City of Monterey Update #170 - COVID-19 and More

FROM THE CITY OF MONTEREY

COVID-19 & More...Local Update

December 16, 2020

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monterey.org/coronavirus

Wildlife Wednesday: Exploring Tidepools in Monterey Bay

"It is a fabulous place: when the tide is in, a wave-churned basin, creamy with foam, whipped by the combers that roll in from the whistling buoy on the reef. But when the tide goes out the little water world becomes quiet and lovely. The sea is very clear and the bottom becomes fantastic with hurrying, fighting, feeding, breeding animals. Crabs rush from frond to frond of the waving algae. Starfish squat over mussels and limpets, attach their million little suckers and then slowly lift with incredible power until the prey is broken from the rock. And then the starfish stomach comes out and envelops its food. Orange and speckled and fluted nudibranchs slide gracefully over the rocks, their skirts waving like the dresses of Spanish dancers. And black eels poke their heads out of crevices and wait for prey. The snapping shrimps with their trigger claws pop loudly. The lovely, colored world is glassed over. Hermit crabs like frantic children scamper on the bottom sand...⁣

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The smells of life and richness, of death and digestion, of decay and birth, burden the air. And salt spray blows in from the barrier where the ocean waits for its rising-tide strength to permit it back into the Great Tide Pool again. And on the reef the whistling buoy bellows like a sad and patient bull.”⁣ - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row

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Photo by @kaelyn_deyoung via Instagram

COVID-19 Vaccine Arrives in California and the Central Coast

From California Governor Gavin Newsom: "Yesterday, these 5 healthcare workers were among the first in California to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Next week, we are expecting 393,000 more doses. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we can't let our guard down now: Stay home. Wear a mask."

Monterey County is ready to receive the first allotment of 2,925 COVID-19 vaccine doses, which is expected for delivery in the next day or two and will go directly to area hospitals for frontline health care workers.

The Governor is right- let's not let our guard down now. Cases are still on the rise. In Monterey County today, we had almost 300 new cases and 2 new deaths. California reported 53,711 new cases and 293 deaths in the last 24 hours. The statewide positivity rate is at 11%.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information from CHOMP

Now that there is an authorized and recommended vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in the United States, here are eight things you need to know about the new COVID-19 Vaccination Program and COVID-19 vaccines:

8 Things to Know about the US COVID-19 Vaccination Program

Free Drive Thru Flu Clinic on Thursday, December 17

Virtual Update with City Manager on Thursday, December 17

It's our last virtual update of 2020! This will be the 21st address that City Manager Hans Uslar has given since the start of the pandemic. We hope these updates have been helpful to you. Learn more about the programs, policies and projects that are currently affecting our community, including COVID-19, the economy and upcoming/recent City Council discussions and decisions. Join us for Monterey Mornings with the Manager tomorrow, Thursday, December 17 at 9 a.m. at youtube.com/cityofmonterey.

City of Monterey Emergency Rental Assistance Program

With the recent stay-at-home order, we'd like to remind you about our Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which has granted nearly $500,000 to residents and workers in the City of Monterey who have experienced a loss of income due to the pandemic. Please visit monterey.org/housing for more information and to apply.

Buy Local and Shop Small this Holiday Season

This is your weekly reminder to be mindful when shopping this holiday season- please support local businesses as much as you can. Major online retailers are seeing record sales while small "brick and mortar" businesses are struggling due to the pandemic. Buy gift certificates, visit local retailers, gift an experience, support local fishermen, farmers, artists, wineries, and breweries, etc - your purchases help support local jobs, support city services and improvements with tax revenue, and keep these unique businesses in town. You can avoid the last minute shopping crowds in big box stores and don't fret about lagging delivery times: Instead, visit small businesses- they are part of what make our community special and business districts unique.