Oct. 1, 2020
Redwood City – The County of San Mateo continues to work to protect public health and safety in response to the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.
The County of San Mateo’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains open to coordinate countywide response and communications in response to the situation. The EOC’s Joint Information Center will provide status reports every Tuesday and Thursday until further notice. Today’s report:
Superintendent of Schools – Testing & Contact Lead to Safe, In Person Learning
At its Sept. 29, 2020, meeting, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors received an update from San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Magee on the impact of COVID-19 on San Mateo County schools.
Magee reported that the County Office of Education and San Mateo County Health are working closely on reviewing waiver applications from districts and schools with students in grades TK-6 to ensure they address the Four Pillars of the San Mateo County Pandemic Recovery Framework for Schools (https://www.smcoe.org/other/for-administrators/school-recovery-planning.html) and provide specific details on how testing and contract tracing will be conducted before they are approved to resume in-person learning.
Magee expressed her confidence that if schools follow the Four Pillars carefully, they should be able to minimize the impact of COVID-19 in their school communities.
“This was the case this summer with the Big Lift’s Inspiring Summers program in which hundreds of students participated, yet there were no outbreaks at any of the sites,” said Magee.
She added that with regular testing and effective contact tracing, “schools should be further prepared to create safe learning and teaching environments.”
Magee said she expects that the reopening process for schools will be gradual and that some districts may continue in distance learning through the end of the semester.
COVID-19 Testing: Easier and More Accessible with Mobile Sites, More Dates Added
The County of San Mateo is working to make COVID-19 testing easier and more accessible. Check out the refreshed testing page https://www.smcgov.org/testing where you can find information on the various testing resources available in the county, watch a video about the testing process, and see how to make an appointment with the County’s testing partner Project Baseline.
Testing for COVID-19 is available for everyone who lives or works in San Mateo County regardless of symptoms or increased risk of exposure. The COVID-19 diagnostic test is safe, easy and at no-cost to you regardless of where you receive it. The test not only helps you and your community stay safe, but also helps the county’s rolling seven-day average which impacts the metrics that may help us move to a lower tier of reopening.
San Mateo County Event Center Testing:
Testing is available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at the San Mateo County Event Center, with the capacity to test over 1,000 adults per day. To see testing availability and make an appointment, up to seven days in advance, visit Project Baseline.
Mobile Testing:
Testing at sites served by a mobile operation is available Monday through Friday. See the schedule for Oct. 2 – 9 below and make an appointment at least seven days in advance at Project Baseline.
Remember: If you don't have access to the internet, an on-site volunteer may be able to help you register and get tested.
County Manager’s Media Briefing on YouTube
The Sept. 30, 2020, media briefing on the County of San Mateo’s response to COVID-19 hosted by San Mateo County Manager Mike Callagy can be viewed at https://youtu.be/Zq97oJlz17I
Subscribe to the County’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/sanmateocountygov
San Mateo County COVID-19 Case Count
San Mateo County Health has updated the number of positive cases to 10,069 as of Sept. 30, 2020.
County Health provides detailed information on cases by age group and date and deaths by age group. Learn more at https://www.smchealth.org/coronavirus
Call Center
Residents with non-medical, non-emergency questions about the coronavirus can call 211 or 800-273-6222 at any time, day or night. Callers from landlines and cellular telephones located within San Mateo County are connected with a trained service professional from 211, a confidential service available in 180 languages.