Actions to Protect San Franciscans During the Coronavirus Pandemic

San Francisco Supervisor and former San Francisco Bay Times columnist Rafael Mandelman has been providing detailed updates concerning local, state, and federal actions to support and protect San Franciscans during the COVID-19 emergency. Thank you, Supervisor Mandelman! We are also grateful for the work of Mayor London Breed and Governor Gavin Newsom during this very challenging time.

As we go to press, here is the latest summary, dated April 7, from Supervisor Mandelman and his team, including former Bay Times columnist Tom Temprano:

SFUSD School Sites to Stay Closed for Remainder of School Year

San Francisco Unified School District announced [this week] that school sites will remain closed through the end of the school year, which concludes on June 2, 2020. San Francisco is one of six Bay Area counties that is announcing extending school closures in consultation with public health officials across their respective counties in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties.

San Francisco Hardship Emergency Loan Program

SF HELP will rapidly deploy loans up to $50,000 at 0% interest. Funds can be used to pay payroll, rent, utilities, inventory and more. The loan will have a flexible repayment schedule, with terms determined on a case-by-case basis, based on each borrower’s ability to repay. More details can be found at: https://bit.ly/2Rm6JFT

San Francisco Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

Nonprofits may apply for a grant from SFF’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. One-time grants are available for organizations addressing racial bias, worker protection, housing security, and food security challenges related to COVID-19, including LGBTQ-focused organizations working in these areas. Apply here: https://bit.ly/3aTKjnt

CITYTESTSF COVID-19 Testing Site Launched for Frontline Workers

Mayor Breed, Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax, and the Director of the Port Elaine Forbes announced a new dedicated COVID-19 testing facility located at Pier 30–32. The facility will primarily expand testing resources available for critical first responders and health care workers who are essential to the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The expanded testing capacity builds on the City’s commitment to protect frontline workers and to increase the City’s ability to combat the spread of the virus.

New Field Care Clinic Opens in City’s Southeast Neighborhood

Mayor Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax announced that the City’s first Field Care Clinic, adjacent to the Southeast Health Center in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, began serving residents [this week]. The Field Care Clinic adds capacity to the City’s health care system as part of San Francisco’s comprehensive plan to prepare for a medical surge of patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Expanded services at the Field Care Clinic provide patients with primary care, urgent care, and screening for COVID-19, and will help reduce the number of patients needing to go to hospital urgent care and emergency rooms.

COVID-19 Data Tracker Launched

Mayor Breed and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) have released a COVID-19 Data Tracker to provide the public with more frequently updated information about the coronavirus in San Francisco. This information will be updated daily online and will include data about confirmed cases, testing, and hospitalization across the San Francisco health care system. Additional data points will be added as more information becomes available. The tracker is posted on DPH’s website: https://www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/coronavirus.asp

Rollout of New Staffed Public Toilets and Hand-Washing Stations in High-Need Neighborhoods

Mayor Breed and Acting Public Works Director Alaric Degrafinried have announced the first deployment of a series of new portable toilets and hand-washing stations at 15 high-need locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a station in District 8 at 16th and Market. The portable toilets, available for use 24 hours a day, will be staffed to deter vandalism and unwanted activities. They also will be serviced daily. For more details, visit https://bit.ly/3aVuoEW

Guidance for Non-Essential Businesses That Wish to Modify Operations to Conform to the Shelter-in-Place Order

If you do not sell a significant amount of goods like food, hygiene, or cleaning products, you cannot keep your storefront open. However, your store can deliver items directly to customers’ residences (and employees can go to the store to facilitate this function); but you cannot allow customers to pick up orders or be served “at the door.” In addition, you must comply with all social distancing requirements including creating and posting a social distancing protocol. Read the FAQ for more information: https://bit.ly/3ebBJCD

Accepting In-Kind Donations of Critically Needed Goods

The City and County of San Francisco’s Give2SF fund is accepting tax-deductible monetary contributions for the City’s COVID-19 outbreak response efforts, as well as in-kind bulk donations of critical supplies for frontline workers such as masks, gloves, and sanitizer. Funds will be used to provide shelter, food, and other assistance to individuals, families, small businesses, and nonprofits in San Francisco. To make a monetary or in-kind donation, visit https://sf.gov/give-city-respond-covid-19

Eviction Protection Resources for Seniors and Disabled Adults

Legal Assistance for the Elderly is offering tenant resources to help protect seniors and disabled adults from eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic, including short step-by-step videos in multiple languages and phone counseling on the City’s emergency eviction moratorium. See these resources here: https://laesf.org/COVID19/

State

Expanded Access to Child Care for Essential Workers

Governor Newsom issued an executive order prioritizing the enrollment of children of essential critical infrastructure workers and suspending restrictions on access to state-subsidized child care programs. It also allows California to take advantage of new federal flexibility to provide pandemic SNAP benefits to children to reduce food insecurity. Details are available at https://bit.ly/3c1erNF

500 State-Owned Ventilators Loaned to the National Stockpile

To help states in need, California loaned 500 state-owned ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile Inventory.

 Website Launched for Donations & Sales of Essential Medical Supplies

The new website ( https://bit.ly/2RmFziu ) allows individuals and companies to donate, sell, or offer to manufacture 13 of the most essential medical supplies, including ventilators, N95 respirators, and testing materials.

New Testing Taskforce

Governor Newsom formed a taskforce to improve and refine testing capabilities in California. Initiatives include high throughput testing hubs, inventing an immunity blood test, and deploying the first rapid point-of-care test. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/39N5dTO

Published April 9, 2020