Today, Tuesday May 5th, Governor Newsom conducted his daily briefing from a small business in Sacramento to make the point that the state is moving carefully and judiciously into Stage 2, which allows business to open and provide curb-side pick-up through telephone or online sales. The Governor reminded everyone that it is incumbent upon us to reopen the economy with an eye to public health, so we may continue to move forward to other phases. He noted the state is only able to move forward to Stage 2 because Californians have worked hard to follow the stay-at-home order and practice physical distancing, which has allowed us to flatten the curve.
Key takeaway – The need and ability to have reliable contact tracing and real-time data collection and reporting to inform policymaking regarding opening the economy. Governor Newsom announced the data management platform being developed through work with Accenture, Amazon, and Salesforce and will provide the ability to collect and report real-time data on a cross-county basis and noted that the ability to use real-time data is a fundamental part of being able to move the economy forward.
The Governor reiterated some details from yesterday’s announcement regarding the contact tracing plan, noting tomorrow the first cohort will begin their training through the virtual academy led by UCSF and UCLA. Also, a total of 30,000 tracers “disease detectives” will be trained to support the existing workforce of 2,845 tracers. The work performed by tracers will support a county-led bottom up system of data and decision making.
The Governor made the point that expanding the workforce allows the state to move into Stage 2 with the capacity in real time to determine the spread of the virus and be able to isolate and quarantine individual in a way that allows the state to continue to move forward.
Update on progress toward Stage 2 reopening can be found here.
The Governor reminded the audience that death and hospitalization numbers are lagging indicators. The more testing and tracing done allows the state in real time to move forward in thoughtful and meaningful ways.
Newsom noted the public health guidelines will be published to allow businesses to open (under those guidelines) by Friday. He noted the importance of also opening the supply chain to support businesses. He reminded the audience that this also means businesses must plan for appropriate sanitization to protect employees and customers.
California’s recovery report card can be found here.
This led the Governor to discuss the importance of PPE to not only health care and first responders, but also for businesses and their employees. Making sure employees and customers are wearing face masks, so they may operate within the published guidelines, is essential. He reiterated the statistics regarding PPE distribution, including the fact that tens of millions of masks have been ordered; 14.2 million have been distributed and 19.3 million are in inventory and are in the process of being distributed.
If we are unable to keep the curve flat and the virus begins to spread again, Governor Newsom noted that the risk to businesses is real. He reiterated that physical distancing must still be followed in order to continue through Stage 2 and into subsequent phases.
California’s Pandemic Roadmap can be found here.
The Governor introduced Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg who made short remarks regarding the reopening of the economy. Mayor Steinberg began by complimenting Governor Newsom on his leadership and sound decision making throughout the pandemic. Mayor Steinberg said, “It is not a choice between public health and reopening the economy—we must do both.” Mayor Steinberg noted that how the state goes about reopening the economy will define how we move through subsequent phases.
SBA Loans – Governor Newsom returned to the podium to discuss SBA loans and noted that in the first phase of the Paycheck Protection Program California did not fare as well, but the good news is that while $33.4 billion was distributed in all of phase one of the program, under phase two, with 60 percent of the funds distributed, California has already drawn down $33.2 billion.
EDD – The Governor noted that since March 15, $10 billion has been distributed and 41 million claims processed.
The Governor closed by thanking local officials in Orange County for their cooperation in developing plans that allow the opening of beaches in Laguna, San Clemente, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. He noted that his team is continuing to work with local officials in hopes of reaching an agreement to open Newport Beach.
Q&A
Ranged from asking the Governor what his greatest concerns are regarding reopening the economy to how he will work to bring Yuba and Sutter County into compliance. Governor Newsom addressed all questions by reiterating the need for collaboration and cooperation among local state public health officials to contain the virus and continue to move California forward through Stage 2 and beyond.
Key COVID-19 numbers can be found here. As of today, May 5th those numbers include:
- More than 2,317 deaths – up by 63 (2.8% increase)
- 56,212 positive cases – up 1,275 (2.3% increase)
- 779,902 tests conducted – averaging over 30k daily
- Hospitalizations were up slightly 3,369 (2.6% increase). The majority of hospitalizations are in LA County (1,828) followed by San Diego County at (300), Riverside (216), Orange County (214), San Bernardino (156), Santa Clara (90) and San Francisco (84).
- 1,157 ICU cases, this data recorded the first decrease -1.9%