Coronavirus update: Save Mart hiring; City halls in Modesto, Turlock closing
As more than 7 million Bay Area residents were ordered to stay in, others were weighing whether to do the same.
Shutdowns swept across the United States, and in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Facebook Live update Monday evening that restaurants stop serving meals in their establishments, as the Bay Area did.
New York is pondering a similar shelter-in-place edict similar to the Bay Area’s.
Here’s a look at the latest news surrounding the coronavirus.
Modesto shuts down City Hall
Modesto, along with other Stanislaus County cities, shut down City Hall in an attempt to support “social-distancing.”
“Essential services, include waste collection, water and sewer operations, and transit will continue as normal,” city spokesman Thomas Reeves said in an email.
Stanislaus County teachers hard at work preparing
As schools across Stanislaus County prepare for a coronavirus-driven closure later this week that for some districts is set to last through the first three weeks of April, educators are learning right alongside children.
The superintendents of the public school districts had on Monday morning what County Office of Education spokeswoman Cynthia Fenech said was in large part an information-gathering session.
Our Deke Farrow did a tremendous job talking to educators and parents as schools prepare to close.
Costco, Vintage Faire Mall remain busy
Our Kristin Lam and Julian A. Lopez surveyed the city yesterday, and found people out shopping, mainly for themselves or the elderly.
“It used to be fun to walk around Costco and today, everyone who was there...didn’t want to be there,” a man named Robert said. “They were all in a hurry and going in and out.”
Walking through downtown last night, many restaurants were closed and few people were on the street, although it was a Monday night.
SaveMart, other stores hiring
The Save Mart Cos. with grocery stores in Sacramento, Modesto, Merced and Fresno is looking to hire nearly 1,000 employees throughout California and northern Nevada due to increasing demands spurred by the coronavirus crisis.
The Modesto-based company, which includes 205 FoodMaxx, Lucky and Save Mart grocery stores, also is hiring for jobs at its warehouses in Roseville and Merced.
The Save Mart announcement comes as other grocery store companies seek to hire more employees in response to restaurants closing or adjusting operations to slow the spread of respiratory disease COVID-19.
How has this affected you?
We want to find out about how all of this has affected your daily life. Please fill out the form below.
Here are a couple of answers.
“The coronavirus has not changed much in my daily routine. I suffer from OCD and anxiety and have had a habit of cleaning and disinfecting often. I have been cautious of germs and now that I see people do some of the things I do, like open doors a certain way or with tissues or avoiding touching things a certain way in public, it’s not unusual ... I live that everyday. I do want to say that being proactive is the best. Way to lessen my anxiety .... Being prepared allows for less anxiety than sitting around wondering ‘What if?’. There is a lot of good help out there coming out to the public regarding mental health and coronavirus anxiety. This is a time to reflect on not only our physical health but our mental one as well.”
“I won’t be going to our church building for the next few weeks, along with the rest of my church family. Instead, we are splitting into small groups and holding church in our homes, with people being videoed in with use of phones if they are safer staying home. Our Smart TVs will play the pre-recorded service and we will take time to discuss, pray and eat a meal together. We will look after those who are confining themselves to their homes and make sure they have groceries and necessary medicines. We will check on our neighbors and make sure needs are met. We are not panicking at all but we are considering those who are in the high-risk categories and those who are fearful and are acting in response to their concerns. We also intend to comply with the governmental authorities in our community.”
Around the valley
A temporary volunteer and substitute teacher who worked at Sutterville Elementary School in February and tested positive for coronavirus died on Sunday, according to a statement released by the Sacramento City Unified School District.
The district announced last week that the substitute tested positive for the virus, and responded by deep cleaning the school.
Tulare County announced its third Coronavirus case.
Is a recession on the way?
A global recession may be inevitable now as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic, economists say.
“In our view, the worst for the economy is still to come over the next several months,” said Joachim Fels, global economic advisor at PIMCO, CNN Business reported.
We will add to this story throughout the day when it warrants.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 7:57 AM with the headline "Coronavirus update: Save Mart hiring; City halls in Modesto, Turlock closing."
