CITY OF COALINGA The Sunny Side of the Valley
April 6, 2020
Letter Online as PDF.
Dear Community Members,
On Sunday, April 5, 2020, the City of Coalinga was provided with a screenshot of a Facebook post by Huron’s Mayor regarding a guest who attended a wedding in Huron on March 28, 2020 who has tested positive for COVID-19.
At this time, the City of Coalinga has no information to provide. Fresno County will not tell the City of Coalinga whether or not anyone in Huron or anyone who visited Huron has tested positive. They will only notify us once we have a confirmed positive case within the City of Coalinga.
We have reached out to the City of Huron to ask if they would be willing to provide us with information regarding this case. We have not received a response as of yet. If you are a resident who attended a wedding on March 28, 2020, in the City of Huron, please follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: if you think you COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.
As of right now, the City of Coalinga has not been received notification from Fresno County regarding any positive cases within the City of Coalinga. If that changes, we will notify the public will only be informed of the number of positive cases within the City. I understand that community members would like additional information such as who, where exactly, etc., but that information cannot and will not be provided. We are a City of 6.699 square miles and that is enough information on proximity.
I want to be clear about this though. While we currently have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the City of Coalinga, the best thing you can do is to assume that everyone has it. Some people with the virus are asymptomatic and have no idea that they actually have it. Others may have mild symptoms and some may be waiting on test results. Do not get too comfortable with the information that there are currently no positive cases within the City of Coalinga.
During this time of a global pandemic and proclaimed local emergency, it is important for the City to have one voice when addressing this matter and providing information. I encourage each of you to “like” and follow the City of Coalinga’s official Facebook page. I further encourage each of you to participate in our City Council meetings, currently held via webinar until further notice, and to reach out to the City with any questions or concerns by emailing info@coalinga.com, rlander@coalinga.com or mtrejo@coalinga.com. You may also call (559) 935-1533 during regular business hours.
Finally, as the Easter holiday is approaching and many of you who celebrate this holiday are concerned with your ability to do so, I would like to recommend the following ideas:
• Have an indoor Easter egg hunt for your children
• Decorate Easter eggs
•Do Easter themed arts and crafts
•Watch Easter themed movies
•If you would typically attend church service in person, live stream church service instead
• Cook an Easter meal
• Make Easter themed snacks and desserts
Read a book about Easter
• Hold your Easter eggs hunt for your children in your front yard and allow grandparents and other family members to watch from inside their cars;
• Have your kids decorate and hang paper eggs in your front window and then take a car ride to see how many eggs you can find
• Spend quality time with your immediate family members.
I know this situation is not ideal. It is difficult on all of us in different ways, but large gatherings of any type are discouraged. Please celebrate only with the family members within your immediate household.
As a City, we are working together on items to assist community members and small businesses.
As your Mayor, I will write a weekly letter with updates each Monday. This letter will be posted on the official City of Coalinga Facebook page as well as the City website and it will be sent to the Coalinga Press to be included in the next available newspaper release. This does not mean to wait for my weekly letter to be notified of a confirmed COVID-19 case within the City of Coalinga. The City will release that information immediately once it is received from Fresno County.
Please, practice social distancing, wash your hands regularly, do not leave your home unless it is to do essential business, and consult with your healthcare provider should you have any symptoms related to the COVID-19 virus or if you have any concerns regarding exposure to the virus.
Stay home and stay healthy.
Thank you,
Ron Lander, Mayor