Tuesday, August 6, is National Night Out (NNO). It takes place the first Tuesday in August to provide opportunities for community building and creating safer neighborhoods. And neighborhoods are safer, more enjoyable places to live when neighbors know each other, look out for each other, and lend a helping hand.
NNO events provide an opportunity for you and your neighbors to meet each other and engage with local law enforcement and emergency personnel in a fun, informal setting, including block parties and cookouts. In addition to Alameda Police Department (APD) and Alameda Fire Department personnel, the Mayor and City Council members might also stop by. To help you and your neighbors plan an NNO event, APD created a helpful resource guide.
And speaking of being a good neighbor, when temperatures rise, please call or visit elderly neighbors or those with chronic health conditions, as hot weather can present challenges for them. Check on the temperature of their home. Are shades or curtains closed to block the sun? Remind them to stay hydrated. Perhaps offer a ride to an air-conditioned location such as the library.
No riding bicycles on sidewalks in business districts
At a recent visit to Mastick Senior Center, many members voiced concerns that bicyclists riding on the sidewalks on Park Street and Webster Street present hazards for seniors, some of whom use walkers, canes, or wheelchairs. As a reminder to bicyclists, myself included, here’s what the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) says about riding bikes on local sidewalks:
“Bicycles may be ridden on the sidewalk, except such sidewalks that pass directly in front of or adjacent to any stores, schools, or other buildings used for business purposes during the hours that such establishment is open for business.” (Emphasis added).
“Whenever any person is riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk, such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give audible signal before overtaking and passing such pedestrian.” (In other words, ring your bell and/or call out, “Passing on your left,” etc.)
“It shall be unlawful for any person to ride a bicycle in any pedestrian crosswalk at a signal-controlled intersection, adjacent to any school, or one which is under the control of the school crossing guard. At all other intersections the bicyclist shall exercise due caution before entering onto the roadway.” (AMC, Chapter 11-4.2 – Riding on Sidewalk.)
I want to encourage everyone to ride bikes in Alameda as much as possible. Please just remember to watch out for others as you do.
Get your vaccines
Late last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that all Americans ages six months and older receive one of the new COVID-19 vaccines when they become available this fall. Alameda pulmonologist Dr. Bobby Deutsch supports the CDC recommendation and anticipates that the new COVID vaccines from Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer will become available in mid-September. According to Dr. Deutsch, these new vaccines are intended to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 this fall and winter.
Dr. Deutsch also reminds Alameda residents to get their flu shot in the fall and says it is safe to receive COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same visit. He adds that it is especially important for adults over 65 and those with significant chronic medical conditions to get vaccinated because these groups are most at risk for severe COVID-19 infection, including respiratory failure and death.
It’s not that COVID-19 takes a summer vacation—new cases are diagnosed every day—but we spend more time outside during summer months when school’s out and the weather’s warm. When kids return to school and we spend more time indoors, COVID-19 spreads more easily. Dr. Matthew Daley, a member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, reminds parents that children also need a COVID-19 vaccine because if they’re exposed at school, even if they don’t become ill themselves, they can transmit the virus to parents and grandparents. To book a vaccination appointment visit My Turn or contact local Safeway, Walgreens, and CVS pharmacies.
Host a NNO event! Be a courteous cyclist! Get vaccinated! Be Alameda Strong!
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft is the Mayor of the City of Alameda. Reach her at [email protected].
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