Hayward gateway care and Rehabilitation Center and atria burlingame to car cte andfrciscsaguna hondaital asovernoravin newsom plan to place coronavirus patients in Nursing Homes is drawing new criticism. We are also looking to get some one thousand Skilled Nursing facility units up and running. Is that a good idea . No. Dr. Michael wasserman is president of the California Association of longterm care medicine. Moving a person who has covid into a facility that doesnt have covid will ultimately result in some people dying. Thats just its medically wrong and its ethically wasse send his plan for what california needs to do to protect its nursing home population. Among the ideas, split the populations to the covid19 populations are either in completely separate facilities or separate wings of the same binge and the coronavirus patients must be served by completely different Staff Members. If he were able, he would bring a family home from most Skilled Nursing facilities because of covid19. If she was in 95 of the Nursing Homes in theof hetb this iteam has obtained this letter from the campus for jewish living that contains a Skilled Nursing facility saying they will begin accepting covid19 patients next week. They tell me they are able to keep them in a separate wing of the building and we take the health and safety of our patients and staff as first priority. Dr. Wasserman says for some facilities money will be a factor. Under the ppdm, they will receive a premium to treat covid19 patients. Whats the difference in how much they can make for a covid19 patient versus the normal medical patient . Huge. I mean, were talking four to five times the amount of money per day. I have been able to reach the governor in the past for comments on stories, but not this time. I tried a conference call, emailed his staff, but nothing. I still want to ask that question. Is it time to rethink this plan . Ill keep trying. For the iteam, dan noyes, abc7 news. Dan and ama . Good work. Thank you very much. New at 6 00, the number of confirmed cases and deaths rises at a hayward nursing home called the gateway care Rehabilitation Center. Well learned there are 65 confirmed cases including 7 deaths. Thats one more than yesterday. The frightening number numbers certainly very jarring for family members desperate for information their loved ones. Abc7 News ReporterLaura Anthony is live with the latest. Laura . Well, hi, dan. We learned those new numbers late this afternoon of those 65 confirmed cases now, we know that 40 of them were patients, are patients here at the gateway center. 25 Staff Members. We dont know from the county Health Department if the seven deaths are all patients or may include some staff. While family members are clamoring for more information, we talked with one young nursing assistant who just arrived in the midst of this crisis to try to help. They kept telling us that she is in the safest place she could be, and doesnt seem like thats ringing true. Barbara rios elderly mother is a resident of gateway care center. Gateway staff wont answer rios calls or knocks at the door. Calls or knocks at the door, but she has talked with her mother on the phone. I didnt know that people had been dying here. Last i heard there was one patient who tested positive. And that is the last i heard. I actually just came here because they needed help. Nursing assistant has worked at gateway for just three days, caring for the patients still inside, while keeping herself safe. Like here, were drinking hot water every 30 minutes, just to kind of keep, you know fight it off just in case we are contracting it. Constantly having vitamins and stuff, taking vitamins and eating oranges. According to state records, the facility had 25 federal violations last year, including a report filed in august that showed a patient missed two doses of antibiotic treatment because the facility did not have a registered nurse on the schedule. We know that low staffing is related to infections. So the facilities that have the lowest staffing are the most vulnerable. At gateway, family members like barbara rios are having to face their worst fear. That she is going to get exposed and could pass away. Shes diabetic. So shes at risk. Now, we know there are 40 patients who tested ipo. Were trying to put this in perspective. According to state records, the capacity of the facility is 99 beds, but weve been unable to reach the owner and really any spokespeople for gateway. So we dont know at this point how many patients were actually here when this outbreak started. We did talk, i did talk with someone on the phone this afternoon who told me she is a nursing supervisor in half of the facility. She currently has just 19 patients on her side, and that all of them have tested positive for covid19, but she said she doesnt know how many people are on the other side of the facility or how many of them may be positive. Live in hayward, Laura Anthony, abc7 news. Okay, laura, thank you. And this breaking news from Contra Costa County, where we have learned of a second patients death at the orinda care center. Earlier this week, the iteams dan noyes, who you just heard from, reported on the first death, and more than two dozen cases at the center. Officials believe the outbreak started with five people, three Staff Members and two residents. Statewide, the number of coronavirus deaths in california topped 500 today. Here is a look at local cases in the greater bay area. There are now more than 4500 confirmed cases of covid19. 119 people have died. Alameda, contra costa, napa and san mateo counties all reported new cases since this morning. Santa clara county has the most cases in the region with more than 1400 cases. Farther north, lake county now has three cases. In mendocino, cases are Holding Steady at four. Were charting the total number of local cases on to this graph so we can see the trend. This includes data for 14 counties, the bay area, and beyond. Happening now, oakland mayor libby schaaf is holding her weekly virtual town hall. Here is live look. Its streaming on her social media accounts and on our website, abc7news. Com. Schaaf is updateling residents on the citys response to coronavirus and also taking questions. Well have another update at 6 30. A group of activist, civil rights leaders, and public defenders is calling for the release of all inmates from Alameda County santa rita jail near dublin to keep them from getting or spreading coronavirus. But Law Enforcement says releasing inmates of Violent Crimes would be unwise and unsafe. Abc7 news anchor eric thomas is live at santa rita jail with the story tonight. Eric . Ama, critics say it is virtually impossible to practice social distancing inside a jail. And according to them, that makes ate petri dish for covid19. So the solution, they say, is to release everyone. You can imagine what the Sheriffs Office thinks of that idea. Before the coronavirus pandemic, santa rita jail was home to well over 2,000 inmates. Since then, two Staff Members and 12 inmates have tested positive for covid19, and many others have been released early before they could get it. We have released over 600 individuals since march 16th. But civil rights activit and attorneys say thats not enough. In a videoconference today, they called for the remaining 1,979 inmates to be released. These men and women are to be released as soon as possible in whatever ways we can, and were there to help in any way that we can as a community. Every day were not able to dramatically reduce the population of these facilities means many, many more deaths. The group says early releases could have kept the Cook County Jail near chicago from becoming what some call the single most infected spot in the country. Nearly 400 inmates and staff there have tested positive. The Alameda CountySheriffs Office says more inmates are being released here, up to 56 more by monday, including derick almena, who is awaiting retrial in the deadly ghost ship warehouse fire. Subtract the 480 people held for the u. S. Marshall people, and that leaves 1300 detainees at santa rita. 90 of those individuals are in here for serious Violent Crimes, including homicide, sexual assault, crimes against children, and other crimes of serious public concern. In a statement, d. A. Nancy omalley says theres no way they should be released. Omalleys office says, quote, what we cannot do is jeopardize the safety of victims or the community. To do otherwise would be irresponsible. So the Sheriffs Office says the reduction in inmate population actually makes it easier to keep people apart, and there are other protocols in place. The infirmary is fully staffed and hospitals are on standby in case somebody comes down with a serious case and really needs to go. But these critics are staying on top of it. But ultimately, the decision that the judge and the d. A. Have to make. The Sheriffs Department is just the one who carries it out. Live in santa rita, eric thomas, abc7 news. Thats right. Eric, thank you so much. The u. S. Labor Department Says 6. 6 million americans filed for jobless benefits last week, bringing the total from the past three weeks to an unprecedented 17 million now. In california, check out the sudden spike in unemployment claims. This graph goes back to january. In the last month, california has processed more unemployment claims than in all of last year. Starting sunday, californians who receive Unemployment Benefits will see an extra 600 in their checks. Its thanks to the federal stimulus package. As the number of californians losing their jobs skyrockets, a reminder that many bay area farmers markets accept cal fresh as payment. For what used to be call food stamps. Farmers markets are still operating with social distancing rules in place. Many large markets not only take cal fresh, they offer other benefits for people who meet federal low income guidelines. For every 10 that someone spends with their cal fresh, we give them a matching 10 for free fruits and vegetables. That deal is offered by the Agricultural Institute of marin, which runs markets in marin, San Francisco, and the east bay. A lot of other markets have their own deals. So if youre using cal fresh, be sure to ask. With more bay area residents, maybe you or someone you know seeking help because of job loss, food banks and Community Groups are really stepping up. And were highlighting some of those Community Efforts in day of hope in partnership with feeding america. Here is chris nguyen from san jose. At cathedral of faith in san jose, a drivethrough style of Food Distribution provides just a glimpse of the dire need for help in our community. We really called our church to be all hands on deck for this. From sky 7, you can see hundreds of drivers lined up patiently waiting their turn for pickup. Pastor kenny foreman says he ha the long haul, until we get to the other side and then beyond, serving our community. Second harvest of Silicon Valley distributes food through a network of 300 nonprofit partne a od sites in santa clara and san mateo counties. The church is just one of them. We have so many people feeling so much anxiety right now, and so many people finding themselves for the first time in need of help. Across town at the san jose armory, Real Estate Developer urban community has brought together a network of business and Community Leaders to help form a new nonprofit called san jose ship kits. There is a lot of good people out there that really want to make a difference. And weve got a lot of volunteers. Over 100,000 in donations already in the first two weeks. The group is distributing free medical, food and wellness supply kits to young families and hourly workers impacted by the shelter in place mandate. Theyre really going through it. And to be able to offer assistance is truly, truly inspiring for us. Volunteers from all walks of life, knowing that for now there is no end date in site. With the Small Businesses and just the average person on the street, you know, calling us, emailing us and getting involved is really a great thing to see. Im caught off guard and really happy to be a part of, that even if its just a little bit. In san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. And on this day of hope, you can help those in need by sending a donation to local food banks like the redwood empire food bank. Their website are efb. Org. You can also call them, 7075237903 or 211. Ahead at 6 00, thousands of students have switched to online learning. But with libraries closed, those who dont have the tools to go online have fallen behind. One Schools Mission is to bridge the gap in 30 days or less. Im spencer christian. A warmup will begin on easter weekend, and it wont end there. Ill have details in my accuweather if i could do one thing, id make sure there were more textbooks in schools. Im a teacher. Ive seen the need, but my girlfriend here likes to say. Dont just talk about it, be about it. And were about the 2020 census. Because when everyone gets counted on the census, it helps inform public funding in our neighborhood for the next ten years dont just talk about it be about it complete the census online, by phone or by mail. Shape your future. Start here at 2020census. Gov. The shift to online classes has left potentially tens of thousands of students behind because theyre at home, but dont have laptops or internet connections. A campaign is under way to solve this problem in just the next 30 days. Abc7 News Reporter david louie shows whats Silicon Valley is doing. He joins us live working from home. Hi, david. Hi, ama. With libraries closed and the need to stay at home, some students have lost their access to wifi networks. Now the classes have shifted to the internet, theyre cut off from school and are falling behind. Theyre falling through the cracks. Thats exactly whats happening. By some estimate theres could be 11,000 students left out of the switch to distance learning. Despite its reputation for being the most connected place on earth, some families still dont have laptops or reliable internet connection. San jose unified, the largest south bay district has tried to reach out to the families of its 29,000 student, but some have not responded to emails or calls. So joint venture Silicon Valley has launched an ambitious plan to solve this problem in 30 days. Some students will move ahead and others will not. So there is an opportunity gap thats being created by this lack of connectivity. This is the executive director of Civic Technology initiatives. Among the roadblocks, a shortage of hot spots. Those are places that turn cells into wifi connections. People bought them up early on when a lot of people were going home, being told to work from home. The company handed hot spots. Here is your connection to the internet. Now were having problem sourcing those. Meantime, he is trying to work with cell carriers to identify connections that are weak or nonexistent. San jose unified has given out about 500 to students who need them, deploying them and hot spots is another challenge. We cant put ourselves at risk or them at risk for social distancing. So it would be one thing to say well, im going to come into your home and im going set up some sort of hardware, but i cant do that. Funding is another challenge. It could run into the millions of dollars. He hopes to tap into federal sources and Silicon Valley philanthropists. The Digital Divide has been a persistent problem but disruption in connecting students to online classes could prevent High School Juniors and seniors especially from meeting requirements for college admission. Well, david sees his 30day mission as formidable, but he also points out that this is not a shortterm problem. Distance learning could be needed not just now, but in the months ahead, especially if sheltering at home extends into the fall or if it returns with a new wave of infections. Live working from home, david louie, abc7 news. Thats what so many people are worried about, david. Thank you. Helping kids is also about helping their parents. In San Francisco, abc7 News ReporterWayne Freedman shows you who is granting peace of mind. Sometimes opposites attract. In this case, a worldwide negative turned local positive, beating coronavirus with rock, paper, scissors. Todays rock, paper, scissors. Tomorrow well be capturing the flag. Its the answer to a question every essential worker is asking right now. If you have to work and you have kids and schools are closed, what do you do with them . We call these popup camps. The ymca now has four in San Francisco at a time of year when the y would be running after summer, theyre fighting coronavirus with good times and smiles, enabling those parents to work. Vet clinics, hospital, grocery stores. They work for the Sheriffs Department, for the jails. All the eshlg service. They just watch tv. As far as he know, any