California is giving a Chinese manufacturer it contracted with to produce hundreds of millions of protective masks one more week to get federal certification after the company twice missed the deadline.

The state signed a nearly $1 billion agreement in April with BYD, a Chinese company with Los Angeles-area offices, to deliver 200 million protective masks per month. They were set to start arriving in May. But the company has twice failed to get certification from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for its N95 masks, the tight-fitting respirators used by health care professionals. To date, none have been supplied to the state.

Following the latest missed deadline — on May 31 — the state could have sought a refund on roughly a quarter-billion dollars it had paid up front. But officials on Friday amended the contract to give the company until June 12, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

It's the latest twist for a deal Gov. Gavin Newsom announced with fanfare on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show in early April before his administration had finalized the deal.

In an unusual move, the state paid nearly half a billion dollars — half the deal’s total cost — upfront. BYD refunded half of that amount in May after failing to meet its first certification deadline.

The state still casts the contract as a success because it has received more than 90 million looser-fitting surgical masks from BYD, which have been distributed to local governments, schools and essential workers, Ferguson said. Newsom has repeatedly said taxpayers won't lose money on the contract because the state can get refunded back if the deal collapses.

Read the full story from the Associated Press here.

The city of Oakland added four more intersections to its "slow streets" program Friday, allowing residents to physically distance themselves while accessing essential services or going out for walks, runs and bike rides.

Traffic safety installations were added at the intersections of San Pablo Avenue and Myrtle Street, 73rd and Garfield avenues, Bancroft Avenue and Church Street and Bancroft and 73rd avenues.

At the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Myrtle Street, the city added cones at the corners to allow for wider turning, permanent two-way crosswalk signage on the median and cones along San Pablo Avenue to close one lane at the intersection's crosswalk.

At the other three intersections, located at the Eastmont Mall, the city disabled crosswalk push buttons to reduce access to high-touch surfaces that could serve as vectors to spread the virus.

Oakland began its slow streets initiative in early April, promising a total of 74 miles of car-free streets, and has since added more than 20 miles of temporary lane and road closures throughout the city to allow residents to maintain their distance from each other and reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

The city may continue expanding street closures under the program into the summer. A full map of affected streets can be found here.

— Bay City News

Sonoma County officials have announced that starting Saturday, June 6, the county will begin testing certain individuals for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Testing will initially target first responders, including paramedics, law enforcement and firefighters, as well as county residents who previously tested positive for the novel coronavirus and their household members.

The county will conduct tests at the public health lab in Santa Rosa, with plans to expand to select hospitals and health centers.

While PCR swab tests reveal if someone currently has the virus, antibody tests can show who has previously been infected, including those who were asymptomatic or weren't able to get tested. Health departments can use the data to better understand the spread of COVID-19 in communities.

In a statement, the county said, "Data from the antibody testing will be used to evaluate the county’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus and help inform decisions around reopening. This testing is not for the general public and is being done for surveillance purposes."

The county says it will run approximately 110 antibody tests per day and hopes to test 3,500 people within the next four weeks.

Tests will be free and people can expect results within two weeks.

— Peter Arcuni (@peterarcuni)

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he’s concerned about the increased spread of coronavirus as thousands of people in large groups gather across California to protest police violence.

The state, he added, should prepare for higher rates of positive tests because of both the demonstrations and the continued reopening of businesses.

“If you’re not (concerned), you’re not paying attention to the epidemiology, to the virulence of this disease,” he said during a visit to Stockton, where he met with Mayor Michael Tubbs and business owners to discuss systemic racism and injustices. Newsom added he’s particularly concerned about the disproportionate deaths from the virus among black Californians.

Still, California has no plans to halt its reopening efforts, though Newsom hasn’t announced any new easing of restrictions for businesses this week.

California has already allowed most counties to reopen restaurants, nail salons, churches and other businesses with restrictions. But highly anticipated guidance on schools has not been released, nor have details on the resumption of professional sports.

Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said the state is in a “range of stability” on cases and hospitalizations and is “working hard” on more guidance, and acknowledged it will be weeks before the effects of the protest on public health are fully known.

Ghaly highlighted the “importance of the freedom and liberty to protest” but added, “it does create infectious disease concern that we weren’t contending with before.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press here.

San Mateo County public health officials have revised shelter-in-place rules to allow for outdoor dining, charter boats and for funerals to resume there this week.

According to the new order, restaurants that have been closed since the shelter-in-place order took effect will be allowed to open for outdoor dining, so long as "all equipment, plumbing and ventilation systems are operational." A supervisor or employee must also be designated to maintain health, safety and proper social distancing protocols — and must be on-site during all open hours.

Additionally, tables must be set up more than 6 feet apart, and patrons are required to wear face coverings, except when seated at a table.

Charter boats will be allowed to operate, so long as 6 feet of distance can be maintained at all times between all passengers. The passengers on the boat "must not shake hands, share food or drinks, or engage in any physical contact with each other or with the captain and crew."

Outdoor funerals can be conducted with 25 people or fewer, while indoor funerals will be allowed with 10 people or fewer.

The new rules go into effect June 6.

— Michelle Wiley (@MichelleEWiley)

More than 230,000 Californians filed for unemployment benefits during the last week of May 30, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Since March 14, the state has processed 4,879,725 claims for unemployment. That represents 28.2% of the total workforce of California that is eligible for the unemployment insurance program.

As of May 23, 2,773,742 total people in California were receiving unemployment benefits. That represents 16% of all eligible employees in the state.

Nationwide, initial unemployment insurance claims declined from last week by about 16.4%, but is still up significantly from last year.

— Michelle Wiley (@MichelleEWiley) and Lisa Pickoff-White (@pickoffwhite)