Featured - page 37

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP) to close their sites. Their hearts, however, stayed wide open.

On March 19, BGCP piloted a dinner program for the families they serve and the community at large at its Redwood City and East Palo Alto Clubhouses.

“The response was overwhelming—we served over 550 meals in just an hour,” said CEO Peter Fortenbaugh. “We have adjusted to 800 meals going forward and will continue to adjust as needed.”

In the last few weeks, the BGCP has served over 25,000 meals. Meals are served from 6-7:30 p.m. Monday to Friday with help from staff and about 20 volunteers. In addition, BGCP has partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank to distribute food baskets to families in East Palo Alto every Friday night.

“These dinners will be served indefinitely,” Fortenbaugh said. “As long as we have food, we will serve anyone who comes with pick up and go meals.”

James K. Harris, senior director of operations at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, said his team feels “fortunate to be in a position to step up to serve the needs of our community during this unprecedented time.”

San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum described the effort as another way the community has stepped up at a time of need.

“I have heard from parents who are experiencing financial hardship due to workplaces and childcare facilities closing,” the supervisor said. “This program is a necessary step to help families keep food on the table.”

To donate to BGCP, or for more information, visit here.

Photo credit: Boys & Girls Club of Peninsula’s Facebook page.

Since April 7, Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care has been offering COVID-19 Rapid Testing in their Redwood City location.

While first responders and medical personnel are still prioritized for testing, community members are encouraged to schedule a virtual screening if they are experiencing coronavirus symptoms.

Community members who wish to receive a test do not need to be a member or affiliated with Dignity Health, and must be living in California during the time of their screening. Dignity Health offers screenings to adults and children over one year. Appointments are offered Monday through Friday, from 8am-8pm, and Saturday through Sunday from 9am-5pm.

To schedule a virtual visit, go to Dignity Health’s website, select the preferred time and date of your appointment, and complete an online registration form. If your virtual provider believes you are showing symptoms, they will schedule you for a COVID-19 Rapid Test.

To receive the test, you must drive to one of the testing clinics and remain in your car where providers will perform a nasal swab. After 5-13 minutes, patients will be informed of the results and follow up care.

To visit Dignity’s Health website for more information, click here.

Photo credit: CDC

Restaurants with fewer tables. Waiters wearing masks and gloves, clutching to disposable menus. Temperature checks before you can enter the establishment. School classrooms reconfigured. More teleworking. More distance learning.

As California flattens the curve on coronavirus cases and begins to ponder easing stay-at-home orders, things might look different in the state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press conference Tuesday.

“Normal it will not be,” Gov. Newsom said. “At least until we have herd immunity, and we have a vaccine.”

The governor did not offer a precise timeline on the easing COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions, but announced six key indicators that will guide the state’s decisions in the coming weeks and months.

Those indicators include the development of “adequate physical distancing protocols at businesses, schools and child care facilities,” the governor’s office said. Also, the state will ease restrictions based upon its ability to test and isolate symptomatic patients and identify those who have had contact with them; prevent the most vulnerable groups, like seniors, from being infected; ensure hospital and health systems can handle surges in cases; develop treatments that meet the demand with help from academia, researchers and others; and determine when and how to relax or tighten stay-at-home orders in the future if necessary.

“As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, we must be guided by science and data, and we must understand that things will look different than before,” the governor said.

Gov. Newsom called the next phase in the battle against the virus an optimistic one but likely the most challenging. In January, he said, the state launched containment efforts by repatriating flights from mainland China. It later moved to mitigation through stay-at-home orders, then prepped its medical system for a potential surge in cases. Now it’s moving to a “suppression” stage, with the ultimate goals of developing herd immunity and a vaccine.

Tuesday’s press conference occurred one day after Gov. Newsom announced a pact with Oregon and Washington on developing a shared framework on reopening their economies that aims to prioritize health, science and data, and not political pressure.

For more information on California’s response, visit covid19.ca.gov.

Despite the shelter-in-place order, out-of-area visitors flocked to San Mateo County’s coastal parks over Easter weekend, ignoring “no parking signs” and prompting the sheriff’s office to give over 900 verbal warnings and write 299 parking citations.

And while most of the activity was on the coast, the sheriff’s office also enforced violations elsewhere in the county. In one incident, verbal warnings were given to dozens of people gathered for a picnic near Alice’s Restaurant at Highway 84 and Highway 35 in Woodside.

“They were in a large group having a picnic in violation of the order following a weekend motorcycle ride through the rural roads of Woodside and unincorporated San Mateo County,” Lt. Stephanie Josephson said in a report Monday.

The San Mateo County coast saw an increase in visitors over the weekend starting on Good Friday, becoming its busiest on Saturday and continuing to be relatively busy on Sunday, Lt. Josephson said. Extensive “no parking signs” along Cabrillo Highway were disregarded, and coastal sheriff’s deputies contacted a “significant number” of visitors from Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley, and even one from New Jersey. Most out-of-area visitors appeared to come from San Francisco, she added.

“On a positive note, every deputy and CSO working this weekend received positive comments from the local population commending their efforts to reduce the numbers of people on the Coast,” Lt. Josephson said.

Photo credit: San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office

The Silicon Valley Bike Coalition has announced that Bike to Work Day has been postponed from Thursday, May 14 to Thursday, Sept. 24, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be a celebration of bicycles in May, which is National Bike Month. The Silicon Valley Bike Coalition is currently working on ideas and fun initiatives to celebrate next month.

For those yearning for a bike ride and fresh air, the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition suggests “bicycling by yourself or with your household members is a great, socially distant way to get some fresh air–just make sure you stay six feet apart from anyone you cross paths with.”

To learn more about the upcoming Bike Month events, click here.

Photo credit: Rafael Lima

The City of San Mateo is holding a virtual, interactive town hall meeting Tuesday at 3 p.m.

The town hall will go over steps the city is taking to keep the community safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, support and resources for individuals and small businesses, and how residents who are able can support the community.

Additionally, a UC-San Francisco virologist will talk about COVID-19 and what’s expected in the coming weeks and months.

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we are going to get there if we all do our part,” said Mayor Joe Goethals. “Getting through this pandemic and recovering as a community will be easier if we can all stay informed and engaged.”

Those wishing to participate in the town hall meeting can visit here or watch the recording on the City’s YouTube channel following the meeting.

Photo credit: City of San Mateo

California, Oregon and Washington will work together on a shared approach to reopening the economy while managing COVID-19 into the future, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today.

As part of the Western States Pact, the three states will have their own reopening plans but all will work within a shared framework that focuses on science and not politics, Gov. Newsom said during a press conference today.

“We began a process of establishing more formally what it would look like and how we can begin the process of a kind of incremental release on the stay at home orders that advance the fundamental principles of keeping people healthy, keeping people safe, using science to guide our decision-making, not political pressure,” Gov. Newsom said.

In a joint statement, Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said, “We need to see a decline in the rate of spread of the virus before large-scale reopening, and we will be working in coordination to identify the best metrics to guide this.”

The states will work with their communities on four goals for controlling the virus into the future:

• Development of a system of testing, tracking and isolating.
• Efforts to prevent and fight outbreaks in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities;
• Adequate hospital surge capacity and supplies of personal protective equipment;
• Mitigation for non-direct COVID-19 health impacts, particularly on disadvantaged communities

To read the full statement by the three governors, go here.

Photo credit: Office of the California Governor

A cat rescued from inside an AT&T utility box in the middle of San Mateo Bridge last month is now available for adoption, according to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA).

On March 17, an AT&T technician dispatched to the bridge for minor repairs spotted the cat hiding in the utility box at one of the vehicle pullouts in the middle of the bridge, said Buffy Martin Tarbox, PHS/SPCA spokesperson. PHS/SPCA rescue were called to the scene.

“PHS/SPCA Animal Rescue & Control Officer Justin Reese blocked the access point close to the highway to prohibit the cat from running into the traffic on the bridge,” officials said. “Officer Reese was then able to reach the cat’s hiding spot and grasp the feline bringing him to safety.”

The cat was brought for medical evaluation to PHS/SPCA’s Coyote Point shelter and found to have some minor abrasions, but was overall in good condition.

Tarbox believes it’s unlikely the cat walked halfway across the bridge.

“The cat was suffering from some road rash, so we suspect he had been hiding or traveling in a vehicle driving across the bridge, and somehow exited the car or was forced out of the car, then scrambled to the utility box and hid, having no other place to go,” Tarbox said.

The cat, which lacked identification and wasn’t microchipped, was provided the name Raisin and is now available for adoption at PHS/SPCA.

“Raisin is a very fortunate cat indeed and will make a wonderful new addition to a family or individual. He’s now microchipped and neutered. His adoption fee is $80,” said Tarbox.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, PHS/SPCA is open for adoptions by appointment only. Those interested in meeting Raisin need to call 650-340-7022 to schedule an appointment.

“Raisin is just one of more than 200 animals PHS/SPCA has helped since San Mateo County instituted the shelter-in-place order, which is now in effect statewide,” the organization said.

Photos are courtesy of PHS/SPCA

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District announced this week it is closing preserves in San Mateo County on Saturdays and Sundays starting this weekend at the direction of the San Mateo County public health officer.

The following Midpen preserves are affected:

• Coal Creek
• El Corte de Madera Creek
• La Honda Creek
• Los Trancos
• Long Ridge
• Pulgas Ridge
• Purisima Creek Redwoods
• Ravenswood
• Russian Ridge
• Skyline Ridge
• Teague Hill
• Thornewood
• Windy Hill

These preserves will remain closed throughout the week:

• Long Ridge
• Windy Hill

In San Mateo County, public health officials have restricted travel for outdoor recreation to within five miles from home.

“Public health officials agree that outdoor activity is essential, and we ask that if you have a backyard or safe neighborhood that you stay close to home and look for nature there,” said MidPen General Manager Ana María Ruiz. “We also recognize not everyone in our community has these opportunities, which is why we’re working hard to keep the preserves open as much as possible. To do that safely, we need everyone’s help to avoid overcrowding. If the parking lot is full, the preserve trails are full.”

For more information, visit here.