Coronavirus Bay Area live updates: Facebook delays employees' return to office until January 2022

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A surge in coronavirus cases has been reported in the Bay Area and across California as well as the country due in part to the emergence of the highly-contagious delta variant. California health officials are highly recommending that both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents wear masks indoors to prevent the spread of the virus.

The latest number of confirmed cases in the U.S. can be found at the CDC’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. page. (The CDC updates the webpage on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.)

Join anchor Kristen Sze for ABC7’s daily, interactive newscast about the coronavirus outbreak in the Bay Area and around the world. You can check here to stream the show Monday-Friday at 3 p.m.

Here are the latest developments on the respiratory illness in the U.S.:

Aug. 12, 2021

2 p.m.
SF vaccine mandate will not apply to Oracle Park, Giants says
The San Francisco Giants said the latest announcement from Mayor London Breed on the proof of vaccination requirement to enter many establishments will not apply to Oracle Park because it’s an outdoor stadium.

Chase Center, home to the Golden State Warriors, said on Twitter today it will comply with the city’s guidelines – which requires attendees 12 and older to show proof of vaccination at a venue with more than 1,000 people. The next event at Chase Center is Sept. 15.

Chase Center and the Golden State Warriors will issue further information regarding logistics for fans to show proof of vaccination leading up to the venue’s next event, scheduled for September 15, 2021. pic.twitter.com/wbKmP6BuAb

— Chase Center (@ChaseCenter) August 12, 2021

1 p.m.
Facebook delays employees’ return to office until 2022
Facebook employees will not be required to return to the office until January 2022, the company announced Thursday. A company spokesperson told ABC7 that COVID-19 case data and the Delta variant are driving its approach to employees’ return to the office. Employees will have “ample” notice before needing to return to the office.

5:35 a.m.
Move-in day for students at Cal State East Bay
Today is move-in day for students at Cal State East Bay in Hayward. This is the first time students will be live on campus since March of 2020. Classes start next week.

Aug. 11, 2021

6 p.m.
Berkeley to require city workers to get vaccine
The City of Berkeley issued a mandate Wednesday that will require more than 1,500 city employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Vaccines are already keeping workers, patrons and visitors safer and lowering the risk of outbreaks,” said Dr. Lisa Hernandez, the City of Berkeley health officer. “Increasing vaccinations in any workplace will strengthen its ability to stay open and keep employees healthy. Mandating vaccination and verifying proof of vaccination in the workplace is a best practice and I recommend it.”

2:25 p.m.
Los Angeles City Council approves legislation to require vaccines to enter public indoor spaces
The Los Angeles City Council approved legislation Wednesday asking the city’s attorney to draft an ordinance that would require residents to show proof of vaccination before going inside public spaces like restaurants, gyms or stadiums. This legislation would apply to restaurants, bars, retail stores, fitness centers and other indoor establishments, officials said.

Aug. 11, 2021

6:05 a.m.
John’s Grill in SF to require vaccination proof
Starting today, you’ll need proof of vaccination to dine at John’s Grill in San Francisco’s Union Square. The restaurant says all of its staff is already vaccinated.

Aug. 10, 2021

10 p.m.
Oakland Unified to require vaccines for staff
Oakland Unified School District announced that effective September 7, all staff, contractors and volunteers must be vaccinated, or will be subject to weekly coronavirus testing. The district says 92 percent of staff who have reported their status are already vaccinated. Beginning August 16, the district is also requiring masks outdoors on its campuses.

2 p.m.
Vaccine doses administered daily in CA continues to rise
The average number of vaccine doses administered in California per day has increased about 1,500 from Monday. A total of 73,868 doses are given per day in California on average, the data shows. A total of 21,620,087 are fully vaccinated in the state, with more than 3.3 million partially vaccinated.

1:30 p.m.
San Francisco Unified to require vaccines for staff
San Francisco Unified School District will require all staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The district made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. The school district has about 10,000 employees, and starting Sept. 7 all will either have to be fully vaccinated or test weekly for the virus.

The district returns to in-person learning on Aug. 16. The vaccine requirement does not apply to students, the district said.

5 a.m.
More vaccination mandates issued in Bay Area
More vaccination mandates are being issued in the Bay Area. The City of Walnut Creek is requiring workers to be vaccinated by Monday or face weekly testing. Those who are unvaccinated will also have to wear masks outdoors. Foster City-based Gilead is going to require all of its employees in the United States to be vaccinated. The biotech company set a deadline of October 1.

Aug. 9, 2021

7 p.m.
Santa Cruz Co. reports first COVID-related deaths in 2 months
Santa Cruz County health officials announced Monday that two residents have died due to COVID-19 complications, the county’s first COVID-related deaths in more than two months.

The two residents were both unvaccinated, in their 70s and had contracted the ultra-contagious delta variant of the virus. According to the county, both victims died in a local hospital on Aug. 2.

The county has now confirmed 209 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began.

10:55 a.m.
Pentagon to require COVID vaccine for all troops by Sept. 15
The Pentagon will require members of the U.S. military to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 15, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press. That deadline could be pushed up if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise.

7:25 a.m.
More warehouse workers to be required to wear masks
Today, more warehouse workers will be required to wear masks. Tesla is requiring employees at its battery factory near Reno to cover their faces, regardless of vaccination status. The same goes for 900,000 Amazon warehouse employees.
Both policies go into effect today. This is in response to rising COVID cases and concerns about the delta variant.

Aug. 8, 2021

3:30 p.m.
More than 21.5 million vaccinated in California, data shows
A total of 21,572, 282 Californians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest state data. The state, on average, is administering 72,412 doses per day, which is an increase from yesterday of about 500. More than three million Californians are partially vaccinated.

Aug. 6, 2021

5:35 a.m.
Oakland public schools begin in-person classes Monday
Oakland public schools will begin in-person classes on Monday and will not require teachers and staff to be vaccinated. The district says it will take its cues from the county and state. Alameda County supports vaccine choice. But, Mayor Libby Schaaf says she stands behind a mandate for all public employees and teachers. She says those who are not vaccinated should submit to weekly COVID testing.

Aug. 5, 2021

5 p.m.
Napa County to implement indoor mask mandate at midnight
Napa County has joined the majority of the Bay Area in requiring facemasks in indoor public spaces, the county announced Thursday. The order takes effect at midnight. The COVID-19 Delta variant now makes up 85% of the variants in California, according to Napa health officials. Solano County is now the only Bay Area county without an indoor mask mandate.

7:15 a.m.
A bus is taking COVID-19 testing all over Santa Clara County. It provides more than 300 free tests a day, at different locations. Today it will be at Valley Water Headquarters from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments are recommended and walk-ups are also allowed.

Aug. 4, 2021

4 p.m.
Sonoma County to require first responders, law enforcement to be vaccinated
Law enforcement, firefighters and emergency first responders in Sonoma County will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 1, according to a new county policy. This also applies to staff at disaster shelters. The county said if proof of vaccination isn’t able to be provided, workers will have to be tested weekly for the virus. On Aug. 17, the county will propose to the board of supervisors a similar vaccination requirement for county workers.

12 p.m.
Sutter Health to require employees to be vaccinated
Sutter Health will be requiring its staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of September, the company announced Wednesday. This follows a similar announcement from Kaiser Permanente earlier this week requiring employees and doctors to be vaccinated. Sutter Health has hospitals and campuses across the Bay Area and Sacramento region.

8:30 a.m.
WHO leader wants vaccine booster moratorium
The head of the World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines to help ensure that doses are available in countries where few people have received their first shots.

6:15 a.m.
A’s requiring masks indoors at Coliseum
A’s fans will need their masks when watching games from certain places at the Coliseum. The team is now requiring masks inside the Treehouse, Shibe Park Tavern, and the Stomping Ground. If fans are in a suite with members from a different family, they’ll also need to wear masks. The Giants have not yet updated guidelines for Oracle Park.

Aug. 3, 2021

10:20 a.m.
China orders mass testing in Wuhan as COVID outbreak spreads
China suspended flights and trains, canceled professional basketball league games and announced mass coronavirus testing in Wuhan on Tuesday as widening outbreaks of the delta variant reached the city where the disease was first detected in late 2019.

6:45 a.m.
New indoor mask mandate in effect in Bay Area
Masks are back on in seven Bay Area counties. The mandate requires everyone to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and the city of Berkeley. Health officials hope it will slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Aug. 2, 2021

6:45 p.m.
Bay Area hospital near capacity amid COVID surge, enacts new guidelines for patients
As coronavirus cases surge, NorthBay Medical Center is near capacity. This is forcing them to limit how many visitors patients are allowed.
Starting Monday, hospital visits are discouraged except in certain situations:

One support person is allowed to accompany a laboring mother
Pediatric and NICU patients may have two designated support persons present
Patients with disabilities may have a support person
Two visitors may be present for a patient at the end of life
End-of-life COVID patients may have one visitor for up to one hour

2:45 p.m.
Kaiser announces vaccine mandate for doctors, nurses, staff
Kaiser Permanente announced its requiring the COVID-19 vaccination for all employees and physicians amid a surge in cases. See more details here.

2:35 p.m.
62.9% of eligible Californians vaccinated against COVID-19
About 63% of eligible Californians are vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday, according to latest state data. This is a slight increase from Sunday’s numbers. More than 3.2 million people are partially vaccinated in the state. California is averaging 68,287 doses per day.

12:05 p.m.
7 Bay Area counties announce indoor mask mandate
Health officers from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and the city of Berkeley announced a mask mandate Monday afternoon, requiring every resident to wear a mask indoors in public settings, regardless of vaccination status. The health order goes into effect Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.

6:20 a.m.
BART returning to near pre-pandemic service levels
Starting today, BART is returning to near pre-pandemic service levels. Trains will run later and more frequently. Here are the changes effective today: Trains will run until midnight and they’ll come every 15 minutes during the day. There will be more direct trips to SFO on weekdays. Masks are still required to ride.

Aug. 1, 2021

1:30 p.m.
Nearly 63% of Californians vaccinated against virus, data shows
As of Sunday morning, 62.8% of eligible Californians are vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest state data. The state is currently administering more than 68,000 doses per day, on average. More than 3.2 million Californians are partially vaccinated against the virus.

11 a.m.
Dr. Fauci warns ‘things are going to get worse’ with COVID

As the country grapples with a surge in the delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that lockdowns the country saw last year are likely to not return, though he warned “things will get worse” during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I don’t think we’re gonna see lockdowns. I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country — not enough to crush the outbreak — but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter. But things are going to get worse,” the nation’s top infectious disease expert told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday.

July 30, 2021

6 p.m.
COVID-19 Outbreak at Contra Costa County jails
An outbreak of COVID-19 is unfolding at Contra Costa County jails. Health officials report 96 inmates and staff members have tested positive across three facilities. Martinez Detention Facility, Marsh Creek Detention Facility, and West County Detention Facility. No one has required hospitalization. Officials say as of this week – facility staff have to be vaccinated or undergo testing. All inmates have been offered vaccines.

1 p.m.
SF COVID-19 Update
San Francisco health officials gave an update on COVID-19 amid a surge of cases in the city and a suggested indoor masking policy for both vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax called the Delta variant “COVID on steroids,” saying it is the dominant strain throughout San Francisco and is driving up cases and hospitalizations.

“This is not a good time not to be vaccinated,” said Dr. Colfax.

Data Highlights for San Francisco:

Vaccinated people are highly unlikely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19.

The case rate among the unvaccinated population is more than double that of the vaccinated population in San Francisco.

There have been no recorded COVID-related deaths amongst fully vaccinated people.

San Francisco is averaging 176 new cases a day, a ten-fold increase since the beginning of June.

11 a.m.
CDC warns of delta variant’s extreme contagiousness, severity
The delta coronavirus variant surging across the United States appears to cause more severe illness and spread as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal document from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The document – a slide presentation – outlines data that shows fully vaccinated people might spread the delta variant at the same rate as unvaccinated people. Get the full story here.

10:30 a.m.
‘Hamilton’ in SF to require proof of vaccination or test, masks for audience
“Hamilton” will require vaccination proof or negative test results for audiences when it returns to San Francisco All ticketholders will be required to show proof of full COVID vaccination or negative test results from a COVID PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance for entry. See more details here.