Transcripts For SFGTV Mayors Press COVID-19 Update 20240712

People confirmed to have covid19. Additionally, private hospitals must provide testing to a symptomatic workers in jobs with risk of exposure. The delays in testing cannot continue. They must step up to do their part. The main message is that we need everyone to do their part. We have to get this virus under control right now. We dont be have months. We barely have weeks. Every decision you make affects everyone around you. If you choose not to wear a mask when you go out, you are delaying reopening further. If you are going to a barbecue and acting irresponsibly you are preventing children from being able to return to school, forcing parents to stay home from work or miss shifts at the job because you are not taking basic steps. Most importantly, you are endangering peoples lives. We want to move with reopening. We know we are going to be living with covid19 for the next 12 to 18 months. What we all do matters. How we all respond responsibly makes a difference. We have proven that time and time again in the past. We cant do that right now. We are all able to do our part. If we are going to get to where we are able to open and let people get back to work because they are financially struggling, allow kids to go to school and engage and interact with one another to learn and grow. We will see our elderly parents and grandparents in the nursing homes. How to get back to things that make life more meaningful has everything to do with everybody being part of the solution. Please know that we are not out of the woods. Know that we are seeing a spike. Know that you, only you can make the difference. Please wear your mask. Wash your hands. Socially distance and do everything to be part of the solution. That will make a difference to the city. I will turn this over to dr. Grant colfax for a update from the department of public health. Good morning. I am dr. Grant colfax, director of health. Thank you, mayor breed. In the past weeks, San Francisco has been experiencing a surge in cases and hospitalizations that have forced us to pause reopening plans. Increase our testing and Contract Tracing and care for many more covid19 positive patients. Unfortunately this is happening all across california. As of today, we join more than 30 counties statewide including most bay area counties on the states watch list based on the rising hospitalization numbers. I want to emphasize that the people in the hospital in San Francisco today as we speak are not only the elderly and the most frail. In fact, at San Francisco General Hospital the average age of the person hospitalized since july 1st with covid19 has been 41 years. Young people, middle age people, older people. We are all at risk for this disease. We are all at risk for serious consequences. With our designation of being on the states watch list, we are required to close malls and non essential offices again starting this monday, july 20th. We will continue to pause our reopening indefinitely. San francisco, we can do better than this. We know we can do better. We have proven that already. The virus is moving quickly. We must accelerate response. It took 38 days, more than a month to go from 2000 to 3,000 cases in our city. Now it has taken 13 days, less than two week goes to go from 4,000 cases to nearly 5,000. There are several key steps that we can take and that we must take until the Health Indicators improve and our information shows that the virus is subsiding and slowing in San Francisco. We dont have a lot of time today so i will keep my remarks short. I would like to highlight a few key points about the current situation. We know the pandemic affects some communities more than others. We must continue to focus on equity in our planning and response. In San Francisco the lat inx community makes up 50 of cases even though they represent only 15 of the citys population. Another Group Workers who must leave homes to take risk are more at risk of getting infected and are getting sick in greater numbers. The neighborhoods on the eastern and Southeast Side of the city continue to have higher rates of cases. The surge is making all of these disparities worse. We are working with Community Leaders and Community Members to improve outreach and communication. That work includes targeting Testing Services where they are needed most. In the past two weeks we have expanded low barrier testing in the mission, bayview, tenderloin, potrero hill and sunnydale neighborhoods. Testing has been a reoccurring issue since the beginning of the pandemic. We have come a long way. At first there were no tests at all. Then there were extreme short ages of supplies. After that we had to let people know how and where they could get tested. Today we are acceding our testing goal of providing 1800 tests each day in the city. Now providing an average of 2599 tests per day. As demand grows, access to appointments is getting harder and test results are taking longer. While testing challenges are a National Issue as a result of lack of federal leadership, we need to improve the situation where some san franciscans are waiting a week or more for an appointment and sometimes as long as that for results. More than 95 of san franciscans have some form of healthcare coverage. Private providers need to do their share in our testing effort. The citys public test sites are current bely conducting an average of 60 of all of the tests that are being done in the city. Therefore, on monday we are issuing a health order requiring private providers to test their patients with symptoms, those in close contacts of known cases, and a symptomatic workers at higher risk of exposure. This testing must be done on the day requested. This will help and will free up the capacity of San Franciscos public Testing Program with the goal of allowing residents who are uninsured or members of impacted communities to get tested from a more timely manner. We need to realize that while testing is a key tool and will continue to be a key tool in our response, we are not going to be able to test ourselves out of this pandemic. Iin fact, the more the virus is around the harder it will be for us to keep up. We will fall behind. That is why prevention is so key. Today a covid positive person in San Francisco is expected to infect more than one additional person causing the disease to spread. A positive test means that prevention did not work. This is important. A negative test is not a passport to do what you want. Dont get complacent and take risks because you tested negative. Gatherings are opportunities for the virus to spread and must be avoided. If san franciscans stop gathering, wear face mask at all times and socially distance, we will be able to get the situation under control. It is that simple. We know how to slow the spread of the virus. We know how to do it. We just must do it. We must do it quickly. The key next step if everyone something to do to flatten the curve. This includes residents, businesses, Healthcare System and the city. First, we will continue to pause reopening until the Health Indicators and other data show that the virus has subsided in San Francisco. Second, we will abide by the states restrictions as a watch list county, and i emphasize this we reserve the option to go further than the state in closing additional businesses and activities while continuing to pause reopening if our local and regional conditions call for it. Third, to reenforce the mayors comment. San franciscans need to change their behavior. Do not gather. Cover your face. We know many of our new cases can be traced back to social gatherings of families and friends. Think about that. The Birthday Party or barbecue can spread the virus and get many people sick. Remember half of the people with the virus dont show symptoms. You cannot tell by looking at somebody or asking somebody how they feel if they have covid19. A symptomatic spread is a key part of the surge we are seeing. These gatherings can and could delay the first day of school or the chance to go back to work and worse than the inequities we are seeing in this pandemic. Do your part, please do your part. Our individual actions have a big impact on the entire community. Fourth, we will continue to focus on equity and the communities that are most affected by the pandemic. We are working with Community Leaders to expand testing, outreach and partnership. We are conducting extensive multi media campaigns to reach people in their own neighborhoods and languages. 5. We will continue to expand Testing Capacity and access. The health order coming out monday be will guarantee providers do their share while the city continues to expand testing in the neighborhoods most impacted. We will, we must continue to follow the data, science and facts. Together we have the power to flatten the curve once again. We can emerge from this pandemic with strength and pride in our communities and our collective effort. The work we have done together has saved lives and improved health and will put our city back together. The time is short. It is up to us to take action now and i thank you, San Francisco, for doing just that. Thank you. We will now begin the q a portion of the press conference. We have the first set of questions for dr. Colfax only. From mission local. Before going to work and latino residents are struggling. Why only 300 tests at the hub. Why were people turned away yesterday for lack of tests . I was at the hub yesterday. It was remarkable to see the work done there. We have been partnering with the Latino Task Force since the early days of the epidemic to expand testing. We need to expand testing, particularly in the mission and lat inx community. We are continuing to build that capacity. As i said we are requiring providers to provide same day testing to workers and people symptomatic. We also have other testing sites in the Mission Neighborhood including the zuckerberg General Hospital and continuing to work the Mission Neighborhood Health Center offering popup testing and ensuring people understand when and where to get tested and expanding the contact tracing. Half of our cases are among latin x residents and half of temperaturofthe exact tracing i. People understand if they test positive and they qualify, they can access the right to Recovery Program to have the support and resources necessary to keep themselves and their families were safe thank you, doctor. Next set of questions janney harwith associated press. Most School District start with year with distance learning. Governor will issue the orders soon regarding schools. Under which conditions do you feel comfortable allowing in person classes . Would all county wide indicators have to be at certain level and the safety conditions vary by age or class size . What do you tell pris private schools. The city issued guidance with regard to schools. We are going to need to see indicators improve before School Openings would be allowed. The complexity of the question is addressed by the School Guidance we issued. We want to ensure that schools do make the decision to reopen that they are following best evidence in terms of reducing transmission to people most vulnerable for the virus and that children or families and school staff are as safe as possible. It is a very complex issues and rapidly evolving issue. We will follow data, science and facts to ensure when schools open they are doing so in the most safe way possible. From crown 4. The city is giving mixed messages. In noey the tables and chairs are return causing people to it is next to each other. How many sites have had tables and chairs returned . Doesnt this send the wrong message. Outdoor activity is much safer than indoor activity. The science has shown that being outdoors is much safer and people need to get outside for mental and physical health. We cant stay inside for long periods of time. When we are outside, we need to follow the guidelines. The people need to stay at least six feet apart. It is very clear our health order makes it clear that people need to wear facial coverings, including mask or other facial coverings when they are within three feet of each other. The message is clear. The mayor was clear and i am clear. If you are outside within 30 feet you need the facial covering to keep the community safe. Thank you, doctor. From melanie from abc 7. Can you clarify the change to San Francisco around testing as of the monday health order. Had private providers not been testing people previously . Will they have tests and supplies to do so . They have been doing testing. I would emphasize that across the city of all of the tests done, 60 are tests supported by the Health Department or other city departments. That investment is huge. Providers have been doing testing. What this health order will require all providers to offer testing to people who are symptomatic, who have been in close contact with a known covid positive or who are workers at high risk for the virus. That will be required to be same day offering of the test. Their Health Systems that have the ability to get the supplies and to do the testing and if that is not the case, certainly this order will require that they get them. Thank you, doctor, thank you may or and director colfax for joining us today. This concludes todays press conference. Welcome to the San Francisco Historic Preservation remote hearing wednesday, july 15, 2020. Before we begin i would like to enter the following into the record. On february 25, 2020 the mayor declared a local state of emergency related to covid19. They have issued emergency orders suspending laws. Effectively making it possible to hold the hearings remote. On may 29, 2020 the mayor authorized all commission to reconvene remotely. This will be our fourth remote hearing. We request your patience in advance. The platforms are not perfect and at times may be clumsy. There are broadcast delays from