By Allen Payton

As of Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) is reporting a total of 442 cases of COVID-19/coronavirus, and two more deaths for a total of 7 in the county. There are 29 people diagnosed with the virus currently hospitalized, a decrease of three since Friday.

A total of 5,831 people have been tested for the virus. To see the all the statistics provided by CCHS, click here.

Ridership down 93% – “Ridership is now at 7% of what is usual” – General Manager Bob Powers

As the Bay Area counties have now extended mandatory shelter in place orders, BART service needs to be reduced to match demand, increase essential rebuilding projects, save costs, and maintain reliable service based on staffing levels. Starting Wednesday, April 8, Monday-Friday service will run every 30 minutes until further notice.  Ridership data shows social distancing remains possible on all trains with this change.  Effectively, every other train is being cancelled Monday-Friday.

Reducing service also allows greater flexibility to maintain stable service should BART employees need to take time off due to illness or to care for children and family members.

This move will potentially save the operating budget $3-7 million per month. The savings is realized by shifting employees to capital improvement projects that are not funded by the operating budget. BART is using this time of historically low ridership to focus on essential infrastructure projects that typically are very disruptive to riders or can only be accomplished during overnight hours. These rebuilding efforts have been designated as essential public works projects per the region’s public health orders issued in response to the coronavirus.

3-line service will start earlier in the evening

Starting Wednesday, BART will move up the time the Warm Springs-Daly City (Green) and Richmond-Millbrae (Red) lines that provide direct service to/from San Francisco end and 3-line service begins.  This will allow for a longer work window for power cable replacement in San Francisco.  The last two train dispatches in both directions on these lines will be cancelled and single tracking in San Francisco will begin around 8pm.

• The last Warm Springs-Daly City (Green) line train departs Warm Springs at 5:16pm and arrives at Daly City at 6:26pm.  It then departs Daly City at 6:43pm and arrives at Warm Springs at 7:54pm.
• The last Richmond-Millbrae (Red) line train departs Richmond at 5:41pm and arrives at Millbrae 6:51pm. It then departs at Millbrae at 7:18pm and arrives at Richmond at 8:24pm.

There is only one hole in the new 30-minute schedule.  It is on the Red line departing from Millbrae at 6:18pm. To avoid this gap, customers should board the SFO shuttle from Millbrae at 6pm and connect with the Antioch line train at SFO at 6:26pm and then transfer at MacArthur at 7:10pm to the Richmond train.

Plan your trip to avoid waiting

PDFs of the new schedule will be available on bart.gov tomorrow (Tuesday). Riders can use the PDF schedule to start planning their trips and what time they should arrive at the station to avoid a long wait.  Riders can also check real time departures before heading to the station.   Staff is updating the online Trip Planner to reflect the new service plan and to show every other train as cancelled.
For personalized trip planning assistance, call the Transit Information Center at 510-465-2278 from 8am-6pm, Monday-Friday.

“Ridership is now at 7% of what is usual, and these changes allow us to increase essential rebuilding projects while also ensuring we can provide reliable and predictable service,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “With so many unknowns about the length of the shelter in place orders and the timing of recovery, we must take steps to protect the operating budget while also protecting our ability to run service every 30 minutes.”

A change in the BART schedule can only be implemented by doubling headways (train frequency) because the service plan is tied to operational patterns such as timed transfers and train operator reporting times and locations.  This is the reason why we can’t go to 20 or 24 minute headways Monday-Friday.

Weekend service unchanged

Weekend service will remain unchanged.  The decision to not change weekend service at this time is to avoid doubling weekend headways. Reducing service on the weekend would mean Saturday service would need to go to 40-minute headways and Sunday service would go to 48-minute headways. At this time, that level of service reduction is not something BART is ready to implement but may need to do so in the future if circumstances change.

Shifting workers to rebuilding projects

Running fewer trains means crews can be redeployed to other projects.  Maintenance and Engineering staff can now increase the hours of cable replacement in San Francisco and begin work on cable replacement in the East Bay and crews can perform relighting work in the Caldecott BART Tunnel. Train car mechanics can now be put into Fleet of the Future training.
This plan calls for up to 400 employees to be shifted to capital projects. However, this number can change if employees are pulled off a project to prioritize passenger service if staffing levels reduce.
Early FY21 budget estimates show a bleak scenario of possible budget shortfalls of $258 million to $452 million.  The federal stimulus funds will help bridge some of the gap, but it is not expected to fill all of it moving forward.

Summary of temporary service cuts to date

• Extra commute trains on the Antioch-SFO (yellow) line were eliminated on Thursday March 19.
• Monday-Friday service is 5am-9pm (previously 5am-Midnight) began on Monday, March 23.
• Saturday-Sunday service is 8am-9pm (previously Saturday service started at 6am) began on Saturday, March 28.
• Starting Wednesday, April 8, Monday-Friday service will run every 30 minutes systemwide all day, with 3-line service beginning earlier in the evening and single tracking in San Francisco starting at around 8pm.

 

By Antioch Unified School District

This weekend, Antioch Unified Staff worked to get more than 2,500 laptops ready for student distribution beginning Monday.

“We are all learning new skills…#ProudToBeAUSD #TogetherWeCan” wrote Superintendent Stephanie Anello in a post on Facebook. Some of the laptops were donated and the rest were from Antioch schools, she shared. Each one is being loaned to a student for their use during the shelter in place due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

Donations were made by two Antioch businesses, K2GC and Antioch Coin and Jewelry Pawn Showroom, as well as Bay Area Community Resources, Anello added.

For students in need of a technology device while schools are closed, we will be utilizing the following schedule for check-out. We apologize in advance as this may be inconvenient for some families, but if you have children in separate grade spans, we ask you to attend the day your grade is scheduled. Unfortunately, this may mean more than one trip per family.

A parent/guardian must attend to pick up a device. When you come to pick up a device, please bring your child’s student ID number. If you do not know your child’s student ID number, please refer to the letter you may have already received or will be receiving from AUSD regarding online distance learning.

All pick-ups will occur at Antioch Middle School located at 1500 D. Street. The devices will be grab and go style in the pick-up/drop-off loop and parents should not get out of their cars. If you are walking, we ask that you line up in the designated area and are cognizant of social distancing space.

You may come at any time during the pick-up window. However, we anticipate that there will be a shorter wait time if you are able to come later in your scheduled pick-up window.
Please note that students in Special Day Class will be contacted individually next week to pick up a device (if appropriate to their learning needs) or an assistive technology device to meet their individualized needs.

Monday April 6th 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Seniors

Monday April 6th 1:00 – 5:00 pm Juniors

Tuesday April 7th 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Sophomores

Tuesday April 7th 1:00 – 5:00 pm Freshman

Wednesday April 8th 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 8th Grade

Wednesday April 8th 1:00 – 5:00 pm 6th and 7th Grade

Thursday April 9th 9:00 am – 3:00 pm 4th and 5th Grade

Friday April 10th 9:00 am – 3:00 pm TK – 3rd Grade

We hope you are all well and, again, thank you for your continued kindness and support.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

New Date is October 17, 2020

By Alexandra Rubin, Director of Communications, Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area

WALNUT CREEK, April 6, 2020 – Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area (CSC) has announced that their 6th annual Hope Walk, originally scheduled for May 16, has been rescheduled to October 17. The fun event, which is a major fundraiser for the organization, draws over 1,000 registered walkers and more than 70 exhibitors to Heather Farm Park each year.

“The Hope Walk is a way for our members, supporters, and the whole community to come out and celebrate the great work that Cancer Support Community does, which is helping people live longer and live better when faced with cancer,” said CSC’s Development Director and the event’s manager, Carol Louisell. “And, it’s just a really great time for families to get out and get some exercise along with music, entertainment, and a thousand friends!”

While the Hope Walk has had to be postponed due to the shelter-in-place order, CSC has been able to continue bringing support, hope, and healing to cancer patients and their caregivers without interruption. CSC started providing virtual support groups the same day the order was announced, on Monday, March 16. By the next week, CSC not only had very strong participation in support groups and individual counseling sessions – with their therapists and facilitators working from their homes – but also had moved many movement classes and some workshops online.

“This is exactly what our mission is,” said James Bouquin, CSC’s Chief Executive Officer. “We help people deal with the unexpected, dramatic crisis of cancer every day. It’s one of the most isolating of diseases, creating anxiety and fear. We are proud and profoundly grateful that we can continue to be a source of hope, community, and relief for our members.”

People can register for the walk and make donations at http://www.hopewalkbayarea.net/. All registrations for the May date will be transferred to the new date.

CSC’s gala, “An Evening of Hope and Healing,” is still scheduled for September 19. For information on either of these events, please contact Carol Louisell at clouisell@cancersupport.net.

About Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area

Celebrating 30 years in the East Bay, Cancer Support Community provides comprehensive, integrative care—including counseling, support groups, nutrition training, exercise classes, and patient education programs—for people with cancer, their caregivers, and their families. Our evidence-based services enable cancer patients to partner with their medical teams to manage their treatment and recovery most effectively, increase their chances for survival, reduce their chances of recurrence, and provide for the highest possible quality of life. We never turn anyone away, and all of our services are always provided free of charge. With services provided at our Walnut Creek center, in local medical centers throughout the Bay Area, and now in Antioch, we serve more than 2,200 people annually.

By Antioch Police Department

A couple people thought it would be a good idea to drive stolen cars through our city last night…

The first, a Nissan Altima stolen from Walnut Creek, was spotted on Lemontree double-parked in the roadway. We swooped in and the driver gave right-up (just like you’re supposed to do).

The second, a Chevy Trailblazer stolen from Newark, was spotted on the freeway by one of our observant coppers. Initially, he did exactly what he was supposed to do, and pulled over when the red and blues came on, but that was about it. He refused to get out of the car, so we tried negotiating with him for a while, which can be pretty tense on an active freeway. When nothing seemed to work, we got some help from canine extraordinaire Purcy. Once out of the car, he tried to provoke us into a horrible outcome, by pointing a dark object (simulating a handgun), which we quickly figured out was a cellphone. Your officers showed tremendous restraint and were able to bring this situation to a safe conclusion, when it could have been very, very bad.

People often use stolen cars to commit more serious crimes because they think it’ll be more difficult to track them down. Nobody deserves to have their car stolen and we won’t stand for it in Antioch. Two more stolen cars returned to their rightful owners, two more arrests, and the town was a little bit safer.

And then…

We heard a call where a vehicle was wanted for an aggravated assault over in Pittsburg. Our officers found the car in the Rivertown-area and detained the driver, who was turned over to our friends at the Pittsburg Police Department.

We often scan the radio channels of our neighboring cities so we can all help each other out. It’s how we pitch-in to keep East County safe, because we are #AntiochStrong. #AntiochPD.
#AntiochPDK9. #PittsburgPD. #Purcy

By Allen Payton

As of Sunday, April 5, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. Antioch has 24 of the 386 cases of coronavirus/COVID-19 in the county, according to the Contra Costa Health Services new coronavirus dashboard on their website. Antioch is tied with Concord for the fifth most out of the 19 cities and seven communities included in the list, followed next by San Ramon with 23, San Pablo with 22 and Brentwood with 21 cases.

In a post on Sunday, Chair of the Contra Costa County Board off Supervisors Candace Andersen shared the following information: “Contra Costa County Health’s Dashboard is now breaking down COVID-19 cases by city. Please keep in mind that this is not per capita, and our cities all have different sized populations. It shows there is “community spread” throughout the County. Please continue to Shelter in Home, and put on a mask or face covering those limited times you are out in public.”  So far 5,240 people have been tested

UPDATE: the dashboard now provides a statistic showing cases per 100,000 population for each city and community, with a countywide average of 33.

From CityProtect.com

Dots Legend – Red: assault, assault with a deadly weapon, sexual offense, sexual assault, homicide, kidnapping or robbery; Yellow: property crime, breaking and entering, property crime commercial, property crime residential, other property crime, theft from vehicle, theft of vehicle, or other theft; Light Blue: community policing, proactive policing, emergency, or fire; Dark Blue: disorder/disturbance, drugs, liquor or quality of life.

Assault

2100 Block LEMONTREE WY AND SYCAMORE DR

03/29/2020 9AM

Case No: 20002779

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: ASSAULT, SIMPLE – 243 PC

Breaking & Entering

3600 Block LONE TREE WY AND DAVISON DR

03/29/2020 11AM

Case No: 20002783

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: BURGLARY AUTO – 459A PC

Proactive Policing

SYCAMORE DR AND PEPPERTREE WY

03/29/2020 12PM

Case No: 20002784

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: MISC OUTSIDE ASSIST

Robbery

2500 Block SOMERSVILLE RD AND BUCHANAN RD

03/29/2020 3PM

Case No: 20002790

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: CAR JACKING

Robbery

2200 Block SYCAMORE DR AND SPANOS ST

03/29/2020 9PM

Case No: 20002799

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: ROBBERY AND ATTEMPTS

Assault

L ST AND HWY 4 HY

03/29/2020 11PM

Case No: 20002797

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: ASSAULT, SIMPLE – 243 PC

Theft

1900 Block AUTO CENTER DR AND CENTURY BL

03/30/2020 4PM

Case No: 20002813

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: THEFT – PETTY – 488 PC

Proactive Policing

SOMERSVILLE RD AND HWY 4 HY

03/30/2020 5PM

Case No: 20002814

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: VEHICLE CODE – OTHERS

Breaking & Entering

2400 Block SUNSET DR AND A ST

03/31/2020 12AM

Case No: 20002901

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: BURGLARY AUTO – 459A PC

Breaking & Entering

2700 Block W TREGALLAS RD AND LONE TREE WY

03/31/2020 4AM

Case No: 20002822

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: BURGLARY BUSINESS – 459 PC

Theft

2900 Block DELTA FAIR BL AND SAN JOSE DR

03/31/2020 2PM

Case No: 20002838

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: THEFT – PETTY – 488 PC

Theft

2600 Block SOMERSVILLE RD AND FAIRVIEW DR

03/31/2020 2PM

Case No: 0002834

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: THEFT – PETTY – 488 PC

Submit a tip

Breaking & Entering

3000 Block DELTA FAIR BL AND BUCHANAN RD

03/31/2020 6PM

Case No: 20002847

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: BURGLARY BUSINESS – 459 PC

Proactive Policing

LAUREL RD AND HWY 4 HY

04/01/2020 8AM

Case No: 20002850

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: SUS CIRM – PERSON/AUTO/ALL

Breaking & Entering

2700 Block CONTRA LOMA BL AND ST FRANCES DR

04/02/2020 12AM

Case No: 20002868

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: BURGLARY BUSINESS – 459 PC

Theft

1100 Block BUCHANAN RD AND BALBOA CT

04/03/2020 5AM

Case No: 20002893

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: THEFT – PETTY – 488 PC

Theft of Vehicle

2200 Block SYCAMORE DR AND BANYAN WY

04/03/2020 8PM

Case No: 20002914

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: AUTO THEFT – 10851 VC

Theft

2600 Block CONTRA LOMA BL AND FITZUREN RD

04/03/2020 8PM

Case No: 20002912

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: THEFT – PETTY – 488 PC

Breaking & Entering

2600 Block SOMERSVILLE RD AND FAIRVIEW DR

04/04/2020 5AM

Case No: 20002915

Agency: Antioch Police Department

Description: BURGLARY BUSINESS – 459 PC

Latest county stats: 4,929 tested, 353 cases, 31 currently hospitalized, 5 deaths as of Saturday morning, April 4

“Our resources are stretched extremely thin and business as usual is not an option.” – Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano

From Contra Costa Health Services

Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano announced Friday evening that the county is issuing a mass order for residents with COVID-19 and their close contacts to isolate and quarantine themselves.

The mass order is being issued to help slow COVID-19’s spread, protect vulnerable individuals, and prevent the healthcare system in the County from being overwhelmed. The county’s public health staff no longer have the capacity to individually notify and track everyone with COVID-19 and their close contacts who may have been exposed to the virus.  

As of Friday, 307 county residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and five people have died from the virus. Contra Costa County had no local cases at the beginning of March.

“We’ve reached a critical point in the COVID-19 crisis here in Contra Costa,” Dr. Farnitano said. “Our resources are stretched extremely thin and business as usual is not an option. We believe this mass order is a creative and effective way of getting the job done to keep the sick isolated from others.”

Residents must isolate themselves in their home or another residence if they test positive for COVID-19. They may not leave their home except to receive necessary medical care or during an emergency that requires evacuation.  

COVID-positive individuals without symptoms must isolate for 7 days from the date of a positive test. Those with symptoms must isolate at least 7 days have passed since their symptoms started. Initially symptomatic people must also wait at least 72 hours have passed since after symptoms go away. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.

County residents who test positive for COVID-19 will now be required to tell their close contacts that they need to quarantine themselves if they may have been exposed. Close contacts must then remain at home or another residence for 14 days from the last date that they were in contact with the person infected or with COVID-19.

People considered “close contacts” are persons who, during the sick individual’s infectious period, live in, or have stayed overnight, at the individual’s residence; are intimate sexual partners of the individual; or provided care to the individual without wearing a mask, gown, and gloves.

People can access instructions on how to isolate and quarantine themselves at cchealth.org/coronavirus.