We have a new set of health rules. You can see the new order on page B1. A Bay Area media outlet summed it up this way:
“Previously, the state requirement for private social gatherings was to keep them outdoors and small, with people from no more than three households attending. Now, if your county or region falls under the order, ‘all gatherings with members of other households are prohibited, according to the state. Here’s how Santa Clara County puts it: ‘You may no longer gather socially (even outdoors).’”
So, if I have the ever-changing rules right, when you let your kids play outdoors with the neighbor kids, you are a potential health criminal. But, if you are homeless in an encampment like the one in Lee Gerner Park in Novato, you may live without restriction.
I think I know this because the Novato Advance sent a photographer to the park and published two pictures last week of residents there. It showed people without masks and gathered with no apparent regard for social distancing. I also talked with a kind-hearted person who brings food and aid to the encampment, who told me mask wearing and social distancing is “a big problem.”
Some people call Lee Gerner Park “Camp Compassion,” which is fine.
But, may I point out that “Camp Compassion” exists thanks to the good graces of the people of Novato. Yelling profanities and scaring the daylights out of people walking in the area is not helpful. Illegal drug use in the camp is, well, illegal. Refusing to take basic health precautions is just plain disrespectful.
If I’m wrong on any of this, I am happy to be corrected.
Lee Gerner Park in Novato, above. There have been reports of aggressive behavior in the encampment and little attention to mandatory COVID-19 precautions.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
At the risk of sounding like the old Monty Python segue “and now for something completely different,” San Mateo County did not follow Marin and issue the new stringent stay-at-home order mentioned above. The public health czar there, Dr. Scott Morrow, went down the road less traveled and said:
“The power and authority to control this pandemic lies primarily in your hands, not mine.”
A TIMELY NOTE
Forgive me. But I do love a bad pun. Above is the message billboard at the Lutheran Church in Novato. Hat tip to Karen Carlson for passing it along to me. Here’s a meme I found deep down an internet rabbit hole that I thought worthy of your consideration..
ONE MORE THING
— If 666 is considered evil, then technically 25.8069738 is the root of all evil.
— Diarrhea Awareness Week starts today. It runs until Friday.
— If you get a link that says “William Shatner Singing Christmas Carols” don’t open it. It’s actually William Shatner singing Christmas carols.
— Remember the days of more fun and less fear?
And with that, I’ll put my bike helmet on and let myself out. BTW, if you are looking for a gift for that special someone who loves Marin, give them a year’s subscription to the best weekly newspaper in Marin. We deliver anywhere either by carrier force or by mail. And, it’s still only $59 – $110 depending upon where you live. Call Donna at 415-898-0784 and tell her I sent you.
(Sherman R. Frederick is the founder of Battle Born Media, a journalist-based, family-owned company dedicated to the preservation of intensely local community newspapers. You can follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/sherm.frederick/. He may be reached at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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