We’d like to first thank our community for their patience and understanding as new information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be shared by public health officials. I know this is a trying time, and the best way for us to get through this is to remain calm and work together.

We are working closely with the County of San Mateo on this evolving situation, its potential impacts in the City of San Mateo, and how we can best support and protect our community. We are carefully reviewing the latest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the County Health Officer as we evaluate what changes to make.

At this time, all essential City services remain uninterrupted and formal public meetings – including Council and commission meetings – will continue as normal. Based in part on the Health Officer’s recommendation, we have postponed or cancelled non-essential public events and will scale back some programming that either typically draws a large crowd or involves sensitive populations. All City facilities remain open, and we have also increased our janitorial and cleaning efforts. Please see the list below for department-specific event cancellations.

The CDC and San Mateo County Health remain the best resources for current information about the novel coronavirus and safety tips. I encourage the public to stay informed with reliable, timely information directly from County Health and the CDC by visiting www.cdc.gov or www.smchealth.org/coronavirus. We will continue to provide City-specific updates on our web page at www.cityofsanmateo.org/coronavirus.

- San Mateo Mayor Joe Goethals

San Mateo County Health Officer's Updates

San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow issued an updated statement March 10, 2020 indicating there is now evidence of widespread community transmission of COVID-19 in San Mateo County. Please review his statement for the latest updates. He recommends implementation of the following activities at this time:

Steps to prevent the spread of flu will also guard against the spread of COVID-19: cover your cough and sneeze, wash your hands frequently
Under all circumstances, stop touching your face, eyes, nose, or mouth with your unwashed hands
All non-essential gatherings should be canceled, postponed, or done remotely. Unfortunately, at this time, the county did not provide standard definition of “non-essential” or “gathering” to guide your decisions. Use your best judgment
Stop shaking hands
Increase in the amount of remote working or teleworking to the extent possible especially for those who appear at higher risk for developing the disease, those over the age of 60 and those with co-morbid conditions
If you are not feeling well or are experiencing cold, flu, or other symptoms, contact your primary care provider and stay home from school or work

For more guidance and to read Dr. Morrow’s updated statement in its entirety, go to www.smchealth.org/coronavirus. You can also sign up for updates from the County of San Mateo’s Emergency Operations Center by visiting cmo.smcgov.org/eoc.

What this Means for the City of San Mateo

We recognize the County Health Officer’s recommendations could change over time, and we are working with our staff on a variety of contingencies should program cancellations or facility closures become necessary in the future. We have also increased our janitorial and cleaning efforts in publicly-accessed spaces at City facilities, have instructed anyone who is sick to remain home, and are encouraging staff who are able to work from home.
Our community’s health and well-being are our top priorities, and we will continue to provide updates as they become available. Visit www.cityofsanmateo.org/coronavirus for updates.

(List as of March 11, 2020)

Library:

We are cancelling all San Mateo Library public events and weekly storytimes through the month of March.

We are continuing to offer regular library services, literacy tutoring, our job center, passport services and will host the AARP Tax Help workshops.

Parks and Recreation:

All Parks and Recreation programs are currently continuing as scheduled and we are taking extra measures at our facilities based on recommendations from public health officials.
We are cancelling non-essential Parks and Recreation events including:

March 13: Dance Fest
March 13: Police Activities League Family Night at the King Center
March 20: Volunteer Recognition Dinner at the Senior Center.

Citywide:

We are postponing the 52nd Anniversary Celebration of our relationship with the 101st Airborne originally scheduled for March 21.

Public Meetings:

We record, live-stream and broadcast our City Council, Planning Commission and Sustainability & Infrastructure Commission meetings.
You can always watch these meetings remotely on our Public Meeting Portal; our YouTube Channel, or local stations: Comcast/channel 27, Astound/channel 26, or AT&T/channel 99.

Want to comment on an agenda item?
You can email your comments on upcoming public meetings to the following:

City Council meetings: clerk@cityofsanmateo.org
Planning Commission meetings: planningcommission@cityofsanmateo.org
Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission meetings: sandicommission@cityofsanmateo.org

Access City Services from Home:

Visit our website www.cityofsanmateo.org to browse the variety of services and applications we offer online.

Actions You Can Take

Health officials advise us to reduce the risk of getting sick by taking simple, preventative measures that are used to reduce impacts of seasonal colds or flu viruses, including:

Washing hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol
Avoid shaking hands or touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Cover your cough or sneeze properly
Stay home and avoid public or crowded areas if you don’t feel well
Get your flu shot to protect against flu or symptoms similar to COVID-19
If you have recently returned from regions with ongoing COVID-19 impacts, monitor your health and immediately call your physician if you experience flu-like symptom

You can also prepare for the possible disruption caused by an outbreak:

Make sure you have a supply of all essential medications for your family
Make a child care plan for if you or a caregiver are sick
Make arrangements for how your family will manage a school closure, if necessary
Make a plan for how you can care for a sick family member without getting sick yourself

For information on how you can be prepared for any emergency, visit the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department's web page www.smcfire.org/emergency.

Stay Informed with Accurate Information

Call 2-1-1 for Non-Medical Information
The County of San Mateo has replaced a local call center number with a new service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Residents with non-medical questions should call 2-1-1 for information about the coronavirus. 2-1-1 is a confidential service accessible in 180 languages. Callers can get answers to questions about how residents, schools and businesses should prepare for COVID-19, as well as ways to prevent the spread of the virus.

Please do not call 9-1-1 for information about the COVID-19.

The 2-1-1 information service also offers a text option. Text “coronavirus” to “211211” to receive useful information from the CDC. After receiving a return text message, residents can enter a ZIP code for county-specific health-related links.

For the latest information on the outbreak, please visit
San Mateo County Health, smchealth.org/coronavirus

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cdc.gov/coronavirus