Eight stories of uncertainty, solitude, grief and appreciation shared nearly two years after the arrival of COVID-19 in Berkeley.
Health
Posted inCity
Berkeley, Alameda County will join state in lifting mask mandate Feb. 16
Businesses can still require customers to mask up, and health officials cautioned that face coverings are “strongly recommended.”
Posted inCity
Pop-up COVID-testing sites are appearing in Berkeley. Are they legit?
Several new testing sites run by a company called “Stop. Swab. Go.” are getting mixed results, and raising eyebrows.
Posted inCity
Scarce rapid tests force Berkeley nursing homes to make agonizing choices
Most nursing homes don’t have enough rapid tests for managing omicron, leading to poignant decisions on who they can help.
Posted inCity
City employees have 95% vaccination rate. Is a booster mandate next?
Berkeley hasn’t decided whether to grant 61 workers’ requests for medical or religious exemptions to the vaccine mandate.
Posted inObituaries
Remembering Dr. Fred Strauss, who co-founded one of nation’s first gay health clinics in 1976
Strauss co-founded the Gay Men’s Health Collective, was the Berkeley Free Clinic’s longest-serving volunteer and directed the world’s first queer sperm bank.
Posted inCity
Alameda County is facing its largest COVID surge yet
Symptoms among the vaccinated are mostly mild. But hospitalizations are increasing and officials fear hospitals could be stressed in the coming weeks due to omicron.
Posted inCity
Berkeley’s COVID-19 case counts soar above previous pandemic peak
Mayor urges Berkeleyans to avoid high-risk activities during omicron surge, stops short of calling for indoor event and dining restrictions.
Posted inCity
As omicron surge swamps testing centers, Berkeley hospitalizations remain low
Amid “phenomenal” rise in cases, Berkeley health official says “we need to find ways to be able to live our lives with COVID.”
Posted inCity
Omicron prompts Berkeley and Alameda County health officials to require masks in all indoor settings
Now face coverings will be required in offices, gyms and houses of worship.
Posted inCity
Update: Berkeley’s indoor mask rule remains the same
Gyms, offices and houses of worship, among other spaces have the option of dropping masks requirements.
Posted inCity
No, genetically engineered mosquitoes aren’t about to be released in Berkeley
A confusing City Council item last month suggested Alameda County could soon see a release of genetically engineered mosquitoes as part of a state pilot. But the county never agreed to be included in the study.