11 BAY AREA HEALTH OFFICERS TO LIFT MOST INDOOR MASK MANDATES ON FEBRUARY 16

Masks still strongly recommended; vaccines and boosters urged to further strengthen defenses

In alignment with the State, the Bay Area counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and the City of Berkeley will lift universal mask requirements for most indoor public settings beginning Wednesday, February 16.

Unvaccinated individuals over age 2 will continue to be required to wear masks in all indoor public settings. Businesses, venue operators and hosts may determine their own paths forward to protect staff and patrons and may choose to require all patrons to wear masks.

The change aligns with the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) decision to let expire the statewide indoor mask requirement, which was instated on December 15 during the latest COVID-19 surge. Indoor masking is still required by the State for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in public transportation; health care settings; congregate settings like correctional facilities and homeless shelters; long term care facilities; and in K-12 schools and childcare settings.

Bay Area health officers, in alignment with CDPH, continue to strongly recommend masks be used as an effective tool to prevent the spread of the virus especially when case rates are high, or when additional personal protection is needed. Continuing to mask in indoor public settings, especially crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, remains the safest choice for an individual and protects those who are medically vulnerable or are not able to get vaccinated, like our youngest children. As evidence continues to show, vaccinations and boosters remain the best defense against the virus.

The highly contagious Omicron variant brought on a new stage of the pandemic with a high number of new infections, but significantly fewer cases of life-threatening illnesses, especially for those who are vaccinated and boosted. While relaxing indoor masking requirements is part of a population-level shift toward a “new normal” of living with the disease, the Health Officers recognize that essential workers and communities of color continue to be highly impacted by COVID-19 and will need additional support to limit widening health disparities. Changes to health orders and recommendations may be updated as Health Officers follow the science and the data to evaluate whether additional protective measures may be needed as the virus evolves and if future surges occur.
People should continue to choose layered prevention strategies, such as wearing well-fitted masks (N95 or double layer cloth over surgical are best); staying home and testing when symptomatic; testing before gatherings; and improving indoor ventilation in situations where these strategies can add protection for themselves and others. Staying “up to date” on vaccinations, meaning primary series and boosters when eligible, remains the most important way to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
A combination of preventative strategies, which included mask use, vaccination, boosters and testing, along with the community’s cooperation helped get the Bay Area through this last surge together as a stronger community.  

Marin County was one of the first local jurisdictions to lift its local face covering mandate, rescinding the health order on December 29 and aligning with CDPH guidance. By aligning with the state masking rules, the participating Bay Area counties will not need to meet previously established criteria for lifting local masking orders, which were devised at a different point in the pandemic. However, Marin County had previously achieved the criteria on October 29.

CDPH continues to require masking in K-12 school settings but has indicated adjustments to the state’s policies will be shared in the coming weeks. In the meantime, there is work to be done in closing the remaining gaps in vaccinations and boosters among children with a particular focus on equity gaps within the most highly impacted communities.
For early education programs, such as preschool and childcare settings, CDPH continues to require masking for children older than age two. Vaccinations for children under 5 are currently undergoing federal review. Workplaces will continue to follow the COVID-19 prevention standards set by CalOSHA.

Some people may understandably feel anxious about these changes to masking requirements in the county. People can continue to choose to wear face coverings around others whether it’s mandated or not and should respect people’s choices around their health. Community members who are vaccinated and choose not to mask should respect the choices of those who continue to mask. Officials ask residents and visitors to be kind and respectful as people evaluate their risks and make choices to protect themselves and those around them.

Memory Kits at the San Anselmo Library

Your San Anselmo Public Library received a grant from the California State Library Mental Health Initiative and the Southern California Library Cooperative, awarding your library a series of kits intended to aid families with members experiencing Dementia/Alzheimer's. Research indicates that interactive and multi-sensory materials used with people experiencing Dementia/Alzheimer's promote positive results. We now have seven kits to offer our community: 


Three Memory Lane Kits: Hands-on activity kits based on a familiar decade
1940s
1950s
1960s

Three Memory Activity Kits: Hands-on activity kits based on the stages of Dementia/Alzheimer's
Beginning to Middle Stages
Middle to Late Stages
Late Stages

Caregiver Kit: This kit has four books and five information brochures to support caregivers with family members experiencing Dementia/Alzheimer's. 
 
All kits check out for three weeks and must be returned inside the San Anselmo Library.

TOWN BOOKS REOPENS AGAIN!

Marin Chinese Cultural Association Lion Dance Team

Saturday, February 12 at 11:30am on the Town Plaza

The incredible Lion Dance Team is back to perform! Brought to you by the San Anselmo Public Library, celebrate with Marin Chinese Cultural Association as the Lion Dance Team performs traditional Lion Dances for Lunar New Year. Bring everyone out to enjoy the show! For all ages. Sponsored by the Friends of the San Anselmo Public Library and the Library Parcel Tax. 

Community Survey for Tamalpais Union High School District Facilities Master Plan 

The TAM District is currently in the process of creating a Facilities Master Plan (FMP). This plan will be used to identify facility needs that exist at each of their schools, prioritize improvements based on urgency and importance, and develop a plan for completing the upgrades.

Please provide your input by completing their FMP Survey (linked here) 

The deadline for taking the survey is April 26, 2022.

February 2022 Fire-smart Tips from UC Marin Master Gardeners

• Remove dead trees
• Consider creating separation by increasing spacing between tree canopies while considering flat vs sloped terrain.
• Maintain vertical clearance of at least 3X the shrub’s height between the tops of shrubs and the bottom of the tree canopy. This can be done by pruning the shrub down, or by pruning smaller, easily ignitable tree branches up, or by using both methods.
• Plant spacing, size control and maintenance are more important than type of plant.

 
Additional Information can always be found on the Marin Master Gardeners website. https://marinmg.ucanr.edu/BASICS/FIRESMARTLANDSCAPING/

Town Seeks Applications for Planning Commission and Financial Advisory Committee

The Planning Commission is a seven-member body appointed by the Town Council, established in 1938. Its primary role is to consider how land use decisions affect the Town. In this role, the Commission has review and approval authority for design review, use permits, variances, zoning changes and planned developments. The Commission makes recommendations to the Town Council regarding plan and ordinance updates. 

The Town is seeking an applicant for the Planning Commission. To learn more about the commission please join them on the first and third Monday of the month from 7-9 PM. Meeting links and agendas can be found here

The charge of the Financial Advisory Committee is to review and become familiar with the Town’s finances, budget, resource allocations and expenditures, and to make recommendations to the Town Council regarding matters affecting the Town’s financial position. The Committee meets at least quarterly. There are two seats up for renewal. Visit the Financial Advisory Committee webpage here.

To apply online, please visit here

Help Keep the Flower Baskets in
Downtown San Anselmo

Donations are being accepted to help
fund this annual community effort
 
The San Anselmo Beautification Committee has launched
its 2022 fundraising campaign to raise funds for the annual
hanging flower basket program in the downtown.
 
There are two ways you can contribute:

1. Donate by visiting the program’s GO FUND ME PAGE or
2. Mail a check to:

 
San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 2844, San Anselmo, CA 94979
(please mark check for “baskets”)
 
For more information about this project contact:
Nancy Altman at nnaltman@me.com