Coronavirus Deaths Spike In Alameda County; Berkeley Dining Plan

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — There's been a serious spike in both the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and the number of deaths in Alameda County this week. Since Monday there have been 8 more deaths and 133 more confirmed cases reported by the Alameda County Public Health Department.

The availability of testing is one of California's criteria for loosening coronavirus stay-at-home orders. Multiple new testing options are available in Alameda County and, with more tests being performed, more cases are being confirmed.

Since the first coronavirus health order was issued in March, the City of Berkeley and the county health departments in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin and San Francisco have presented a united front, issuing identical orders and refusing to go along when the state began a phased reopening. Not anymore.

On Wednesday, San Mateo County broke away when it announced that a new order will be issued next week that will move it into Stage 2 of the state's reopening plan, aligning the county with the recently eased statewide restrictions on retail and manufacturing.

And on Thursday Berkeley, which has its own city health department and just one death since the start of the pandemic, announced that it is also forging its own path. The mayor's office issued a news release that proposes a "way to safely reopen many of Berkeley’s popular dining establishments to repurpose open spaces, such as parking areas, wide sidewalks, and parks, to be used for open air dining to support restaurants, cafes, food shops, and other small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 emergency."

The mayor's office notes that food products accounted for the largest segment of the city's sales tax revenues in 2018 at 34.5 percent.

As for Alameda County, the health department reached an agreement that allows Tesla to remain open. But every statistic from the state indicates that the economic damage is done. Tesla alone furloughed more than 11,000 employees when the Fremont assembly plant was ordered to close.

California has already paid out $10 billion in unemployment claims since coronavirus business closures began.

The whole point of the restrictions is to prevent coronavirus from spreading, and a spike in cases and deaths in Alameda County is problematic.

Alameda County has recorded a total of 79 coronavirus deaths, and 2234 confirmed cases.

Other Greater Bay Area Counties:

• Contra Costa County: 1,089 cases, 33 deaths
• Marin County: 275 cases, 14 deaths
• Monterey County: 308 cases, 6 deaths
• Napa County: 83 cases, 3 deaths
• San Francisco County: 1,999 cases, 35 deaths
• San Mateo County: 1,536 cases, 65 deaths
• Santa Clara County: 2,381 cases, 132 deaths
• Santa Cruz County: 149 cases, 2 deaths
• Solano County: 397 cases, 12 deaths
• Sonoma County: 337 cases, 4 deaths

California is closing in on 3,000 deaths. The total Thursday afternoon was 2,974. The state has recorded more than 73,000 confirmed cases.

— Patch editors Bea Karnes and Nick Garber contributed to this story

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

Don't miss updates about the coronavirus in California as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

• Mark Zuckerberg Donates $800,000 To Favorite Restaurants
• Twitter's Jack Dorsey: Employees Can Work From Home Permanently
• Elon Musk's Tesla, Alameda County Reach Agreement To Open Plant
• When Will Dentists Reopen In The Bay Area?