Coronavirus live updates: Pink tests positive for COVID-19

To keep our community informed of the most urgent coronavirus news, The San Francisco Chronicle’s critical updates are free to read. Ongoing coverage is available to subscribers. Subscribe now for full access and to support our work.

Total coronavirus cases:

12,503 in California, including 3,151 in the Bay Area.

278,458 cases in the U.S., with 7,159 deaths, including 275 in California. The five states with the highest death tolls are: New York with 2,935, New Jersey with 646, Michigan with 479, Louisiana with 370, and Washington state with 295. Click here to see a U.S. map with state-by-state death tolls and coronavirus case counts.

More than 1.13 million in the world with more than 61,000 deaths. More than 233,000 people have recovered.

For detailed maps, check out The Chronicle’s Coronavirus Tracker.

To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

Breaking news developments from today:

6:19 a.m. Unemployment system overwhelmed: Many Americans seeking unemployment benefits are finding more frustration than relief, the Associated Press reports. State websites and phone lines across the country have been overwhelmed with applicants — causing sites to crash, phone lines to ring busy and much-needed payments to be delayed. While many states are doing their best to respond — adding staff, updating technology and streamlining the process — it’s tough to keep up with the pace of demand. About 10 million people applied for unemployment benefits in the two weeks ended March 27.

6:06 a.m. Having trouble paying rent? There’s help available. Read answers to frequently asked economics questions here.

5:47 a.m. Pink tests positive for COVID-19: In a pair of tweets, the singer said she and her 3-year-old son were displaying symptoms two weeks ago, and she tested positive after accessing tests through a primary care physician. Her family had already been sheltering at home and continued to do so, she said. They were tested again “just a few days ago,” and were negative. The Grammy Award-winning artist called for free and widespread testing and announced she’s donating $1 million to coronavirus-related relief funds.

5:35 a.m. U.S. might fly Americans home from Russia: The U.S. Embassy in Russia says it is trying to arrange a charter flight to repatriate Americans but warns it could be the last flight for some time. A planned Aeroflot flight to New York was canceled while on the taxiway Friday. Russia has banned all international airline flights, including those bringing Russians back to their homeland, in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Ross advised Americans that if the charter flight happens “this will likely be the final charter opportunity to depart Russia.” Russia has reported 4,731 coronavirus infections and 44 deaths.

Breaking news developments from April 3:

11 p.m. Newsom issues order protecting consumers from price gouging: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Friday that expands consumer protections against price gouging as part of California’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The order prohibits sellers from increasing prices on food, consumer goods, medical or emergency supplies, and “certain other items” by more than 10 percent, officials said. The order also allows officials with the California Department of Justice and Attorney General’s Office to take action against sellers who price gouge consumers, officials said. “This crisis has impacted every Californian and our normal way of life, and we are ensuring that all consumers are able to purchase what they need, at a fair price,” Newsom said.

10:59 p.m. Santa Clara County places all homeless people with COVID-19 in shelters: When tech-fueled Silicon Valley became an epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in California, one of the biggest concerns for political leaders was how to help the sprawling homeless population. On Friday, Santa Clara County leaders announced a small victory: every street dweller with a confirmed case of COVID-19 is now in a shelter. Additionally, the county found shelter beds or temporary housing for 174 other vulnerable community members, and 215 more people will obtain some type of shelter in the next few days. The county has secured 200 hotel and motel rooms hotel and motel rooms in San Jose, Gilroy, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. Last month, its biggest city, San Jose, led the charge on protecting homeless people from coronavirus, when Mayor Sam Liccardo issued a moratorium on encampment sweeps.

10:57 p.m. Gov. Gavin Newsom expands telehealth services: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Friday that expands protections to medical providers so that they can use video chat applications to provide routine and non-emergency medical appointments in an “effort to minimize patient exposure to COVID-19,” according to a statement issued by the governor’s press office. The order also “relaxes certain state privacy and security laws” so that health providers can provide services to customers without being penalized. Newsom said that the order will, “will allow providers to assess a greater number of patients while limiting the risk of exposure and infection of other persons from in-person consultations.”

10:35 p.m. Livermore police officer tests positive for COVID-19: A Livermore police officer tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday and is currently quarantined at home, “exhibiting only minor symptoms,” the department wrote on its Facebook page. All other staff who were exposed to the officer have tested negative. The department assures residents its officers are wearing protective equipment and practicing social distancing.

8:29 p.m. Delta lets travelers rebook flights for up to two years if their plans are changed by coronavirus: The airline announced Friday that it will waive change fees and grant flexibility for people with flights scheduled until the end of May, allowing them to switch to any date up through May 31, 2022. Delta offered the same terms to people with e-credits or canceled flights in March, April or May. And the airline will annul change fees for up to a year for tickets purchased between March 1 and May 31. Coronavirus has battered the airline industry, which would otherwise be enjoying a lucrative spring break.

7:39 p.m. Alameda County District Attorney condemns hate speech against Chinese Americans: “Hate and racism-driven conduct is spreading as rapidly as the COVID-19 pandemic,” Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said in a video message to residents Friday. Citing an uptick in harassment and crimes targeting Chinese Americans, she directed her staff to be on “heightened alert” as the crisis persists, and to swiftly respond to reports of hate crimes. Fremont Mayor Lily Mei and Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Carl Chan also issued video statements to condemn bigotry and xenophobia.

7:35 p.m. Bay Area hospitals brace for surge: The scramble for supplies continues at Bay Area hospitals. Seton in Daly City, for example, got enough masks and goggles for a month just before it was due to run out — but still has only three ventilators. The Chronicle’s Mallory Moench reports on how Bay Area hospitals are preparing for a surge that could peak statewide in May.

7:19 p.m. Oakland firefighter tests positive: The Oakland Fire Department said an employee tested positive for the coronavirus — the first in the department. The worker is recovering in self-quarantine and has not worked since March 15, officials said.

6 p.m. PG&E says fire-prevention work continues: The pandemic will not stop Pacific Gas and Electric Co. from trimming trees and performing other work to reduce the likelihood that its power lines will start fires, the company said Friday. Utility employees qualify as essential workers, and the company will restore electricity if the power goes out, manage vegetation around power lines, prepare for fire-prevention blackouts this summer and perform critical maintenance, according to a company news release.

4:50 p.m. Bay Area costume makers make masks: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and Opera San Jose join other grassroots efforts from local arts organizations putting their employee’s skills to use while shows have been canceled due to shelter in place orders. Read the full story here.

5:44 p.m. Alameda, Contra Costa counties issue blanket orders for people who test positive to self-isolate: Overwhelmed by an escalating number of coronavirus cases, health officers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties issued mass orders Friday for anyone who tests positive to isolate and quarantine themselves. That means staying at home unless they need urgent medical care or have to evacuate because of an emergency. Close contacts, meaning people who live with, care for, or are intimately involved with the infected person, must also isolate, according to the two orders. The quarantine period lasts 7 days for people with no symptoms. People who get ill must wait at least 7 days for their symptoms to pass. “Our resources are stretched extremely thin and business as usual is not an option,” Contra Costa Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano said. The county currently has 307 cases, and Alameda County has 443.

5:11 p.m.: California Legislature staying out until May: Legislative leaders now say the Assembly and Senate will be out of session until May 4 to avoid the possibility of spreading the coronavirus. The Legislature went into emergency recess last month and had set a return date of April 13, but leaders had expected it to be pushed back. They set the new target date late Friday. “Our priority continues to be bending the curve of infection,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a statement.

4:45 p.m. Stanford, UC Berkeley still planning to charge full tuition for spring term: Stanford, like most colleges and universities around the Bay Area and the country, will not reduce tuition for the spring term, despite moving to online-only instruction. This has frustrated many students, who circulated petitions demanding relief for students. Chronicle staff writer Ron Kroichick examines how students and administrators are coping with the financial squeeze resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

4:35 p.m. Trump opposes mail-in voting for general election: President Trump said in a White House news conference that the general election will continue as planned on November 3 and said without citing evidence that “a lot of people cheat” when voting by mail. When asked by a reporter if he thinks states should prepare for mail-in voting procedures in the event that shelter-in-place orders are active because of the coronavirus pandemic, he said no. Trump said voters should vote in person so they can “proudly display” themselves at voting booths with their voter IDs in hand.

4:31 p.m. Small-business loans hard to get: Banks were supposed to begin taking applications for $349 billion in loans promised to small businesses in the Cares Act. Only $1.8 billion were handed out Friday. Here are the many obstacles business owners face from the federal government and the banks.

4:30 p.m. Trial by video conference? Not yet, but courts are embracing more virtual proceedings: Changes in the legal system resulting from the pandemic, including remote hearings, may turn out for the best, say some lawyers and academics. Read Chronicle legal affairs reporter Bob Egelko’s analysis of how coronavirus is changing court proceedings in the Bay Area and beyond.

4:14 p.m. Santa Clara County reports 75 new cases, two more deaths: Health officials reported 75 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County on Friday, bringing the total to 1,094 cases. Two more people died, for a total of 38 deaths. People in their 30s, 40s and 50s account for nearly 60% of cases, while nearly 60% of those who died are in their 70s and 80s. There are 287 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the county, and 88 of them are in intensive care, officials said. Nearly 10,000 people have been tested in total, and more than 11% were positive.

4:06 p.m. CDC recommends people wear face coverings in public: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance on Friday that recommends people wear cloth face coverings in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Recent studies show that a “significant portion” of people infected with the virus do not show symptoms, according to the CDC. Asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people can still transmit the virus by speaking, coughing or sneezing. To prevent that from happening, the CDC recommends people wear cloth coverings over their nose and mouth in public settings where distancing is difficult, like the grocery store, especially in regions with significant community transmission. Face coverings can be made at home from scarfs, shirts, towels or other means. The CDC does not recommend people wear N95 respirators or surgical masks, which are in short supply. People must continue following all previous prevention guidelines like hand washing and social distancing. The federal guidance follows similar recommendations from several Bay Area counties yesterday. Read The Chronicle’s FAQ on wearing masks.

3:30 p.m. Trump comments on treatment coverage for immigrants: When asked in a Friday White House news conference if coronavirus treatment will be covered for millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, President Trump said, “We’ll be talking about that at a different time,” and did not elaborate further.

3:35 p.m. Eleven residents, staff at San Jose skilled nursing facility test positive: Seven residents and four healthcare workers at Canyon Springs Post-Acute Care have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, a spokesperson said. The San Jose skilled nursing and rehabilitation center had reported on Thursday that six people were infected and 26 other patients and staff were being monitored and tested. The facility has stopped admitting new people, isolated all of its patients and monitors them every four hours for signs and symptoms. “Our top priority remains the health and well-being of everyone in our facility as we continue to provide care based on county, state, and federal guidelines. We are grateful for our dedicated staff as they continue to selflessly serve others,” a statement from the facility said.

3:15 p.m. Trump defends Kushner’s comments on U.S. federal stockpile: President Trump told a reporter that she should “be ashamed of” herself for asking for clarification on Jared Kushner’s Thursday comments calling the federal stockpile “our stockpile” and not the states’ stockpile. In his Friday White House news conference, Trump said some states were ill prepared for responding to the coronavirus pandemic. He said that while the federal stockpile is designed so that federal officials distribute goods to states, the federal government is not an “ordering clerk.” Trump said, “But it’s also needed for the federal government. We have a very big federal government.”

3:11 p.m. Trump says shelter-at-place orders are ‘up to the governors’: When asked during a White House news conference if he agreed with Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Thursday statement that all states should launch shelter-in-place orders to reduce spread of the coronavirus in the country, President Trump said that, “I’ll leave it up to the governors.” Trump said that he didn’t know why Fauci was not at the news conference on Friday, but assured reporters, “we’re doing great together.”

3:09 p.m. Don’t force fire victims to rebuild during outbreak, Lara says. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a notice Friday telling insurance companies to stop enforcing deadlines on policyholders for claims or coverage until 90 days after any state of emergency has ended related to COVID-19. The notice applies to deadlines for claim forms, proof of loss, medical exams, physical inspections and any other deadlines which, if not met, could result in a policy cancellation. Lara said the notice came after the department received complaints from people who said their insurance companies told them they must continue to repair or rebuild homes lost in the November 2018 wildfires if they wished to obtain full replacement cost and additional living expenses due under their policies. State law, however, requires insurers to provide up to 36 months, plus additional 6-month extensions for “good cause,” for policyholders to collect full replacement cost and additional living expenses for reconstruction delays that result from circumstances beyond their control. The department has determined that the coronavirus pandemic constitutes a “good cause” beyond their control.

3:05 p.m. High school federation cancels spring sports: As anticipated, California Interscholastic Federation executive director Ron Nocetti canceled the spring sports season. The state’s high school sports governing body head said Friday the CIF was following the lead of California state school Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who announced earlier this week that schools will not reopen this academic year. Read the full story here.

3:01 p.m. More testing, donation sites available: The Chronicle is maintaining a list of Bay Area sites where people can get tested for the coronavirus. We’ve just added Brown & Toland and NEMS sites. There are also many hospitals looking for donations of N95 masks and other supplies. See the latest requests.

2:38 p.m. Rafters shut down across Western U.S.: Dozens of rafting groups across California and the Western U.S. agreed during on a Zoom call on Friday to put their white-water seasons on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic. The news comes after Sierra snowpack was found to be much lower than usual and outdoor parks across California shut down operations.

2:30 p.m. Trump says he won’t follow CDC’s face covering recommendation: President Trump said in a Friday White House news conference that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that people to wear face coverings in public, but it is voluntary. “You can do it. I’m choosing not to do it,” he said. He reminded people that medical-grade masks should be prioritized for health care workers and other first responders, saying that the CDC is recommending that people instead use a cloth or fabric mask.

2:12 p.m. Why does COVID-19 kill some, not others? It is scary enough that a dangerous virus is multiplying throughout the world, but one of the most frightening aspects of COVID-19 is the mysterious way it affects its victims, killing some people and leaving others with mild or no symptoms. It is a puzzle that has baffled medical professionals and prompted a batch of studies in the Bay Area and around the world to try to figure out what is going on. The early evidence is sobering. Read the full story by Chronicle science reporter Peter Fimrite.

2:11 p.m. Contra Costa officials release more information on outbreak at nursing facility, launch investigations into two more facilities: At least 27 people who live or work at a 45-resident nursing facility in Orinda have tested positive for the coronavirus, health officials said Friday, in what appears to be one of the largest outbreaks in the Bay Area. Contra Costa officials have also started testing at two other senior care facilities in the county. Officials started investigating the Orinda Care Center this week when two staffers sought sought medical care, according to the county Health Services. The two staffers and two patients tested positive on Wednesday. County health officials tested all patients and staff Thursday, they said, and confirmed 24 patients and three staffers had the virus. They are still awaiting some test results. Two of the residents are being treated at hospitals. As of Friday morning, no staffers or patients had died of the virus. Staffers and residents who do not have serious symptoms are medically isolated but not hospitalized, officials said. “The situation is very serious, and we are deeply concerned about residents of our senior care facilities in Contra Costa County,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, the county’s health officer. “That is why we need everyone to follow the stay-at-home order, social distancing guidance and other measures in recent health orders — to protect the people in our community who are vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19.” Read the full story here.

2 p.m. Golden Gate Park celebrates anniversary online: The 150th anniversary party for the park, which had live events set for Saturday, April 4, been postponed — but there are still plans to celebrate online. An online concert series will feature footage of an array of iconic musical events from the park’s history, starting 9 a.m. tomorrow. Read the full story here.

1:37 p.m. Napa County has 20 cases: Twenty people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Napa County, officials said Friday, hours after announcing a resident had died of the infection while being treated in another county. Officials said 422 individuals have been tested in the county, and 298 came back negative, with 104 results pending. Approximately 73 people are currently being monitored because they came into close contact with a confirmed case, officials said. (Correction: An earlier version of this post described the Napa County case count figure incorrectly. It is 20 cases total.)

1:32 p.m. Bay Area case total tops 3,000: The latest numbers of those infected with COVID-19 show 3,013 confirmed cases in the Bay Area. Statewide, there are 11,474 cases. For more, see The Chronicle’s tracker.

1:27 p.m. Shares close down 1.7%: The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 21,052.53, down 1.7%, as traders took the March jobs report — a monthly snapshot of the labor market from mid-March released Friday — as further evidence of the coronavirus’ impact on the economy.

1:25 p.m. More than 150 California health care workers infected: State health officials reported Friday there are 156 health care workers with a confirmed case of COVID-19, a 13% increase from Thursday, when the state reported 138 cases among health care workers. The state resumed reporting the number of infected health care workers after The Chronicle reported that it had stopped disclosing the information.

1:12 p.m. 20% of first U.S. deaths are people in middle age: A first look at recent U.S. death certificate data confirms that most of the initial American coronavirus deaths were people age 65 and older. But it also notes that nearly 1 in 5 were middle-aged. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 56% of deaths were people 75 and older, and another 23% were people in their late 60s and early 70s. But another 17% were ages 45 to 64, and 3% were 35 to 44.

1:05 p.m. Another CNN anchor has coronavirus: Brooke Baldwin is the second CNN anchor to test positive for COVID-19, she confirmed in an Instagram post. Chris Cuomo tested positive earlier in the week. Baldwin said she’s doing OK but the effects — chills, aches and fever — came on quickly Thursday.

1:02 p.m. 27 test positive at Contra Costa senior facility: At least 27 people have tested positive for COVID-19 at a facility that houses seniors in Contra Costa County, officials said. More details are expected to be released Friday afternoon at a news conference.

12:52 p.m. State has tested nearly 100,000: As of Thursday, approximately 94,800 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in California, the state’s health department reports. At least 35,267 results have been received and another 59,500 are pending. The state is using at least 27 public and private labs around California.

12:48 p.m. Second Riverside deputy dies of coronavirus: A second deputy at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has died of the coronavirus, authorities said. David Werksman died Thursday. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time,” officials from the Sheriff’s Department wrote on Twitter.

12:43 p.m. NYC mayor wants national plan to shift personnel to hot spots: New York Mayor Bill De Blasio called for a national enlistment program for doctors and nurses to handle an expected surge in coronavirus cases in New York and other places around the country where virus cases are straining existing health care systems. “Next week in New York City is going to be very tough — next week in New York City and Detroit and New Orleans and a lot of other places,” de Blasio said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And unless the military is fully mobilized and we create something we’ve never had before, which is some kind of national enlistment of medical personnel moved to the most urgent needs in the country constantly, if we don’t have that we’re going to see hospitals simply unable to handle so many people who could be saved.”

12:36 p.m. Pandemic will mean longer detention for some immigrants: The right to a speedy criminal trial was suspended for a year in federal courts along California’s Mexico border to avoid spreading the coronavirus, meaning a growing number of immigration detainees may be locked up longer — and exposed to the virus. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco extended an earlier one-month emergency declaration for federal courts in San Diego and Imperial counties by a year to April 17, 2021, Bloomberg News reports.

12:26 p.m. Cases stagnant at Laguna Honda, but officials fear spread: The number of COVID-19 cases at San Francisco’s 780-bed nursing home, Laguna Honda, has remained at 12 for the past few days. While Dr. Susan Philip, San Francisco Deputy Health Officer, said those numbers are “encouraging,” she said a wider outbreak is still possible and that officials must remain “vigilant.” Containing the virus in the facility — where the majority of residents are elderly with underlying health conditions — is one of the city’s top priorities, she said.

12:25 p.m. Nearly 75,000 professionals sign up to bolster state’s health system: More than 74,000 people have signed up for the state’s initiative to grow the medical workforce in an attempt to increase hospital capacity, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. State officials have also distributed more than 38 million N95 masks, but Newsom said the state will still need more medical equipment.

12:23 p.m. California Legislature’s return date in doubt: State lawmakers went into an emergency recess last month to avoid the chance of spreading the coronavirus. The plan was to return on April 13, but on Friday the head of the Senate said that was unlikely. Read Alexei Koseff’s story.

12:22 p.m. California has 901 coronavirus patients in ICU beds: Gov. Gavin Newsom said there are 901 coronavirus patients in the state who are in intensive-care units, roughly a 10% increase from the last reported number. Across the state, 2,188 are hospitalized, Newsom said.

12:13 p.m. Business, taxpayer groups urge Newsom to extend property tax deadline: The California Taxpayers Association, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, California Chamber of Commerce and 75 local business and taxpayer groups urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend the April 10 deadline for paying the second installment of this year’s property tax until July 15. In a press conference Thursday, Newsom noted that counties “disproportionality rely on” property taxes. He had a call from the California State Association of Counties “and they have requested that we not impose upon them any mandate or dictate from on high unless we are prepared to backfill the impacts of that mandate,” Newsom said. In a statement, the association said, “County Public Health Departments, public hospitals, health systems, schools and more basic services of life would be seriously impacted by a property tax funding delay of even a few months. In most cases, property tax payments have already been made or funds have been set-aside for 11 months. It’s the banks and escrow companies (holding property taxes made with mortgage payments) that would be the big winners of a change — at the direct expense of those impacted by the pandemic.”

12:09 p.m. State begins moving homeless into hotel rooms: Gov. Gavin Newsom said at news conference that the state is planning to acquire 15,000 hotel rooms for homeless people to shelter during the coronavirus pandemic. The state has 6,867 rooms so far and is beginning to move people, he said. FEMA is providing a 75% reimbursement for the hotel rooms, but Newsom said that funding is “not limitless” and is focused on sheltering homeless people who are most at risk of a severe infection or those who have already tested positive.

12:06 p.m. SFPD ticketing some who violate health order: San Francisco police Chief Bill Scott said authorities issued a citation to one business and at least one individual within the past 24 hours for violating the health order to stay at home, practice social distancing and close nonessential businesses. Scott said police are warning people, but won’t warn them more than once. “We understand that not everybody is watching the news,” he said. “That’s why we are giving the benefit of the doubt.” He added, though: “We have to abide by these public health orders”

11:59 a.m. Governor to address homelessness: Gov. Gavin Newsom is about to begin a press conference in which he is expected to give an update on the state’s emergency actions to protect the homeless during the pandemic. It will be streamed live through the Twitter account of the governor’s office.

11:56 a.m. President’s circle will be tested: The White House announced that anyone who will be in close proximity to President Trump or Vice President Mike Pence will be given a rapid COVID-19 test starting today. All visitors to the White House complex already have their temperatures taken when entering the building and if they will be in close proximity to either Trump or Pence. Think you might have the virus? Here’s what to do if symptoms show up.

11:29 a.m. Gun advocates, shops file suit against four Bay Area counties: A group of gun advocates and gun shops filed a federal lawsuit against the counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa as well as several elected officials this week, alleging officials violated the Constitution by ordering gun stores to close as “non-essential businesses” among other actions amid the stay-at-home orders meant to curb the coronavirus outbreak. The National Rifle Association is among the plaintiffs. “California’s local governments cannot simply suspend the Constitution. Authorities may not, by decree or otherwise, enact and/or enforce a suspension or deprivation of constitutional liberties. And they certainly may not use a public health crisis as political cover to impose bans and restrictions on rights they do not like,” the suit reads.

11:15 a.m. Experts, Trump advisers said to doubt COVID-19 deaths estimate: Leading disease forecasters whose research informed the White House conclusion that 100,000 to 240,000 people will die nationwide from the coronavirus, say they don’t know how the White House arrived at the numbers, according to sources cited by the Washington Post. White House officials have not explained how they generated the figure and have not provided underlying data so others can assess its reliability. The Post cited three White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as saying some of Trump’s top advisers have expressed doubts about the estimate. Other experts noted that the White House didn’t even explain the time period the death estimate supposedly captures — just the coming few months, or the year-plus it will take to deploy a vaccine.

11:04 a.m. Government website reportedly changed to reflect Kushner comments: Wording about emergency equipment stores on the Strategic National Stockpile website was changed Friday after White House adviser Jared Kushner said the stock belongs to the federal government, Politico reported. Before the change, the website said the stockpile was “nation’s largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out.” But by Friday morning, the website had been altered to say the stockpile’s role “is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies. Many states have products stockpiled, as well.”

10:50 a.m. Alameda County announces 3 new virus deaths as total cases soar past 400: Three more people died of the coronavirus in Alameda County, health officials said Friday, as the total number of cases in the county and Berkeley reached 443. Berkeley is part of the county, but has its own health officials. As of Friday, 12 people have died of COVID-19 in the county.

10:42 a.m. Bay Area radio personality Aaron Axelson laid off: The Alt 105.3 star was let go after 23 years with the station, formerly Live 105. His departure is part of a wave of layoffs, furloughs and cuts at the radio station due to the coronavirus fallout. Read more here.

10:38 a.m. How the Bay Area knew so early that shelter-in-place was needed: Santa Clara County conducted a small survey in early March of residents who had respiratory symptoms but did not have the flu. They found that 11% tested positive for COVID-19 — striking findings at the time that helped trigger an aggressive public health response and eventually the Bay Area shelter-in-place orders. The study was among the first in the United States to use community surveillance to determine how widely the virus was spreading. Read the story here.

10:09 a.m. San Francisco partners with nonprofits to install Wi-Fi “SuperSpots”: San Francisco city and school officials announced they will install 25 Wi-Fi connection devices to bolster internet service throughout the city as schools move to online learning. The devices will be placed in areas that need them the most, including public housing sites, single-room occupancy buildings, community centers and neighborhoods where there are concentrations of students lacking internet access, city officials said. They will be deployed the week of April 13. The initiative is part of a partnership with nonprofit organizations EducationSuperHighway and the 1Million Project Foundation. “Every student in San Francisco needs to be able to stay connected to their teachers and classmates and keep learning as they stay home with their families during this time, regardless of where they live or if their family can afford to pay for high-speed internet,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement. City officials said they will also deploy additional hotspots on top of the 25 new “SuperSpots,” which are powered by Sprint and can provide internet access for 100 users. Approximately 29% of San Francisco Unified School District students do not have internet access at home and officials estimate up to 10,000 students in grades 3-12 need access to a device and Wi-Fi to learn remotely.

10:05 a.m. Tracking devices used to enforce stay-at-home orders: Circuit Court judges in Louisville, Ky., ordered two COVID-19 patients and a family member to isolate and wear GPS tracking devices after health officials learned they had gone out in public, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports

9:58 a.m. SFO to glow red, white and blue for first responders: San Francisco International Airport will light up in red, white and blue every Thursday in April to honor first responders, airport officials said. “They put their lives on the line every day, especially during these challenging times in the fight against #COVID19,” airport officials said in a tweet.

The red, white, and blue at #SFO pays tribute to our first responders. They put their lives on the line every day, especially during these challenging times in the fight against #COVID19.pic.twitter.com/ZOeAvQGooe

— San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ✈️ (@flySFO) April 3, 2020

9:53 a.m. NYC police hit by COVID-19: One out of every six New York City police officers is out sick or in quarantine, the New York Times reports. A veteran detective and seven civilian workers have died from the disease caused by the coronavirus. And two chiefs and the deputy commissioner in charge of counterterrorism are among more than 1,500 others in the department who have been infected.

9:38 a.m. “Captain Crozier! Captain Crozier!” Sailors aboard the coronavirus-infected aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt gave a hero’s sendoff Friday to Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, one day after he was relieved of command following his plea to superiors for help in removing many of the nearly 5,000 crew members from the warship. Read Matthias Gafni’s story and see videos of the sendoff.

9:37 a.m. 33 new cases, 3 deaths in San Mateo County: Three more people in San Mateo County have died of COVID-19 while 33 more patients were confirmed to have the virus, officials said. To date, county officials have recorded 13 deaths and confirmed 486 cases.

9:29 a.m. Canada warns against U.S. halting export of supplies: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it would be a mistake for the United States to block 3M from sending respirators to Canada, the Associated Press reports. 3M said Friday the Trump administration has asked 3M to cease exporting respirators. The company says there are significant humanitarian implications of ceasing respirator supplies to health care workers in Canada and Latin America, where 3M is a critical supplier. Trudeau noted the U.S. also receives essential medical supplies and personnel from Canada.

9:15 a.m. WNBA season pushed back: The WNBA has postponed the start of the season because of the coronavirus pandemic, with no indication when play would begin. The women’s basketball league was scheduled to open training camps April 26 and the regular season was to begin May 15. The WNBA will still hold a “virtual” draft April 17.

9:11 a.m. Napa resident dies of coronavirus outside of county: Health officials in Napa County recorded the county’s second death of a resident from COVID-19 on Thursday. The person, who was only identified as an adult, was being treated in another county. “Pending notification of immediate family and due to confidentiality laws, no other information is being released at this time,” officials said.

9:09 a.m. San Francisco just shy of 500 confirmed cases: San Francisco health officials announced 47 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, increasing the total number of cases in the city and county to 497.

8:59 a.m. Jail population continues to drop in Alameda County: The number of inmates at Santa Rita Jail has decreased to 2,068, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. On Tuesday the inmate population was 2,132.

8:57 a.m. Novato police ask for protective gear donations: Authorities in Novato are asking the public to donate personal protective equipment as their stock runs out. Police said in a statement they have not had any confirmed coronavirus cases within the department, but they need masks, eye protection and gloves, among other protective gear. “We have requested additional supplies, however there is a nationwide shortage, which is why we are reaching out for support. Each piece of protective equipment can reduce the chances of our staff contracting COVID-19 and spreading it within the community,” police officials said. Specifically, authorities said they need: N95 or any type of surgical mask, clear protective eye gear or goggles, face shields or splash shields, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer.

8:55 a.m. Expect to see more rats: With fewer food options from litter, restaurant Dumpsters and trash cans during the pandemic, we can expect more rat sightings as they come out of hiding in pursuit of new food sources, National Geographic reports.

8:45 a.m. San Mateo County Fair canceled: The San Mateo County Fair will not happen this year, organizers said. The postponement comes after county officials designated the Event Center-Fairgrounds, where the fair was scheduled take place between June 13 and 21, as a vital resource in fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Exhibitor entry fees and online fair tickets will be refunded, organizers said. The cancellation marks the fair’s second since it started in 1934. The first one happened during World War II. “In the 86-year history of the San Mateo County Fair, this period is one of the most challenging any of us has encountered,” organizers said.

8:37 a.m. Dead bodies on streets in Ecuador after morgues fill up: Guayaquil, Ecuador is a hot spot for COVID-19 in Latin America, the Washington Post reports. Up to 150 corpses are picked up daily, the country’s El Universo newspaper reports. With morgues full, bodies wait on sidewalks and inside homes. “Every day it’s getting worse,” one man said. “We see them burning bodies on the street. Nobody is picking them up at the houses. … The only option is to leave their loved ones on the street or at the hospital (if they died there).”

8:22 a.m. New York sees record number of deaths in one day: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state recorded 562 deaths from Thursday to Friday, increasing the total tally of coronavirus fatalities in the state to 2,935. Officials are monitoring several outbreak hot spots in the state beyond New York City, Cuomo said, including on Long Island, where the health system may not have the capacity to deal with a large outbreak. Cuomo said hospitals need more materials and he did not understand why they could not be manufactured by companies that produce other things.

8:18 a.m. Spotty start to rescue of small businesses: The federal government’s relief program for small businesses is off to a bumpy start with few businesses able to apply and some big banks saying they’re not ready to process applications. Millions of small businesses are expected to apply for the rescue loans through the $359 billion program, the Associated Press reports.

8:01 a.m. Start of Premier League soccer postponed: The start of the English Premier League, which was scheduled to resume in the beginning of May, has been pushed back, league officials said. The league will resume “when it is safe and appropriate to do so.”

7:59 a.m. Navy ship’s crew gives captain sendoff: Capt. Brett Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, has departed the Theodore Roosevelt, which has been docked in Guam following a COVID-19 outbreak. He was relieved of command of the aircraft carrier Thursday after he pleaded with Navy officials for more resources to remove most of his nearly 5,000 crew members from the coronavirus-infected warship.

Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by the sailors. #navy @UncleChaps @katebarstool @ZeroBlog30 @CaptainCons pic.twitter.com/M0aZhHNMXT

— Dylan Castillo (@Sotero269) April 3, 2020

7:44 a.m. Fauci favors nationwide stay-at-home order: Speaking on CNN on Thursday night, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he thinks it’s time for a nationwide stay-at-home order. “I do not understand why we are not doing that. We really should be,” Fauci said.

7:38 a.m. Bay Area doctors, nurses rush to draw up wills: With rising numbers of COVID-19 patients, doctors and nurses wonder if a surge is about to overwhelm their hospitals and they’re drawing up wills, just in case. Usually, creating a family’s full estate plan would take weeks or months, but these families don’t have that kind of time. They’re crafting emergency packages focused on who would be the guardians of their children if they die and who would be the executor of their funds. Read Heather Knight’s story here.

7:32 a.m. On bucket-list vacation, Bay Area couple stranded on cruise ship: The story of the Coral Princess took a weird turn when no country would allow it to dock — anywhere. They were stranded at sea until they could reach the U.S. Then people on board the ship began developing flu symptoms. Rachel Swan has more on the story.

7:21 a.m. 17,000 Greeks ticketed, fined for violating lockdown: Greek police say they have issued 17,358 fines for people breaking the new restrictions on leaving home, since the lockdown began on March 23. Violations are punishable by a $163 fine.

7:01 a.m. Time magazine’s kids library free for rest of school year: The digital library of Time for Kids, the youth version of the weekly magazine, will be free for the remainder of the school year, the owner of the magazine and Salesforce chief Marc Benioff said. “Teaching from home? We see you, we salute you, and we’re here to help. Get TIME for Kids for free,” Benioff wrote in a tweet.

6:45 a.m. Google tracks how localities are doing with social distancing: The number of people in California who visited retail and recreation sites — like restaurants, cafes and shopping centers — during the past six weeks was half of what it was at the beginning of the year, according to data analyzed and released Friday by Google. The tech company crunched aggregated and anonymized data, which it also uses to depict “popular times” at places on Google Maps, to create reports in 131 countries for officials and the public to assess how people respond to lockdown orders during the coronavirus outbreak. Numbers analyzed between Jan. 3 and Feb. 6 serve as a baseline for comparison while numbers between Feb. 16 to March 29 demonstrated the period during the orders. In California, there was a decrease in travel to grocery markets, food warehouses, farmers markets, specialty food shops of 24%; a decrease of 38% to national parks, public beaches, marinas, dog parks, plazas and public gardens; travel to subway, bus and train stations was down 54%; and travel to workplaces decreased 39%. The one location that saw an increase across the state of travel to and stay: Residences, by 15%. Google officials said Friday they published the numbers to highlight moving trends over time. “Google prepared this report to help you and public health officials understand responses to social distancing guidance related to COVID-19,” officials said.

6:36 a.m. Stocks stable: After March’s record swings, April is starting out quietly for the stock market, with shares down only slightly Friday morning.

6:35 a.m. Economic impact estimated at $4.1 trillion: The Asian Development Bank forecasts that the coronavirus pandemic will cost the world economy as much as $4.1 trillion, or nearly 5% of all economic activity.

6:28 a.m. Grand Princess crew member dies at San Francisco hospital: A Filipino crew member of the Grand Princess cruise ship, which docked at the Port of Oakland last month to disembark passengers, died at a San Francisco hospital, according to a community group. The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns said the crew member was removed from the ship last month, but hundreds of other workers still remain aboard. Their 14-day quarantine is expected to end Saturday.

6:03 a.m. Some Target stores may limit number of customers allowed inside: Target officials said they will start monitoring people traffic and limiting the number of people allowed in stores when needed, depending on occupancy limits at stores, to promote social distancing. Additionally, officials said they will supply the company’s roughly 350,000 staffers with face masks and gloves to wear while working.

5:45 a.m. Official unemployment rate increases: The U.S. economy lost 701,000 jobs in the month of March while the unemployment rate increased to 4.4%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Officials say leisure and hospitality jobs decreased by 459,000, most of which were at food services and drinking places. The unemployment rate increase — 0.9 percentage points over the month — presented the largest one-month increase since January 1975, officials said. But the March figure has already been overtaken by recent events, with more than 10 million Americans claiming unemployment benefits since the time period it measured. The true current unemployment rate is much higher, though not captured in the data released Friday.