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Connect with your community each week with the following updates on COVID-19, City services, events and programs, wellness opportunities, and family resources.
- Coronavirus Report
- Climate Action Blog Series: Resources to Take Local Climate Action & Connect as a Community
- 2022 Palo Alto Community Survey Process Launching Soon
- Connect Together as a Community at Upcoming Events
- Weekly City Manager Blog Series: September 19, 2022
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California Shifts Masking Recommendations to Use Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Community Levels
After a California universal indoor masking requirement was reinstated on December 15, 2021, due to the Omicron variant, the California Department of Public Health has announced that beginning September 23, 2022, CDC Community Levels will inform masking recommendations in all indoor settings at all times. Learn more about the updated California guidance here.
CDC COVID-19 Vaccinations & Booster Recommendations
The CDC recommends that everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters. Children 6 months through 4 years old should complete the primary vaccination series. Everyone 5 years and older should complete the primary vaccination series and youth 5 years to 11 years old are recommended to also receive the original monovalent booster. People 12 and older are recommended to receive the Pfizer or Moderna updated (bivalent) booster. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against COVID-19. Find your eligibility and learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and booster recommendations here. CDC offers different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised.
Getting a Flu Vaccine & COVID-19 Vaccine/Booster at the Same Time
With flu season coming up, the CDC offers resources related to the flu vaccine, including details about safely getting both the flu shot and the COVID-19 vaccination or booster at the same time. According to the CDC, you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine at the same time if you are eligible, and the timing coincides. Even though both vaccines can be given at the same visit, people should follow the recommended schedule for either vaccine: If you haven’t gotten your currently recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine, get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can. September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated against flu. However, even if you are not able to get vaccinated until November or later, the CDC recommends vaccination because the flu most commonly peaks in February, and flu activity can continue into May. If you have concerns about getting both vaccines at the same time, you should speak with your health care provider. For more, including frequently asked questions about the flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, go here. Find a flu vaccine appointment at local pharmacies or clinics.
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Community Recovery and City Updates | |
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Climate Action Blog Series: Resources to Take Local Climate Action & Connect as a Community
To achieve City sustainability goals, residents are encouraged to act locally by switching natural gas appliances to electric appliances and making other adjustments at home that are focused on reducing gas emissions. In doing so, we can collectively have a global impact on reducing the effects of climate change. In this new community update, learn about the new digital engagement tool and learn about what your neighbors are doing to address climate change locally. In addition, the City launched a new online resource to streamline going electric at home. Learn about the upcoming sustainability items headed to the City Council for consideration on September 27 and October 3 and find details on climate action events coming up fast. Read more here.
2022 Palo Alto Community Survey Process Launching Soon
The 2022 Palo Alto Community Survey process will be starting soon. The City's Community Survey is a critical community engagement tool that helps the City Council and City staff understand community needs and community priorities. The survey is one way of many that we are connecting and hearing from residents. The survey results are reviewed by the City Council and City staff and community input helps shape the City’s decision-making processes and more. Learn about this survey, including past results and find other ways to engage at www.cityofpaloalto.org/engage.
Connect Together as a Community at Upcoming Events
Happy fall, Palo Alto! The weather this past week has reminded us that we’re entering a new season, and it is filled with all sorts of fun events to connect together as a community. Support the arts in a family-friendly environment at a Play House Series:Jack and the Beanstalk showing this weekend. Performances are approximately 35 minutes in length and perfect for audience members aged 2-6. Tour an organic farm and learn about sustainable urban farming at an upcoming event for 4th-6th graders. On Sunday, September 25 from 1 – 3 p.m., join the City and neighbors for an Upcycling Community Workshop at the Midtown Ice Cream Social at Hoover Park. Bring your Keurig pods and plastic bottle caps to upcycle into cute sea turtles. Join virtual Family Storytime on Monday, September 26 from 11-11:30 a.m. to enjoy stories and songs curated for kids, toddlers, and babies. Learning English as a second language? Practice speaking and listening in English in a friendly and informal environment at the next meeting of the ESL Conversation Group. Enjoy the opening reception of Pets of Palo Alto, the result of multiple community photo sessions, on Saturday, October 1 from 4 – 6 p.m. Check out these events and more on the City’s web calendar and the Palo Alto Library calendar.
Weekly City Manager Blog Series: September 19, 2022
Each Council meeting, City Manager Ed Shikada provides “City Manager Comments” sharing recent City news, and updates for the community to stay informed on important issues. Read about the County rescinding health orders and adding another health order that focuses on masking requirements in high-risk settings and other strong recommendations focused on businesses and government entities recommending face coverings indoors and mandatory vaccinations of employees, and continued COVID-19 testing opportunities in Palo Alto (coming up on September 23 and October 14). Learn how to be storm ready and attend upcoming community events and meetings such as the Friday Night at the Art Center and the One Water Plan community meeting. Read the community updates here.
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MedAssist Program to Off-Set High Medications Costs: Receive financial assistance in the form of a grant designed to off-set high out-of-pocket expenses for life-saving medications such as anti-diabetics, asthma inhalers, and/or epinephrine auto-injectors, through a new County program, MedAssist. Learn more at www.medassist.sccgov.org.
Tuning Inward: We are often taught to push through a difficult time or day, but sometimes what a person needs to help regulate difficult sensations or emotions is to tune into these symptoms. They are simply a way of our body telling us we need something amid the business of modern life. The H.A.L.T. practice can help individuals better manage difficulties that may arise over the course of a challenging day or weeks ahead.
Making Healthy Choices: With shorter days and longer nights approaching, it might feel overwhelming to find time for healthy eating and active living. Luckily Santa Clara County has compiled a list of resources to help make health an easier choice. Find a list of local farmer’s markets, seasonal produce information, childhood feeding practices, resources for cutting sugar, and more here.
Recipe of the Week: It’s officially fall! While pumpkin spiced everything has already gotten a few weeks head start in the markets, we now have no reservations about cooking up some fall delights on this first day of autumn. This butternut squash soup recipe is a clean starting point, packing in nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. Make it as is, or add cream, pumpkin seeds, or other family favorites to make it your own.
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County Supervisor Telephone Town Hall: Join Supervisor Joe Simitian for a telephone town hall on Wednesday, September 28 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. with Santa Clara County Counsel James Williams and Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, professor of Global Health and Infectious Diseases at Stanford School of Medicine. The town hall is free to participate; sign up here.
Fall Favorite, Apple Picking: If apple picking is on your fall to-do list, find an apple farm nearby from this list.
Non-Partisan Election Resources: While the November 8 election may seem far off, there are a large number of topics and candidates to learn about. The Palo Alto chapter of the League of Women Voters is a resource for non-partisan information about the issues. See their upcoming forums and discussions as well as links to voter guides. For Palo Alto elections information including voting resources, council candidate information, and local ballot Measures K and L, visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/elections.
Credit Reports and Scores: What’s the difference between a credit score and a credit report? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains the difference and provides helpful information on a range of financial topics.
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Sign Up for Palo Alto FireMed
Did you know that an emergency ambulance ride can cost between $250-700, even with medical insurance? Save money and get peace of mind during an emergency that you are doing all you can to protect your family, visitors to your home, or employees. A new program for Palo Alto residents and businesses makes sure you are not stuck with a bill during an emergency. Palo Alto FireMed is convenient and cost-effective, covering unlimited ambulance rides within the Palo Alto city limits for a low cost of $8 per household per month. The membership fee is easily added to your monthly City of Palo Alto Utilities bill. Sign up today at www.cityofpaloalto.org/FireMed.
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