Welcome to Monitor Notes, a weekly roundup of news items, event announcements, and updates on past Bay Area Monitor articles.
Stay Safe, Stay Busy
Work from home. Kids at home. Social distance. Indeed, coronavirus sheltering-in-place is hitting home for many of us as we digest our role in stopping the spread. This inside story, however, doesn’t have to feel so gloomy.
California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday announced this week several ways California residents can help their community, while also following state health officials’ COVID-19 guidance. Besides, helping just feels healthy and goes a long way toward restoring some normalcy.
If you’re able and have time, consider checking in on your neighbors, donating to a food back, delivering meals, or supporting nonprofits. Blood drives have been cancelled across the country and blood centers are asking healthy people to donate blood to make sure hospitals have the supply they need. California Volunteers assembled a fact sheet with these and other suggested ways we can look out for one another. Visit their website for additional information.
“Those in need are going to be the most vulnerable in the coming weeks and while we take safety precautions, we are able to help one another during this difficult time,” Fryday said in a news release.
Looking for more activities? Here are a few opportunities:
- Listen to a recent episode from KQED Public Radio’s Activating Democracy series. It discusses the importance of participating in local democracy and the ways in which Bay Area residents can become more engaged. Here’s a short guide for additional inspiration.
- Stream documentaries from the D.C. Environmental Film Festival through March 31. Nearly all films are available for free.
- Catch up on issues affecting Bay Area growth with Greenbelt Alliance’s blog. The latest post, “Where Should We Build as a Region,” looks at the work of a regional housing committee on which the Alliance serves and how residents can provide input to prevent homebuilding sprawl.
- Need a prescription for shelter-in-place stir-craziness? The San Francisco Chronicle reassures readers that biking is okay when riders follow social distancing rules.
Monitor Notes is produced by Cecily O’Connor. To receive it by email, scroll to the bottom of this page, enter your email address in the box under “RECEIVE EMAIL UPDATES,” and click the red “SIGN UP” button.