Died. Hospitalization rates are increasing dramatically. 50 in the last two weeks across the country, 55 in california. Consistent with these increases across the nation and state, we are seeing the local cases in hospitalizations continually decline. Many cases deaths and hospitalizations can be prevented if we follow the basic measures that we know prevent the virus. Now, lets look at some data. Slide one, please. This slide shows how the surge is in relation to prior increases in San Francisco. Today 14,600 people are diagnosed in San Francisco and resulting in 158 deaths since the onset of the pandemic. As you can see from this slide, we see an aggressive increase in cases week over week. For the weekending november 18, we averaged 118 new cases per day. Compare that to the prior week, november 11, when we averaged 95 cases per day. At the beginning of the month, the weekending november 4th, we averaged 73 new cases per day. As the slide shows, we are approaching the surge case rates will likely surpass the average cases per day per 100,000 in the coming weeks. Now we are just below 13 cases per 100,000 people per day. While this is still lower than the national and state average, we are at a critical moment. We cannot let the viwhere yous get so far virus get so far ahead we will never catch up. An increase in hospitalizations has followed this increase in cases as we saw in the spring surge shown on the far right in cases on the slide and the summer surge snowbound the middle. Indeed, for this third surge we have doubled the covid19 hospitalizations since the end of october. While our hospitalizations remain low compared to other jurisdictions, at just 54 people in the hospital today, this increasing trend remains of concern. Right now we still have enough room in our hospitals to care for patients with covid19, but as we have seen across the nation, in the state and as we saw in our earlier surges, this can change quickly. Systems could become overwhelmed with patients. If that happens more people will die. Lets do everything we can this winter, this Holiday Season to prevent this scenario. Today the state test San Francisco in the red tier of the reopening blueprint. We remain one tier down from the most restricted tier purple, which triggers roll back of additional activity and abiding by the state and requires abiding by the state limited stayathome order. As this slide shows, we are fast approaching the case count to be reassigned to the purple tier. Tier reassignments may occur more than once a week when the department of Public Health, California Department of Public Health determines immediate action is needed. We expect to be placed in that purple tier sometime soon, perhaps later this week. Now, i want to focus on testing. As we prepared for the ongoing surge. We have taken action to try to slow the spread of the virus. But we need everyone in San Francisco to recommit to protecting themselves, loved ones and our community. Part of that is our collective use of city resources to fight the spread of the virus. We have a robust testing system across the city, and, indeed, San Francisco is leading jurisdictions in the number of tests performed per day. For instance, just last week we hit a day where we did 9,000 covid19 tests across the city. We are averaging 6,000 tests each day. Unfortunately, the number of tests coming back positive in the last four weeks has increased by 265 . That means just last month our positivity case rate was. 81 . Today it is 2. 15 and going up. But testing at cityrun test sites must be reserved for people with covid19 symptoms or exposure or for essential workers and those without insurance. If you have insurance and need a covid19 test, please contact your healthcare provider. By law, if you have insurance or have symptoms, your provider must provide a test. Please do not use public testing resources in advance of engaging in behaviors that spread the virus. Namely, to travel or gather with people outside of your household. We must ensure that testing is available for those that need it most, those that are sick, have had a high risk exposure and those with no other testing options. Noremember captioning only captures the moment of the test. A negative test is not a ticket to freely socialize without precautions. A negative covid test is not a particular kid to mingle with extended family and friends outside your immediate household. The main reason is that the test gives information about the level of the virus at one point in time. A person could be infected but not have enough virus yet for it to register on the test or a person may become infected in the hours or days after taking the test. A test should be used to indicate that you need medical care, need to isolate. Not as a free ticket to act like covid does not exist this Holiday Season and let down our guard. This is a once in a century pandemic, not the time to throw caution to the wind. This Holiday Season indeed will be like no other. It is so attempting for us to see our loved ones and to gather with our friends. We simply must stay at home. Stay home and celebrate thanksgiving with the people that we already live with. Please do not gather with people from other households, especially indoors. The choices we make this week wilwill determine what the remainder of the Holiday Season will look like. It will determine whether the winter ahead will be filled with more hospitalizations, cases, deaths or if we are able to beat that surge. You know what to do, San Francisco. We know how to slow the spread of the virus. You know what i am going to say again. Wear those masks. Do outdoor activities, stay physically distanced. Practice good hygiene and do not travel or gather for the holidays. We can crush this virus for a third time. We need to have a bit more patience and a bit more perseverance as we go forward together. The best gift this season is the gift of good health. Thank you. Thank you, dr. Colfax. At this time we welcome the director of the office of workforce development. Thank you, dr. Colfax for your update. I am the director of the office of economic and Work Force Development for San Francisco. As you just heard from dr. Colfax. We are assigned to the red tier. We are carrying with activities same status, same capacity for the last week when we were assigned to that red tier. Based on the Health Indicators that dr. Colfax shared, we do expect to be reassigned to the more restrictive purple tier. When that happens the city will be required to roll back or reduce capacity of several activities within 24 hours. To roll back or reduce capacity of several activities within 24 hours. This will require us to stop indoor operations at houses of worship, movie theaters, museums, zoos and fitness centers. We need to reduce all retail except Grocery Stores from 50 to 25 capacity. We will need to close outdoor ferris wheels, amusement style trains. At the same time within our around 48 hours being assigned to purple tier we have to comply with the limited stayathome order to curtail gatherings and non essential Business Activities after 10 00 p. M. We expect this to go in effect two days after we are assigned to the purple tier. You are assigned on monday, San Francisco would be assigned on a monday to the purple tier. Those 10 00 p. M. Restrictions would become activity and enforceable on wednesday, the following wednesday. If we are assigned purple on monday, wednesday at 10 00 p. M. That is when the limited stayathome order would be in enforceable effect. Additionally, in practice this means that all nonessential businesses will have to shut down operations at 10 00 p. M. With some exceptions. Specifically related to restaurants and curb side pickup and deliveries. All nonessential businesses shut down at 10 00 p. M. People may not gather with anyone from other households indoors or outdoors after 10 00 p. M. People may leave their homes after 10 00 p. M. Alone or with members of their household to pursue individual activities or access essential to employment or other services. Like i mentioned, restaurants may continue to overtakeout and Delivery Services after 10 00 p. M. They may not have customers seated outdoors for Outdoor Dining. At the same time we anticipate that San Francisco will largely confine any roll backs to those that are required by the state. I know many restaurants have been reaching out and asking if Outdoor Dining was potentially something that was being considered as part of purple. The answer is no. We are focused on the limited stayathome order and the restrictions that are listed in the states purple tier. The department of Public Health will be monitoring the Health Indicators to track how we are doing and ensuring we are doing the best to flatteten the curve and protect public safety. I want to emphasize our behavior not just businesses or others, our individual behavior in support of our Small Businesses and support o businesses tryingo support your Holiday Cheer and how we do that over the next two weeks will dictate the next two months. I want to very much thank the Business Community for their cooperation, for their diligence and initiative this Holiday Season. Also, i appreciate the questions you have been providing we have been doing our best to answer as the city to serve you to operate safely in San Francisco. I know we have been very encouraged by the health and Safety Measures of the businesses. Now we need everyone in the Business Community to keep it up, behind full, follow rules, we want all residents to follow those rules of Public Health guidance, take it seriously, keep on your mask, wash hands, stay socially distant to bring the case count down and minimize the restrictions in place. Thank you so much. Together we will get through this. Thank you, director colfax and torres for your time. We will begin the q a portion. Starting with director colfax, please. First question. From aaron with the San Francisco chronicle. It sounded like the city is certain last week San Francisco would be placed in the purple tier by today. Are things starting to improve or not looks as bad as a few days ago . Might we not end up in the purple tier at all . I think we should take comfort in the fact we have not yet been assigned the purple tier. If you look at the first slide, you can see the shrin the line t up. We expect to be assigned the purple tier. Getting the exact day right is beyond the science, data and fact. We project to go in the purple tier. If you look at the regional map, we are surrounded by purple. The fact we are in red should give nobody reasons for not taking precautions around the holidays with regard to gatherings and outside of people in the immediate household. We are hopeful to crush this third curve. We expect to be in purple relatively soon. Thank you. What is the city doing now to prepare for Vaccine Distribution in near and longterm. Could you repeat the question. From aaron as well. What is San Francisco doing now to prepare for Vaccine Distribution in the near and longterm . Thank you. It is some of the good news with regard to the vaccine trials in the last few weeks. Very promising. It will be months before widespread vaccine is available, according to our federal and state partners. We are preparing for Vaccine Distribution in the city. We have at our command center an extensive Planning Team looking at the opportunities working with key partners across the city, community partners, other stakeholders to ensure that we are as ready as possible. Much of the guidance around the vaccine will come from the feds and the state. Again, we are doing everything we can to be as prepared as possible locally. An example of that, we are Building Infrastructure with regard to vaccine preparedness. For instance, thanks to city administrator kelly, we purchased three ultracold freezers to store the vaccine. It can store hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccine. A lot of work to do there both locally, statewide and federally. I am confident we will be ready to start Vaccine Distribution when that time comes. Thank you, dr. Colfax. Director torres this is for you. If we move to the purple tier in San Francisco, which would mean closing museums. Will we only have 24 hours to close operations . Yes, thats correct. We know that is a burden. We are glad you are asking that. Plan effectively. Yes, you will only have 24 hours. For example if we were notified on monday within 24 hours on tuesday those activity would no longer be permitted under the purple tier. Thank you. At this time that concludes the q and a portion for today. Thank you both for your time. Any remaining questions, please feel free to respond to dem press at sfgovtv. That concludes todays press conference. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. President yee of the 26 neighborhoods we have in west portal, its probably the most unique in terms of a small little town. You can walk around here, and it feels different from the rest of San Francisco. People know each other. They shop here, they drink wine here. What makes it different is not only the people that live here, but the businesses, and without all these establishments, you wouldnt know one neighborhood from the other. El toreador is a unique restaurant. Its my favorite restaurant in San Francisco, but when you look around, theres nowhere else that youll see decorations like this, and it makes you feel like youre in a different world, which is very symbolic of west portal itself. Well, the restaurant has been here since 1957, so were going on 63 years in the neighborhood. My family came into it in 1987, with me coming in in 1988. My husband was a designer, and he knew a lot about art, and he loved color, so thats what inspired him to do the decorati decorations. The few times we went to mexico, we tried to get as many things as we can, and wed bring it in. Even though we dont have no space, we try to make more space for everything else. President yee juan of the reasons we came up with the legacy business concept, man eel businesses were closing down for a variety of reasons. It was a reaction to trying to keep our older businesses continuing in the city, and i think weve had some success, and i think this restaurant itself is probably proof that it works. Having the legacy business experience has helped us a lot, too because it makes it good for us because we have been in business so long and stayed here so long. We get to know people by name, and they bring their children, so we get to know them, also. Its a great experience to get to know them. Supervisor yee comes to eat at the restaurant, so hes a wonderful customer, and hes very loyal to us. President yee my favorite dish is the chile rellenos. I almost never from the same things. My owners son comes out, you want the same thing again . Well, we are known for our mole, and we do three different types of mole. In the beginning, i wasnt too familiar with the whole legacy program, but San Francisco, being committed to preserve a lot of the oldtime businesses, its important to preserve a lot of the old time flavor of these neighborhoods, and in that capacity, it was great to be recognized by the city and county of San Francisco. Ive been here 40 years, and i hope it will be another 40 yeararararararararararararararr