News you don’t want to miss for April 7:
1. A nursing home in Orinda is being hit hard by a covid-19 outbreak that has infected 49 people, including 27 residents and 22 staff members, the East Bay Times reports.
2. Gov. Gavin Newsom is maintaining his belief that covid-19 cases in the state will peak sometime in mid-May, the Associated Press reports. But a new analysis predicts the surge in cases will come sometime this month, and the projected death toll will be far lower than previously predicted.
3. The Hayward City Council is expected to delay implementation of its recently approved minimum wage increase on Tuesday night due to the covid-19 crisis, the East Bay Citizen reports. The council approved in February an acceleration of the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour for large businesses starting on July 1.
4. The deadline to pay local property taxes is Friday, April 10, but only San Francisco and San Mateo Counties have decided to extend the deadline, the East Bay Times reports. In Alameda County, the tax collector’s office said it will work with property owners on an individual basis and waive penalties if they can show the late payment is due to covid-19.
5. Using reusable paper and plastic bags at grocery stores are banned for the time being in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and four other Bay Area counties, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Health officials fear the bags pose a risk of spreading covid-19. $$
6. Major League Baseball is contemplating a plan to resume its season by having all 30 teams play exclusively in Arizona and without fans in the stands, the Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, the covid-19 outbreak led to a movie box office haul of a measly $5,000 during the last week of March, SFGate reports.
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