Top Stories
Coronavirus Pandemic
- As San Francisco students headed back to school Wednesday, there was hope among parents, teachers and education officials that for the first time in three years, the district would be laser focused on student learning and free of scandals. By Jill Tucker and Annie Vainshtein
- Appeals court overturns $190,000 in fines against a San Jose church and its pastors for defying limits on indoor public gatherings during the pandemic, citing Supreme Court rulings on religious institutions’ right to hold services. By Bob Egelko
- The Cupertino tech giant will require its corporate employees to return to the office at least three days a week by Sept. 5. By Roland Li and Aidin Vaziri
- Infectious disease experts said polio being detected in New York is alarming, but vaccinated people need not be concerned. By Chase DiFeliciantonio
- At-home COVID rapid antigen tests are still effective against the BA.5 omicron subvariant and are a good measure of how infectious a person is, Bay Area experts say. But it’s important to use the tests correctly to avoid a false negative result. By Annie Vainshtein
- Since the start of the pandemic, there have been several reports of coronavirus infections among cats, dogs and other animals. But until now, there was limited data on how widespread COVID-19 is in the animal kingdom. By Aidin Vaziri
- More European visitors are flying into SFO than their counterparts from Asia, a reverse of the pre-pandemic norm. By Chase DiFeliciantonio and Yuri Avila
- Can you get the coronavirus after an unmasked person with COVID leaves the room? Here’s what air-quality and infectious-disease experts said. By Chronicle Advice Team
- COVID-19 trends in the Bay Area showed signs of stabilizing on Friday, as the growth rate for new cases and hospitalizations has slowed. But after weeks of fluctuating numbers, it’s still too early to tell if the region has moved past the summer... By Aidin Vaziri
- A driver for a ride-hailing company who recently got behind the wheel again is concerned about the absence of mask requirements and wants to know how to reduce COVID risks. Here’s what experts consulted by The Chronicle’s Advice Team advise. By Chronicle Advice Team
- After two major looks at the state of downtown and a proposal for renewing it, readers tell us their ideas. By Noah Arroyo
- Despite all its woes, San Francisco still has its charm - at least, according to Time magazine, which named it one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Places of 2022,� and the New York Times, which recently recommended it as a travel destination. By Jessica Flores
-
Here’s why truckers are protesting at the Port of Oakland, and how it could affect supply chain...A virtual shutdown of the Port of Oakland by protesting truckers is drawing attention to drivers who want to remain independent contractors, instead of becoming employees under a state labor law. By Chase DiFeliciantonio
- To their credit, the people behind the plan acknowledge that their vision to activate dormant sidewalks is just one piece of a much larger puzzle that serves as a tool to start conversations. By John King
- Bay Area counties are not moving toward renewed mask mandates, as Los Angeles County indicated it may do. Infectious disease experts agree with that strategy. By Michael Cabanatuan
- As case rates remain high and the coronavirus continues to spin off new, immune-evasive variants, are repeated infections a part of living with COVID? By Danielle Echeverria
- As COVID-19 variants become more prevalent and more transmissible, experts are repeatedly pointing to a transmission reduction strategy that’s worked since the beginning — ventilation in indoor spaces. Here’s how air flow is measured, and how to... By Danielle Echeverria
- To reduce the risk of COVID transmission, don’t focus on cleaning every surface available to you, experts said. It’s more important to wear a mask and avoid crowded indoor spaces. By Chronicle Advice Team
- Fifth & Mission podcast: The latest COVID-19 pandemic twist is the new Omicron subvariant BA.5, which evades immunity from vaccinations, boosters and previous infections. Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSF's chair of medicine, joins host Cecilia Lei to... By fifth & mission
- The omicron coronavirus strain continues to spawn highly infectious subvariants, and the latest one gaining ground, known as BA.2.75, has already shown up in the Bay Area. Here’s what we know so far. By Kellie Hwang
- COVID-19 hospitalizations in California and the Bay Area have climbed to their highest point since February, when the region was still coming out of the winter omicron surge. By Aidin Vaziri
- Employers are adjusting to the remote work reality by increasingly offering benefits that can be used outside the office setting. By Chase DiFeliciantonio
- After being released from prison, where he was incarcerated for a crime he said he never committed, Paul Redd dedicated his life to helping others behind bars. By Sam Whiting
- Summer in the Bay Area means outdoor parties, weddings, and music festivals, where people can worry a little bit less about catching COVID-19. But will fast-spreading offshoots of the omicron coronavirus variant change the equation this year? By Aidin Vaziri
- San Francisco’s population plummeted in the pandemic’s first year. We examined census data to look at which age and racial groups contributed most to the decline. By Susie Neilson
- California kids will be allowed to go to school without face masks in the coming term. But public health officials will still recommend students and staff mask up in an effort to prevent outbreaks at K-12 schools. By Aidin Vaziri
- The new BA.5 strain of the COVID-causing virus is more infectious and better able to evade immune responses — and “we need to change our thinking� about how to defend against it, according to UCSF Chair of Medicine Dr. Bob Wachter. By Jason Fagone
- The parade kicked off with celebrations and protest on the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision to repeal the constitutional right to abortion. By Cynthia Dizikes
- About 1 in 20 people in San Francisco not currently experiencing COVID symptoms would turn out positive if tested for the coronavirus, according to estimates by UCSF experts. Here’s what that means about the risk of asymptomatic transmission right... By Gwendolyn Wu
- Gavin Newsom, as he has often done over the past 25 years, is playing the political long game. By Joe Garofoli and Sophia Bollag, Joe Garofoli, Sophia Bollag
- Instead of launching festive explosives, North Lake Tahoe is sending up 200 flying machines outfitted with colorful LEDs swarming in sync to depict three-dimensional visuals. By Gregory Thomas
- As two new COVID variants — BA.4 and BA.5 — wrestle for domination in the U.S., infectious disease experts say it’s unclear what impact they’ll have on the current surge. By Erin Allday
- Parade participants and spectators expressed a mix of joy and anger as the popular event returned in its usual form for the first time since the emergence of COVID-19, and just days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion. By Sam Whiting and Megan Cassidy
- COVID is the first time in history we are watching a virus evolve in real time. There’s one huge question science has yet to answer By Erin Allday
- Breed is vaccinated and boosted and feeling well, a statement said. She will be conducting meetings from home and will not attend any public events while isolating. By Mallory Moench
- In March, The Chronicle asked Bay Area experts: Is getting COVID inevitable? Asked again amid the recent surge of omicron subvariants, their answers remained largely unchanged: While COVID is now harder to avoid, infection still does not have to... By Danielle Echeverria
- The Bay Area’s spring surge seems to be winding down, with coronavirus cases falling or leveling off for the past two weeks. But health experts warn that new variants could prolong this wave. By Erin Allday
- As mortgage interest rates rise, home equity lines of credit are enjoying a resurgence among homeowners reluctant to refinance their loans to higher rates to tap equity for cash. By Kathleen Pender
- San Francisco’s apartment rental market has been the slowest in the country to bounce back after vacancies soared early in the pandemic, fueling a big drop in rents, according to new data from Apartment List. By Kellie Hwang
- Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSF’s chair of medicine, says his wife, Katie Hafner, is suffering brain fog and other symptoms weeks after getting COVID-19. By Aidin Vaziri