City of Monterey Update #132 - COVID-19 and More

FROM THE CITY OF MONTEREY

COVID-19 and More...Local Update

October 14, 2020

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monterey.org/coronavirus

Wildlife Wednesday

Thank you to local wildlife photographer, Jerry Loomis, for this great photo of a juvenile Pied Billed Grebe. Happy Wildlife Wednesday

State Supported COVID-19 Testing Site Opening in Seaside

Beginning, Tuesday, October 20th, FREE COVID-19 testing will be available in Seaside Tuesday through Saturday from 8 am to 8 pm. The testing site will be at Seaside High School at 220 Noche Buena Street.

This testing service is provided in partnership with California Department of Public Health and OptumServe. The State sponsored testing sites are required to meet an 85% utilization rate. Unfortunately, the site in Greenfield has not been well utilized in the last couple of months and the State is supportive of relocating the testing site to another area in the County with limited access to testing services. The last day of testing at the Greenfield location will be Saturday, October 17th from 8 am to 7 pm.

Testing is open to individuals with symptoms and without symptoms. Testing is recommended for healthcare workers, first responders, caretakers to high risk individuals, individuals considered close contacts to others with COVID-19, and anyone that is concerned that they may have been exposed to COVID-19.

COVID-19 testing will still be available in South County at seven locations in Greenfield, Gonzales, King City, and Soledad. Reservations should be made in advance at these sites. State supported sites, including the other one in the county at the Cesar Chavez Library in Salinas, accept walk ins and appointments. Appointments to get tested may be made by visiting https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 1-888-634-1123.

Please bring a legal identification if you have one to help ensure contact information is captured correctly for results reporting.

More information is available at www.mtyhd.org/covidtesting

Monterey County Public Health Guidance for a Covid-19 Safe Halloween

The Monterey County Health Department is encouraging residents to seek out safer holiday activities this year:

HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES:

Not Permitted (gatherings and events are not currently allowed under local and state health orders):

Halloween gatherings, events or parties with non-household members are not permitted unless they are part of your social circle of 12 individuals or less, are conducted outdoors, and are otherwise in compliance Social Circle Guidance.
Carnivals, festivals, live entertainment, and indoor haunted house attractions are not allowed.

Not Recommended:

Door to door trick or treating is not recommended because it can be very difficult to maintain proper physical distancing on porches and at front doors, ensure that everyone answering or coming to the door is appropriately masked to prevent disease spread, and it involves touching high contact surfaces such as doorbells and candy bowls.
“Trunk or treating” where children go from car to car instead of door to door to receive treats is also not recommended, since it is difficult to avoid crowding and sharing food.

Permitted and Encouraged:

Online parties/contests (e.g. costume or pumpkin carving)
Car parades that comply with public health guidance for vehicle-based parades including:

Drive by events or contests where individuals dress up or decorate their vehicles and drive by “judges” that are appropriately physically distanced.
Drive through events where individuals remain in their vehicles and drive through an area with Halloween displays.
Drive in events where individuals can receive a treat bag (limited to commercially packaged non-perishable treats) or take away item from an organizer while the participants remain in their vehicle.

TOMORROW! ☕️ Connect & get updates with your City Manager during Monterey Mornings with the Manager - Hans Uslar gives a biweekly update on COVID-19 and other programs, policies and projects affecting our community. Join us tomorrow, Thu, October 15 at 9AM at http://youtube.com/cityofmonterey