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Medical Professionals Call on Oakland School Leaders to Increase COVID-19 Protections for Children, Teachers and Families

The following letter was sent by medical professionals and community leaders on Aug. 9, 2021 to Oakland the Oakland Unified School District Superintendent and school board members.

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Ivan Aleksic/ Unsplash

The following letter was sent by medical professionals and community leaders on Aug. 9, 2021 to Oakland the Oakland Unified School District Superintendent and school board members.

Oakland Unified School District appears to be on the verge of reopening its schools to full capacity, even though the best available data indicates that the spread of COVID‐19 is quickening and expanding, particularly in several of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. 

Because marginalized communities suffer compromised health even in the best of times, it appears inevitable that Oakland’s Black and Brown youth and their families will disproportionately bear the brunt of new infections, and increased morbidity and mortality.
We write to pose some essential questions, the answers to which will reflect the degree to which elected leaders of the school board are willing and prepared to take the steps necessary to protect the well‐being of some of the most vulnerable among us. 

Choices the school board makes with respect to COVID‐19 cannot be divorced from the demands for equity that are sweeping the nation for the simple fact that health vulnerabilities of our communities of color can, in many instances, be traced back to and are deeply rooted in generations of unjust oppression, unequal access to opportunity, and undeniable neglect at the hands of both the public and private sectors. 

To be sure, OUSD’s actions in the 2020‐21 school year to quickly pivot to distance and then hybrid learning are to be commended. Swift action to suspend in‐person instruction and equip students for distance learning surely saved lives, and courageously modeled for an entire nation principle of self‐sacrifice and equity.

But these important achievements risk being squandered. 

First, an adequate plan for regular and targeted COVID‐19 testing has yet to be implemented.
“Recommended testing” at one of “10 OUSD locations” on a voluntary basis for symptomatic and exposed teachers, students and families, is wholly inadequate. 

That teachers are not required to undergo routine testing or demonstrate proof of vaccination despite spending hours indoors (especially) with unvaccinated children is unfathomable, particularly since the Delta viral strain is transmitted more easily modeling in support of that case.

Only when this is done, can the public ‐- the individuals, organizations, businesses, agencies and elected officials that rely upon the expertise of public health professionals ‐- adequately assess their options and make decisions appropriate to their needs and consistent with their appetite for risk. 

If Oakland parents and students must choose between at‐home/distance learning and
exposure to a serious illness that could prove fatal to themselves or loved ones, then they should be provided information about the relative risks of their options so that they can debate and shape the types and timing of trade‐offs being asked of them during this ordeal.
At a minimum we insist that the school board require:

Symptomatic students, staff and teachers isolate and test negative before presenting to any
school site

Every school site have supplies and staff for onsite COVID‐19 testing
All unvaccinated teachers and staff undergo at least weekly mandatory testing
All unvaccinated teachers and staff wear N95 masks at all times

The following data points be included on the OUSD Dashboard:

  • Ventilation strategy being utilized at each school site
  • Distancing guideline(s) being observed at each school site for each common area
    (classrooms, hallways, multi‐use rooms)
  • Percentage of vaccinated teachers and staff at each school site
  • Notification of each COVID‐19 outbreak with number of student and teacher/staff cases

As community leaders and physicians. we stand ready to serve as not only accountability partners, but as a resource to help ensure the health and well‐being of our dedicated teachers and school staff, and the safety of our children. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for additional information or if we can be
of assistance. We look forward to hearing from you.

Signed:
Sherilynn Cooke, MD, president, Sinkler Miller Medical Association
Noha Aboelata, MD, CEO, Roots Community Health Center
Donna White Carey, MD, executive pastor, True Vine Ministries
Aisha Mays, MD, director of Adolescent and School Based Programs, Roots Community Health Center
Kim F. Rhoads, MD, MS, MPH, Assoc. Prof. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Founding Dir., Umoja Health
Damon Francis, MD, Health Committee, Brotherhood of Elders Network
Gregory Hodge, chief network officer, Brotherhood of Elders Network
Pecolia Manigo Awobodu, executive director, Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network
Donald Frasier, executive director, Building Opportunities for Self‐Sufficiency
Pastor Michael McBride, national director, LIVE FREE Project
Carolyn (CJ) Johnson, CEO, Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation
Candice Elder, founder and executive Director, East Oakland Collective
Tanya Dennis, Oakland Frontline Healers Coalition

 

The Oakland Post’s coverage of local news in Alameda County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support community newspapers across California

Bay Area

Registration Opens for Richmond’s 1st Annual Citywide Garage Sale

Richmond residents are encouraged to register for the first annual Citywide Garage Sale, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the Richmond City Manager’s weekly newsletter. The event will follow in the model of the El Cerrito Citywide Garage Sale, which encourages residents to reuse and recycle locally while reducing clutter.

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Garage sale sign. Photo by Ekaterina Belinskaya via Pexels.
Garage sale sign. Photo by Ekaterina Belinskaya via Pexels.

The Richmond Standard

Richmond residents are encouraged to register for the first annual Citywide Garage Sale, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the Richmond City Manager’s weekly newsletter.

The event will follow in the model of the El Cerrito Citywide Garage Sale, which encourages residents to reuse and recycle locally while reducing clutter.

How it works: residents register their households to host a garage sale for a $10 nonrefundable registration fee. The city’s Recreation Division uses that information to create a map of registered households that will be published online at least one week ahead of the event. Shoppers will be able to access the map to find garage sale locations and descriptions.

To register as a host of a garage sale, you can do so in person by downloading the Citywide Garage Sale Registration Form and bringing it to the Recreation Complex at 3230 Macdonald Avenue. You can also register online on the city’s ActiveNet platform.

The deadline to register is April 14.

For more information, visit https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4476/Citywide-Garage-Sale to register or call (510) 620-6793.

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BayCityNews

State Attorney General Issues Consumer Alert for Storm Price Gouging

In response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s declaration of a state of emergency, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned consumers that price gouging during the state’s series of storms is illegal. On Wednesday, Bonta issued a consumer alert reminding residents that it is against the law for sellers to increase prices by over 10%. The law applies to sellers with food, emergency or medical supplies, building materials and gasoline for sale.

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Attorney General Rob Bonta
Attorney General Rob Bonta

By Bay City News

 

In response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s declaration of a state of emergency, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned consumers that price gouging during the state’s series of storms is illegal.

 

On Wednesday, Bonta issued a consumer alert reminding residents that it is against the law for sellers to increase prices by over 10%. The law applies to sellers with food, emergency or medical supplies, building materials and gasoline for sale.

 

Also prohibited are extreme price spikes for reconstruction services, cleanup services, transportation services and rental housing and hotel accommodations.

 

Sellers are exempt from the prohibition if the price of labor, goods or materials have increased.

 

Violators are subject to fines up to $10,000 or a one-year county jail sentence, and civil penalities.

 

Californians who believe they were a victim of price gouging are urged to report the incident to local authorities or to Bonta’s office at oag.ca.gov/report.

 

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.  All rights reserved.  Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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Bay Area

Bay Area Saw Wind Gusts of Up to 88 Mph As Tuesday’s Storm Whipped Through Region

High winds throughout the Bay Area on Tuesday blew down multiple trees and knocked out power, causing cancellations and delays on public transit, the closures of some highways and roads, and safety hazards as arcing power lines hit land.

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The National Weather Service (NWS) logo. The NWS provides weather, water, and climate data, forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy. (NWS via Bay City News)
The National Weather Service (NWS) logo. The NWS provides weather, water, and climate data, forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy. (NWS via Bay City News)

By Bay City News

High winds throughout the Bay Area on Tuesday blew down multiple trees and knocked out power, causing cancellations and delays on public transit, the closures of some highways and roads, and safety hazards as arcing power lines hit land.

Point Potrero in Richmond logged the highest Bay Area winds at 88 mph, according to the National Weather Service as of 8:08 p.m.

Los Gatos saw winds at 82 mph, Oakland International Airport and Mount Diablo logged winds at 74 mph in the East Bay, Napa saw gusts at 65 mph, San Francisco International Airport reached gusts of 64 mph, and the Monterey, Palo Alto and Watsonville airports all saw winds at up to 59 mph.

“It’s been a little windy, to say the very least!” quipped the National Weather Service on Twitter.

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