‘We have done a good job’

Derek Wilson

Marinscope

Trying to put a positive spin on 2020, we had lots of quality family time. Sure, we’d all love a night out or a vacation, but the silver lining of the pandemic has been all the extra hours with loved ones in our immediate bubbles.

It hasn’t been easy on anyone living under quarantine rules: wearing masks, no handshakes, no hugs, staying six feet away from everyone else like they have a bad case of cooties.

“We know people have an urge to get outside and gather among friends,” said Dr. Lisa Santora, Deputy Public Health Officer for Marin. “But the more we come together in groups, the more COVID-19 spreads in the community.”

Marin County has recorded 108 fatalities due to COVID-19 this year, as of December 25. Marin has suffered 7,264 total confirmed cases in 2020. With at least 30 COVID-19 patients currently in Marin County hospitals, including 10 in intensive care, there remains concern over the ability of local medical facilities’ ability to handle a new surge in cases. Since Marin’s ICU capacity fell below the 15 percent minimum threshold to 12.9 percent in December, new stay-at-home orders were automatically implemented. Those stay-at-home orders might be extended past their January 4 expiration date if ICU rates don’t improve.

Marin Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said that Marin’s coronavirus case counts are “the lowest raw case rates in the state. “But in a state that is on fire with COVID-19 cases spiking just about everywhere in California, he cautioned that “I don’t share this to offer false security, but to articulate we have done a good job controlling it.”

Controlling the spread of COVID-19 has meant changing the way we live, work, play and learn. 

The pandemic forced the closure of school campuses in the spring and introduced more students to the world of distance learning. While some small private schools have reopened for on-campus learning, most Marin County campuses are still closed, with students attending classes via computer.

Some students have said they enjoy the aspect of rolling out of bed, putting on a hat and clean shirt, and just logging into their virtual classroom. But there has been concern over consistent access to the internet to allow students to attend virtual classes, as well as concern over increased absenteeism.

“We still have hope that we can bring students back into schools full time, but with the current spikes we’re seeing in Marin County and across the region, we need more time,” Willis said in July as Marin County weighed whether or not to reopen campuses for the fall semester. The situation seems like it has not changed significantly for schools. “We’ve been watching the data closely If we open when community transmission is high, we may have to close classrooms more frequently, which could be even more disruptive.”

The pandemic disrupted so many traditional family and community events in 2020. The Marin County Independence Day Fair — along with its fireworks displays — was taken out of the real world and occurred only virtually. It’s been the same for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas events across Marin and the state. The annual Mountain Play and the Mill Valley Film Festival were two victims of the pandemic as they were either canceled or moved to the virtual world.

Fortunately, the Marin Cultural Association was able to award $51,575 among 15 Marin County arts organizations in pandemic relief recovery funds recently.

“This grant from the Marin Cultural Association will enable us to begin ways of creating online approaches to what we are now up against during these tough times,” said John Wallace, Founder/CEO of Surviving the Odds Project (STOP). “We will now have the opportunity to bring arts education to disadvantaged communities of color. We can’t thank you enough for your continued love and support of STOP.” 

Soon after the first cases of COVID-19 showed up in the Bay Area in February, sports events and entertainment shows were being “postponed until further notice.” But then the postponements lasted longer and longer, until they became cancellations. 

And then came the closures. Movie theaters have remained largely closed since March; restaurants have struggled to hold on against the combined economic and health disasters; businesses big and small have shuttered their doors or made deep budget cuts in a fight to survive. Restaurants have perhaps taken the biggest hit, especially with winter now upon us. Eateries gained some relief with the use of outdoor dining during the summer months, but increased struggles in the fight against COVID-19 have recently limited restaurants to delivery and take-out dining options only.

There’s no doubt that it has been a struggle during 2020, but the new year brings new hope with the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine that “signals the beginning of the end of the epidemic,” according to Willis.

On the plus side this year, we all got to try our hands at making sourdough bread at home.