UNION CITY (KPIX) – California health officials said the number of beds available in the ICU continues to fall in the San Francisco Bay Area, to 6.3% capacity on Friday. This leads many health experts in the Bay Area to claim that the initially planned home stay order that will expire next week is likely to be extended. San Francisco has already done so.
The possibility of a prolonged ban on outdoor dining worries many restaurant operators. The owner of Mexico Tipico in Union City invested thousands of dollars in its outdoor installation and heat lamps. I was hoping to use them again next week.
“All the restaurants in this area are affected because there is no business now,” said Ricardo Soto, who runs Mexico Tipico. “Families who come down want to enjoy the food at the table and don’t take it.”
Soto said an extension of the outdoor eating ban could lead to more layoffs at his restaurant, but several restaurateurs said they are not surprised by the possibility of an extension.
“We pivoted so many times that I’m tired of pivoting. I feel like I’m falling, “said Eric Nielsen, a business partner at two downtown San Jose restaurants.” We’re worried. Again, that feels indefinite. Even though we’re open in late February, how’s that? Anyway, are we open to dinner outdoors again? And if we do, I hope the audience comes out again. “
San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said he feels for small businesses, but said the ICU’s capacity is lousy and that’s what the state looks at when it imposes the health order.
“Right now we are in life-saving mode, don’t be fooled. So the actions we take today will ensure that we are protected in the future,” Canepa said.
The supervisor said there are currently about 5 percent of the county’s ICU beds. He urges the county health department to expand the health order and follow San Francisco directions.
“We don’t even calculate the December 25 numbers, the Christmas numbers, and also the New Year numbers,” Supervisor Canepa said.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong is a specialist in infectious diseases at the UCSF. He said hospitals will likely see more patients with COVID in the coming days due to holiday meetings.
“It is inevitable that we will have a climb (caused by the Thanksgiving holidays) in addition to a climb (for Christmas) apart from a climb (of illegal New Year’s Eve parties). If you look at travel around Christmas, for example, it actually surpassed Thanksgiving, which was already the highest travel period of the year, ”Dr. Chin-Hong said.
He said the number of patients with COVID should drop by the end of January.