Photo by Unsplash user seabas
I hope everyone has a happy Easter! Stay safe!
Photo provided by Mike Wooldridge
Local Walnut Creek residents Mike Wooldridge and his son Griffin Wooldridge helped design and make face shields as part of the Open Source Shield project which can be seen here. So far this week they’ve delivered face shields to Contra Costa Health Services, Carlton Senior Living and Hospice East Bay. “The design is based on existing face shields used in hospitals but employs materials that are easily obtained online or at a hardware store.” It’s good to see local residents helping out during the pandemic!
I love reading about companies supporting local businesses as well as their own employees during tough times!
From a reader:
Republic Services is buying a lunch for our “front-line” employees (200+ drivers, mechanics, etc who still have to physically come to work, out of our Pacheco yard), and a grab-and-go “dinner for 4” for our drivers etc. to take home to their families, every week during this COVID-19 situation.
We’ve been trying to support our community by ordering from small and local businesses each week. For example, today was boxed lunches from A Sweet Affair Bakery in Walnut Creek. They even came to deliver at 2:30 am in time for our first shift of garbage drivers who start at 3 am! Terry, the owner, came and did the second delivery around noon for our PM mechanics.
I know restaurants are especially hurting right now so we’re trying to spread the support each week – we’ve also done breakfast burritos from Rancho Grande in Pacheco, family lasagna trays from Wise Girl in Pleasant Hill, pizza from Vinnie’s and Slice of Italeigh in Martinez, and Mountain Mike’s in Walnut Creek. Coming up – Mexican food from a restaurant in Antioch, bagel breakfast sandwiches from Pleasant Hill, etc.
Sometimes it’s the little things. For the longest time I used Touch ID on my iPhone using my finger to to get in. Rarely had any problems. Now I upgrade to the latest iPhone with Face ID and I can no longer use it while wearing a mask. This is a pain for those with long passwords. Sometimes it’s the little things.
495 Hartz Ave, Danville
Thanks to a reader for sending word and photo that California Pedaler in Danville is now a Trek Bicycle store. According to their website they’re temporarily closed. I picked up a bike pump here a couple of months ago and they were very helpful so I hope to see them back open soon.
1548 Bonanza St, Walnut Creek
I want to give a shout-out to Broderick in downtown Walnut Creek for having a “clean & sanitized” pens bucket in addition to a “used pens” bucket. Not to mention the Purell bottle nearby. I don’t feel that comfortable ordering takeout but would definitely order from Broderick next time I’m in the mood for takeout!
On a side note, over the weekend I phoned in a pizza order for pickup. The person at the counter wasn’t wearing a mask and gave me a pen without mentioning if it had been sanitized. There was no concern about social distancing and I got the impression he couldn’t care less about getting coronavirus or transmitting it to others. Not setting the best example for someone manning the takeout section of a restaurant.
Photo by Flickr user spaztacular
Up until just recently, the official C.D.C. policy has been to recommend not wearing masks as it supposedly wouldn’t actually protect people from getting coronovirus, and would result in more people buying masks that should be meant for healthcare providers. Well, that policy is now being reconsidered. Apparently even if it’s not an N-95 mask it will still help. You can even make your own with basic materials around the house. In addition to protecting yourself from getting the virus from others, it will also protect others from the mask wearer spreading the virus unknowingly.
As someone who wore a mask at the grocery store last week, I can’t say I’m surprised by this. This doesn’t look great for the C.D.C. who in my mind comes across as less trustworthy and will take their recommendations going forward suspiciously.
As I walk around town it’s heartening to see most people following the stay-at-home order so as to preserve critical hospital capacity for those who need it. Hopefully the curve will flatten, hospital capacity will improve, rapid tests and eventually medicine to alleviate symptoms become available, followed by a vaccine in the long term.
In the meantime we also have inconsiderate people who think only of themselves as they flout the stay-at-home order and clearly marked signs indicating closures. I notice the same thing at grocery stores. Some folks are considerate and give each other plenty of space while shopping. And then there are the oblivious ones. No wonder why the United States leads the world in coronovirus infections.
As the weather warms up with social distancing shelter-at-home orders in effect until at least until May in the Bay Area, I have a feeling the next battle in social distancing is going to be the restaurant patio. Currently, restaurants can offer either take-out or delivery. Recently I noticed one city’s local email newsletter tout open restaurants. Some offered take-out while others offered both take-out and delivery. What surprised me were those that only indicated they were open. Surely this must be a mistake I thought. So I called a few of them up to see what the deal was.
I asked if I bought something could I eat it there. They said I could eat out by the patio if I wanted to. And there you go. They know they have patios, but instead of publicizing patio dining, they leave it as an unspoken feature.
My prediction: the first weekend with nice weather, restaurant patios are going to be semi-packed with diners eager to get out and enjoy the weather. The media will report about it, possibly with egregious video / photographic evidence. And patios will be forced to close. Just like parks, playgrounds and other outside public areas that people congregated to.
Have you noticed diners eating out at restaurant patios?
Despite Contra Costa Health Services, the largest the county government department, noting on their advisories and donations page that any N-95 mask donations must be in “unopened containers/boxes”, it seems like every other day I’m getting email requests from school superintendents, police chiefs, business leaders and other government officials imploring me to, “donate any masks or gloves”.
Why are county government and business leaders encouraging people to donate any masks without checking guidance from our county government? Is the official county health department responsible for managing the coronavirus crisis being too conservative in the face of an emergency, or are local government officials being irresponsible for forwarding requests without checking county donation guidelines?