On May 19, the City Council approved a multi-pronged Commercial Streets Program to streamline the permit approval process for expanding dining and retail to parklets and sidewalks. Last Friday many Alameda businesses and restaurants began reopening.
I received the following notices related to the coronavirus pandemic this week.
‘From a friend’
Karen Green asked to share this piece with the community.
“I will be wearing a mask in public as an act of kindness and a demonstration of my humanity. It protects those with weakened immune systems, eases the burdens on our healthcare warriors and will move us quicker to the day that we can begin to emerge from our burrows.
On Monday, May 4, health authorities in the nine-county region that includes Alameda loosened restrictions on construction as well as some outdoor activities and businesses. They announced that the state of California was planning to allow some retailers to reopen with curbside pickup and physical distancing. The state was also allowing any manufacturing and supply chains for those businesses to open. These orders do not permit curbside pickup for all non-essential, brick-and-mortar businesses.
In early April, Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA) launched its “Feed Alameda’s Frontline” campaign to support both Alameda restaurants and Alameda’s frontline staff who are responding to the impacts of COVID-19. When CASA approached Alameda firefighters to see if they would like to receive donated restaurant meals, they insisted on becoming donors instead.
Mindful of the loss of senior year celebrations this spring, a group of families and high school staff from across the district have planned “Alameda Senior Signing Day,” tomorrow, Friday, May 1.
Personalized yard signs will be delivered to every senior across the district this week. From 10 to 10:44 a.m., the Mayor, Superintendent, president of the Board of Education, Alameda’s four high school principals and other special guests will speak live on KJTZ (96.1 FM or www.encinalradio.com) to congratulate the Class of 2020.
Last week Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined six criteria for modifying his stay-at-home order; Alameda County’s public health officer ordered residents to wear face coverings in public; and the City of Oakland offers free COVID-19 testing to all medical personnel, first responders and public-facing essential workers.
Dashboard shows Alameda cases up from 18 last week
The Alameda County Public Health Department online dashboard of COVID-19 cases published on Friday, April 17, shows that the county has 1,061 confirmed cases of the desease. This marks an increase of 175 cases from the 886 confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, April 14.
‘We are not out of the woods yet’ says Gov. Newsom
Two developments last week signal how serious the battle against COVID-19 has become, and how seriously we must engage in this fight to contain its spread: public health officers from the Bay Area’s six most populous counties issued a new shelter-in-place order that imposes increased limitations on travel, activity and essential business functions until May 3. They also recommended the use of face coverings when in public to conduct essential activities.
Tuesday, March 31, Alameda County joined six other Bay Area health jurisdictions to extend their shelter-in place-order through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, May 3. “The order limits activity, travel and business functions to only the most essential needs,” Alameda County’s Public Health Department announced on its website. According to the department the prior order had been effective in flattening the curve in terms of transmitting COVID-19, but “it is not enough.”
