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The caterer feeding hundreds of San Mateo County employees work on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic response, is also helping to remove employment barriers for local residents.

The team at Catering Connection, a Vocational Rehabilitation Services program by the San Mateo Human Services Agency, has been hard at work producing 140 meals daily that are delivered to four County sites, including the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Department of Corrections (DOC). Meals so far have included BBQ, fajitas, sandwiches, chicken and enchiladas.

“There are hundreds of employees who are working around the clock to monitor and coordinate the County’s response to serve our residents. It is the least we can do to feed those involved at the EOC and DOC levels,” the agency said.

For more about Catering Connection, visit their website.

For updates about San Mateo County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, go here.

Photo: Contributed

San Mateo County Parks closed all 23 parks and trails it manages at 6 p.m. today until further notice in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A “surge” in visitors last weekend amid the shelter-in-place order prompted the decision. Before the decision, officials had planned to keep 17 of the parks open this weekend.

“During the past 11 days, park staff observed many visitors ignoring the Shelter In Place Order by driving to parks, congregating in groups and not maintaining six-feet of social distancing,” the County said in a statement.

“The decision to close parks is not easy, especially now when people are looking for outdoor experiences, but the safety of San Mateo County residents must always be a priority,” San Mateo County Parks Director Nicholas Calderon said.

Entrance gates are locked and “Park Closed” signs are posted at park and trail entrances, and park staff will be patrolling the parks.

UPDATE: Following the publication of this story, San Mateo County Parks announced it was closing all parks until further notice to stop the spread of COVID-19, including Edgewood.

Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve announced today that some trails have been designated as one-way in order to promote social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This will help people avoid crossing paths in narrow places, according to the group that works to protect and restore Edgewood’s unique native habitat and provide natural history programs. The map above shows which trails have transitioned to one-way.

Wider trails such as the Sunset, Serpentine, Old Stage Road and others will operate as usual, as they allow for safe passing distance of six feet. All scheduled, guided walks have been canceled at this time.

Park officials ask visitors to observe all the signs when using the trails. and recommend avoiding the park during the weekends, when trails are crowded.

Along with other parks in the area, Edgewood Park is closing certain parking lots to try and minimize the amount of park traffic.

New restrictions were recently imposed at San Mateo County beaches and parks following record visitation last weekend amid the shelter-in-place order. Parking lots at city and state coastal beaches have been closed to vehicles with the aim of reducing crowds. San Mateo County Parks has closed restrooms, playgrounds, all picnic areas, and visitor centers at all county parks. Flood Park, Friendship Park, Memorial Park, Sanchez Adobe and Woodside Store are completely closed. A full list of guidelines, modifications and parking lot closures are posted at parks.smcgov.org. Information on state parks can be accessed here: parks.ca.gov/FlattenTheCurve.

For a trail map, visit the Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve’s Facebook page.

Life Moves, which operates 23 shelters and service sites from Daly City to San Jose, has had to drastically alter programs and minimize volunteers during the COVID-19 lockdown. Thanks to some of its Redwood City neighbors, however, the nonprofit has managed to provide 140 individuals at the Maple Street Shelter three meals a day.

The new partnership with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Maple Street Correctional Center has volunteer inmates and the jail food service team prepping meals for the homeless while their normal food service is temporarily suspended. The close proximity between the shelter and correctional center helped spark the collaboration.

“We are so grateful for this support for meals at Maple Street,” a Live Moves representative told Climate Online.

On average, Life Moves provides shelter for 950 people a night and feeds even more at their drop-in day center in Palo Alto, along with customized case management for homeless individuals. As part of the COVID-19 response, the nonprofit has partnered with the County to move 40 of their most medically fragile clients into nearby motels, and to bring in temporary trailers to increase capacity.

Click here to learn more about Life Moves work in the community.

The COVID-19 lockdown doesn’t mean there’s no help for wild animals in distress.

The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA is still caring for wild animals during the public shelter-in-place order. The organization says members of the public can still bring injured or abandoned animals to its shelter at 1450 Rollins Road in Burlingame.

Once you are arrive at the building, call (650) 787-3609 or (650) 340-7022 ext 456 and a staff member will meet you outside to pick up the animal.

That same center on Rollins Road remains open for adoptions by appointment only.

For more information and updates, visit PHS/SPCA on its website and Facebook.

Caltrain is making additional cuts to weekday train service starting Monday, March 30, when it plans to operate 42 trains per weekday instead of 92.

Trains will make all local weekday stops between San Jose and San Francisco every 30-60 minutes, depending on time of day, according to the transit agency. Limited and Baby Bullet service will be suspended until further notice. Two Gilroy service trains during the morning and afternoon peak commute will continue.

Weekend service will continue as usual.

It’s the second time Caltrain has slashed service since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shelter-in-place order, causing a massive loss in ridership and thus fare revenue. One-way and Day Pass ticket sales have declined by about 86 percent from levels prior to the health crisis, according to Caltrain. On the first day of the shelter-in-place order, Caltrain recorded a 95 percent decrease in average daily ticket sales.

Caltrain relies on fares to cover 70 percent of the system’s operating costs. Along with many other transit agencies, Caltrain is hopeful the federal coronavirus stimulus package will include funds to maintain operations.

The updated weekday schedule will be available at www.caltrain.com.

Photo credit: Caltrain