As we begin another week in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to provide you ongoing updates about San Francisco resources and opportunities available to you from the tech community and beyond.
Join sf.citi on May 7th for The Race to Respond , an in-depth conversation featuring tech executives and VCs from Twitter, Postmates, TaskRabbit, Slack, and more. Hosted in partnership with sea.citi and Protocol, you’ll learn how the tech industry has responded to the COVID-19 crisis and what the future of the industry will look like in a post-pandemic world. Register for The Race to Respond here.
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- 54,877 confirmed cases in California
- 2,213 confirmed deaths in California
- 8,593 confirmed cases in the Bay Area
*As of 9:00am PT on 5/4
COVID-19 Updates from the SF Tech Community
UPDATES FROM THE TECH COMMUNITY
Many sf.citi members have taken leadership on developing their own policies and strategies to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on their employees, customers, and the general public. We’ve listed the most recent tech-driven efforts below.
- Alaska Airlines is working to utilize passenger cabin space for additional cargo storage on five Boeing 737-900 aircrafts. Turning passenger aircrafts into freighters will allow each flight to carry up to 30,000 pounds of critical cargo, including medical supplies and perishable food needed as part of the nationwide COVID-19 response. The passenger-to-freighter operation will also help backfill cargo capacity in areas where flights have been significantly reduced.
- Cruise has partnered with the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and SF New Dealto help deliver food to San Francisco communities affected by COVID-19. The self-driving car company is using a portion of its all-electric, autonomous fleet to carry out the contactless deliveries.
- Goodcover is providing free renters insurance for COVID-19 medical responders through 2020.
- Microsoft communication and collaboration platform, Microsoft Teams, is being used by NHS staff at a major hospital in Southampton to receive patient test results on their mobile phones. This switch to Microsoft Teams has significantly reduced the amount of time it takes to discover if someone has COVID-19
- Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff teamed up with other companies to raise $25 million and procure more than 50 million pieces of protective equipment for health care workers and medical facilities.
- Verizon has extended its commitment not to terminate service or charge late fees through June 30th for customers unable to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. Residential and small business customers can notify Verizon of their inability to pay here.
More Tech Resources for COVID-19
UPDATES FROM THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
- On April 29, Mayor Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax extended San Francisco’s shelter-in-place mandate until May 31 while easing certain restrictions. The new public health order went into effect on May 3 and continues to require social distancing and face coverings. It does, however, relax restrictions for lower-risk activities. Businesses that operate primarily outside, for example, are allowed to reopen, and employees of those businesses can access childcare programs. More details about the new order will be posted here.
- On April 27, Mayor Breed announced that a portion of John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park and John F. Shelley Drive in John McLaren Park will close to vehicles beginning April 28 at 6:00am. Intended to help people maintain social distancing requirements while exercising in Golden Gate Park and John McLaren Park, the roads will remain closed to cars for the duration of San Francisco’s stay-at-home order.
To stay up to date with all City of San Francisco updates, follow the Mayor’s updates here.
UPDATES FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
- On April 30, Governor Newsom launched an online portal to help parents and essential workers find safe and licensed child care providers in their area. The portal features an interactive map of available child care providers, as well as resources and information to access child care subsidies.
- On April 30, Governor Newsom signed an executive order allowing adults to obtain marriage licenses via videoconferencing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Both adults must be located in the State of California and be able to present identification during the video conference. These temporary provisions for marriage will remain in place for the next 60 days.
- On April 29, Governor Newsom announced several new initiatives to combat food insecurity for Californians during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include expanding the state’s Farm to Family program, which is a partnership between local farmers and California food banks to support food production, processing, and distribution. The Governor also extended maximum benefits for CalFresh recipients until the end of May and increased Benefits Transfer Programs (EBP) for eligible families and children.
To stay up to date with all State of California updates, follow the California Department of Health’s updates here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Donate to UCSF’s QBI Coronavirus Research Group to advance its work on potential treatments to COVID-19. Led by Dr. Nevan Krogan, a study conducted by UCSF’s QBI Coronavirus Research Group (QCRG) has made significant discoveries about drugs that could potentially fight COVID-19, as well as some that could actually make the virus worse. While promising, these drugs have only been tested in a laboratory setting and require further evaluation through clinical trials. To advance this important research, donate here.
More Ways to Help with COVID-19 Relief
GRATITUDE AMID COVID-19
sf.citi would like to recognize the many courageous San Franciscans holding our City together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Which other San Francisco heroes need recognition during these challenging times? Let us know by tagging sf.citi on Twitter (@sfciti ) or Instagram ( @sf.citi) and using the hashtag #OneCitySF, or by filling out the form below.
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