By: Joshua Choe, Staff Writer
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have incorporated itself into every life around America, with California receiving a large portion of cases, and the state government bringing about many changes in a mutual effort to stifle infection rates. A six feet apart rule has been instituted around many businesses and quarantine rules as well as a four step system involving isolating infected, informing those who were near the infected individual, cleaning and disinfecting the affected area, and notifying those who were in the general idea. Different cities in the Bay Area had businesses that have been shut down which has led to an overall decrease in public livelihood. Recent wildfires have also been burning throughout California. Fires such as the August Complex fires and the CZU Lightning Complex fires have caused California governor, Gavin Newsom, to declare a state of emergency. Millbrae, a usually vibrant city with a very active local community has receded into a more docile and regressed state.
Just taking a walk around Millbrae in recent weeks has shown the significant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Air particulate levels have reached record highs of 453/m3 (10/m3 is the safe limit), and the high levels of smog were dense enough to block out sunlight. On Wednesday, September 9th, thick smog from surrounding Bay Area fires, such as the Bear fire, caused the skies in the Bay Area to have an orange hue, and two days later, the Bay Area recorded record levels of air pollution.
Due to the ever-increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area, the San Mateo Union High School District has unanimously decided to shut down and engage in online learning. Businesses and other public areas have also instituted policies to ensure a decreased chance of disease transmission.
Although residents are miffed and displeased about their current situation, they understand why this is happening. James Pazowtski, a local worker at Safeway, comments, “It’s really frustrating to be able to have to go through all these precautions and everything, even though I know it’s to prevent infection. My workflow’s kind of stiffed.” Precautions, as well as policies, have significantly affected everyone’s lives. Workers must distance themselves from customers, utilize masks and gloves, and take temperature checks when clocking in for the day, as well as clocking out. A limited number of customers are allowed in a public building at a time and masks are required. Additionally, Christine Chan, a Millbrae resident, comments on how her lifestyle has come to a halt due to the unhealthy air quality of the fires. “I always, always go out for a walk in the morning with my dog, and the air’s stopped me from doing that and I hope that it improves soon.” Fires are not new in California and a number of past similar events in 2017 and 2018 can be compared to the current fires.
The California wildfires had always affected life in our community, but in recent weeks, the increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires have had a greater effect on the Mills community. Back in 2017 and 2018, fires also ravaged California, spewing smoke across the whole state causing a dip in air quality and even forced some schools to be shut down for a few days. Mills High School was amongst those schools, and was shut down for a day due to concerns about student health. In 2018, another influx of fires, such as the Mendocino Complex fire, spread across California, burning a near two million acres (1,890,000) of land. These fires were even more serious than the ones in 2017 and broke a new record for the most destructive wildfire season. Air quality during the 2018 wildfires declined to the point where Mills, and other schools in the area had to cancel classes. In these recent months, fires have contributed to unhealthy air quality and further prevented outdoor activity on top of the current pandemic.
Many lives have already been significantly changed in 2020 and the year still has yet to an end. Many policies must be abided to when going out for shopping, and many gatherings have been cancelled. With the fires almost contained, and progress on a vaccine for COVID still in the works, however, we can continue to hope that our lives may soon go back to a new normal.
LAST UPDATED 9/23: The County of San Mateo has released a COVID-19 update, in which some health and safety restrictions have been eased. The county moves to the second stage (red) of the state’s four-tiered, color-coded reopening system. Additionally, all Bay Area fires are nearing containment.
