Holidays in the Time of Coronavirus



Almost 30,000 people have contracted COVID-19 in Alameda County and over 500 people have died from it. In San Leandro alone, we've had over 1,600 cases. The positive test rates in the most populated areas of the county, including most of San Leandro, vary from 5% to greater than 8%.

The pandemic's impacted has disproportionately affected Black and Hispanic/Latino communities, particularly when adjusted as a share of the total population. But even when not looking at specific demographics, the devastation is startling, especially as we haven't even begun to review community spread from Thanksgiving yet.

You can see the numbers for yourself, in a simple, interactive format on the county's website at https://covid-19.acgov.org/data.

I understand people are scared. I understand people are frustrated. I understand there's lots of conflicting information crowding your media sources. I understand that the economic struggles are getting worse, the social and emotional tolls are climbing higher, as well as maybe even a nihilistic attitude creeping up about the whole issue. I understand people are feeling lots of different things and I understand why they do.

However, that said, please do not let those feelings allow you to be fooled by misinformation, pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, partisan hackery, and/or anecdotal outliers. This disease is real, deadly, and not going away anytime soon. Protect yourself and, equally as important, others in our community. Wear a mask. Practice good hygiene, including handwashing. Stay indoors as much as practicable. Avoid large groups, except for those actually living in your household. Utilize social distancing when you're outside for essential activities.

If we fail to take collective responsibility for our conduct during this turmoil, there will be more deaths, more chronic illnesses, more financial ruin, and a myriad of other tragedies. Not just in our city, but our state and our nation. And it will be our fault, as a society, for not doing more to prevent it.

For a list of useful resources, here are some great places to start:

https://www.sanleandro.org/c19/
https://covid19.ca.gov/
https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2020/coronavirus-map/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/coronavirus/article/Coronavirus-live-updates-news-bay-area-15237940.php
https://www.factcheck.org/a-guide-to-our-coronavirus-coverage/
https://www.snopes.com/collections/new-coronavirus-collection/
https://www.politifact.com/coronavirus/
https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19

Take note and take care.

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