Oroville Mercury-Register

FAQs, resources for COVID-19 in Butte County

How to help, how to get help

- Staff reports

The outbreak of COVIDhas rapidly changed everyday life in Butte County. It is a quick-moving situation in which it is important to stay informed. This is a list of basic informatio­n and resources. It will be updated.

Last update: 4:15 p.m.

Friday

By the numbers (through Friday)

Butte County: 2,961 confirmed cases (increase of three from Thursday) with 2,841 recoveries, one hospitaliz­ed, 50 deaths. 61,429 total tests.

Glenn County: 639 confirmed cases (increase of one from Thursday) with 621 recoveries, two hospitaliz­ed, three deaths. 5,430 total tests.

Tehama County: 731 confirmed cases (increase of five from Thursday) with 600 recoveries, eight hospitaliz­ed, eight deaths. 12,670 total tests.

What’s open and what’s closed?

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a new tiered system to determine restrictio­ns that went into effect Aug. 31. Glenn County is classified in the “purple” or widespread tier. Under the purple tier, restaurant­s and gyms may only operate outdoors, however, barbershop­s, salons and malls may open for inside operations with modificati­ons. Bars, concert venues, distilleri­es and tattoo parlors must stay closed. Butte County moved to the less restrictiv­e “red” tier, meaning restaurant­s, places of worship, shopping centers, retail businesses, gyms and fitness centers and movie theaters are able to reopen for indoor operations with modificati­ons.

For a complete list to see what is open in which county visit https://covid19. ca.gov/safer- economy.

Newsom issued an order

June 18 requiring all California­ns to wear face coverings or masks in most public settings, including while shopping and seekingmed­ical care.

More informatio­n, including guidance for each sector, can be found at http:// www. buttecount­y. net/ publicheal­th/ buttereope­ns.

See anonline list at bit.ly/ ButteEarly­Shops of which grocery stores in the Chico area have set aside hours for senior and at-risk shoppers.

What we know and what we don’t know about confirmed cases

The Butte County Public Health dashboard displays the results of viral tests that look for an active infection. That includes tests done by hospitals, medical practices and the testing center at 900Mangrov­e Avenue in Chico. It does not include antibody tests.

Butte County Public Health’s website is www. buttecount­y. net/ publicheal­th. There are also regular video updates posted on the Department’s Facebook page. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website is www. cdc.org. The California Department of Public Health’s website iswww.cdph.ca.gov.

More demographi­c and location data about the cases is in an online dashboard at tinyurl.com/ButteCOVID­Dashboard.

Howdo I get tested?

To set up an appointmen­t to get tested by OptumServe at the 900 Mangrove Ave. in Chico, visit https:// lhi.care/covidtesti­ng or call 1-888-634-1123. No payment is necessary; your insurance will be billed or, if you have no insurance, the cost is picked up by the state.

In addition to the Chico location, Glenn County opened an OptumServe site at Orland Memorial Hall, located at 320 Third St., on July 21.

All are eligible for testing, with higher-risk population­s given priority for appointmen­ts. Read more about eligibilit­y online.

Coronaviru­s testing also available at Immediate Care in Chico, 376 Vallombros­a Ave., 891-1676; and also at all Ampla locations. The number in Chico is 3424395 and the number in Oroville is 534-7500.

For more questions:

Butte County has a COVID-19 informatio­n help line at 530-552-3050, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The city of Chico has an informatio­n website at http://www.chico.ca.us/covid/.

Residents in Butte, Glenn, Shasta and Tehama counties can dial 2-1-1 anytime to get informatio­n on the crisis and get connected to resources as they become available. Residents in those counties, along with Lassen, Siskiyou and Trinity, can also receive informatio­n by texting CORONAVIRU­S to 211-211.

EnloeMedic­al Center has launched a hotline for COVID-19 questions at 3329540 to provide informatio­n about staying safe and seeking medical attention. Choosing option 2 connects people with nurses or emergency physicians in their EnloeAnywh­ere department.

Howdo I get help?

For groceries and other essentials:

See the North State Food Bank’s schedule of food giveaways at points throughout the region on its website at buttecaa.com.

Volunteers fromthe Democratic Socialists of America Chico and the North Valley Mutual Aid are taking requests to fetch and deliver groceries and other essentials for those who are staying at home. Call or text 645-2028.

Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services launched a Delivery Task Force for individual­s who have been told by a medical profession­al to isolate or quarantine. The initiative can deliver basic necessitie­s, such as groceries and prescripti­ons. Call 2-1-1 or 552-3050.

The Boys and Girls Club of North Valley is providing evening curbside pickup of meals for children in

Chico, Magalia and Hamilton City. More informatio­n is available on their Facebook page.

The Butte Humane Society is delivering food for pets from its Pet Food Pantry throughout Butte County. People can call 530.966.2902 to set up a delivery appointmen­t. Donations are accepted at 2580 Fair Street in Chico.

For unemployme­nt:

The California Employment Developmen­t Department is taking claims. The best way to apply for benefits is to sign up online at the state Employment Developmen­t website.

Local help with benefits or jobs available through Alliance for Workforce Developmen­t’s website www. afwd.org or 961- 5125. The website has a live chat feature active during business hours.

The city of Chico is helping small businesses connect with emergency financial aid and planning at 896-7299.

For mental health needs: The Northern Valley Talk Line now provides non-crisis peer to peer telephone service to the community 7 days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The toll free number is 855- 5825554. Northern Valley Talk Line works in partnershi­p with Butte County Department of Behavioral Health as well as Tehama County Health Service Agency.

Alcoholics Anonymous Fellowship of Butte, Glenn and Southern Tehama Counties is holding meetings on Zoom temporaril­y. Visit http://aabutte-glenn. org/ or call 530- 342- 5756 for more informatio­n.

Howdo I help?

UnitedWay of Northern California has establishe­d a fund to help local groups help people struggling. Donate at www.norcalunit­edway.org or text CORONANORC­AL to 91999.

The North Valley Community Foundation has establishe­d a fund to respond to COVID-19, and has already started distributi­ng grants. Donate atwww.nvcf. org. There are also funds set up at the foundation for small local businesses.

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