This recommendation does not apply to the day to day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses.

From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Interim Guidance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

As of 3/15/2020

Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals.

Therefore, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.

Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing. When feasible, organizers could modify events to be virtual.

This recommendation does not apply to the day to day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses. This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus. This recommendation is not intended to supersede the advice of local public health officials.

This interim guidance is intended for organizers and staff responsible for planning mass gatherings or large community events in the United States. A mass gathering is a planned or spontaneous event with a large number of people in attendance that could strain the planning and response resources of the community hosting the event, such as a concert, festival, conference, or sporting event. Guidance specific to schools and childcare settings, institutions of higher education, and community- and faith-based organizations can be found on CDC’s website focused on prevention COVID-19 spread in communities.

COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory disease and there is more to learn about its transmission, clinical course, and populations at increased risk of disease and complications (see How COVID-19 Spreads). Everyone can do their part to help plan, prepare, and respond to this emerging public health threat.

For more information visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/.

By Brooks Converse, Library Public Information Officer

Beginning tomorrow, March 16, all 26 Contra Costa County Library locations will close until further notice as a precaution to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community. Based on recommendations from the County Health Department, the closures are necessary to encourage social distancing and protect both patrons and staff in the libraries.

All library programs and events as well as community use of meeting rooms are canceled until further notice.

Book drops will remain open, but as materials can carry viruses for several days, patrons are encouraged to keep items until the libraries reopen. The Library will automatically extend due dates on all materials. All overdue fines were eliminated in 2019 and no other negative consequences will result from late items during this closure.

“Closing libraries is a necessary step for the health and safety of our communities,” said County Librarian Melinda Cervantes. “We hope this will help people to avoid further transmission or exposure to the virus.”

Patrons are encouraged to use library services available online including access to eBooks and eAudiobooks with Overdrive/Libby, Enki eBooks, streaming movies through Kanopy and Video Storytime.

For questions about Library services or account information, contact the library via Chat Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or call (800) 984-4636.

For the latest information about COVID-19 in Contra Costa County and tips on staying healthy, visit contracostahealth.org.

For more information about library services available online, please visit ccclib.org.

By Timothy Leong, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa Community College District

In response to the emergency declarations from the State of California and Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa Community College District (District) and its colleges – Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College-Pleasant Hill and San Ramon Campus, and Los Medanos College Pittsburg Campus and Brentwood Center – have suspended all face-to-face classes and face-to-face student interactions beginning Monday, March 16, 2020. All campus locations will be closed to students to minimize the spread of the coronavirus until further notice.

Over the next few days, faculty and staff will develop and implement transition plans for a remote format delivery of classes and student support services. Beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the colleges will start the process to deliver classes and student support services remotely.

This revised course of action will assist the colleges in fulfilling our mission to our students during this difficult time while minimizing the coronavirus impact to our community. The District appreciates the community’s patience and understanding during this unprecedented time.

During a news conference and on his Twitter feed, Sunday afternoon California Governor Newsom issued the following: NEW: Those that are 65 and older or vulnerable to #COVID-19 must practice home isolation. Bars, night clubs, wineries, and breweries should close in CA. Restaurants — focus on takeout for those isolating. Maximize social distancing.”

Although not yet an order, “Newsom clarified that…he expects his requests on restrictions to be upheld,” according to a KTVU FOX2 news report of the press conference.

In addition, Newsom tweeted, “We’re working in real time to secure hotels, motels, and trailers to house our homeless safely and protect our communities and the spread of #COVIDー19” and “We must protect our most vulnerable to #COVIDー19 and ensure essential parts of our society can keep functioning like:
– our healthcare system
– grocery stores
– pharmacies
– social service providers
And that people who can continue to work safely & remain productive can do so.”

The following announcement was issued by Marie Issa Gill, Rocketship Public Schools’ Bay Are Regional Director on Sunday afternoon, March 15, 2020:

COVID 19 UPDATE: Rocketship schools will be offering free healthy meals at our schools starting tomorrow at 8am on a first-come, first-serve basis. Food service is open for students, family members or community members who are hungry. We want to thank our food sponsor Revolution Foods for their support in this endeavor.

Rocketship Delta Prep is located at 1700 Cavallo Road in Antioch. For more information visit https://www.rocketshipschools.org/.

Manual tally to begin Monday, Antioch School District’s Measure T still too close to call

By Allen Payton

With the latest, Interim Update 3 from the Contra Costa County Elections Division from the March 3rd Presidential Primary posted Friday, March 13, there are still approximately 30,500 votes remaining to be counted in the county.

Supervisor Federal Glover gained on his two opponents and is now less than 0.12% from winning re-election outright. He now has 49.89% of the vote for a total of 20,330 votes. His next closest opponent, County Assessor Gus Kramer has 25.62% of the vote or 10,440 votes, followed closely by Martinez Planning Commissioner Sean Trambley with 24.49% or 9,981 votes.

If Glover doesn’t end up having 50% plus one vote, he will face the second-place finisher in a November General Election run-off.

Three of Six Tax Measures Passing

Three of the six tax measures on the ballot in Contra Costa are passing, as of the latest update.

The election for the Antioch Unified School District’s Measure T school improvement bond, covering the former Mello-Roos District 89-1, is still too close to call. It needs 55% of the vote to pass and currently has 53.13% with a margin of 1,511 votes.

In the Lafayette Measure L school district parcel tax election, which requires a 2/3’s vote to pass, it’s succeeding with 72.6% of the vote and a lead of 4,589 votes.

In the Moraga School District, the Measure M parcel tax election, which also requires a 2/3’s vote to pass, is succeeding with 70.27% of the vote and a margin of 2,731 votes.

In the West Contra Costa Unified School District Measure R school bond election, which requires a 55% vote to succeed, it is passing with 57.3% of the vote and leading the No votes by 8,009 votes.

The Pleasant Hill Park and Recreation Department’s Measure A bond measure, which requires a 2/3’s vote to pass, is failing with only 59.55% of the vote, but leading by 2,463 votes. It needs an increase of 6.12% from the remaining votes.

The countywide Measure J half-cent sales tax for transportation, which requires a 2/3’s vote to pass, was also failing with just 50.6% of the vote, and barely leading by 3,472 votes out of 288,644 counted so far.

Danville Development Referendum Passing

In the Town of Danville’s Measure Y referendum, which will approve the development of 69 homes on 410 acres and requires a simple majority to pass, is winning with 54.26% of the vote and a margin of 1,477 votes.

Following are the estimated number of ballots that remain to be counted as of Friday, March 13.

500          Other

29,200     Provisional

800          Conditional Voter Registration

30,500     Total Estimate

Manual Tally

Beginning Monday, March 16 the Elections Division will conduct a manual audit of ballots cast in the March 3rd Presidential Primary. The public is invited to observe the count.

The company’s enterprise-wide incident response team continues to activate protocols and actions as the situation changes to protect the health and safety of customers and employees; does not expect any disruption in gas or electric service throughout public health crisis 

PG&E announced Friday, March 12, 2020 that due to the COVID-19 pandemic it has voluntarily implemented a moratorium on service disconnections for non-payment, effective immediately. This suspension will apply to both residential and commercial customers and will remain in effect until further notice.

To further support customers who may be impacted by the pandemic, PG&E will offer its most flexible pay plans to customers who indicate either an impact or hardship as a result of COVID-19.  PG&E will continue to monitor current events and identify opportunities to support our customers and communities.

In addition to the moratorium on service shut-offs, PG&E’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is focused on efforts to protect the health and safety of its customers, employees, contractors and the communities it serves. Actions the company has taken include providing guidance for employees who have direct customer contact to take social distancing precautionary measures, such as avoiding handshakes and wearing disposable nitrile gloves while in customers’ homes.

Customers who visit local offices to pay bills and are sick or experiencing symptoms are being asked to use other payment options such as online or by phone at 877-704-8470.

“We recognize that this is a rapidly changing situation and an uncertain time for many of our customers. Our most important responsibility is the health and safety of our customers and employees. We also want to provide some relief from the stress and financial challenges many are facing during this worldwide, public health crisis. We understand that many of our customers may experience a personal financial strain due to the slowdown in the economy related to the pandemic,” said Chief Customer Officer and Senior Vice President Laurie Giammona.

Internally, the company is taking advanced cleaning measures, communicating best practices frequently with employees, and is asking its leaders to let employees work remotely if their job allows, while avoiding critical business disruption. PG&E has activated an enterprise-wide incident response team and is vigilantly monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization for updates related to the virus. The company is committed to continue addressing customer service needs and does not expect any disruption in gas or electric service due to the public health crisis.

Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department to Continue Delivering Services While Taking Steps to Help Prevent Spread of Coronavirus

By Tish Gallegos, Community/Media Relations, Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department (EHSD)

Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department (EHSD) will close lobbies in seven buildings to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in its public spaces. Community members can still access the services and benefit programs the department provides, however EHSD is encouraging they do so in ways that limit exposure, such as through phone appointments or online applications. EHSD is restricting access to its public lobbies effective Monday, March 16, 2020 until further notice, affecting programs such as CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal and General Assistance at the following locations:

During the temporary closure, limited in-person access will be available to individuals who meet these criteria:

• No access to a telephone or computer
• Pre-scheduled in-person appointment
• Emergency EBT card or check pick-up
• Scheduled CalWORKs or General Assistance mental health assessment
• Homeless mail pick-up

Applications will be available outside the lobby areas for all benefit programs, and community members may complete, sign and return documents for processing using a secure drop box during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EHSD staff will continue working to deliver all services, but away from the public spaces. Community members can visit www.EHSD.org to apply for benefits, email their worker, report changes, upload documents, obtain more information, as well as view updates and resources related to COVID-19. They may also get assistance from lobby staff by calling (925) 957-5647 or (925) 957-5648 (Spanish).

EHSD is committed to continuing to support families and individuals in Contra Costa County. The closure is a cautionary measure based on guidance from Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS).  EHSD is committed to ensuring the delivery of quality services while promoting the health and safety of all community members.

Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services

Employment & Human Services (EHSD) partners with the community to deliver quality services to ensure access to resources that support, protect, and empower individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency.  Based on the core values of delivering an exceptional customer experience, encouraging open communication, embracing change, practicing ethical behavior, and embracing diversity, EHSD envisions Contra Costa County will continue to be a thriving community where all individuals and families can be healthy, safe, secure and self-sufficient.  More information about EHSD is available at www.ehsd.org.