Alameda County now has the highest number of cases in the Bay Area, at 2,560 as of data from May 19, 2020. Santa Clara County, which previously had the highest number of COVID-19 cases, has 2,492 cases as of May 20. The number of cases in Oakland is at 849 now, the most of all the cities in the county (Oakland is the most populated city in the county, with Fremont being the second largest; Fremont has 143 cases. Hayward has the highest case rate at 321 per 100,000).
Latinx and African American populations are still most impacted by COVID-19 in Alameda County. The “Hispanic/Latino” population has 261 incidents of COVID-19 out of 100,000 people, by far the highest rate of all races. The next highest population is African Americans at 130 incidents out of 100,000 people, followed by Pacific Islanders at 100 out of 100,000. This means that these populations have higher numbers of positive cases relative to their population size. (Race/ethnicity is not reported for about 20 percent of the cases tested in the county).
More OPD Officers Test Positive
According to a press release from the police department, two police officers tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week. This brings the total number of positive cases within the police department to 5 people. In total, 330 members of the department have been tested. The most recent person to test positive is asymptomatic and is currently self-quarantined and has not worked since May 19, 2020, according to the police department.
Town Hall About Oakland Re-Opening in Phase 2
The Mayor is holding a Town Hall tonight focused on how Oakland will re-open during Phase 2. Guests include:
- Aneeka Chaudhry, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Public Affairs, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, to discuss the new shelter in place order and updated guidelines.
- Savlan Hauser, Executive Director of the Jack London Improvement District, to share creative ways businesses have pivoted in response to the new guidelines and to offer perspective from businesses as they consider the Phase 2 allowances, including thoughts on using public spaces for new outdoor dining options.
Join via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube (with closed captioning) or via phone: (669) 900-6833, 413825986#
In Other News: City Council Passes Resolution to Allow 16, 17 Year-olds to Vote for School Board Members
The City Council passes a resolution to allow youth to vote for school board members. The measure would go on the ballot in the fall, according to this detailed Berkeleyside report by Ashley McBride, which gives context on how this idea came about.
Momo Chang is a freelance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the Oakland Voices Co-Director. Her work focuses on healthcare, immigration, education, Asian American communities, food and culture. She is a former staff writer at the Oakland Tribune. Momo has received journalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for investigative reporting and the Asian American Journalists Association, among others. Her work has appeared in the East Bay Express, San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, and The New York Times. Momo is primarily a print journalist who also produces audio and visual stories for documentary film and radio. She is a Senior Contributing Editor for Hyphen and formerly the Content Manager at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).
Can schools operate on a shift basis to lessen the number of students per classroom and even have class on Saturday until the pandemic is over?