COVID-19 Status Update for 08/24/2020

The status update for August 24, 2020 includes a update for the short-term lodging industry; video example of the Site-Specific Protection Plan in Action, updated COVID-19 activity and a quick summary of other major events from the day.  

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The Marin County COVID-19 Status Update is now publishing five days a week (Monday through Friday) and as needed, in order to share important news and resources in our battle against COVID-19 and to keep our economy running. We remain here for you.

Hotels, Motels and Short Term Rentals Reopen; Appeal for Evacuee Lodging

Today, short term lodging facilities -- including hotels, motels, short-term rentals, bed & breakfasts, and timeshares – can reopen to tourism-based clientele. The guidelines for short term lodging businesses are available at MarinRecovers.com.

The Bay Area is facing an unprecedented number of simultaneous fires and related evacuations. Traditional evacuation shelters, with individuals gathered under a single roof, present risk for the spread of COVID-19. This has placed special demand on hotel, motel, and short-term rental resources.  Operators of short-term lodging facilities should consider the following:

1) The demand for rooms regionally is high for people who have lost homes or are evacuating their homes based on fire. Leisure travelers should be granted lower priority when availability is limited.

2) If there are large evacuations in Marin County, or large numbers seeking shelter in Marin from neighboring counties, a Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP) will be established within Marin to coordinate resources for evacuees. Staff at the TEP will direct evacuees to available lodging in the area, especially as we seek to avoid large congregate housing in this time of COVID-19.

3) Short term rental businesses are encouraged to join the AirBNB program designed to facilitate hosting fire evacuees by registering on AirBNBs website.

Site Specific Protection Plan Guidance Videos Available

Business owners: implementing your Site-Specific Protection Plan is easier than you think! Marin Public Health, County of Marin, City of San Rafael, SocialJumpstart and United Market teamed up to produce a quick overview video discussing how business owners can easily implement some of the important health guidelines that protect both employees and customers.

COVID-19 Data Update:

Below is a summary of today’s data now available on Marin Data & Surveillance webpage. View the page for a broader range of data, plus interactive graphs for confirmed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Data analysis is available by age range, gender, race and city/town/geographic region. Questions about the data? See our Data FAQ or contact us.

COVID-19 activity in Marin:

Residential Care & Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 activity:

State COVID-19 activity:

 San Quentin State Prison COVID-19 activity:

We have seen an improvement in the COVID-19 outbreak situation at San Quentin, including no new cases reported over the past week. Marin Public Health will continue to monitor the situation at San Quentin, but at this point, we believe the outbreak of June 2020 is largely over. Therefore, as of 8/24/2020 we will no longer report San Quentin numbers in this status report (or on our surveillance page). However, you can continue to track all of San Quentin data at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website which is the source of our data.

In Other News… (Non-COVID Updates)

While the following is not related to COVID, it is news from Marin County's Emergency Operations Center that we thought you should know about.

Woodward Fire Update

The Woodward Fire continues to burn in Point Reyes National Seashore. To date, it has burned 2,487 acres of dense vegetation in a sparsely populated area of Marin County and 5% contained.

A portion of West Marin (Silverhills Road, Fox Drive and Norden Way south of Inverness Park) was evacuated today.  The rest of the previous evacuation warning still stands. Point Reyes National Seashore west of Highway 1 is now closed to all visitors, including the Point Reyes Lighthouse.  Please avoid the West Marin area.  Public safety officials ask that coastal traffic be limited to local traffic only. There are very few evacuation routes from West Marin and there are multiple fire resources utilizing the roadways. It is imperative that roadways remain open in the event of an evacuation order.  

Please see the Woodward Fire Incident page for greater detail about the fire. For ongoing updates, monitor Marin County Fire’s Twitter Account or call the Fire Information Line (415-473-7191).

Stay Informed

Follow the County of Marin on Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor or subscribe to our status updates. Visit MarinHHS.org/coronavirus for resources to stay connected on the issue.

Helpful Links and Online Resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• COVID-19 Test Information
• Face Covering & Mask Information
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Donation Options
• Business Reopening Guidelines
• Business Reopening Status
• Archive of past status updates

Contact Us.  We Are Here For You.

Have questions?  We are here to help.  Our call center is available Monday through Friday, from 9:30am to 12-noon and 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Please feel free to connect with us for general information and resources by calling (415) 473-7191.  We are also available online!  As a reminder, please only call 9-1-1 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency.

Reporting Businesses in Violation of Public Health Orders

We know this is a challenging time. Those wishing to report a public health order violation by a business can submit their concerns to SIPViolation@marincounty.org.  Please include the business name, address, and as much detail as possible regarding the perceived health order violation.  Photos and other documentation welcome, too. Reports will be forwarded to the appropriate governing agency for review and investigation.

 Visit Marin Recovers Status list for information on business openings and guidelines and the current health order for information on face covering requirements, shelter-in-place and more. Keep in mind that the goal of the order is to educate and keep our community safe. While violations of the public health order are misdemeanors, making arrests continues to remain a measure of last resort for local law enforcement. It will only be considered after all education and voluntary compliance efforts have failed.

Be a role model and follow the order while encouraging others to do the same. If you see a business out of compliance, you can speak directly to the owner, and offer the link or a copy of the COVID-19 Site-Specific Protection Plan as well as information about the Marin Recovers website. We’re all in this together and we all need to do our part.