The state sets tiers for who gets priority when it comes to COVID-19 testing. And all this authority-ing by Gov. Gavin Newsom isn’t sitting well with some Republican elected officials, who say shutting things down isn’t working. Plus: More on that L.A.-based moldy jam.
It’s Arlene with news for Tuesday.
But first, foie gras can be sold again in the Golden State so … enjoy?
In California brings you top stories and commentary from across the USA TODAY Network and beyond. Sign up here for weekday delivery right to your inbox.
A four-tier system for who gets tested
With coronavirus cases rising fast, the state overhauled its guidelines Tuesday for which groups have priority when it comes to testing. The changes come as the state faces testing shortages and long wait times for results as new outbreaks pop up.
The system is designed to help officials zero in on outbreaks spread among essential workers or by gatherings of family and friends. Here’s a look at the priority groups:
-
Tier One: Includes hospitalized patients with COVID-19 symptoms and those in close contact with confirmed cases.
-
Tier Two: Includes other individuals with virus symptoms and those who live and work in skilled nursing facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly, correctional facilities, or homeless shelters.
-
Tier Three: Includes retail, manufacturing, food services, public transportation and education workers.
-
Tier Four: Includes those who are asymptomatic but believe they have a risk for being actively infected as well as routine testing by employers.
Read the full list here.
About 7,800 people are testing positive a day in the Golden State, where 10,000 contact tracers are reaching out to people who have been in close contact with infected individuals. The state is testing about 107,000 people daily.
L.A. County sets a new record when it comes to single-day COVID-19 increases: 4,244 new cases and 2,103 hospitalizations. Of those hospitalized, 27% are in intensive care.
The race for a coronavirus vaccine: Early tests show promise for one.
GOP leaders: ‘No one can make any sense of these confusing orders’
Some Republican elected officials representing the Golden State in Congress and the state Legislature aren’t real happy with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest orders to re-close significant parts of the economy.
“There is no justification for this approach. There is no evidence that any of these activities are causing an increase in COVID-19 cases,” reads a statement by U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale; state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber; state Sen. Brian Dahle, R- Bieber; his wife, state Assemblywoman Megan Dahle, R-Bieber; and state Assemblyman James Gallagher, R- Nicolaus.
Restaurants and houses of worship aren’t causing the increase, and small businesses are in a desperate fight for survival, the statement goes on to say. “No one can make any sense of these confusing orders.”
The group says it has been painful to watch one man exert so much authority during the pandemic while they have been forced to sit on the sidelines and watch.
An accidental drowning, a pastor placed on leave and international students can stay
Dental records confirmed “Glee” actor Naya Rivera’s body was found in Lake Piru in what authorities believe was an accidental drowning.
►Watch: 7 of her best “Glee” moments.
A prominent Bay Area pastor was placed on leave after he failed to tell his megachurch’s board a church volunteer confided in him a sexual attraction to minors; the volunteer continued working in the community for months.
International students can continue to live in the U.S. even if they only take online classes after the Trump administration agreed to rescind its rule barring them from doing so. The District of Columbia and 17 states on Monday sued to block the rule; California filed its lawsuit last week. Some higher education institutions — including the CSU system — plan to offer only online classes in the fall because of the pandemic.
Saying goodbye to Hank the K-9, a friendly bear and sage can breed in peace
Hank, a 2½-year-old black German shepherd who finished his career with the Redding Police Department, gets a police escort to his final resting place among other four-legged public safety officers.
A popular backpacking trail at Lassen Volcanic National Park is closing for two months because a bear has gotten a little too cozy with hikers.
A federal judge has upheld the U.S. Forest Service’s authority to keep a 250-mile motorcycle race out of sage grouse habitat in Nevada’s high desert during its breeding time in the Mono Basin along the California-Nevada line. The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the bi-state population is half what it was 150 years ago.
The skinny on the moldy jam + what else we’re talking about
Why the World Wide Web is obsessed with an L.A. restaurant allegedly selling moldy jam and also mistreating its employees of color unfairly and helping gentrify the neighborhood. Sqirl owner Jessica Koslow spoke out about the situation.
Since we’re not going anywhere anytime soon, here’s how to make the space around us nicer (and safer!), writes Ventura County Star’s senior advocate.
Scams involving fraudulent housing deals, fake antibody testing and people posing as coronavirus contact tracers charging fees are ramping up. Here’s what to look for and how to protect yourself.
You’re not planning to stay home so, read this
By now, you may have heard about getting a social bubble if you’re planning to expand interactions beyond the people sharing your living quarters. The idea is to keep social interactions to a limited few close to us, and in the process boost our mental health.
Remember to keep these things in mind, experts say:
Keep low the number of people you see at one time, wear a mask if meeting indoors is the only feasible option, disinfect chairs and tables and wash your hands (before and after the visit). If food and drink are involved, it’s best to bring your own, since sharing can raise the risk of infection.
And don’t forget to consider what’s going on with the status of the pandemic where you live, and don’t be shy about asking where people have been.
And what about children, you ask? That one’s harder, but it’s not impossible.
“Children can play together, especially if their families have been socially distancing, the activities do not involve physical contact, and they can engage in the activities with sufficient physical spacing,” says Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford University’s School of Medicine.
And speaking of kids, I’ll leave you today with this video of Fiona, a 3-year-old hippo who reminds us human toddlers aren’t the only ones who prefer lots and lots of attention.
In California brings you top news and analysis from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: LA Eater, Los Angeles Times, California Healthline, San Jose Mercury News.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California, testing, vaccine, GOP, bears, K9, Glee, scams: Tues news
