City Of Alameda: Around The Island: Keep Hope Alive For Alameda's Postpandemic Future

Press release from the City of Alameda:

January 19, 2022

This week we remembered the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.” Even though we’re exhausted from the pandemic, we can’t lose hope for a healthier future for everyone. We all must step up our pandemic game with the tools we’re very familiar with to lower the risk to our community.

Boosters are recommended for everyone 12 or older if at least five months have passed since their second Moderna or Pfizer shot or two months have passed since their J&J shot. Find an appointment at alamedaca.gov/getvaccinated.

Get tested before and after seeing friends and family. Rapid tests can be hard to find, but new shipments arrive at pharmacies daily and tests can be ordered online. If you have not already done so, every household can order four free tests from the federal government at covidtests.gov. Private health care providers are also now required to cover the cost of up to eight over-the-counter rapid tests per person per month.

If you test positive, the guidance is the same for everyone. Stay home for at least five days and wear a mask around others for 10 days. Your isolation ends after Day 10 if you’re fever-free and your symptoms are reducing OR after Day Five with a negative test and no symptoms.

Your quarantine ends after five days with a negative test and no symptoms or after 10 days without a test. If you’re exposed but up to date on your vaccine (boosted!), you don’t need to stay home, but you should monitor for symptoms, test on Day Five and wear a mask around others for 10 days.

CARE Team: The city of Alameda recently launched its CARE (Community Assessment Response & Engagement) Team, a mobile crisis unit that provides a new way of responding to individuals experiencing mental health crises.

CARE Team:

If so, a mobile crisis team led by the Alameda Fire Department with a licensed paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician trained to respond to individuals experiencing mental health challenges will arrive in a low-profile vehicle to help the client navigate the best path forward.

Program results: Got the post-holiday blues? Here’s some good news! Alameda’s Jammie Drive raised more than $13,000 and not only provided pajamas (jammies) and gift cards to all the women and children at three East Bay shelters, it funded a Move In Kit campaign, which provides for necessities as people move out of shelters and into permanent housing.

Program results:

Sarah Henry is a public information officer for the city of Alameda. She can be reached at 510-747-4714 or shenry@alamedaca.gov.

Sarah Henry is a public information officer for the city of Alameda. She can be reached at 510-747-4714 or shenry@alamedaca.gov.

Photographs by Maurice Ramirez.

This press release was produced by the City of Alameda. The views expressed here are the author’s own.