COVID-19: Brisbane Community Updates

Last updated: 3/31/20 

LATEST NEWS: Bay Area Health Officers Issue Updated Stay-at-Home Order with New Restrictions to Last Through May 3 (3/31) | Formal Order (searchable)

Be Alert for Scams During the COVID-19 Emergency (Announcement from County District Attorney, Stephen Wagstaffe)

Board of Supervisors Launches SMC Strong Fund with $3 Million Donation (3/24) - To provide emergency relief for residents, businesses, and non-profits hit hardest by California’s state-wide COVID-19 Shelter in Place order.

READ: San Mateo County Public Health Officer's Latest Statement (3/23)

Brisbane COVID-19 Response Coalition is 65 Volunteers Strong and Growing!

During these unusual and unprecedented times, the health, safety and welfare of our community remains our top priority.  The City of Brisbane, the Brisbane Lions Club, Brisbane Village Helping Hands, Brisbane Chamber of Commerce, and the local churches have partnered together to ensure this priority is met through the formation of the Brisbane COVID-19 Response Coalition.  If you need help during this trying time, or are able to help your fellow Brisbane neighbors in need, please check out the website, www.tinyurl.com/brisbanecrc.  If you prefer to request help via phone, you may also call (415) 508-2185.

COVID-19 Video Update: 3-20-2020

City Manager Clay Holstine, Mayor Terry O'Connell, and Police Chief Lisa Macias provide an update to the community on the COVID-19 health situation and remind residents that public safety personnel are still serving residents 24/7, how important it is to take care of ourselves so that we can take the best care of our loved ones, and speak more about the Brisbane COVID-19 Response Coalition (www.tinyurl.com/brisbanecrc).

To help the public determine whether they have coronavirus, the flu, a cold, or allergies, federal officials released a graphic that interprets their symptoms. It is extremely important that you contact your doctor immediately should you have concerns, and to call ahead before going to the doctor.

Adjustments to City Operations:
 

As this is an ever-evolving and fluid situation, we will be re-evaluating the following items every two weeks or as deemed necessary in order to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of our residents, our employees, and the broader community.

We made the decision on March 16th to close City Hall and the Marina Office to walk-ins, however, staff will still be performing essential City operations within the buildings while adhering to 6' social distancing requirements.
 

• Planning, Building, and Public Works engineering functions will be limited to the electronic processing of emergency permits to address immediate life safety and health issues. If you have an emergency situation which requires a permit to correct, please contact the Building Division during business hours. For routine permits, the Building Department will continue to process active building permit applications electronically as staffing levels and availability allow.  
   
• For emergencies requiring Public Works field crew response (e.g., broken fire hydrant, illegal discharge to a storm drain, traffic signal not working, sewage backup), please call 24/7 Non-Emergency Dispatch Line at (415) 467-1212.

We will evaluate these procedures on a daily basis as we learn more from County Public Health.

Staff may be reached via phone during the following business hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 8am – 5pm
Wednesday: 8am – 5pm
Friday: 8am – 1pm
 

• City Hall Main Line: (415) 508-2100
• Community Development / Building & Planning: (415) 508-2120
• Finance: (415) 508-2150
• Water Bills: (415) 508-2154
• Marina Office: (650) 583-6975
• Parks & Recreation: (415) 508-2140
• Public Works: (415) 508-2130

• City Council Meetings are being deemed "essential", however, adjustments are being made to:
   
  • Move items of great community interest (Short-term Rentals, Cannabis, etc.) to later in the springtime. A similar approach will be taken for Council Subcommittee Meetings, should any need to be scheduled going forward.
     
  • Allow for social distancing with the public encouraged to tune in via livestream on YouTube or Comcast Ch. 27, and to submit remote public comments during the live meeting to Ingrid Padilla, City Clerk, via email or text at: ipadilla@brisbaneca.org and (628) 219-2922.  Both will be monitored during live City Council Meetings, with any public comments received read into the record during Oral Communications 1 and 2, or the specific Item.
     
• Out of concern for users' health, and in consideration of the Health Officer's order dated 3/14, we closed the Community Pool on March 15th.  All other close, confined gathering spaces, including the Community Park Playground, Tot Lot, Skatepark, and Basketball Courts were closed on March 19th.  The tennis courts were closed on March 22nd.  We invite you to enjoy the City’s open space options (i.e. trails) while observing social distancing for your personal health and safety.  Thank you for your understanding.
   
• Starting March 16th, the following Youth programs offered through the Parks and Recreation Department will be suspended:
   
  • Club Rec
  • Spring Camp (March 30 - April 10)
  • Preschool (March 17 - March 27) 
     
• Starting March 16th, all Adult programming will be suspended until further notice.
   
• On March 11th, programming at the Senior Sunrise Room and Wednesday Senior Club Lunch & Bingo was suspended and will continue to be until further notice.  This was done out of an abundance of caution and concern for our most at-risk community members.  San Mateo County Health Official Dr. Morrow is recommending that cities focus on "community mitigation"; our senior population is the most susceptible to contracting the virus, with the highest risk group being those age 80 and over.
   
• Park and Rec staff will be holding off on taking any new facility bookings through April of this year. Private events that have already been booked will not be canceled by the City at this time.

Actions Staff are Taking:

• We are in the process of increasing the frequency of cleanings by custodial staff at all City facilities, including: City Hall, the Community Pool, the Library, Mission Blue Center, and the Community Center.
   
• Extra gel hand sanitizers have also been placed on all public counters along with this poster from the the CDC.
   
• For the two kiosks located in City Hall (next to the Community Development and Finance Depts.), we have placed disinfectant/antimicrobial wipes for visitors to use before and after using the terminal; staff will also be wiping down commonly used equipment.
   
• Staff will also be wiping down surfaces after meetings that occur in any of the conference rooms as well as the Community Meeting Room. 
   
• We are sending regular reminders to practice personal hygiene and preparedness and we encourage everyone in the community to do the same. (Did you know that the proper time to spend washing your hands equates to singing the "Happy Birthday" song 2x?)

What the Public Is Ordered to Do:
 

• On 3/17, the Governor issued a statewide Stay-at-Home order to protect the health and well-being of all Californians and to establish consistency across the state in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. The order went into effect immediately and is to remain in place until further notice.  Click here to learn more about the order.
   
  • It is fine to go outside on walks, bike rides, hikes on the Mountain...just be sure to observe the 6 ft. social distancing requirement when doing so.
     
• Limit activity, travel, and business functions to only the most essential needs - getting groceries, gas, clothes laundered, pickup or delivery only from restaurants.
   
• Not to gather with individuals from different households.
   

Where to Go to Get More Information:

• The County's Emergency Operations Center webpage: cmo.smcgov.org/eoc
   
• Call 2-1-1 to reach the County's Public Call Center, which operates 24/7 in 180 languages 
   
• Text "94005" to 888777 for urgent alerts from the City of Brisbane via SMCAlert.
   
• Please turn to official channels for news and information about COVID-19 and efforts to contain its spread. Reliable resources include:
   
  • San Mateo County Health: smchealth.org/coronavirus
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov
  • California State Governor's Office: gov.ca.gov 
  • California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response: covid19.ca.gov/