California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The US COVID-19 headlines are easing pandemic restrictions. COVID-19 global headlines are outbreaks and lockdowns. The last week of Mar ended on a fast pace.
Tue Mar 1. Liberty Union High School District in Brentwood, CA voted wearing masks were optional. The district ended the mask mandate 11 days ahead of the state mask mandate ending on Sat Mar 12.
Wed Mar 2. Santa Clara County was the last county in the Bay Area and the last county in the state masks were no longer required in most indoor settings. Los Angeles county was the second to last county which ended on Fri Feb 25. Masks are no longer required at K-12 schools and child care facilities starting on Sat Mar 12.
Google announced employees must return to offices on Mon Apr 4 based on local mandates. Employees must be fully vaccinated or on an approved compromise. Employees work three days a week at their offices.
Hawaii lifted quarantine requirements starting on Tue Mar 26. No vaccination proof or no negative test to avoid the five day quarantine. International travelers must be vaccinated and tested negative. The indoor mask mandate ends Mon Mar 25. Hawaii is the last state with a mask mandate.
President Joe Biden announced in the State Of The Union guidelines and procedures Americans return to normal life after the pandemic. Free antiviral pills available at pharmacies for people who tested positive. Rapid vaccinations to children five or under after federal approval. Requested Congress to approve tax credits reinstituted for businesses. Paid sick leave for employees with COVID-19. Requested Congress for additional funding for COVID-19 research. Rapid resources standing by to quell outbreaks.
The average daily deaths was 1,700. Most of the deaths were unvaccinated or unboosted.
Thur Mar 3. Ran errands at the post office, Smart & Final, Safeway, and Chevron. One customer didn't wear a mask. Two employees didn't wear a mask. I purchased gas over $5 a gallon for the first time. Weather was light rain.
Sat Mar 5. I woke up at 5:45am. I couldn't sleep. I ate a granola bar. I watched 15 minutes of a Premier League Burnely vs. Chelsea. I went back to sleep with an extra blanket.
At least 170 cities in 36 states proclaimed the first Mon in Mar as COVID Memorial Day. These people started a grass roots non-profit called Marked By COVID. The organization asked Congress to make the day a federal holiday.
Mon Mar 7. US households could request an additional four free COVID-19 test kits. Each household possessed a total of eight at-home tests.
445 million cases globally. 6,000,000 people died globally.
A University Of Oxford study found people infected with COVID-19 experienced brain tissue damage. There was accelerated losses in the brain regions related to the sense of smell. Overall brain volume was loss. Reversing brain loss was unknown.
Florida recommended vaccinations against healthy children. It was the first state against vaccinations for children 5 or under. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center For Disease Control (CDC) approved vaccinations for children 5 or older.
Tue Mar 8. The World Health Organization (WHO) supported boosters. Boosters restored waning immunity and protection. The stealth BA.2 was documented to re-infect people after an initial case of omicron.
WHO announced cases and number of deaths declined in the past month.
Thur Mar 10. Santa Clara County allowed unvaccinated workers in high-risk settings as long as they're tested regularly and wear a mask. Valid exemptions are recognized. High-risk setting workers include health care, long-term care, jails, shelters, and first responders.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) extended the mask mandate on airports, planes, trains, buses, and other public mass transportation to Mon Apr 18.
Fri Mar 11. San Francisco lifted the proof of vaccination or a negative test requirement for most indoor settings including restaurants, bars, and gyms. Individual businesses could impose restrictions and/or check vaccination statuses. Proof of vaccination or a negative test is required for indoor events with 1,000 or more people.
Sun Mar 13. President Barack Obama tested positive for COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated and boosted. Mild symptoms.
Mon Mar 14. Many California students attend classes maskless. Masks were still recommended. School districts could modify or create their own mask mandates.
Tue Mar 15. An omicron and delta coronavirus variant was discovered in France, Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany called deltacron. There were two deltacron cases in the US.
Wed Mar 16. China suffered another outbreak. China locked down 37 million people with its zero-COVID policy in 21 provinces and municipalities which included Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Omicron was detected in 80% of the cases.
Thur Mar 17. COVID-19 cases increased in Great Britain in the last two weeks after restrictions were lifted. Daily cases increased in at least half of the European Union. Great Britain told Dr. Anthony Fauci the BA.2 variant, restrictions eased, fewer people wearing masks, and weaken immunity.
Watched partial NCAA March Madness games St. Peter's vs. Kentucky, University Of San Francisco vs. Murray State, and Indiana vs. St. Mary's College.
Fri Mar 18. California dropped the proof of vaccination or negative test for indoor events 1,000 people or greater starting on Fri Apr 1. Counties could keep the proof of vaccination or negative test for big indoor events.
Watched partial NCAA March Madness game Chattanooga vs. Illinois.
Sat Mar 19. Watched partial NCAA March Madness games Memphis vs Gonzaga, St. Peter's vs. Murray State, St Mary's vs. UCLA, and Michigan vs. Tennessee.
Sun Mar 20. Watched partial NCAA March Madness game Michigan St. vs. Duke.
Mon Mar 21. Shopped at Safeway, Costco, and Nob Hill. I waited one minute for a Safeway worker to reset my self-checkout register. The one minute felt like an eternity. The roundabout at Costco was almost completed. The senior citizen customer ahead of me at my checkout paid by check at Costco. More customers shopped maskless.
Tue Mar 22. Hottest day of the year. Unseasonably warm temperatures in the 80s.
Former Secretary Of State Hilary Clinton tested positive for COVID-19. Symptoms were mild. Bill Clinton tested negative.
Wed Mar 23. South Korea reported increase hospitalization rates and death rates due to omicron. Deaths were at least 300 for six days in a row. 70% of ICU patients were COVID related. Record 429 deaths on Thur Mar 17. 300,000 new cases in the last ten days.
The CDC reported 34% of US cases were the BA.2 omicron. 23% of US cases were the BA.2 omicron two weeks ago.
Thur Mar 24. Watched partial NCAA March Madness games Arkansas vs. Gonzaga, Texas Tech vs. Duke, and Houston vs. Arizona.
Fri Mar 25. Watched partial NCAA March Madness games St. Peter's vs. Purdue, Iowa vs. Miami, and UNC vs. UCLA.
Sat Mar 26. Watched partial NCAA March Madness game Houston vs. Villanova.
Sun Mar 27. The Ruby Princess cruise ship docked in San Francisco after a 15 day Panama Canal cruise. There was an outbreak. All passengers and crew members were vaccinated. All people who tested positive were either asymptomatic or mildly systematic. They were quarantined.
Watched partial NCAA March Madness game St. Peter's vs. UNC.
Mon Mar 28. China shutdown Shanghai for mass testing. Residents were required to stay home. Deliveries were completed at checkpoints. Non-essential businesses were closed. Public transportation were suspended.
Tue Mar 29. The FDA approved a second booster or fourth dose overall for people 50 or older for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Previously, a fourth dose was approved for people 12 or older with weaken immune systems. These people can get a fifth dose. The second booster must be administered at least four months after the first booster.
Approximately 2/3 of Americans are fully vaccinated. Approximately 1/2 of Americans are eligible for the first booster and didn't get it. Evidence is limited a fourth shot benefited the person. No vaccine is strong against the omicron variant. Vaccine protection weakens over time. The immune system builds multiple defenses to prevent severe illness and death. It's unknown the best time when the fourth shot is administered.
The CDC recommended the second booster as an option.
Wed Mar 30. Biden announced enough vaccine supply for the people eligible for the second booster. There is not enough supply to guarantee free vaccines for all Americans in the fall. Biden requested Congress to pass a $22.5B COVID-19 funding bill.
Thur Mar 31. Shopped at Costco at 2:30pm. The roundabout was completed. Some drivers don't know how to proceed a roundabout treating it as a four-way stop. The warehouse was quiet. The number of shoppers increased when I exited.
California Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis signed a law to extend the tenant eviction protection due to the pandemic to Jun 30. The state pays tenant's rent if they can't pay. Landlords can't evict tenants while their application is pending. The state is behind in processing applications. Tenants can't be evicted until Jun 30. Applications for state assistance ended today under the state's Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
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