Public Health reports first confirmed case of COVID-19.^[172] The person recently traveled outside the country, and at the time of this report, it appears the disease was acquired during international travel, but authorities were still in the earliest stages of investigation. San Joaquin County reported 13 cases.^[173]

On March 17, San Francisco County reported 3 new cases, bringing their total to 43;^[174] Los Angeles County reported 50 new cases, bringing their total to 144;^[175] Alameda County reported 8 new cases, bringing their total to 27;^[167] Santa Clara County reported 17 new cases, bringing their total to 155;^[176] San Mateo county reported 23 new cases, bringing their total to 64;^[177] Contra Costa County reported 5 new cases, bringing their total to 39.^[178] Sacramento County reported 40 confirmed cases and two deaths.^[179] Orange County reported 22 total cases.^[180] Riverside County reported 15 total cases and 3 deaths.^[181] Monterey County announced their first two cases.^[182] San Luis Obispo reported 3 new cases, bringing their total to 6.^[183][184]

March 18–19

On March 18, Los Angeles County increased to 190,^[175] San Mateo increased to 80,^[166] San Diego County increased to 75,^[165] San Francisco County increased to 51,^[151] Contra Costa increased to 41,^[178] Alameda County increased to 31,^[167] Orange County increased to 42,^[180] Riverside County increased to 16,^[181] and San Joaquin County increased to 14^[173] confirmed cases. Ventura County reported 13 cases.^[185] Mendocino County announced its first case.^[186]

On March 19, Los Angeles County increased to 231,^[175] Santa Clara County increased to 189,^[187] San Mateo increased to 89,^[166] San Francisco County increased to 70,^[151] Orange County increased to 53,^[180] Sacramento County increased to 45,^[179] Contra Costa increased to 42,^[178] Alameda County increased to 35,^[167] San Joaquin County increased to 15,^[173] and Santa Cruz County increased to 14^[188] cases.

March 20

Los Angeles County increased to 292,^[175] Santa Clara County increased to 196,^[187] San Mateo County increased to 100,^[166] San Diego County increased to 120^[165] San Francisco County increased to 76,^[151] Orange County increased to 65,^[180] Sacramento County increased to 53 cases with 3 deaths,^[179] Contra Costa County increased to 46,^[178] Alameda County increased to 45,^[167] Marin County increased to 38,^[189] Riverside County increased to 28,^[181] San Joaquin County increased to 20,^[173] Ventura County increased to 17,^[185] Santa Cruz County increased to 15,^[188] San Luis Obispo reported 16,^[190] Santa Barbara reported 9 cases,^[191] San Bernadino reported 9 cases,^[192] Yolo increased to 6 cases,^[193] and Fresno County reported 6 cases including their first person-to-person transmission.^[194] Los Angeles County, which is nationally the second-largest municipal health system, believes it can no longer contain the virus and changed their guidelines for COVID-19 testing to not test symptomatic patients if a positive result would not change their treatment.^[195]

March 21

Los Angeles County increased to 351,^[196] Santa Clara County increased to 263,^[187] San Mateo County increased to 110,^[166] San Francisco increased to 84,^[151] Orange County increased to 78,^[180] Alameda County increased to 65,^[167] Contra Costa County increased to 51,^[178] San Joaquin County increased to 25 cases,^[173] San Luis Obispo increased to 21,^[190] Solano County reported 13 cases,^[197] Tulare County reported 11 cases,^[198] and Placer County reported 12 cases with 1 death.^[199] The Departments of Public Health from Yuba and Sutter Counties confirmed two cases in Yuba County, the first cases in Yuba and Sutter counties combined.^[200] Neither patient required hospitalization, and both individuals were in isolation at home and recovering well. The second case is not related to the first case, and both cases are deemed to be a community-transmitted case.^{[citation needed]}

March 22–23

On March 22, Los Angeles increased to 409 cases and 5 deaths,^[175] Santa Clara increased to 302 with 10 deaths,^[187] San Diego increased to 148,^[165] San Mateo increased to 117,^[166] San Francisco increased to 108,^[151] Alameda County increased to 100,^[167] Contra Costa increased to 61,^[178] Orange County increased to 95,^[180] Riverside increased to 45,^[181] San Joaquin increased to 34,^[173] Ventura increased to 26,^[185] San Luis Obispo increased to 27,^[190] Santa Barbara increased to 13,^[191] and San Bernadino increased to 17^[192] cases.

On March 23, cases in Los Angeles County increased to 536 with 7 deaths,^[175] Santa Clara County increased to 375 with 16 deaths,^[187] San Diego increased to 205 with 1 death,^[165] San Mateo increased to 142,^[166] San Francisco to 131,^[151] Alameda to 112 with one death,^[167] Sacramento to 88 with 4 deaths,^[179] Contra Costa to 71,^[178] San Joaquin to 45,^[173] Ventura to 30,^[185] Placer to 20,^[199] Santa Cruz to 22,^[187] Santa Barbara to 18,^[191] and Solano to 14.^[197]

March 24–25

On March 24, cases in Los Angeles County increased to 662 with 11 deaths,^[175] San Mateo County increased to 161,^[166] San Francisco increased to 152 with one death,^[151] Orange County to 152,^[180] Alameda County to 124 with two deaths,^[167] San Joaquin to 60,^[173] Riverside County to 59 with 6 deaths,^[181] San Joaquin to 55,^[173] Ventura to 35,^[185] San Luis Obispo to 33,^[190] Santa Cruz to 24,^[188] Tulare to 17,^[198] Yolo County increased to 9,^[193] Shasta County increased to 3,^[201] and Mendocino County increased to 2.^[202] A teenager who tested positive and died in Lancaster, part of Los Angeles County, might be the first individual in the U.S. under the age of 18 to die of COVID-19.^[203]

On March 25, cases in Los Angeles County increased to 799 with 12 deaths.^[175] A 17-year-old boy in Lancaster died after being denied health care because he did not have health insurance.^[204] Santa Clara County increased to 459 with 17 deaths,^[187] San Francisco to 178,^[151] San Mateo to 165 cases with 5 deaths,^[166] Sacramento County to 113 with 5 deaths,^[179] Contra Costa to 108,^[178] Riverside to 70,^[181] San Joaquin to 71 with 3 deaths,^[173] San Luis Obispo to 46,^[190] Ventura to 39,^[185] San Bernadino to 38,^[192] Placer to 30,^[199] Santa Cruz to 25,^[188] Santa Barbara to 24,^[191] Fresno to 18,^[194] and Yolo to 10.^[193]

March 26—27

On March 26, cases in Los Angeles County increased to 1,216 with 21 deaths,^[175] Santa Clara to 542 with 19 deaths,^[187] San Diego to 341 with 3 deaths,^[165] Orange to 256 with 1 death,^[180] San Francisco to 223 with 2 deaths,^[151] San Mateo to 195 cases,^[166] Alameda to 164 with 4 deaths,^[167] Riverside to 107 with 8 deaths,^[181] Contra Costa to 131,^[178] San Joaquin to 78,^[173] San Luis Obispo to 54,^[190] Ventura to 50 with 1 death,^[185] Santa Cruz to 32,^[188] and in Fresno to 27.^[194]

On March 27, Los Angeles County increased to 1465 cases with 26 deaths,^[175] Orange County to 321 cases with 3 deaths,^[180] San Francisco County to 279 with 3 deaths,^[151] San Mateo to 239,^[166] Alameda to 204,^[167] Sacramento to 164 with 6 deaths,^[179] Riverside to 151 with 8 deaths,^[181] Contra Costa to 147 cases,^[178] San Joaquin to 90 with 3 deaths,^[173] Ventura to 61,^[185] Santa Cruz to 34,^[188] Santa Clara to 574 with 20 deaths.^[187]

March 28–29

On March 28, Santa Clara County cases increased to 591 with 25 deaths, San Francisco to 308 with 4 deaths, San Mateo to 274 cases, Alameda County to 240 cases with 6 deaths, Contra Costa County to 168 cases.^[205]

On March 29, San Francisco increased to 340 with 5 deaths,^[151] and Alameda County to 254.^[167]

March 30–31

On March 30, Los Angeles County increased to 2,474 cases with 44 deaths,^[175] Santa Clara County increased to 848 cases with 28 deaths (noting that the increase of 202 cases included results that had not been reported over the previous two days),^[187] San Diego increased to 603 cases,^[165] San Mateo County increased to 309 cases,^[166] Riverside to 291 cases with 9 deaths,^[181] Alameda County increased to 264,^[167] Sacramento County increased to 224 cases with 7 deaths,^[179] Contra Costa to 187,^[178] San Joaquin to 123 cases with 6 deaths,^[173] San Bernadino to 111 cases with 3 deaths,^[192] Ventura to 109 cases,^[185] Fresno to 53 cases,^[194] San Luis Obispo to 77 cases,^[190] Placer to 57 cases with 2 deaths,^[199] Santa Cruz to 45 cases with one death,^[188] and Shasta to 5 cases.^[201]

On March 31, Alameda County increases to 294 cases.^[167]

April 1–2

On April 1, Santa Clara County increased to 956 cases with 32 deaths, and began to report hospital and laboratory testing results, acknowledging that, "because of limited testing capacity through the Public Health Laboratory, the number of cases that we detect through testing represent only a small portion of the total number of likely cases in the county."^[187].

Los Angeles county reported 3518 cases with 65 deaths^[175], Alameda County increased to 339 cases with 8 deaths^[167], San Diego reported 849 cases with 15 deaths^[165], Orange County increased to 606 cases with 10 deaths^[180], Riverside County to 429 cases with 13 deaths^[181], San Mateo county to 453 cases with 10 deaths^[166], Sacramento to 314 cases with 9 deaths^[179], San Bernadino to 254 cases with 6 deaths^[192], Contra Costa county to 250 cases^[178], San Joaquin to 173 cases with 9 deaths^[173], Ventura County to 160 cases with 5 deaths^[185], Santa Barbara to 111 cases^[191], San Luis Obispo to 83 cases^[206], Santa Cruz to 54 cases^[188], Fresno County to 82 cases^[194], Yolo County to 28 cases^[193], Solano County to 54^[197], Tulare County to 59 cases with 2 deaths^[198], Placer County to 90 cases with 2 deaths^[199], and Shasta County to 7 cases with 1 death^[201].

Shortage of gear

Many doctors and nurses and EMS workers expressed fears and frustrations at being asked to wear the less effective surgical masks and at the overall lack of proper masks, gowns and eye gear which imperils their ability to fight the coronavirus and puts their own lives at risk.^[207][208] The medical workers are concerned that the shortages have not been addressed by the CDC, whose changing guidance for healthcare over how to stay safe themselves and protect the patients remained unclear and misleading, and that the new recommendations are borne of political expediency instead of science.^[207] Mid-March, the CDC changed its guidance from stating earlier that regular surgical masks cannot protect a healthy person from infection to now saying that regular masks are "an acceptable alternative" when examining or treating a coronavirus patient. The change came given the shortages of the N95 masks. The American Nurses Association sent a letter to Congress, saying there is concern "that C.D.C. recommendations are based solely on supply chain and manufacturing challenges," and "that these recommendations do not offer strategies to address the limited manufacturing and supply chain of necessary personal protective equipment."^[207]

Hospitals and ventilators

In 2020, hospitals in California hired rental ventilators and rationed N95 masks, raising complaints from nurses. California in 2006 had stockpiled three 200-bed mobile hospitals with 50 million N95 respirators, 2,400 ventilators, and 21,000 additional patient beds, but the governor at the time, Jerry Brown, disposed of them in 2011 as a budget cutting measure.^[209]

Community response

There were calls for crowdsourcing on social media, to donate any masks, goggles or other equipment to healthcare professionals.^[210]

Major Bay Area medical centers, UCSF and Stanford Health Center are both now taking donations for personal protective equipment.^[211]

Local public health offices started coordinating donation efforts.^[212]

Maker Nexus, a non-profit maker space in Sunnyvale, began making face shields to donate to local hospitals and other health care facilities, using its 3D printers and laser cutters. This effort grew rapidly as individuals in the Bay Area began using home-based 3D printers and bringing the result to Maker Nexus to complete the shields and deliver them to the recipients.^[213][214] By the first of April, more than 300 community members were using their home 3D printers for this effort.^[215] Together with other groups and individuals, the maker space is also making cloth face masks to substitute for N95 masks in non-critical applications and helping to coordinate face mask deliveries.^[216]

Government response

February

On February 10, Santa Clara County declared a local health emergency that would allow health authorities to deploy rapid response in the event of a potential coronavirus case. The state of emergency would be in effect for 30 days.^[217] On February 14, San Diego County declared a local health emergency to ensure that the county had the resources needed to respond to the infections. The state of emergency lasted for seven days.^[218]

On February 25, the mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, declared a state of emergency that would allow city officials to assemble resources and personnel to expedite emergency measures in the event of a potential coronavirus case in the city.^[219][220] On February 26, Orange County declared a local health emergency to raise awareness and accelerate emergency planning.^[220] On February 27, Solano County declared a local health emergency to bolster response to COVID-19 cases.^[221] California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that, as of February 27, the number of people being monitored for the virus in California amounted to 8,400.^[222]

On February 27, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state was limited in testing for the new coronavirus because it had only 200 testing kits.^[223]

March

On March 3, Placer County declared a public health emergency, following the confirmation of a second coronavirus case in that county.^[224] On March 4, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency after the first death in California attributable to coronavirus occurred in Placer County.^{[225][226][227]}

On March 7, a family in Elk Grove contracted the virus and was quarantined^[228] which led to the school district of Elk Grove decision to close down all schools until March 13.^[229] On March 8, Riverside County declared a public health emergency with a case being treated at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage.^[230]

On March 9, Santa Clara County announced that beginning March 11, public gatherings with more than 1,000 people would be banned for a three-week period.^[231] On March 10, a resident of a retirement home tested positive in Elk Grove in Sacramento County. County health officials said that they had the capacity to only test 20 people per day and would be focusing all their efforts on the other residents of the retirement home. That resident died from complications of the virus on the same day.^{[citation needed]} Also on March 10, a woman became the first presumptive case of the novel coronavirus in San Diego County, who was being treated at Scripps Green Hospital, with verification of the test results pending from the CDC. The infection was related to overseas travel; she had not been subjected to a 14-day quarantine upon return, indicating that she did not come from one of the "high risk" countries at the time of her return.^[232]

On March 12, Governor Newsom announced that mass gatherings over 250 people were banned until the end of March.^[233] He also issued an order to permit the state to commandeer hotels and medical facilities to treat coronavirus patients.^[234] On March 13, schools were closed in Marin, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Solano, Placer, and Contra Costa counties, as well as the Oakland, Antioch, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles Unified, Chaffey Unified, Etiwanda, Fontana Unified, Ontario-Montclair, Alta Loma Unified, San Diego, Los Alamitos Unified, and Washington Unified school districts. In Santa Clara county, all gatherings of 100 or more people were banned, and gatherings of 35 or more people were banned unless they satisfied public health restrictions.^{[235][236][237][238][239][excessive citations]}

On March 15, Governor Newsom called for voluntary closure of bars and in-home self-isolation of seniors 65 and older, as well as persons at-risk due to underlying conditions.^[240] On March 16, the health officers of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties announced, with the City of Berkeley, a legal order directing their respective residents to shelter in place for three weeks beginning midnight March 17 to April 7 in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.^[241] The order limited activity, travel and business functions to only the most essential needs.^{[242][243][244]} The same day, the county of Santa Cruz issued a similar shelter in place order.^[245]

On March 17, more counties issued shelter in place orders, including Monterey County (until April 4),^[246] San Benito (until April 7),^[247] and Sonoma (until April 7).^[248] Sacramento County issued a stay-at-home directive, which, unlike a shelter in place order, is not a legal requirement.^[249] The federal Defense Secretary said the military would provide up to 5 million respirator masks and also 2,000 ventilators from its reserve.^[250]

On March 18, shelter in place orders were issued by Yolo County (until April 7),^[251] the city of Fresno (until March 31),^[252] Napa County (effective March 20, until April 7)^[253] San Luis Obispo County (until April 17),^[254] and Mendocino County (until April 7).^[255] The Department of Defense said the Navy's hospital ship USNS Mercy is being prepared for deployment in California, "to assist potentially overwhelmed communities with acute patient care".^[256]

On March 19, Sacramento County upgraded its stay-at-home directive into an official order that carries legal consequences.^[257] Governor Newsom then announced a statewide stay-at-home order.^{[258][259][260]} Governor Newsom said that the state has asked the Department of Defense to deploy the Navy's USNS Mercy hospital ship in California.^[261]

On March 21, the Strategic National Stockpile Division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services converted the Santa Clara Convention Center into a Federal Medical Station to receive noncritical patients from local hospitals.^[262]

On March 22, President Trump announced that he had directed Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 8 large federal medical stations with 2,000 beds for California.^[263]

On March 24, Mendocino County revised its shelter-in-place order to align with the state order including a stricter list of essential businesses, closure of all parks within Mendocino County, and for the order to be in place until rescinded.^[202]

On March 30, the health officers of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties extended the legal order directing their respective residents to shelter in place to May 3.^[264]

April

On April 1, the California Department of Education issued a statement acknowledging the likely closure of all schools for the remainder of the academic year, and directing all schools to "put all efforts into strengthening our delivery of education through distance learning"^[265].

Also on April 1, the University of California system announced that they would temporarily suspend the use of standardized testing for Fall 2021 admissions, and suspend the letter grade requirement for A-G courses completed in winter, spring, and summer 2020.^[266]

Statistics and data

Daily case data for Santa Clara County

For tabular data, see the following resources:

• COVID-19 Cases in Santa Clara County, CA

Daily case data for San Francisco County

Daily case data for Los Angeles County

List of cancellations, closures and postponements.

This is a partial list (by A-Z) of major businesses,government offices, and public institutions in California with temporary cancellation or closure.

Northern California

• California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco – closed from March 12 until the end of March.^[268]
• California's Great America in Santa Clara – closed from March 13 until at the end of March.^[269]
• California State University, Monterey Bay – All classes suspended from March 13 to 23. All classes moved to remote instruction until the end of the semester.^[270]
• City College of San Francisco – All campuses closed from March 13 and all classes moving to remote instruction indefinitely.^[271]
• de Young Museum in San Francisco – closed from March 14.^[272]
• The Exploratorium in San Francisco – closed from March 12 to the end of March.^[273]
• Fremont Unified School District – closed from March 16 through the end of the 2019–20 school year.^[274][275]
• Los Rios Community College District in Sacramento – All campuses closed from March 13 and all classes moving to remote instruction indefinitely.^[276]
• Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey – closed from March 13 until at least March 27.^[277]
• Sacramento State – On March 12, all classes were moved to remote instruction until the end of the semester.^[278]
• The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) – closed from March 14 to 28.^[279]
• The San Jose Museum of Art (SJMA) – closed from March 13.^[280]
• San Jose State University – all courses moved to online instruction through end of Spring 2020 Semester.^[281]
• Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo – closed from March 13 until at the end of March.^[282]
• Stanford University – closed from March 10 through the end of spring quarter; all classes moved to remote instruction.^[283]
• The Tech Interactive in San Jose – closed from 12 through March 31.^[284]
• United States Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District has closed all recreation facilities at its ten parks and lakes, including campgrounds, visitor centers, boat launches and day-use areas.^[285]
• United States Forest Service has closed all its developed recreation sites throughout California.^[285]
• UC Berkeley in Berkeley, California – Closed from March 10 through the end of the spring semester.^[286]
• UC Davis – as of March 14, all classes moved to remote instruction, students allowed to stay on campus.^[287]
• UC Santa Cruz – all classes moved to remote instruction and students encouraged to return to primary residence and attend through remote instruction until the end of the spring quarter. Campus remains open.^[288]
• The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco was closed on March 6 after an employee's relative tested positive for COVID-19. The museum was closed and has planned to reopen on March 20.^[289]
• Seven of the largest ski areas were closed on March 14, including Northstar, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Sugarbowl, and Mammoth Mountain^[290]

Southern California

• Arcadia Community Center & Arcadia Public Library in Arcadia, California – Closed March 13 to April 30, 2020.^[291]
• Burbank Unified School District in Burbank, California – Closed March 16 to 27, 2020.^[292]
• California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California – Closed March 15 to April 6, 2020 for all public events on campus have been canceled, postponed, or made virtual and all athletic contests and practices. Classes resume on March 30.^[293]
• California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California – Extended spring break until April 6, and announced that the first two weeks of spring quarter will be held online. All spring events are cancelled.^[294]
• California State University San Marcos – All face-to-face classes moved online starting March 20 for the duration of the Spring 2020 semester. All CSUSM sponsored events cancelled between March 16 and April 30, 2020. Campus remains open, but in a state of reduced operation.^[295]
• Catalina Island was closed to tourists.^[296]
• Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California – Closed on March 14 to end May 2020.^[297][298]
• Glendale Unified School District in Glendale, California-Students dismissed March 13 to May 6.^[299]
• Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California – Closed March 13 to mid-May 2020.^[300]
• La Sierra University in Riverside, California – Closed March 15 to April 30.
• Legoland California in Carlsbad, California – Closed from March 15 to 31.^[301]
• Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California – All events canceled or postponed due to LA mayor's ban of events of 50+ March 12 to 31, 2020.^[302]
• Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California – Closed March 16 to May 1.^[303]
• Orange Unified School District in Orange, California – Students are dismissed March 16 to April 17, 2020.^[304]
• Pasadena Unified School District – students will be dismissed on March 16, 2020. Closed for students March 17 through April 5, 2020.^[305]
• San Diego Unified School District – Closed from March 16 until April 6.^[306]
• San Diego Zoo in San Diego – Closed from March 16 to April 1.^[301]
• Sea World San Diego in San Diego – Closed from March 15 to 31.^[301]
• Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles – Closed from March 13 to mid-May.^[307]
• Southwestern College – Classes moved online until March 30.^[308]
• Sweetwater Union High School District – Closed from March 16 until April 3.^[306]
• UCLA in Los Angeles, California – Classes moved online until the end of spring quarter, with students encouraged to return home if possible. Campus remains open.^[309]
• UC Irvine in Irvine, California – All classes moved to remote instruction and students encouraged to return to primary residence and attend through remote instruction. Campus remains operational.^[310]
• UC San Diego in San Diego, California – Lectures and discussions moved online for the duration of spring quarter; labs and studios will continue to meet in person. Sporting events will be held behind closed doors.^[311]
• UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California – All classes moved to remote instruction through the entire spring quarter. Students living in university-owned housing encouraged to return home. Campus remains open, but the library, university center, and recreation center are closed.^[312]
• UC Riverside in Riverside, California – All classes moved to remote instruction for the entire spring quarter. On campus housing and dining will remain open.^[313]
• Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles – Closed from March 14 to April 19, 2020.^[314]

Event cancellations and postponements

• The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and its sister event, the Stagecoach Festival, were originally scheduled to take place on April 10–12, April 17–19, and April 24–26, but on March 10, Goldenvoice announced that it was rescheduling both Coachella and Stagecoach to October due to health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The promoter made the decision "at the direction of the County of Riverside and local health authorities". The new dates for Coachella 2020 are October 9–11 and October 16–18.^{[315][316][317]}
• CIF state basketball championships were cancelled^[317]
• USC spring football was cancelled^[317]
• The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera and Center Theatre Group cancelled performances and festivals^[318]
• Electronic Entertainment Expo 2020 (E3) was cancelled^[317]
• RuPaul's DragCon LA 2020 was cancelled^[317]
• The Game Developers' Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, originally scheduled for March 16–20, was postponed to summer^[317]
• Google Cloud Next '20 was converted to online format^[317]
• The Facebook F8 Conference was converted to online format^[317]
• Google I/O, originally May 12–14, cancelled^[317]
• The Indian Wells Masters tennis tournament has been cancelled for this year.^[319]
• WonderCon was postponed.^[320]
• BottleRock Napa Valley 2020 was postponed to October 2–4.^[321]
• Bay to Breakers 2020 was postponed to September 20.^[322]

Effects on sports

Most of state's sports teams were affected. In Major League Baseball cancelled the remainder of spring training on March 12, and on March 16, they announced that the season will be postponed indefinitely, after the recommendations from the CDC to restrict events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, affecting the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and San Diego Padres.^[323] In the National Basketball Association, the season was suspended for 30 days starting on March 12, affecting the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors.^[324] Also on March 12, the National Hockey League suspended the season indefinitely, affecting the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks.^[325] The Major League Soccer season was suspended for 30 days starting on March 12, affecting the LA Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, and San Jose Earthquakes.^[326]

Also on March 12, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cancelled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide.^[327] On March 16, the National Junior College Athletic Association also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons.^[328]

At the high school level, the California Interscholastic Federation, or CIF, canceled the basketball state championship tournament after the Northern California and Southern California semifinals. During the tournament, 3 schools including Sheldon, Archbishop Riordan, and the Menlo School withdrew from the tournament after their schools were shut down. Currently, spring sports for high schools have all been postponed until at least April 7. The CIF will be reevaluating and giving a further directive on April 3. This includes the sports of baseball, softball, badminton, track and field, swimming, boys golf and boys tennis.^[329]

Effects on prisons

• Alameda County: On March 20, Alameda County officials announced that 247 people would be released from Santa Rita Jail, located in Dublin.^[330]
• San Diego County: On March 16, the Sheriff's Department said it had started reducing the number of people being accepted into the county's seven jails and had received approval for early release of some prisoners. Other measures included in-cell meals, a suspension of visitation, and suspension of jail programs.^[331]

Effects on religion

On March 13, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California closed all diocesan schools from until at least April 20. It suspended public Masses and dispensed with the obligation to attend Mass from March 14 until further notice.^[332] On March 18, the California Catholic Conference of bishops followed suit, suspending the public celebration of Mass throughout the state until further notice.^[333] Many churches are conducting services online during the time of closure.^{[citation needed]}

Churches and synagogues with more than 30 members officially closed doors March 12. Most began streaming via YouTube, Facebook and etc. When the quarantine officially began, all congregations were no longer able to gather. Most are holding weekly prayer meetings as well as Saturday or Sunday morning streaming of worship services.^{[citation needed]}

Mosques in California have stopped holding Friday prayer congregations.

See also

• 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States
• Travel restrictions related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to COVID-19 pandemic in California.

• California CDPH Office of Public Affairs, news releases by California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
• Governor Newsom Issues New Executive Order Further Enhancing State and Local Government's Ability to Respond to COVID-19 Pandemic (March 12, 2020) – Cancel large gatherings more than 250 people
• Santa Clara County Coronavirus (COVID-19) Data Dashboard

Template:2019–20 coronavirus pandemic Template:2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States