• Dozens of firefighters were busy Saturday battling a 55-acre South Bay blaze that was only made worse by already dry conditions. Over the course of the day, the originally 30-acre fire in East San Jose — visible from miles away — ballooned to almost twice its size; San Jose firefighters and CAL Fire crews later contained the fire by both land and air operations and no injuries or structural damages were reported. [ABC7]
  • Santa Clara County Executive Officer Dr. Jeff Smith suggests that COVID-19 could soon overwhelm the state. Citing that current measures and approaches “[haven't] worked," Smith believes the coronavirus could spread out of control through California in the coming weeks: “We really need the state to uniformly do something dramatic to stop the spread. Otherwise, if we continue the way that we’re going now it’s only four to five weeks before we have the virus totally completely out of control, spreading like wildfire.” [KPIX]
  • A new study suggests people with Type A blood are more susceptible to COVID-19 — and are at higher risk of a severe case. A study published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine (that's just now making waves) found people with Type A blood have a higher risk of contracting the disease and suffering complications; conversely, those with Type O blood have some level of protection against SARS-CoV-2. [Chronicle]
  • Five patients at San Rafael’s Marin Post Acute nursing home have recently died from COVID-19 after dozens of staff members and patients tested positive for the novel respiratory disease. [KRON4]
  • Fairyland is now in danger of permanently closing after funds from their PPP loan ran out last week... and with a concrete reopening date still unclear. [SFGate]
  • Oakland's final leg of its Slow Streets — one-lane reductions at "14th Street between and Filbert streets and along 18th Street between Adeline and Poplar streets" — went live this week, with city officials looking into the future of the program in a post-pandemic world. [NBC Bay Area]
  • As it turns out: beekeeping is an essential service amid this global health crisis. [KRON4]
  • East Bay author Jane Perry, an elder in the Oakland community, recounts her past four months since the pandemic began — which has included civic unrest, less-than-savory encounters with face-mask-free locals, and the general unease of it all. [Oaklandside]

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