Town Hall Summary

Below is a summary of the virtual Town Hall that took place on Saturday, July 11th. You can watch the full video by clicking the image below.

Case and Testing Updates

As of the morning of Saturday, July 11, there are 7,471 cases and 147 deaths in Alameda County (minus Berkeley) and 254 cases and 1 death in Berkeley. There have been 13,254 tests performed on Berkeley residents. Over the last seven days, we have averaged 288 tests a day, meeting our goal of at least 245 tests a day. Of these tests, there has been a 1.6% positive rate over the past week, which is below the state goal of 8%.

Addressing Notable Berkeley Cases

Recently there has been news coverage of two outbreaks. Firstly, there have been several employees at Berkeley Bowl who have tested positive. Under guidelines for businesses, Berkeley businesses must report cases to our local Public Health Division, even if the employee does not live in Berkeley. Public Health then does contact tracing to determine exposure threat to the public. At this time, there have been no exposures that have been severe enough to alert the public (this requires exposure within six feet for 15 minutes). Public Health and the Office of Economic Development are supporting our businesses in addressing concerns and making sure they remain compliant.

Recently UC Berkeley announced 47 cases over the past week, which are mostly traced back to fraternity parties that were not abiding by social distancing protocols. Testing in neighborhoods with a high student population have had positive test rates of 2.5-3%, higher than the City average of 1.6%. Countrywide, parties and large gatherings that violate the Shelter in Place Order have been responsible for a large number of new cases. I will be meeting with the Chancellor to discuss the rise in cases at the University and plans to create a safe environment for the fall semester. Public Health is also working with the University's health services.

Indicator Updates

A new dashboard has been made that makes it easy to find the latest information on Berkeley’s indicators.

Indicator One: Hospitalizations and Case Rates

94 new cases over the past 14 days
49 additional hospital patients (countywide) over the past 14 days

Goal not met

Indicator Two: Hospital Capacity

Current hospitalizations (countywide): 140
Hospitalization Rate: 4.7%

Goal met

Indicator Three: Testing

Average number of tests over the past week: 288
Goal: 245

Goal met

Indicator Four: Disease Containment

NOTE: A new system is being used to record data, which has not been fully updated yet. These numbers do not reflect the actual figure, and will be updated as the transition to the new system continues.

Here are the four criteria for this indicator. The goal for each is at least 90%.

Contracts identified: 89%
Case Isolations: 70%
Contacts reached: 90%
Contacts quarantine: 90%

Goal not met

Indicator Five: Personal Protective Equipment

Healthcare facilities with 30 day supply: Met
Healthcare facilities and agencies can obtain PPE easily by standard channels: Not Met (PPE supply chain has improved, but being diverted to high priority areas)
Health facilities and agencies can obtain PPE without assistance: Not Met

Goal not met

Latest on Open Air Dining

Friday night it was announced that the California Department of Public Health has updated its guidelines to prohibit outdoor dining in counties that have not had a variance submitted and approved. This includes Alameda County and Berkeley. While our Shelter In Place Order allows for outdoor dining, it is superseded by the stricter state standards, so effective immediately there is no outdoor dining. Both the City of Berkeley and Alameda County will be submitting variance requests, so it is our hopes that this will be approved and we can reopen outdoor dining. We are hopeful that due to Berkeley’s low positive rate, the variance will be accepted. Stay tuned for updates in the coming days.

Other Updates

Increased testing across the state has resulted in a backlog of lab processing, causing results to take up to a week. We are pushing the state to accelerate this, and an announcement is expected on Monday from the Governor on ways to improve testing capacity.
The City has closed its $40 million deficit caused by COVID-19. The City’s main priority continues to be addressing the public health crisis, but continues to move forward on public safety re-imagining, infrastructure and affordable housing projects, the 2020 Census, and more. See updates to City services here.
City staff has determined through visual surveys that the mask compliance rate in Berkeley is 80%, which is higher than average. While efforts on outreach and education will continue to be prioritized, staff are weighing options to leverage fines for those who refuse to comply.
We are working with Alameda County to secure additional hotel beds, including 68 beds in Berkeley where the most vulnerable populations will be moved to. We are also advancing sanitation and trash pickup throughout the city.

Next Town Hall on Saturday July 25

Mayor Jesse Arregui_n's Virtual Town Halls.png

Join Mayor Jesse Arreguín, City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley, and Berkeley Health Officer Dr. Lisa Hernandez for a Virtual Town Hall where they will provide updates on the city’s response to COVID-19 and answer your questions.

What: Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19

When: Saturday, July 25, 12pm

Watch live at jessearreguin.com

Ask your questions by July 25 at 9am at jessearreguin.com