read the in memoriams? >> clerk: yes. today's memory will be adjourn adjourned -- meeting will -- [inaudible] >> clerk: and on behalf of supervisor mandelman, for the late phyllis lyons. >> supervisor preston: and preston joined on lyons, as did ronen. >> clerk: okay. >> president yee: okay. that bring does s us to the en our agenda. do we have any further business today? >> clerk: we have no further business today. >> president yee: okay. thank you. we are adjourned. >> clerk: thank you.

>> mayor breed: i'm mayor london breed, mayor of san francisco. i am joined by the director of public health, grant cofax, trent roar, the director of homelessness and housing abigail

stewart-khan, the police chief, and the director of emergency management. today we'd like to provide an update and of course answer questions to the press during this virtual press conference. as of today, we have 1,216 confirmed cases of covid-19 in san francisco. sadly, we have 20 people who passed away as a result of the virus. as a reminder, datasf.org/covid-19 is where you can find details to find out who is actually infected as well as those who have been tested. i want to be clear from the very beginning when we heard about what was happening with the coronavir

coronavirus, specifically in wuhan, china, sadly there were a lot of xenophobia of those in our asian community. this virus is not discriminating on the basis of race. sadly, the xenophobia continues. we want our community to know we are here to provide the resources and the support necessary to deal with the challenges around discrimination. so it's not tolerated here in san francisco. in fact, as we look at the data and the inequities as it relates to covid-19, we are seeing the

disparities, true disparities around income and inequality and other things that have sadly been a part of our environment and our climate for so many years, that when there is a pandemic, those issues are heightened and made work and exacerbated as a result of this pandemic. specifically people who might not have access to good health care or conditions or outcomes are those most impacted. we see that people who live in crowded settings and congregate situations since day one, those are the most challenging as they are the most impacted by the virus. the data is what is helping to shape our understanding of this virus, as it relates to san

francisco. but it is also playing itself out throughout the country. i'm really proud of this city because not only do we have an office of racial equity, from the very beginning when we operated this emergency operations center right here, from day one we put into effect an equity team, a team comprised of people who are familiar with various cultures and communities, with the sole purpose of providing the necessary support to educate people about the virus, the impacts, and also provide access to services. an example is from the very beginning when we were asking non-essential businesses to close and we had a number of nail salon that were still open where there was a language barrier. this particular team was a team

that outreached to that particular business, to not only explain why it was necessary to close, but what other small business services are available. our public housing and the residents of public housing who already are dealing with challenges around income and equality but also access to resources, to reach out to the neighborhood non-profit organizations that work with residents of public housing and affordable housing to provide resources to food and an understanding about employment insurance and all of the resources available, it takes a lot of work. typically you would walk up and fill out the paperwork with someone online, and now that

work is a lot harder to do, requiring us to be creative and requiring more volunteers for outrea outreach. maybe sure that those who are not connected to the internet or know how to use it, that we are supporting them so no one is left out. we are focused on if anything sure and director davis from the human rights commission will talk more about some of the incredible things they are doing to help underserved communities in san francisco. some of the simple things, providing gift cards to families with food, providing help for filling out unemployment insurance applications. providing assistance and understanding of some of the laws and things we've implemented in the city and making sure people are connected, informed, and supported through basic

services. it's really key to supporting all of our residents and we have been doing this since day one. i want to take this opportunity to thank the non-profit organizations and our faith leaders, because they are on the frontlines, communicating with their congregations, providing support and delivery services informally and on the ground doing everything they can to support their residents. i want to express my appreciation to so many community members who have taken it on themselves to ask community members who they may need, especially the people we know who are in isolation, their neighbors and everyone in this.

this means we have to continue the acts of kindness and support for our neighbors. speaking of neighbors, i want to talk a little bit about some additional things that we are going to be adding to our data tracker. people are of course interested in learning about this virus, not only by race and health disparities, but also by location. so today on the tracker we'll have information by zip code of where people are sadly who are diagnosed with coronavirus, what particular neighborhoods they live in. again, it goes back to some of the disparity -- disparities we

knew. we are seeing more cases, which is consistent with our findings that about 25% of those people who are infected in this city are latino. and the latino community represents 15% of the population. so there is a huge disparity there. we also see a large part of homeless population in sonoma being infected. i want to be clear what this map reveals information that helps us to understand where the cases are, but it in no way indicates that some parts of our city are safer than others. so i don't want us to get the idea that that is the case in any of our neighborhoods. this is really about gathering more information and doing

everything we can to provide the public with everything we have just so that you are aware and so that you understand how important it is to continue to take the precautions we are asking you to do. whether it's wearing a face covering, whether it's socially distancing yourself from anyone who is not a part of your household, and staying inside as much as you possibly can, except for essential services or to take a walk and get some fresh air. these steps are critical to doing exactly what we need to do to continue to flatten this curve in san francisco. i also want to talk about many of the challenges that people continue to face. we early on put a moratorium on evictions for residents and our commercial businesses.

we know that the water and the power will not be turned off as a result of this pandemic, which is i know helpful to help ease people's minds just a little bit as we go through this real challenge. but ultimately we know that the biggest challenge will be access to food. access to food in general, but also healthy food. and we know that communities where we have a lot of low-income families, where people have lost their jobs, where in some cases they might not qualify for unemployment insurance, where our immigrant communities are afraid to maybe interact with the government in various communities. here in san francisco, i am so proud of the work we have done to really identify such a significant need to help provide

a adverse population of people with food. i just want to talk a little bit about some of the things we are doing. basically we recently launched a pilot program with the salvation army to make and deliver meals to people who are experiencing homelessness and those that are living in encampments. i know people are not necessarily happy with the encampments, but we realize those are people who also need food too. the salvation army will be partnering with us to make sure they get fed and that feels are delivered to them. as well as working with us on important programs to provide to those who are without a home. thanks to their work, we'll be able to deliver 1300 meals daily to people across 40 locations in san francisco.

this is just one part of our massive undertaking to help get food to our vulnerable populations. we're also providing three meals a day to the people who are not only in our shelters but are in hotel rooms who we moved out of the shelters for the purposes of keeping people separated from one another so the virus doesn't continue to spread. i want to talk about the san francisco unified school district. 319,000 people have been fed to date because even though, unfortunately, the schools had to close, there have been a number of people who showed up, folks making sure people had access to meals. more than 12,000 meals have been delivered by open hand, self help for the elderly, and our

isolating and quarantining hotline. so what we announced last week was the ability for anyone who might experience isolation or no access to food to go to sfgov.org or to call 311 so we can make sure groceries are delivered to families to our elderly or disabled residents who might not be able to get out and get food. i want to appreciate the food bank. they've set up 13 pop-up locations in the bayview and excelcior communities that are struggling. some of the low-income communities, they've had a lot of volunteers. i visited one location where they are handing out food boxes and providing resources and they

are doing that on a regular basis. meals on wheels is a program that continues to deliver food to those who are disabled and elderly. also, i want to take a moment to appreciate the countless san franciscans who are shopping for their neighborhoods, who are reaching out to people they know that need help. i know that one of my staff members here in the city has five seniors that she specifically shops for every single week. those are the seniors she's committed to. i think it does absolutely amazing when people take on the responsibility of supporting their neighbors and doing what you can to make sure they have the resources that they need. the incredible people of this city who continue to reach out and do all that they can. so i think it's clear that our goal is to make sure that no one is deprived of food during this pandemic. i just want to take a moment to

appreciate the private sector. the people who have given to givesf. we've collected almost $8 million in private money and partnered that with money from the city and county of san francisco to provide support for people to access food. it's been absolutely incredible. thank you to the san francisco foundation and to give to sf. i'll talk about that more this week to acknowledge the contributors who have gone above and beyond to help with food and security around our city. i have to say, san francisco has been a model in providing access to food to people all over this city. so if you know anyone you think needs help for any reason, please call 311 or go to our

website sfgov.org. let's make sure no one goes hungry as a result of this pandemic. jeff humlin is here to talk about some updates with regards to muni. i am really excited about his announcement today to add certain lines back into the fold, some new adjustments. i want to thank the transit operators, our muni operators. the folks who are cleaning the buses. the folks who are showing up every single day, putting their lives on the line, in order to get our essential workforce to their destinations. the hospitals, grocery stores, or places folks are making themselves available to the public because we know that people still need food, they

need access to the hospitals, they need their medication and other things. people on the frontline getting folks without access to transportation any other way are our muni drivers. i want to take this moment to really appreciate them so much for their hard work and their dedication. and also the number of drivers who are coming back to work. some were out sick. some had concerns about their family members. i want to make it clear that the program we have for first responders includes our muni drivers and those who are working every single day. so if you're concerned about your families and you want to come to work, which we desperately want you to come to work, and you want to stay here in san francisco at a hotel room because you are concerned that you interact with thousands of members of the public and you don't want to put your families at risk, we are here for you because we need you and we

appreciate all that you continue to do to support the people of this city. jeff humlin will talk more about that in terms of an increase in service. i also want to remind people because as far as the face coverings, i want to be clear with people, you are not required to wear a mask specifically. just anything that can cover your nose and your mouth when you are standing in line or in any location that provides an essential service. if you're out riding your bike, running, walking your dog, basically that is not necessarily a requirement to wear a face covering, but doing anything else where you're around other people, number one, it does not take the place of social distancing. number two, you're required to wear a face covering. i want to reiterate that. please follow our guidelines. please use common sense so that

we can keep you safe and others around you safe as well. last but not least, today is april 20, 4/20. it's a time when in the past there would be a celebration with those who are marijuana enthusiastics at golden gate park. we made it clear that it is canceled today. i want to express my appreciation to the ambassador of the bay e40, a rap artist who has been really a part of the fabric of our rap culture here in the bay area since i was in high school and so many people love and admire him. we appreciate his message of love and his expression to ask people to stay home this year.

we hope you heed our message to stay home today and to not come to golden gate park. so far, so good. we want to thank you for abiding by our direction on 4/20. we know it's difficult because you want to celebrate. we want to celebrate so many things right now, but it is a matter of life and death. this is why we're asking people in this city and everywhere to continue to not gather in large groups, to stay at home for the most part except for essential services, to use face coverings and common sense. take care of yourselves and your family members so we can get through this as safely as possible. with that, i want to take this opportunity to introduce dr. grant colfax to provide an update from the department of public health.

>> thank you, mayor breed. good afternoon. i'm dr. grant colfax, director of health for the city and county of san francisco. today i am glad to bring forward more data on the effect of coronavirus in our community. i have consistently stressed the

need to follow data, science, and facts in our collective response. today is another step forward in that philosophy. the online tracker -- the online data tracker now includes a map that shows the approximately 1,200 people who have tested positive in the city, the number of these cases per zip code, as well as the rate at each location. this map shows us that some areas have higher rates than the rest of the city based on the testing that we have done so far. the map affirms what we already know about how this virus spreads. the population and locations in our city that are most affected by health disparities, by income inequality, and by structural rates of them are also going to

be the areas most affected by this pandemic. unfortunately, health emergencies exploit the inequalities in society. people with chronic illnesses, underlying health conditions, and from communities who have experienced institutionalized stigma and discrimination are going to be more at risk for getting sick. this map is sobering, but unfortunately it is not surprising. unfortunately, it looks like many other maps in san francisco, including those that depict health disparities, income inequality, and racial and ethnic inequities. and yet, this map also supports

our focus on equity in vulnerable population in our collective response to this pandemic. we must make progress in reducing the spread of coronavirus everywhere, everywhere, in our city or we will not emerge from this pandemic. even though our rates of the data are still incomplete because about a third of test results we receive do not include this information, i still felt it was important to start sharing the emerging picture now. let me walk through the map and explain what it does and does not tell us. the map shows confirmed cases of coronavirus in san francisco by zip code. it is based -- and this is very important -- it is based on the number of people we have tested. as you know, we have not testing

nearly everyone. as of today, there are about 11,250 tests that had been reported in san francisco. about 1,200 are positive. the city-wide rate of the tests -- of the positive tests of the tests that had been done is 14.07 per 10,000 people. again, this is important. the map does not show the prevalence or the total number of covid-19 cases in the zip code because most people have not been tested. and i want to stress that no zip code or neighborhood is inherently safer than another. every san franciscan should continue to exercise

precautions. this map should not make anyone feel more relaxed or, at the same time, more fearful. the number of cases diagnosed in the city, just over 1,200, are small compared to the overall san francisco population, which is over 800,000. all san franciscans have been doing a tremendous job of slowing the spread of the virus. the map itself does not answer questions about why there are more cases in some areas than others. it is descriptive data based on the zip codes of people with positive test results. the map shows case counts and simple rates based on dividing the positive cases of those tested by the total population of each zip code.

when we look to explain these data, we think of factors that are associated with being diagnosed with covid-19. the risk factors for getting sick include circumstances such as whether people are living in crowded conditions and whether they have sufficient support to stay at home and reduce their outings. the risk factors for becoming seriously ill or dying after getting sick include reasons such as age and underlying health conditions. the areas of the city with the most cases so far match up with these factors. let me give two examples. the 94107 zip code currently is one of the highest rates of cases in the city. that makes sense from what we

know because the m.s.c. south shelter is in that zip code, which is the location of the city's largest outbreak, with 96 cases among guests to date. the 94110 zip code has among the highest number of cases in the city. this likely reflects crowded housing conditions, including multi-family and multi-generational homes, which makes it more difficult to practice social distancing and quarantine and self-isolation. this is the mission, the heart of san francisco's latino community. city-wide 25% of positive covid-19 cases are among latinos, although they make up only 15% of the san francisco population. now i would like to talk about

our ongoing strategy at the health department to focus on equity in our coronavirus response. these maps reinforce our need to continue to do this. we are committed to addressing health disparities in our city, and this is a major focus of our work in normal times. it is made all the more urgent in today's emergency. during this pandemic we have from the beginning know that existing inequity exists that exists in our system would be amplified. we have been working with community leaders and supporting outreach to community in multiple ways. we remain committed to listening and collaborating and taking action with the most-affected communities and community-based organizations. in our response we have an

equity officer, as does the city as a whole, and a community branch that develops strategy to ensure that communities that are affected by structures of racism and other discrimination are getting the information and services needed. we know it is critical to have trusted messengers as we engage with communities, in order to improve health and well-being in the most vulnerable populations. i am, the department is, the city is committed to working with our frontline providers, community-based organizations, and neighborhood leaders to address this pandemic. as we are seeing more cases in the latino community, we have been working with community leaders to ensure people have the information they need, that they are aware of available resources, and that they receive

outreach in their own language. we need to do everything we can to support them and we see people living in crowded households who have to work and make several trips a week to get food and other essential supplies. they cannot do one big grocery shop due to income limitations and other potential limitations. people in these circumstances are going to be more at risk. we are seeing that play out, unfortunately, with a disproportionate number of cases in the latino community. at zuckerberg hospital, we have seen more than 85% of the coronavirus patients there are latino, which is a much higher rate of the patient population, which is about 30% of latino representation. we have also learned that some

members of the latino community are reluctant to work with contact tracers and case investigators. this is certainly understanda e understandable. it is possible that they are fearful of local government, concerned about immigration, or simply don't have all the information they need to be comfortable. therefore we are providing language support in spanish and in other languages about the contact tracing program and public materials about the stay-at-home order and also with regard to face coverings and other ways people can protect themselves. in addition, we are being responsive to community needs for more inclusive messaging and materials to create a wide range of spanish language and yucatan mayan community outreach information, including posters,

fact sheets, and community posts. community organizations have stayed in close contact through phone and e-mail with their latino clients and many are doing community outreach. these are key partners in our collective response, especially given the xenophobia and anti-immigration aspects of how this pandemic is being played out at the national level. after learning that some members of the community are reluctant to work with contact tracers, we held a webinar geared toward spanish-language media. we conducted an example in spanish and said that this has no bearing on the work and whether people will receive care here in san francisco. we are, after all, a sanctuary

city. our health branch along with community organizations, supports essential businesses in the community to maintain social distancing as part of their operati operations. we have opened covid-19 symptom screening and testing sites in the community, including at the castro mission health center and at zuckerberg san francisco general hospital in the heart of the mission. and we are coordinating with a new ucsf research study based in the mission to learn more about the spread of the virus in the latino community. we will continue to do outreach to inform the latino community about the coronavirus and the resources available to them. in addition to the latino community, we are looking closely at all the neighborhoods and community members that may need more access to care,

information, and resources. that is why the health department opened the first field care clinic in san francisco in the bayview. this clinic will ensure that neighborhood residents have access to coronavirus testing, urgent and primary care for the duration of the pandemic, no matter how full the hospitals get. in another community collaboration, the health department works closely with the san francisco african-american faith-based coalition to inform and educate community members through their congregation. we are currently working with them on food distribution so that community members continue to have access to foods close to their homes. we have also been supporting the health of the community in soma and in the chinatown areas for

mandated s.r.o.s, including mandated cleaning and other outreach for these diverse neighborhoods. in the homeless community we have increased social distancing and food access in shelters and have been moving people from shelters into hotels for their safety. to date, nearly 750 people experiencing homelessness have been placed in hotels in collaboration with the human services agency. we have responded aggressively to an outbreak at m.s.c. south, conducting contact investigations, mass testing, moving everyone out, and deep cleaning the building. james from the health department and the community continue to provide outreach outside and on the streets, providing food, water, and information about

hand washing stations and linking them to support and care. these are a few examples and we must continue to listen to community partners and prove our response and use data to take action and guide our decision. i am committed to the health and well-being of all san franciscans and doing everything we can to support health and full recovery for all communities in our city during and after this pandemic. thank you. director sheryl davis of the human rights commission will now make some remarks with regard to additional support within the community.

>> good afternoon. my name is sheryl davis. i serve as the director of the human rights commission here in san francisco. the human rights commission is tasked with identifying and disrupting racism and discrimination trends in government and private business practices here in san francisco. i want to thank mayor breed and dr. colfax for the information they've shared today, this afternoon. nationally, this virus has woven an exceptionally cruel path

through our most vulnerable populations. we are working to ensure that this health emergency does not further exacerbate the existing health disparities we struggled to address before the coronavirus appeared. to also make the connection that these public health disparities are connected to economic and poverty and to homelessness and to geographic areas where people are living in difficult situations. we knew this would be a challenge long before we had any data. they have been addressing these things long before we had the data. people in these areas experience structural racism in ways that are affecting their health and their income, which makes contracting the coronavirus more

likely and more lethal. beyond the physical health, the economic impacts of covid-19 are yet to be realized. nationally, people of color and low-income communities are being hardest hit by the coronavirus. communities of color are more likely to work in essential jobs such as janitors, home health aids, delivery people, grocery, and farm workers, all serve industry positions with strong opportunities for exposure. the existing disparities of low income, the academic achievement gap, opportunity gap, contribute to these disparities that we are seeing. we need to shift how our systems partner and collaborate with those most impacted to change outcomes, not just during this crisis, but moving forward. we're excited that we have had the ability to really leverage

relationships and work that was already happening in community to address this. i want to acknowledge as we work to address food insecurity, as we talk about public health and health and wellness, a lot of people in community that were already struggling were doing this work. i want to make sure as we move forward that we recognize this. as this has been heightened and as awareness comes up, people want to remind us that they already knew this, were living with this, experienced this, and they appreciate there is a heightened awareness and attention to them, but let's not forget the work that was being done before this pandemic. we are trusting the resilient communities most exposed to guide a community response, for those people to remain safe, prepared and healthy. working with groups like the latino task force or the samoan development center or

communities as one, we have found a way to leverage and come together to build partnerships. mayor breed directed the partnership to work with stakeholders to explore how our systems contribute to the inequities that we see. and to develop strategies to improve outcomes for low-income people and communities of color. outside the shelter in place order in early march, we launched our community roundtable meeting, to bring together community stakeholders and to address these issues. again, people were doing this work and working to address these challenges. this approach means ensuring essential needs, including providing over 1,500 hot meals each day to 20 housing sites throughout san francisco in partnership with sfnewdeal and

our hope s.f. sites. we have been working along with the s.f.p.d. to distribute face coverings and information about social distancing. working in partnership with our communities, our street violence prevention program and our faith-based leaders. today we delivered over a thousand face coverings in the tenderloin and the western edition. this week we will work in partnership with s.f.p.d. to do some caravans, to distribute