News Information and Media Site: California Today: ‘What’s the Right Thing to Do Here?’

March 13, 2020

By Jill Cowan

At the San Francisco Ferry plaza, the shops are high end, organic and normally would be quite crowded, but not on Thursday.Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Good morning.

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On Thursday, a day after the World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom made it official for Californians: Gatherings of 250 people or more anywhere in the state will have to be postponed or canceled, as will gatherings that are smaller, unless they’re taking place in venues where you can keep at least six feet away from anyone else.

[Get the latest on the coronavirus pandemic here.]

And for people who are older or who have weaker immune systems — meaning they’re at higher risk of getting severely sick or dying if they’re infected with the virus — events should be limited to 10 people.

That’s all according to a wide-ranging executive order Mr. Newsom signed on Thursday. The containment measures will be in place until at least the end of March.

“I have the ability as governor to enforce this,” he told reporters who, in accordance with social distancing guidelines, were spaced out in a briefing room. “But I don’t think we’ll need to do that.”

Places that host what are considered “essential” gatherings, like courthouses and schools, were excluded from the new restrictions, which require local officials to essentially not give permits to any events that would qualify, like sporting events, festivals or concerts.

The governor drew some raised eyebrows when he said that casinos and large theme parks, including Disneyland, were also left out.

Disneyland, he said, is “like a nation-state.”

“It’s just a whole different thing,” he said.

Nevertheless, on Thursday, the Walt Disney Company announced an unscheduled closure for only the third time in Disneyland’s 65-year history starting Saturday. California Adventure, too, is set to remain closed until the end of March.

[Read more about Disneyland’s historic closure here.]

Mr. Newsom’s order also gave state officials the ability to waive a one-week waiting period for people to apply for unemployment or disability insurance if they’ve been affected by the virus.

Later in the day, San Francisco Unified School District said all schools would close through April 3.

As of Thursday, there were 18 cases in San Francisco.

Statewide, as of Thursday night, there were 252 reported cases.

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The EAT Club case and the pandemic’s economic effects

The Facebook campus in 2019.Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Even before concerns about the coronavirus began upending normal life across California, the 100 or so workers in EAT Club’s San Leandro kitchen cooked while outfitted in “Intel ad bunny suits,” Doug Leeds told me: Gloves, smocks, hairnets, masks, booties.

They adhered to a rigorous hand-washing regimen.

“We have always had very stringent health and safety requirements,” said Mr. Leeds, EAT Club’s chief executive.

None of that has made the last 10 days any less complicated.

“From one day to the next, I don’t know if we’re going to have our best day ever or our worst,” he said. “And we’ve had some of both.”

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EAT Club, a roughly decade-old food tech company, delivers individually packaged lunches to offices around the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Workers at tech companies (Mr. Leeds said he couldn’t name names) and other offices can pick from about 40 changing meal choices on any given day, or put in orders with partner restaurants.

More than 500 part-time employees deliver the meals en masse to each workplace.

[Read about the stimulus deal Congress neared with the White House on Thursday night.]

Many of its clients, businesses that buy subscriptions, bring in EAT Club meals four days a week, and switch to buffet-style catering on, say, Fridays.

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As worries about the outbreak rose at first, Mr. Leeds said, the company started getting calls from big clients asking if they could ask to switch their buffet days to EAT Club’s sealed salads, grain bowls and sandwiches. Clients wanted to avoid having their employees hovering over steam trays, all grabbing the same tongs.

“They were saying, ‘Can you start Monday?’” Mr. Leeds said. EAT Club considered staffing up to meet the rush of demand.

As employers started sending workers home, though, things changed. Clients started asking to pause service. EAT Club’s business had been even until this week, but now things are turning negative.

At the moment, he said, the company is shouldering the losses. But if the trends continue for weeks, workers’ hours will have to be cut.

And unlike in more typical economic times, “this is not a price issue.” Giving discounts wouldn’t solve the problem.

So Mr. Leeds said he’s been trying to get creative. His team has asked clients to keep buying meals but donate them to community organizations, like Food Runners San Francisco or Boys & Girls clubs.

There’s been some interest so far, but Mr. Leeds noted it can be challenging for big corporations to shift around costs on short notice.

Having those employers sponsor meals for kids who aren’t getting meals at school would be great, too, but Mr. Leeds granted that would also be tough to arrange.

He said he hadn’t heard from suppliers that they’re struggling, for now.

“I think we’re all, everyone — our clients, our employees — we’re just trying to be responsible,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out, what’s the right thing to do here?”

Here’s what else to know today

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Medical staff administering a coronavirus test to a drive through patient at a hospital in San Francisco.Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Even as Mr. Newsom said the state was working to get more labs running, people across the country, including in California, have struggled to get tested for the virus. [The New York Times]
“Government likes to convince the people that they’re in charge and everything is under control and we’ll take care of you — and that’s not true.” Meet San Mateo County’s chief health officer, Dr. Scott Morrow. He doesn’t mince words. [The New York Times]
You’ve seen the graphic around the internet. Here’s what it means to “flatten the curve,” and how it explains why slowing the spread of infection is so important. [The New York Times]
Asian-American seniors are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. But taking precautions is isolating. [The Los Angeles Times]
You may have gotten your census form in the mail today, but you can fill it out online, too. A former director of the Census Bureau wrote about how the coronavirus could change the way we count ourselves forever. [New York Times Opinion]

If you missed it, read more about what’s at stake for California in the census this year. (We could lose a House seat.) [The New York Times]

Jerry Dyer, Fresno’s longtime former police chief, appears set to become the mayor of California’s fifth-largest city. His top opponent conceded. [The Fresno Bee]
If you’re spending a weekend in and need some food for thought, read an interview with a historian about the profound ways epidemics have shaped human history — for better or worse. [The New Yorker]

California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here.

Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter, @jillcowan.

California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

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