On March 31, 2020, Plumas County Public Health received notification of a positive COVID-19 test result from Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center for a resident in the east area of Plumas County. During the investigation, several close contacts were identified and tested for COVID-19, and all were requested to remain in quarantine. Today, April 2, 2020, Public Health was notified by Shasta County Public Health lab that a household contact of the original patient has also tested positive for COVID-19; all other close contacts tested negative. The recommended self-quarantine of all close contacts is still in effect. Public Health will continue to monitor all those who are self-quarantined and the investigation is on-going. The positive household contact is not symptomatic at this time. There are now two identified cases of COVID-19 in Plumas County.

If you have any questions please contact the Plumas County COVID-19 informational phone line 530- 283-6400 or send an e-mail to COVID19@countyofplumas.com or visit our website at www.plumascounty.us 

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the fourth manual snow survey of 2020 at Phillips Station. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, DWR is providing video of the results in lieu of conducting a live media event on site.
Today’s manual survey recorded 43.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 16.5 inches, which is 66 percent of the April average for this location. The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack, which provides a more accurate forecast of spring runoff. Measurements from the 130 electronic snow sensors, scattered throughout the state, indicate that the statewide snowpack’s water equivalent is 15.2 inches, or 53 percent of the April average.
In addition to the manual snow surveys and automated snow measuring sites, DWR is collaborating to augment the measurements with satellite and air-borne remote-sensed data.  These experimental data products provide additional detail to the spatial patterns of snow water accumulation in the watersheds that helps inform and guide forecast runoff quantities and timing. Such data gathering will be a key adaptation strategy as climate change impacts continue to mount.
“While today’s survey results show our snowpack is better off than it was just last month, they still underscore the need for widespread, wise use of our water supplies,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “California’s climate continues to show extreme unpredictability, and February’s record dryness is a clear example of the extremes associated with climate change.”
California is experiencing increased extremes and variability due to climate change. In one year, California has gone from having the fifth best recorded snowpack to one of the 10 worst.
“Over the last decade, California’s snowpack has been alternating between extremely wet and extremely dry,” stated Sean de Guzman, chief of DWR’s Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecast Section. “In the past 10 years, we’ve seen three of our smallest snowpacks on record, but we’ve also seen three of our largest snowpacks on record.”
On average, the snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs as it melts in the spring and early summer.
The state’s six largest reservoirs currently hold between 82 percent (San Luis) and 125 percent (Melones) of their historical averages for this date. Lake Shasta, California’s largest surface reservoir, is 98 percent of its historical average and sits at 79 percent of capacity.  
Additional Resources
Results of Phillips Station Snow Survey (video)
B-roll Video of past Phillips surveys
Digital photos of past Phillips surveys
California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program Story Map https://arcg.is/1fiCbG
Snowpack readings (View readings for current regional snowpack and historical snowpack comparison)
CDEC precipitation data (View current charts for the Northern Sierra 8-station index for updated rainfall readings in the critical northern portion of the state, as well as the San Joaquin 5-station index and Tulare Basin 6-station index.)
 

Educators saddened, yet ready to provide distance learning opportunities to all their students
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement of physical school closures ends some uncertainty about the 2019-20 academic school year as labor partners and administrators work to provide local districts and unions with a framework for their work on an equitable approach to meeting local students’ needs and establish distance learning plans. More information is available in the Governor’s Executive Order on the closures and the California Department of Education’s guidance.
“The governor’s announcement is not unexpected, and I know educators across the state are stepping up to ensure students continue to get the learning opportunities they need. This is a tough situation for all of us – students, educators and families. Many schools closed so quickly that teachers didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to their students and really help them prepare for this new reality. I have heard from so many educators who have talked about how their students cried on their first distance learning calls, simply because they were happy to see each other,” said CTA President E. Toby Boyd. “CTA members are working their magic to meet their students where they are. In fact, we’ve even seen caravans of teachers driving through neighborhoods to reach out and see their students.”  

Teachers are offering distance learning from their homes, working with their districts to set up distance learning labs, creating and sharing lesson plans, and providing professional development support to each other. CTA is providing teacher-led online-learning webinars to help educators prepare. Educators are also continuing to support students and families by providing pick-up meals at school sites and working with school districts to provide laptops, tablets and other electronic devices to students who need them.

CTA was happy to work with Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Tony Thurmond, Gov. Newsom, and our labor and management partners on the jointly-issued framework to provide additional direction to address the unprecedented and myriad challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has generated for school communities across California.

“The last two weeks have been challenging for all of us as educators, our students, their families, administrators and our communities as a whole. As we grapple with this new normal, we must work together with respect and compassion,” said Boyd. “The districts and schools that are working most effectively are those in which teachers were part of the discussions and involved in the distance learning planning every step of the way.”

CTA will continue to provide guidance to its local affiliates while working closely with the governor and SPI.

“We know there are still many unanswered questions for students, parents and educators. We will continue to work with Governor Newsom, Superintendent Thurmond and our education and labor partners as we now move forward with this new temporary normal,” said Boyd.

CTA guidance and resources for educators and parents are available at www.cta.org/COVID-19.
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            SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that $100,000,000 in funding will be distributed to local educational agencies (LEAs) throughout the state. The funding was included in Senate Bill 117, one of two COVID-19 emergency bills passed by the California Legislature on March 17, 2020.
                        “I am very grateful to the members of the state legislature for their rapid response in providing this essential funding to assist LEAs during this very challenging time,” said Thurmond. “These funds will allow district administrators to ensure that sites are properly cleaned and sanitized, keep school staff safe, provide nutritious meals, and focus on implementing a distance learning infrastructure that is equitable and accessible to all students.” The priority for these funds is health and safety needs for LEAs, including  student meal access, during COVID-19 closure periods.[ED1] 
            To receive the funds, eligible LEAs had to be operational as of March 4, 2020. Funding is allocated to LEAs based on 2019–2020 average daily attendance (ADA) funded by the California Department of Education in February 2020. Eligible LEAs will receive $17.37 per ADA, with a minimum funding allocation of $250.
                        The State Controller’s Office will issue payments for the SB 117 funds to each county treasurer’s office within three to four business days. The apportionment letter, allocation detail, and payment schedule for this funding are available at on the CDE’s SB 117 COVID-19 LEA’s Response Funds web page.
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The California Department of Education is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. For more information, please visit the California Department of Education’s website. You may also follow Superintendent Thurmond on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond released a statement Tuesday regarding the 2019-20 school year.
“Due to the current safety concerns and needs for ongoing social distancing, it currently appears that our students will not be able to return to school campuses before the end of the school year. In order to allow schools to plan accordingly, and to ensure that learning still occurs until the end of the school year, we are suggesting that schools plan and prepare to have their curriculum carried out through a distance learning model. This is in no way to suggest that school is over for the year, but rather we should put all efforts into strengthening our delivery of education through distance learning.
“With that said, we are doing everything we can to support our schools and their distance learning opportunities for our students. We have been providing webinars, with one coming up this week to specifically focus on serving our students with disabilities in a distance learning model. We have guidance coming out this week to address the concerns of our seniors, and even our juniors, in regards to grading and graduation requirements. We also put out a survey to all districts in the state to determine their technology gaps and are now working to ensure that all students have access to devices and internet if they need it for their distance learning requirements.
“We are in unprecedented times, and it’s hard to tell what the future holds as we are all doing our best to flatten the curve. From what we know right now, our schools will be closed longer than we originally thought, and it will be best if our schools are prepared for that extension, by having their distance learning models prepared to go until the end of the school year.”
 
Please join State Superintendent Tony Thurmond for a media check-in about his recent recommendation and upcoming guidance from the California Department of Education tomorrow, April 1, at 3:30 p.m.
Due to social distancing guidelines this will not be done in person, but rather virtually. Email communciations@cde.ca.gov by noon to receive login information. 
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Are Coronavirus Worries Keeping You Awake? Stretches In Bed Will Calm You
 
Anxiety about the spread of the coronavirus is leading to sleepless nights for some people – and that can result in even more health problems.
Studies have shown that a lack of sleep weakens the immune system, the last thing anyone needs when a potentially deadly virus is making the rounds.
 
The question many bleary-eyed people face is how they can remedy their insomnia without resorting to medication, anything else that they have to take orally, or a significant lifestyle change. One answer: stretches done on the bed that relax the body and mind, allowing them to drift into slumber and be better prepared for the next day – and keep that immune system humming as well, says Larry Piller (www.larrypiller.com), a Certified Massage Practitioner and author of Stretching Your Way: A Unique & Leisurely Muscle Stretching System.
 
“I consider these the crown jewels of stretches for sleep because everyone who tries them falls asleep,” Piller says. “Just by knowing that these stretches are waiting for you anytime you want them, day or night, it will give you a feeling of tranquility as opposed to a night of anxiousness. Stretching has many benefits, and one of those is that it can help you wind down and ease the tension at the end of the day.”
 
So, for those struggling to rid themselves of their coronavirus worries, Piller offers a few examples of what he calls “superstar stretches for sleeping”:
 
Stretch 1. While lying on your back, extend your shoulder out as is comfortable and lift your hand up as though you are trying to stop traffic. Then turn your arm and your hand backward, letting your little finger be your guide. Let your little finger land where roughly the No. 7 would be on a clock. Just extend your shoulder out as is comfortable and bring your fingers back as is comfortable.
 
Stretch 2. While lying on your back on the bed, put your arm in a position as if showing your muscle to someone. Just extend your elbow out to the side as is comfortable for a tricep stretch. From that position, open your hand up all the way, extend your elbow to the side as is comfortable while bringing your thumb down toward you as is comfortable.
 
Stretch 3. While you lie on your back, just extend your shoulder and arm out as is comfortable, Piller says.
 
Stretch 4. While you lie on your back, bring your toes and the inner side of your foot inward to get a stretch on the side of the foot. These stretches for the side of your feet can be done lying on your side as well, as long as you have room to bring your foot or feet down or inward. You also can use a pillow between your legs to raise your foot so you can bring your foot or feet down, or hang your feet over the edge. “This by itself, or in combination with other stretches, has a high chance to put you to sleep like a little baby,” Piller says. 
 
A recent article in Psychology Today explored how a good night’s sleep is necessary for a person’s immune system to run as efficiently as possible. A good, healthy immune system is one of the major things that may reduce the risk of the coronavirus. That makes it extremely important that people find simple and easy ways to relax at night, rather than lie staring at the ceiling as brooding fears about the coronavirus swirl around in their minds, Piller says.
 
“Life can be a job in itself, especially right now with all the concerns about the coronavirus,” Piller says. “Most people do not want all the difficulties that every insomnia treatment is riddled with. They don’t want to do all kinds of lifestyle changes that don’t offer solutions or guarantees, and that have minimal results at best. These superstar stretches for sleeping are the world’s easiest and safest. For me, muscle stretching is magic. You get total relief just knowing this effortless system is waiting for you at bedtime.”
 
About Larry Piller
Larry Piller (www.larrypiller.com), a Certified Massage Practitioner, is author of Stretching Your Way: A Unique & Leisurely Muscle Stretching System, which BookAuthority named as one of the best new stretching books to read in 2020, one of the best stretching e-books for 2020, and one of the “Best Stretching Books of All Time.” Piller became interested in stretching more than 25 years ago when he was plagued with lower back spasms from tightening muscles that over time became debilitating. He sought advice from various experts on stretching. When nothing worked, he experimented with stretching on his own and came up with his own system.