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 say that a home stay order that would initially expire next week is likely to be extended, CBS SF Bay Area reports. 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 sick 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? How do we want to reopen for outdoor dining? And if we are, I hope the public comes back. to go out “.
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, let’s not 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% 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, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, said hospitals will likely see more COVID patients in the coming days due to holiday meetings.
“It is inevitable that we will have an increase (caused by the Thanksgiving holidays) in addition to an increase (for Christmas) apart from an increase (of illegal New Year’s Eve parties). trips around Christmas for example, 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.