News Update

Governor announces partnership to expand wellness calls and meals for seniors

As Gov. Newsom looks toward potentially loosening stay at home orders in the next few weeks, he said he expects seniors who are age 65 or older will need to continue to remain in their homes. To help meet their physical and emotional needs, he announced a new “Social Bridging Project” in partnership with Sacramento State University gerontology students, the California Department of Aging and other organizations that will make daily check-in phone calls to senior citizens to connect with them and help provide resources to them.

Newsom also announced a new partnership with FEMA and local cities that will pay local restaurants to deliver three meals a day to eligible senior citizens and those with compromised immune systems, which he said would help boost city economies and provide more employment to restaurant workers.

Although he noted the weather is expected to be warm this weekend, he urged Californians to continue social distancing and hinted that he may be ready to begin announcing more modifications to the stay at home order starting next week if hospitalizations continue to remain flat. He said 93 people died and 5% more tested positive for the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, but hospitalizations were flat and the number of people in intensive care units rose slightly, by 1%, which he called “encouraging.”