Berkeley Reaches Lowest COVID-19 Rates Since the Start of the Pandemic as New Health Order Goes into Effect

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October 28, 2020

REPORT: Swift, early action from City leaders and staff has kept Berkeley’s case rate at less than half of Alameda County’s case rate, and at a quarter of the country’s case rate

BERKELEY–The Berkeley City Council received a report yesterday, which shows that early efforts to respond to the emerging COVID-19 crisis has led to significantly lower cases compared to the rest of the country. While much of the nation continues to see surges in Covid-19 cases, Berkeley has reached its lowest infection rates since the start of the pandemic. These low rates are helping to drive health orders allowing more businesses to open and economic opportunities.

“The actions we took early on saved lives. If the United States had the same death rate as Berkeley, we would be talking about 26,000 deaths instead of over 227,000” said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin.  “I am grateful for the efforts and sacrifices that City staff made to keep our community safe and to our residents for following the science.  These new openings reflect how far we have come, but we must recognize how far we must still go. This pandemic is far from over and we must remain vigilant.” 

Under the new Health Order published last week by Berkeley’s Health Officer, Dr. Lisa Hernandez, the following activities were authorized as of Friday, October 23:

  • The following activities are allowed at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less:

    • Indoor dining

    • Indoor worship services

    • Indoor movie theaters

    • Indoor family entertainment centers

    • Indoor gyms and fitness

    • Indoor wedding and funeral services

  • Expansion of indoor retail and malls at up to 50% of capacity and permitting food courts

  • Outdoor non-contact fitness classes up to 20 students and two instructors

  • Live-streamed or recorded performances without an audience, previously permitted outdoors only, will also now be allowed indoors, with restrictions

At the October 27th Council meeting, a presentation was provided on the City’s efforts to address COVID-19 since it launched its Emergency Operations Center in response to the novel coronavirus in January. The City mobilized over 550 employees from across all departments to address the crisis, including but not limited to: COVID-19 testing, work with vulnerable populations, public information and outreach, business & arts support, and cost recovery. The Mayor’s Office has held regular virtual town halls with the City Manager and Health Officer to provide important updates and answer questions from the community. 

As of October 27, there have been 757 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Berkeley, representing 0.63% of the population. There is a seven day average of just approximately two new cases per day and a test positivity rate of 0.29% over the past four weeks. In Alameda County (not including Berkeley), there have been 22,191 cases representing 1.48% of the population. Hospitalization rates in the County have declined to their lowest levels since April. The United States has had over 8.85 million cases, representing 2.70% of the population. Berkeley has had nine deaths, representing 0.008% of the population. The United States has had 227,000 deaths, representing 0.069% of the population.

As cases continue to rise across the country and the world, Berkeley officials have reiterated the importance of maintaining social distancing protocols, including keeping six feet apart and wearing a mask. Voluntary compliance has been effective in Berkeley, with no citations given since fines were introduced in September for refusing to follow mask orders. A lack of compliance has been a cause in places currently experiencing a surge in cases. With flu season arriving, it is recommended that people get a flu shot.  

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Jesse Arreguin