How Coronavirus Is Affecting The Bay Area

HANA BABA: Today, we’re starting with, of course, coronavirus. And, I’m joined by KALW News Director Ben Trefny. Hey, Ben. BEN TREFNY: Hey, Hana. BABA: So what we know today is that there’s a new fatality in Santa Clara County. It’s the county’s first death. A woman in her 60s was diagnosed back on Feb 28. She was one of three people diagnosed. So, what else is going on? TREFNY: Well, the item getting the most attention around the country now is the Grand Princess cruise ship, which docked in the Port of Oakland around noon today. The ship has more than 3,500 people aboard — about 2,400 hundred passengers and over a thousand crew members. So, 21 of the people on the ship are confirmed to have the novel coronavirus — or COVID19. Nineteen of those people who are ill are, in fact, crew members. So, it’s going to take a couple of days to disembark the passengers, and they’re being whisked away to various places for quarantine, including Travis Air Force base in Fairfield — near here — and Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego. And, by the way, Hana, USA Today is reporting that all the guests are having their cruise fees refunded, along with airfare and other incidentals. BABA: Okay, so a lot of people are asking the question, how are they going to be kept away from the general public? TREFNY: Well, Governor Newsom gave a news conference in Oakland yesterday with Mayor Libby Schaaf and made several assurances that they would be held and treated at a safe distance. So, I've been wondering that same thing as far as the chauffeurs, and, of course, the doctors. I have friends who are doctors who have been thinking a lot at their hospitals about how they are going to make sure that they keep from getting the virus as well. But, I think that they will do the same kind of practices that we're being expected to do here, such as wash our hands and make sure to keep as safe as we can. Public officials, generally, have been scrambling to share information and make sure that people know what’s going on without panicking or overreacting. Here’s a clip of San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who's been one of the earliest to take direct action. LONDON BREED: A lot of information gets out there. It’s not entirely true, but it’s important that everything that we know is communicated directly to the public so that we have accurate information, every step of the way. TREFNY: So, San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, on Friday, sent out numerous text advisories saying they recommend cancelling non-essential large community events for the next two weeks. Seems like a policy of better safe than sorry. BABA: So your festivals, your large gatherings. TREFNY: Yeah, the things that would otherwise — BABA: Parades? The St. Patrick's Day parade was canceled.