By Mike Wasserman
Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Isn’t that the truth? And it could be argued that this applies to our entire community. Sometimes it takes a health and economic crisis like COVID-19 for us to see how strong we are collectively.
It seems like every day I hear about big and small ways that people are helping each other. One such effort that caught my eye is the Essential Healthcare Worker and First Responder Child Care Program in South Santa Clara County that provides childcare service for medical personnel and first responders. The program is run in partnership between the YMCA and MHUSD and currently serves 30 children with the goal of expanding to serve up to 100 children at three school sites. The cost to run the program is $300 per child per week, but many cannot afford to pay for the care they need.
The Morgan Hill Community Foundation is asking for help to raise money to cover childcare costs for essential healthcare workers and first responders. For more information and to donate, visit morganhillcf.org.
Last week, the Public Health Department issued a recommendation that residents cover their noses and mouths when leaving home for essential activities such as grocery shopping. Covering the mouth and nose may reduce COVID-19 transmission when combined with hand washing and reducing person-to-person contacts.
The face coverings should not be N95 or surgical masks, which need to be reserved for medical settings. Instead, residents should use cloth coverings like bandanas, scarves or home-sewn cloth masks. The Public Health Department emphasizes that these non-medical face coverings should add to, rather than replace, other important social distancing measures such as frequent handwashing.
Criminals often look for opportunities when people are especially vulnerable to make their move. Sadly, the current crisis is no exception. The District Attorney’s Office is warning that it will prosecute anyone who engages in the following activity during the COVID-19 outbreak:
• Price gouging: During California’s declared state of emergency, it is illegal for a business to increase its prices for certain essential goods or services by more than 10 percent unless they can show their labor or material costs have been increased.
• Fake Authorities and Cures: Consumers should be alert to criminals who set up fake websites, send emails, texts or post on social media pretending to be from the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to profit illegally. Be wary of anyone claiming to have a cure for the virus. There is no cure for the coronavirus yet.
• Hate Crimes: Anyone who has been threatened or attacked for their national origin or ethnicity due to fears of the virus should report it immediately to the police, as should anyone who has been threatened or attacked because they are sick or have the virus. Hate crimes and violence will not be tolerated.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman represents District 1, which includes South County, on the board of supervisors. This column is adapted from his online newsletter.
