Vaccines ‘a step closer’ for Berkeley kids under 12 after FDA panel recommendation
If approved, Berkeley children would be able to get vaccinated as soon as next week. BUSD has three vaccine clinics planned for November.
Coronavirus
Top Stories
A ‘mad rush’ to get Berkeley kids to school after most district bus drivers are exposed to COVID
Bus service isn’t expected to resume until Friday, leaving parents scrambling to make carpool plans.
Berkeley school board approves student vaccine-or-test requirement
The policy, designed to serve as “an on-ramp” to the statewide student vaccine mandate, was approved without a controversial proposed vaccination requirement for student-athletes.
When will Berkeley lift mask mandates? Here are the new Bay Area criteria
Berkeley will end its mask requirement when the rest of Alameda County reaches low case rates and high vaccination levels.
COVID-19 vaccine
All California students will need to be vaccinated to attend classes in person
Students in California will have to get the vaccine or enroll in independent study. The rule will apply to school staff, too.
School board split over proposal to mandate vaccines for athletes and at events like prom
The proposed rule requires students to get vaccinated or tested weekly and includes a controversial vaccine mandate for athletes and events.
Berkeley enacts COVID vaccine mandate for city workers
Workers have until Nov. 15 to get vaccinated, unless they can claim a medical or religious exemption from the requirement.
Berkeley Unified to consider vaccine-or-test rule for students
The Berkeley school board will discuss a policy Wednesday that would require students to get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. A vote is not yet expected.
Berkeley to require proof of vaccination at indoor restaurants, bars, gyms and more
Workers at those businesses and several others will also be required either to get vaccinated or receive weekly COVID-19 tests.
City
Berkeley’s vaccination requirement goes into effect Friday
Proof of vaccination will be required at restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms, dance and yoga studios, and events with at least 1,000 attendees. Also: theaters where food or drinks are sold.
In brief
Rental assistance is available for tenants and property owners in Berkeley
Tenants and property owners who need financial support with rent and utilities can apply by the end of September to receive up to 15 months of help.
Berkeley’s biggest homeless camps were closed. Where are the residents now?
Twenty-five percent of West Berkeley encampment residents are in hotels, 17% were housed and 25% are still on the streets.
Berkeley starts giving out COVID-19 ‘boosters,’ though most won’t be eligible for months
The city started giving third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine last week to people with compromised immune systems.
Schools
Berkeley High’s pandemic yearbook is a time capsule of a historic year
With schools shut, yearbook staff were tasked with the impossible: commemorating a year at home.
Berkeley City College bucks trend of declining enrollment
Berkeley’s community college has managed to retain students at relatively steady levels throughout the pandemic.
Wildfire season complicates efforts to keep Berkeley schools safe from COVID-19
On bad air days, schools are instructed to close windows and doors and let the air purifiers work. But during the pandemic, that solution comes with its own problems.
No big spike in COVID-19 cases after three days of elementary school surveillance testing
After the first days of K-6 surveillance testing, 523 students are on “modified quarantine” and 12 are quarantining at home.
Nosh
Why it’s legal for East Bay restaurants to require vaccinations
An East Bay ax bar; a new chef for Downtown Wine Bar; more Quick Bites.
A running list of East Bay bars and restaurants that require proof of vaccination
Every East Bay restaurant and bar that requires vaccination proof, negative testing, or other COVID-19 protections.
Berkeley mayor calls for masking mandate as delta variant spreads
East Bay restaurants and bars have resorted to a patchwork of rules in the absence of official restrictions.
2 Oakland restaurants will ban diners who don’t bring proof of vaccine or negative COVID test
Palmetto and the Kon-Tiki will require all patrons to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
In brief
Berkeley enters orange tier: Bars, offices able to reopen
California is expected to announce Tuesday that Alameda County can move into the orange tier, meaning Berkeley could open bars and expand several other business operations.
In brief
Alameda County should enter red tier soon: Berkeley indoor dining, gyms would then reopen
The County and Berkeley will enter red tier next week if they can sustain low case rates, making several businesses eligible to reopen indoors.
Golden Gate Fields
‘Urgent’ changes at Golden Gate Fields amid 100 more COVID-19 cases
More than 300 people at Golden Gate Fields have now tested positive for COVID-19. The racetrack has approximately 540 workers, the state has said.
Golden Gate Fields horse trainer Bob Hess Sr. has died from COVID-19
Hess told Berkeleyside from his ICU bed recently he was looking forward to his next meal at his favorite restaurant, Bette’s Oceanview, where he had eaten more than 8,000 times.
How did 200 racetrack workers at Golden Gate Fields get COVID-19?
The track has said 95% of the people who tested positive had no symptoms and that this is likely what allowed the disease to spread so broadly.
As of Friday, more than 200 people at Golden Gate Fields have COVID-19
More than 200 people from the Golden Gate Fields racetrack community have contracted COVID-19, according to a new statement officials released early Friday evening.
More than 100 workers at Golden Gate Fields racetrack now have COVID-19
More than 100 racetrack workers at Golden Gate Fields tested positive for COVID-19 this week. The city of Berkeley’s total case count spiked overnight from about 920 to 1,050.
In Brief
In brief
Berkeley moves toward COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers
The proposed policy would require city workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15. Exceptions to the mandate would be limited.
In brief
Berkeley’s mass vaccination site at Golden Gate Fields closes after 4 months
People in Berkeley who still want to get a vaccine can do so at the West Berkeley site, 1701 San Pablo Ave., which is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In brief
UC Berkeley to hold in-person graduation for class of 2020 in August
Graduates will have the chance to walk across the stage at the Greek Theatre Aug. 29.
Opinion
Opinion: Berkeley mayor says, do your part to address public health risks
The city of Berkeley will help businesses and artists impacted by the coronavirus and is taking steps to help the homeless, seniors, and single parents, among others.
Opinion: Change your behavior now to prevent spread of COVID-19, implores Berkeley native quarantined in Italy
The outbreak of COVID-19 is now a global pandemic. People should take it seriously, yet also be wary of alarmist panic.
Opinion: When Berkeley residents are there for each other, we are at our best
COVID-19 is also threatening a local economic crisis, which may affect the viability of Berkeley’s small businesses. Here are some steps we can take to help out.
Recent stories
Berkeley schools scramble under strain of delta variant
A week and a half after the start of classes, the district is bracing for an uptick in COVID-19 case counts. About 16% of staff aren’t fully vaccinated. And remote learning enrollment, still very low, ticks upward.
