California Mayors Call for More Testing to Slow the Spread of Coronavirus

The mayors of California’s largest cities are nervously watching the spread of the coronavirus, and worrying about what will happen next.

On Monday in Sacramento, Gov. Gavin Newsom met with mayors from around the state. The mayors said they discussed the spread of the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said to effectively contain the virus, thousands of people need to be tested every day.

“That is not happening in California or anywhere in the country right now," he said. "We critically need to scale up the number of tests."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been sharply criticized for a lack of testing kits around the country. While California has been ramping up testing, experts say it's still not enough.

Santa Clara County, where San Jose is located, currently has the highest number of confirmed cases in the state. On Monday, the county announced the first death from the virus, a woman in her 60s.

Oakland is also on edge after the cruise ship Grand Princess docked Monday, carrying at least 21 passengers who have tested positive for the coronavirus. The ship and its roughly 3,500 passengers and crew had been waiting off the California coast for several days until it was given a place to dock.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said she's concerned for all the residents of her city.

"That actually starts with our most vulnerable residents, that is our unsheltered people," she said.

Schaaf said Oakland is providing hand-washing stations and additional trash services in homeless encampments to try to prevent an outbreak.

In a public health order issued Monday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the city will allocate $5 million to add more hand-washing stations for homeless people living outside and to support cleaning services at privately owned single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels.

The order requires SRO building owners to disinfect their facilities, including “high-touch surfaces,” using CDC-approved household cleaners and provide washing stations and hand sanitizers. A team of public health workers will inspect the buildings, according to the announcement.

The funding will also be used to deliver meals at home to people living in SROs and expand meal service at shelters.

San Francisco Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax recommended that people 60 years old or older and those with underlying health conditions stay at home as much as possible because they are most at risk of getting sick or dying, if they contract COVID-19.

“For vulnerable people in SROs or shelters, this investment will help them limit their outings by assuring that food and shelter is available, and that congregate settings are clean environments,” Colfax said.

People experiencing homelessness often suffer from high blood pressure, heart and lung disease or health problems that weaken immune systems. Extremely low-income residents including seniors often live in SROs because they are some of San Francisco’s most affordable housing units available.

San Diego is taking similar steps. Mayor Kevin Faulconer said they are also focusing on educating people about how to stay safe.

“We’ve worked so hard to get so many individuals and families off the street," he said. "We want to make sure that the environment that is being provided in all of our shelters is a safe [and] clean one.”

Schaaf, Liccardo and Faulconer said their cities can currently handle the cost of dealing with the virus, but that that could change quickly if there were a dramatic increase in cases.

KQED's Erika Aguilar contributed to this story.

This story has been updated.