Transcripts For SFGTV Mayors Press Availability 20240713

Confirmed cases of covid19 in San Francisco. Sadly, we have 20 people who passed away as a result of the virus. As a reminder, datasf. Org covid19 is where you can find details to find out who is actually infected as well as those who have been tested. I want to be clear from the very beginning when we heard about what was happening with the coronavir coronavirus, specifically in wuhan, china, sadly there were a lot of xenophobia of those in our asian community. This virus is not discriminating on the basis of race. Sadly, the xenophobia continues. We want our community to know we are here to provide the resources and the support necessary to deal with the challenges around discrimination. So its not tolerated here in San Francisco. In fact, as we look at the data and the inequities as it relates to covid19, we are seeing the disparities, true disparities around income and inequality and other things that have sadly been a part of our environment and our climate for so many years, that when there is a pandemic, those issues are heightened and made work and exacerbated as a result of this pandemic. Specifically people who might not have access to Good Health Care or conditions or outcomes are those most impacted. We see that people who live in crowded settings and congregate situations since day one, those are the most challenging as they are the most impacted by the virus. The data is what is helping to shape our understanding of this virus, as it relates to San Francisco. But it is also playing itself out throughout the country. Im really proud of this city because not only do we have an office of racial equity, from the very beginning when we operated this Emergency Operations center right here, from day one we put into effect an equity team, a team comprised of people who are familiar with various cultures and communities, with the sole purpose of providing the necessary support to educate people about the virus, the impacts, and also provide access to services. An example is from the very beginning when we were asking nonessential businesses to close and we had a number of nail salon that were still open where there was a language barrier. This particular team was a team that outreached to that particular business, to not only explain why it was necessary to close, but what other Small Business services are available. Our Public Housing and the residents of Public Housing who already are dealing with challenges around income and equality but also access to resources, to reach out to the neighborhood nonprofit organizations that work with residents of Public Housing and Affordable Housing to provide resources to food and an understanding about employment insurance and all of the Resources Available, it takes a lot of work. Typically you would walk up and fill out the paperwork with someone online, and now that work is a lot harder to do, requiring us to be creative and requiring more volunteers for outrea outreach. Maybe sure that those who are not connected to the internet or know how to use it, that we are supporting them so no one is left out. We are focused on if anything sure and director davis from the Human Rights Commission will talk more about some of the incredible things they are doing to help underserved communities in San Francisco. Some of the simple things, providing gift cards to families with food, providing help for filling out Unemployment Insurance applications. Providing assistance and understanding of some of the laws and things weve implemented in the city and making sure people are connected, informed, and supported through basic services. Its really key to supporting all of our residents and we have been doing this since day one. I want to take this opportunity to thank the nonprofit organizations and our faith leaders, because they are on the frontlines, communicating with their congregations, providing support and Delivery Services informally and on the ground doing everything they can to support their residents. I want to express my appreciation to so Many Community members who have taken it on themselves to ask Community Members who they may need, especially the people we know who are in isolation, their neighbors and everyone in this. This means we have to continue the acts of kindness and support for our neighbors. Speaking of neighbors, i want to talk a little bit about some additional things that we are going to be adding to our data tracker. People are of course interested in learning about this virus, not only by race and Health Disparities, but also by location. So today on the tracker well have information by zip code of where people are sadly who are diagnosed with coronavirus, what particular neighborhoods they live in. Again, it goes back to some of the disparity disparities we knew. We are seeing more cases, which is consistent with our findings that about 25 of those people who are infected in this city are latino. And the Latino Community represents 15 of the population. So there is a huge disparity there. We also see a large part of Homeless Population in sonoma being infected. I want to be clear what this map reveals information that helps us to understand where the cases are, but it in no way indicates that some parts of our city are safer than others. So i dont want us to get the idea that that is the case in any of our neighborhoods. This is really about gathering more information and doing everything we can to provide the public with everything we have just so that you are aware and so that you understand how important it is to continue to take the precautions we are asking you to do. Whether its wearing a face covering, whether its socially distancing yourself from anyone who is not a part of your household, and staying inside as much as you possibly can, except for essential services or to take a walk and get some fresh air. These steps are critical to doing exactly what we need to do to continue to flatten this curve in San Francisco. I also want to talk about many of the challenges that people continue to face. We early on put a moratorium on evictions for residents and our commercial businesses. We know that the water and the power will not be turned off as a result of this pandemic, which is i know helpful to help ease peoples minds just a little bit as we go through this real challenge. But ultimately we know that the biggest challenge will be access to food. Access to food in general, but also healthy food. And we know that communities where we have a lot of lowincome families, where people have lost their jobs, where in some cases they might not qualify for Unemployment Insurance, where our immigrant communities are afraid to maybe interact with the government in various communities. Here in San Francisco, i am so proud of the work we have done to really identify such a significant need to help provide a adverse population of people with food. I just want to talk a little bit about some of the things we are doing. Basically we recently launched a Pilot Program with the Salvation Army to make and deliver meals to people who are experiencing homelessness and those that are living in encampments. I know people are not necessarily happy with the encampments, but we realize those are people who also need food too. The Salvation Army will be partnering with us to make sure they get fed and that feels are delivered to them. As well as working with us on important programs to provide to those who are without a home. Thanks to their work, well be able to deliver 1300 meals daily to people across 40 locations in San Francisco. This is just one part of our massive undertaking to help get food to our vulnerable populations. Were also providing three meals a day to the people who are not only in our shelters but are in hotel rooms who we moved out of the shelters for the purposes of keeping people separated from one another so the virus doesnt continue to spread. I want to talk about the San Francisco unified school district. 319,000 people have been fed to date because even though, unfortunately, the schools had to close, there have been a number of people who showed up, folks making sure people had access to meals. More than 12,000 meals have been delivered by open hand, self help for the elderly, and our isolating and quarantining hotline. So what we announced last week was the ability for anyone who might experience isolation or no access to food to go to sfgov. Org or to call 311 so we can make sure groceries are delivered to families to our elderly or disabled residents who might not be able to get out and get food. I want to appreciate the food bank. Theyve set up 13 popup locations in the bayview and excelcior communities that are struggling. Some of the lowincome communities, theyve had a lot of volunteers. I visited one location where they are handing out food boxes and providing resources and they are doing that on a regular basis. Meals on wheels is a program that continues to deliver food to those who are disabled and elderly. Also, i want to take a moment to appreciate the countless san franciscans who are shopping for their neighborhoods, who are reaching out to people they know that need help. I know that one of my Staff Members here in the city has five seniors that she specifically shops for every single week. Those are the seniors shes committed to. I think it does absolutely amazing when people take on the responsibility of supporting their neighbors and doing what you can to make sure they have the resources that they need. The incredible people of this city who continue to reach out and do all that they can. So i think its clear that our goal is to make sure that no one is deprived of food during this pandemic. I just want to take a moment to appreciate the private sector. The people who have given to givesf. Weve collected almost 8 million in private money and partnered that with money from the city and county of San Francisco to provide support for people to access food. Its been absolutely incredible. Thank you to the San Francisco foundation and to give to sf. Ill talk about that more this week to acknowledge the contributors who have gone above and beyond to help with food and security around our city. I have to say, San Francisco has been a model in providing access to food to people all over this city. So if you know anyone you think needs help for any reason, please call 311 or go to our website sfgov. Org. Lets make sure no one goes hungry as a result of this pandemic. Jeff humlin is here to talk about some updates with regards to muni. I am really excited about his announcement today to add certain lines back into the fold, some new adjustments. I want to thank the transit operators, our muni operators. The folks who are cleaning the buses. The folks who are showing up every single day, putting their lives on the line, in order to get our essential workforce to their destinations. The hospitals, grocery stores, or places folks are making themselves available to the public because we know that people still need food, they need access to the hospitals, they need their medication and other things. People on the frontline getting folks without access to transportation any other way are our muni drivers. I want to take this moment to really appreciate them so much for their hard work and their dedication. And also the number of drivers who are coming back to work. Some were out sick. Some had concerns about their family members. I want to make it clear that the program we have for First Responders includes our muni drivers and those who are working every single day. So if youre concerned about your families and you want to come to work, which we desperately want you to come to work, and you want to stay here in San Francisco at a hotel room because you are concerned that you interact with thousands of members of the public and you dont want to put your families at risk, we are here for you because we need you and we appreciate all that you continue to do to support the people of this city. Jeff humlin will talk more about that in terms of an increase in service. I also want to remind people because as far as the face coverings, i want to be clear with people, you are not required to wear a mask specifically. Just anything that can cover your nose and your mouth when you are standing in line or in any location that provides an essential service. If youre out riding your bike, running, walking your dog, basically that is not necessarily a requirement to wear a face covering, but doing anything else where youre around other people, number one, it does not take the place of social distancing. Number two, youre required to wear a face covering. I want to reiterate that. Please follow our guidelines. Please use common sense so that we can keep you safe and others around you safe as well. Last but not least, today is april 20, 4 20. Its a time when in the past there would be a celebration with those who are marijuana enthusiastics at Golden Gate Park. We made it clear that it is canceled today. I want to express my appreciation to the ambassador of the bay e40, a rap artist who has been really a part of the fabric of our rap culture here in the bay area since i was in high school and so many people love and admire him. We appreciate his message of love and his expression to ask people to stay home this year. We hope you heed our message to stay home today and to not come to Golden Gate Park. So far, so good. We want to thank you for abiding by our direction on 4 20. We know its difficult because you want to celebrate. We want to celebrate so many things right now, but it is a matter of life and death. This is why were asking people in this city and everywhere to continue to not gather in large groups, to stay at home for the most part except for essential services, to use face coverings and common sense. Take care of yourselves and your family members so we can get through this as safely as possible. With that, i want to take this opportunity to introduce dr. Grant colfax to provide an update from the department of Public Health. Thank you, mayor breed. Good afternoon. Im dr. Grant colfax, director of health for the city and county of San Francisco. Today i am glad to bring forward more data on the effect of coronavirus in our community. I have consistently stressed the need to follow data, science, and facts in our collective response. Today is another step forward in that philosophy. The online tracker the online data tracker now includes a map that shows the approximately 1,200 people who have tested positive in the city, the number of these cases per zip code, as well as the rate at each location. This map shows us that some areas have higher rates than the rest of the city based on the testing that we have done so far. The map affirms what we already know about how this virus spreads. The population and locations in our city that are most affected by Health Disparities, by income inequality, and by structural rates of them are also going to be the areas most affected by this pandemic. Unfortunately, Health Emergencies exploit the inequalities in society. People with chronic illnesses, Underlying Health conditions, and from communities who have experienced institutionalized stigma and discrimination are going to be more at risk for getting sick. This map is sobering, but unfortunately it is not surprising. Unfortunately, it looks like many other maps in San Francisco, including those that depict Health Disparities, income inequality, and racial and ethnic inequities. And yet, this map also supports our focus on equity in vulnerable population in our collective response to this pandemic. We must make progress in reducing the spread of coronavirus everywhere, everywhere, in our city or we will not emerge from this pandemic. Even though our rates of the data are still incomplete because about a third of test results we receive do not include this information, i still felt it was important to start sharing the emerging picture now. Let me walk through the map and explain what it does and does not tell us. The map shows confirmed cases of coronavirus in San Francisco by zip code. It is based and this is very important it is based on the number of people we have tested. As you know, we have not testing nearly everyone. As of today, there are about 11,250 tests that had been reported in San Francisco. About 1,200 are positive. The citywide rate of the tests of the positive tests of the tests that had been done is 14. 07 per 10,000 people. Again, this is important. The map does not show the prevalence or the total number of covid19 cases in the zip code because most people have not been tested. And i want to stress that no zip code or neighborhood is inherently safer than another. Every san franciscan should continue to exercise precautions. This map should not make anyone feel more relaxed or, at the same time, more fearful. The number of cases diagnosed in the city, just over 1,200, are small compared to the overall San Francisco population, which is over 800,000. All san franciscans have been doing a tremendous job of slowing the spread of the virus. The map itself does not answer questions about why there are more cases in some areas than others. It is descriptive data based on the zip codes of people with positive test results. The map shows case counts and simple rates based on dividing the positive cases of those tested by the total population of each zip code. When we look to explain these data, we think of factors that are associated with being diagnosed with covid19. The risk factors for getting sick include circumstances such as whether people are living in crowded conditions and whether they have sufficient support to stay at home and reduce their outings. The risk factors for becoming seriously ill or dying after getting sick include reasons such as age and Underlying Health conditions. The areas of the city with the most cases so far match up with these factors. Let me give two examples. The 94107 zip code currently is one of the highest rates of cases in the city. That makes sense from what we know because the m. S. C. South shelter is in that zip code, which is the location of the citys largest outbreak, with 96 cases among guests to date. The 94110 zip code has among the highest number of cases in the city. This likely reflects crowded housing conditions, including multifamily and multigenerational homes, which makes it more difficult to practice social distancing and quarantine and selfisolation. This is the mission, the heart of San Franciscos Latino Community. Citywide 25 of positive covid19 cases are among latinos, although they make up only 15 of the San Francisco population. Now i would like to talk about our ongoing strategy at the Health Department to focus on equity in our coronavirus response. These maps reinforce our need to continue to do this. We are committed to addressing Health Disparities in our city, and this is a major focus of our work in normal times. It is made all the more urgent in todays emergency. During this pandemic we have from the beginning know that existing inequity exists that exists in our system would be amplified. We have been working with Community Leaders and supporting outreach to community in multiple ways. We remain committed to listening and collaborating and taking action with the mostaffected communities and communitybased organizations. In our response we have an equity officer, as does the city as a whole, and a Community Branch that develops strategy to ensure that communities that are affected by structures of racism and other discrimination are getting the information and services needed. We know it is critical to have trusted messengers as we engage with communities, in order to improve health and wellbeing in the most vulnerable populations. I am, the department is, the city is committed to working with our frontline providers, communitybased organizations, and neighborhood leaders to address this pandemic. As we are seeing more cases in the Latino Community, we have been working with Community Leaders to ensure people have the information they need, that they are aware of available resources, and that they receive outreach in their own language. We need to do everything we can to support them and we see People Living in crowded households who have to work and make several trips a week to get food and other essential supplies. They cannot do one big grocery shop due to income limitations and other potential limitations. People in these circumstances are going to be more at risk. We are seeing that play out, unfortunately, with a disproportionate number of cases in the Latino Community. At zuckerberg hospital, we have seen more than 85 of the coronavirus patients there are latino, which is a much higher rate of the patient population, which is about 30 of latino representation. We have also learned that some members of the Latino Community are reluctant to work with contact tracers and case investigators. This is certainly understanda e understandable. It is possible that they are fearful of local government, concerned about immigration, or simply dont have all the information they need to be comfortable. Therefore we are providing language support in spanish and in other languages about the Contact Tracing program and public materials about the stayathome order and also with regard to face coverings and other ways people can protect themselves. In addition, we are being responsive to Community Needs for more inclusive messaging and materials to create a wide range of Spanish Language and yucatan Mayan Community outreach information, including posters, fact sheets, and community posts. Community organizations have stayed in close contact through phone and email with their latino clients and many are doing community outreach. These are key partners in our collective response, especially given the xenophobia and antiimmigration aspects of how this pandemic is being played out at the national level. After learning that some members of the community are reluctant to work with contact tracers, we held a webinar geared toward spanishlanguage media. We conducted an example in spanish and said that this has no bearing on the work and whether people will receive care here in San Francisco. We are, after all, a sanctuary city. Our Health Branch along with community organizations, supports essential businesses in the community to maintain social distancing as part of their operati operations. We have opened covid19 symptom screening and testing sites in the community, including at the Castro Mission Health Center and at zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in the heart of the mission. And we are coordinating with a new ucsf Research Study based in the mission to learn more about the spread of the virus in the Latino Community. We will continue to do outreach to inform the Latino Community about the coronavirus and the Resources Available to them. In addition to the Latino Community, we are looking closely at all the neighborhoods and Community Members that may need more access to care, information, and resources. That is why the Health Department opened the first field care clinic in San Francisco in the bayview. This clinic will ensure that neighborhood residents have access to coronavirus testing, urgent and primary care for the duration of the pandemic, no matter how full the hospitals get. In another community collaboration, the Health Department works closely with the San Francisco africanamerican faithbased coalition to inform and educate Community Members through their congregation. We are currently working with them on Food Distribution so that Community Members continue to have access to foods close to their homes. We have also been supporting the health of the community in soma and in the chinatown areas for mandated s. R. O. S, including mandated cleaning and other outreach for these diverse neighborhoods. In the Homeless Community we have increased social distancing and food access in shelters and have been moving people from shelters into hotels for their safety. To date, nearly 750 people experiencing homelessness have been placed in hotels in collaboration with the Human Services agency. We have responded aggressively to an outbreak at m. S. C. South, conducting contact investigations, mass testing, moving everyone out, and deep cleaning the building. James from the Health Department and the community continue to provide outreach outside and on the streets, providing food, water, and information about hand washing stations and linking them to support and care. These are a few examples and we must continue to listen to Community Partners and prove our response and use data to take action and guide our decision. I am committed to the health and wellbeing of all san franciscans and doing everything we can to support health and full recovery for all communities in our city during and after this pandemic. Thank you. Director sheryl davis of the Human Rights Commission will now make some remarks with regard to Additional Support within the community. Good afternoon. My name is sheryl davis. I serve as the director of the Human Rights Commission here in San Francisco. The Human Rights Commission is tasked with identifying and disrupting racism and discrimination trends in government and private Business Practices here in San Francisco. I want to thank mayor breed and dr. Colfax for the information theyve shared today, this afternoon. Nationally, this virus has woven an exceptionally cruel path through our most vulnerable populations. We are working to ensure that this Health Emergency does not further exacerbate the existing Health Disparities we struggled to address before the coronavirus appeared. To also make the connection that these public Health Disparities are connected to economic and poverty and to homelessness and to geographic areas where people are living in difficult situations. We knew this would be a challenge long before we had any data. They have been addressing these things long before we had the data. People in these areas experience Structural Racism in ways that are affecting their health and their income, which makes contracting the coronavirus more likely and more lethal. Beyond the physical health, the Economic Impacts of covid19 are yet to be realized. Nationally, people of color and lowincome communities are being hardest hit by the coronavirus. Communities of color are more likely to work in essential jobs such as janitors, home health aids, delivery people, grocery, and farm workers, all serve industry positions with strong opportunities for exposure. The existing disparities of low income, the academic achievement gap, opportunity gap, contribute to these disparities that we are seeing. We need to shift how our systems partner and collaborate with those most impacted to change outcomes, not just during this crisis, but moving forward. Were excited that we have had the ability to really leverage relationships and work that was already happening in community to address this. I want to acknowledge as we work to address food insecurity, as we talk about Public Health and health and wellness, a lot of people in community that were already struggling were doing this work. I want to make sure as we move forward that we recognize this. As this has been heightened and as awareness comes up, people want to remind us that they already knew this, were living with this, experienced this, and they appreciate there is a heightened awareness and attention to them, but lets not forget the work that was being done before this pandemic. We are trusting the resilient communities most exposed to guide a community response, for those people to remain safe, prepared and healthy. Working with groups like the Latino Task Force or the samoan Development Center or communities as one, we have found a way to leverage and come together to build partnerships. Mayor breed directed the partnership to work with stakeholders to explore how our systems contribute to the inequities that we see. And to develop strategies to improve outcomes for lowincome people and communities of color. Outside the shelter in place order in early march, we launched our Community Roundtable meeting, to bring together Community Stakeholders and to address these issues. Again, people were doing this work and working to address these challenges. This approach means ensuring essential needs, including providing over 1,500 hot meals each day to 20 housing sites throughout San Francisco in partnership with sfnewdeal and our hope s. F. Sites. We have been working along with the s. F. P. D. To distribute face coverings and information about social distancing. Working in partnership with our communities, our street Violence Prevention Program and our faithbased leaders. Today we delivered over a thousand face coverings in the tenderloin and the western edition. This week we will work in partnership with s. F. P. D. To do some caravans, to distribute face coverings, to share information about social distancing, and working with trusted messengers to share that message. We have been supplying essential household needs directly to community to minimize the time they have to spend outside. As the mayor mentioned, weve been giving gift cards out to families and working with seniors so they can purchase things online using those cards. Weve been developing Distance Learning materials and distributing thousands of books, computers, and activity sheets throughout communities that have not only been hit by coronavirus, but prior to this pandemic and having this shelter in place were struggling with the achievement and opportunity gap. We are trying to work with our partners that ensure that after this is over those gaps are not wider. We have been partnering with the equity studies task force to develop strategies to allow us not only to address what is happening now but to be more intentional moving forward. Closing the Digital Divide by providing equipment for students. We were able to purchase hundreds of computers in partnership with the Housing Authority and hope s. F. As well as with rafiki, Young Community developers and collective impacts. We are working with them to distribute the equipment. We have been supporting trusted Community Care ambassadors. Really working to make sure that we recognize the people who have existing relationships that have the ability to go into communities and ask people to social distance, to see what their needs are, and to meet those needs. They have helped to distribute flyers. We have been able to also offer gift cards and personal protective equipment for them as they go out and do that work. We have been launching successful webinars focused on our africanamerican asianpacific islander, and Latino Community and also by focus areas working with our faithbased communities, lgbtq communities, and working with education and doing some work around geography. Organizing a Community Care event, as i mentioned earlier, where we are working with the police department, the faithbased groups and our local Community Stakeholders to make sure folks are aware of the new rules around face coverings and to make sure they have what they need to follow that order. We have been working with blackled Media Outlets and developing a Communications Strategy to email, text, and post on social media, targeting our most vulnerable population. Again, in partnership with communities that already have those relationships. People who are already posting on social media maybe their friends and their family would be more inclined to work with them and listen to them than they would be to sfpd. We have been able to build and develop our relationships. Centering strategic partnership. We have developed a partnership with schools, schools like hilltop for the pregnant parenting teens. To be intentional and think about how those people can help others. Working with the Mayors Office on the implementation of the Family Relief Fund and what it looks like for us to be very intentional and make sure that we are not leaving out any families. Our Civil Rights Division at the Human Rights Commission is continuing to process complaints of discrimination and manage inquiries that people may have about what their rights are during this time. We were grateful to work with the Emergency Operations center and to be able to embed an equity officer at the Emergency Operations center, focusing on ensuring our Disaster Response is intersectional and doesnt exacerbate preexisting structural issues. At the Human Rights Commission we have allocated nearly 1 million for emergency funding and to address many of the needs that have been identified earlier. We are working with our lgbtq2 communities around housing and food security. We are working with our nonprofits, and again to thank the nonprofits who have been leading that work to provide housing, food security, and to provide gift cards. And to think about our youth and transitional age group, they are concerned with what happens through this process. As we are thinking about employment and economic recovery, a lot of our young people are very concerned. They have been contributing through the years to their families household income. Last but not least, i want to thank the people and organizational partners for their dedication and commitment to serving our community. People have stepped up, as the mayor said, individually and collectively. Organizations have stepped up. They have put themselves at risk. They are distributing food and books. They are figuring out how to utilize the internet. When one part of the city is hurting, we are all hurting. As we move towards recovery, our fight will not be just against a virus. Dr. King talked about fighting our finite disappointment with infinite hope. Despite the data disappointments that we have, we believe that working together we can actually make a difference. We are looking forward to overcoming this at this point in time, but staying connected and working collectively to address the disparities that have only been heightened during this pandemic. After me, it will be jeff tumlin from the director of sfmta who will speak. Thank you. Thank you, director davis. I am jeff tumlin. As all of you know, on april 8th, we made deep and painful cuts to muni service. Now thanks to the leadership of mayor london breed and the support of half a dozens departments in the citys Emergency Operations center, along with the support of over 100 Disaster Service workers in my agency, people whose normal work is being a clerk or a middle manager, who are now supporting us in car cleaning, im very pleased to announce that weve begun our efforts to restore muni service. Starting april 25, we are going to be bringing back portions at least of four muni lines and were bringing those lines back using the same process we used to cut muni service. We used our abundant data looking at where our riders are. We also used our data about where essential services are. Most importantly, we looked at where are the riders who have the fewest choices and neighborhoods who have suffered the most from historic disinvestment. Finally, weve listened to a lot of feedback from our riders and from various communitybased organizations about where service was needed the most. The five lines were going to be bringing back include a portion of the 5 fulton running from 6 and fulton to downtown, serving st. Marys hospital and the western tenderloin. Well be bringing back a portion of the 12 fulsome, running from battery street to mena, serving chinatown, the chinese hospital, and a corridor full of seniors who have limited access to other forms of transportation. Were also bringing back, thanks to lots of community feedback, a portion of the 2819 avenue running up 19 avenue and making important connections to the end, serving ucsf and serving three hospitals on geary avenue. Finally, were bringing back most of the 54 felton, which runs through a long series of neighborhoods, including hunters point, bayview, the portal district, the excelcior, amazon, and connecting to balboa station. We also started improving Service Frequency on the 9, the n, and the l, based on data that we have inadequate space for our passengers and crowding. This is a reminder that even though were starting to bring service back, please do not ride muni unless you are an essential worker, making an essential trip, and unless you dont have another choice. Its important that if you do have other options than riding muni, please take them and save a seat and a space for the essential workers who have no other choice. Many parts of San Francisco are still left without nearby muni service. I would like to remind you if you are over 65 or disabled to please sign up for our essential trip card, which provides deep discounts on taxi service in order for you all to access essential services. As always, you can find the latest and most uptodate detail at sfmta. Com covid. Thank you again for your patience. Were all in this together. Now i would like to introduce the chief of the San Francisco police department, chief william scott. Thank you, chief scott. Thank you, director tomlin. Good afternoon, everyone. First of all, again, id like to thank our mayor, mayor london breed, and our director of Public Health, grant colfax, for their leadership during this very challenging time. I want to update you on our enforcement efforts of the Public Health order and give you an update of this weekends activities. This weekend we had a very visible presence in our citys parks and other public areas to remind people of the Public Health order. The vast majority of the public, as weve said in many other of these press conferences, have been compliant with the measures meant to stop the spread of covid19. With that said, we continue to cite people and businesses who after being warned continue to flout the Public Health order. To date weve cited 16 such persons and that breakdown is seven businesses and nine individuals who were violating either the countys Public Health order and or the states Public Health order. We admonished 67 between businesses and individuals, we issued 67 formal admonishments. That means an incident report has been taken. In addition to that, we have had dozens of informal warnings, warning people to abide by the health order and social distance. An update on our Crime Statistics for the week. During the fifth week of the shelterinplace order which was from april 13 to april 19, we saw an increase in Violent Crimes, which was led by 11 additional robberies over the previous week and two additional assaults. We saw 31 decrease in part 1 property crime, which was 154 fewer property crimes from the previous week. There was a 25 decrease in part 1 crimes. That means there were 142 fewer crimes than the previous week. This is compared to the week of april 6 through april 12, which was the fourth week of the shelterinplace order. Again, weve had burglaries and vandalism of businesses. We continue to step up our patrols in that area to make sure our businesses are protected as much as we can protect them while they are closed. We have had some arrests in those cases. Again, i would like to thank our partnership with the District Attorney and his office. They have been able to add looting charges to 19 of these instances of burglary. We thank them for their partnership there. We encourage everyone to report all crimes, but do so in a way that helps to decrease facetoface contact and inhibit the spread of covid19. We have the crimereporting unit in place where you can call and make the report over the phone and you can report on the internet. Always call 911 to report Violent Crimes and crimes in progress and we will respond, as we always do, to the scene to make sure we do Everything Possible to investigate those crimes and arrest the offenders. Please make sure to make use of the citys new text 911 service, if you are unable to make a telephone call to report a crime, but you need emergency help. Particularly if it is a Domestic Violence situation, we want to emphasize the use of the text 911 feature. Some people arent able to safely make the phone call from their cellphones or home phones or landlines, that feature will allow you to text the police so we can get help to you. For crimes that have already happened, that includes nonviolent property crimes or crimes that have already occurred, please call our nonemergency line at 4155530123. You can still call 311 or utilize the website to file Police Reports and we encourage you to do that to help slow down the spread of covid19. Again, this is a National Crime victims rights week. Traditionally, this week is meant to reach out to Violent Crimes homicides. And there is an event in sacramento to honor the victims of these Violent Crimes and this year that will not occur. So we want to reach out to those victims and their families, to say we are still thinking about you and we are there if you need it. It is a time when we honor the survivors and their loved ones. Truly, if you need us, we will be there, the city and county of San Francisco, as well as the San Francisco police department. I want to reiterate the mayors comments about 4 20. So far, so good. I thank the members of the public who have stayed away from Golden Gate Park where this event is held. So far things are going really, really well. I want to thank everyone for that. But please keep this momentum going. This is literally a matter of life or death and i dont think im being mellowdramatic when i say that. Your intention to attend or not attend these gatherings could be the life of you or someone you love. We ask you to keep up the cooperation so we can continue to flatten the curve and slow down the spread of the virus. With that, id like to thank you all and i think we open it up for questions. Thank you. For those joining us virtually, the first set of questions are for dr. Grant colfax. Thank you, dr. Colfax. The first question is from molly solom solomon. Supervisor matt haney is introducing a resolution to provide free testing to all clients and staff in the homeless response system. Is universal testing possible for the citys Homeless Community and staff . If not, why. Answer so as ive talked about previously, we need to ensure that the population who are prioritized for testing are the people who need it most. That includes people who are symptomatic with covid19, people who have had highrisk exposures, healthcare workers, and First Responders. I want to say in those first few groups, there are a number of people experiencing homelessness who fit into those groups. We are also following the data, science, and facts in terms of how to prioritize testing when there is a positive case discovered. You will see in our approach from the m. S. C. South shelter to the case in the Division Circle Navigation Centers, following the information with the experts and the investigation teams, we take different approaches depending on the circumstances. At m. S. C. South it became clear there was a widespread outbreak and that is why we tested everyone in that shelter and we provided them with the care and support services that they required and needed and closed that shelter. Another approach was taken at the navigation center, where there was a case detected and there was contact investigation done and testing was done there on a more limited scale because at that time we didnt find an increased number of cases as a result of that investigation. As our Testing Capacity expands and as we are able to obtain more of the swabs and the gunk, the medium for transporting the testing materials, we will be testing more people. Based on state guidelines released this morning, the guidelines will include testing people who have had close contacts with covid19 cases, but who meet the definition of having a close contact, but does not exhibit symptoms. So that would be another place where we would be expanding our testing, including of course with people experiencing homelessness. The other places we are currently in discussions with and i think it makes sense is exploring where and when it would be appropriate to test people coming into the hospitals, patients coming into the hospital and what that would take. I think in some cases its easier to do that when you have one of these rapid tests that takes 45 minutes, but we obviously dont have nearly as many of those as the tests that take one to two days. Obviously we cant wait one to two days to admit somebody to the hospital. So my point is as we expand our Testing Capacity, we need to continue to follow the science and data about who needs the testing most, focus on the vulnerable populations, so that as we expand our testing and contact investigation, we are saving the most lives possible and focusing on those that are most vulnerable to dying from this disease, whether the person is housed or experiencing homelessness. Question a follow up. Have staff and residents at shelters and Navigation Centers already been tested . Answer yes. As ive said, we do this on a basis of what we have learned about the specific situations where there is a detected case. In the case of m. S. C. South, all the residents and the staff were tested in those situations. We will continue to test as guided by our disease investigations at shelters, Navigation Centers, and elsewhere in the city. Question next question. More than 60 people have tested positive for covid19 at the central garden assisted living facility. When did this outbreak get learned of and what support is the department giving to this facility . Answer the latest numbers i have from that facility is that a total of 67 cases have been detected in that facility. If i can do my math right, i believe its 39 residents and 28 staff. So it is a very serious outbreak. The state has oversite of these facilities and they are the lead agency in this. But when we became aware and were notified of the initial cases on march 30, we immediately started collaborating with the facility and with the state in terms of ensuring that as much was being done as possible to protect both the residents and the staff. And i would say that one of the key things that were ensuring is that the Lessons Learned with the c. D. C. Investigation, the twoweek c. D. C. Investigation at laguna honda are being applied to this facility as well. So very concerned. I said from the beginning and many said from the beginning that Nursing Homes and other congregate living situations for older adults are a major area where, unfortunately, people will suffer from this disease. Were doing everything we can to mitigate the spread of the virus, both in this facility and in facilities across the city. Question how many Homeless People to date have tested positive for the virus in. Answer so as weve described in m. S. C. South, we have a total of 96 positive cases there. Weve had several additional cases in other shelters and Navigation Centers across the city. I do not have a total number of to share with you at this time. That is really because much of the testing thats been done across the city, theres no requirement to record Housing Status and our data team is working hard to provide better estimates based on hospital numbers and our own d. P. H. Systems to try to crossmatch the data with the positivity thats on the testing form with a hospital admission data that are under d. P. H. s jurisdiction. I hope to share that soon. Question are you confident you know the rate of infection in the Homeless Population and are there any plans to expand testing for the homeless, as is being done in l. A. County . Answer i think as i mentioned with regard to to the data tracker and the map that i showed, its important that see that the rates that were presenting are the rates that are based on the positive test results of the people who have been tested in the city. So no, we do not know the true rate, if you will, of coronavirus of populations in the city. We dont know that for the state, regionally, or nationally. What we are doing is ensuring that we are testing people again who are at most risk for the disease based on their symptoms and close contacts. We will be expanding our testing criteria as the materials we need to do the testing, as it becomes clear we will be getting more of that, as our response is able to have more reliable sources of those materials, we will be expanding the testing including close contacts of people with covid19 for people who do not show those symptoms. Currently you have to have symptoms consistent with covid19 and be a close contact in terms of being tested. So we will be expanding our testing criteria, including for people experiencing homelessness. Question the next question is from mission local. Is there a possibility that california, like new york, will begin to produce its own supply of testing swabs . Answer i would its a possibility. I dont have any Additional Information to speculate on that at this time. Question the next question is from the s. F. Examiner. What is the next type of dataset you plan to release to the public on datasf and when . Answer we have quite a bit of data on the data tracker at this time and we are continually updating that information. I dont have a specific timeline to share with you about what would next be released. I do want to ensure you that the relevant data are accurate and it helps inform the public that its my commitment at the Health Department to ensure that we are sharing accurate data as quickly and as transparently as possible with the public to help them better understand the dynamics of the pandemic in San Francisco. Question as a follow up. Will the Department Release zip code data for death . Answer well, i think one of the key things there are two things i think to emphasize right now about the response in San Francisco. One is if you go to the data tracker and you see the numbers of hospitalizations, both in general and in the i. C. U. , those numbers have been fairly flat over the last two weeks, which is again a testament to the response of all san franciscans in terms of taking this pandemic really seriously. When we keep talking about flattening the curve. Remember, we are looking at the hospitalizations because those are the people that are sick and need our help the most. Right now, our system is able to has enough capacity to manage those most seriously ill people. The curve looks flat. That could change at any time, but for now its important to note that we have the capacity. Going back to the question, we have had unfortunately 20 deaths, and obviously thats concerning to me and my condolences goes out to the family members and friends and community of the people who have died. That number is still relatively small compared to other jurisdictions. I expect those numbers to increase and as those numbers do increase, we will share data as appropriate on our data tracker. Question thank you. Delores park was apparently crowded this sunday. Are you concerned all of our efforts to go to waste as the weather improves and more people visit parks . Answer i think its important for people to continue to ensure the social distancing guidelines are followed. That people take the proper precautions in terms of washing your hands, other infection precautions that weve talked about. As you do go to work as an essential worker, that you do not go if youre sick, that we adhere to the facial guidelines that were issued, that we do not become complacent. The curve that i talked about is relatively flat is because of the work, the hard work that all san franciscans are doing in terms of complying with this order. I think its important that we enforce and recommit ourselves to this. Because as the weather gets better, i will say, this is hard to do. Its stressful and becomes tiring. Its even harder to deal with situations that weve seen elsewhere. We really need to continue to commit ourselves to taking the social distancing and other Public Health measures necessary until we start seeing signs that the shelterinplace orders could be relaxed in a scientific and datadriven way as we move forward into potentially another stage of this epidemic. Thank you. That concludes todays press chair fewer good morning, everyone. The meeting will come to order. This is the january 17, 020, regular meeting of the San Francisco local Agency Formation commission. Im sandra lee fewer, the chair. And im joined by gordon mar, and shanti singh and our clerk, and i would like to thank michael baklazar and jason