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Lack of Face Coverings DownTown

Original post made by G Senior, Leland Manor/Garland Drive, on May 24, 2020

Yesterday (Saturday) a bit after 5 PM, half the people my wife and I passed on University Avenue while picking up some food from a local restaurant had no face covering. Half! It was not possible to keep 6 feet away from at least some of these folks as we made our way to the restaurant and then our way back to our car.

We did not feel safe. I did not advise any of these folks that they were breaking the law, or anything like that. But, I'd feel a lot better if there were city employees (police, health care workers, whatever) posting signs, or handing out flyers, or something like that, advising people that there is an ordinance in place requiring face coverings.

In our local neighborhood, Leland Manor, and in Midtown, face coverings and/or people making sure to stay 6 feet apart is much more common, but of course the density of people is lower than on University Avenue. But I did run into a city employee, from city utilities, at a Wells Fargo ATM, with no face covering. I stayed far away until he was done.

Can the city do a better job of reminding everyone to wear face coverings while out in public? The evidence is that face coverings, more than any one other thing, will keep the spread of coronavirus in check.

Comments (4)

Posted by resident
a resident of Midtown
on May 24, 2020 at 11:13 am

I just don't visit parts of town where 6-foot social distancing is not possible, even with a mask. If people are not practicing social distancing downtown, then I do not go downtown.


Posted by Resident
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 24, 2020 at 12:52 pm

The mandatory requirement is for inside businesses or while waiting to enter. It is not for walking around streets which is considered exercise.

Whether you think they were wrong or endangering you is different from whether they were breaking the law. If you feel you are not safe in a busy downtown area then why go there? There are many places you can get takeout food or you could cook at home yourself.

The pictures of Dolores Park in San Francisco showed painted circles on the grass but these circles were overwhelmed by the numbers of people who wanted to use them according to the media pictures of the crowds.

People are not staying in their homes and are ready to venture out again. You are obviously ready to venture out too. If University was closed to vehicles there would be more space. Until then, you have to weigh the pros and cons of going down a street busy with people and not enough space.


Posted by resident
a resident of Midtown
on May 24, 2020 at 1:47 pm

People that are exercising outdoors without masks should be courteous and do their exercising in non-crowded parts of town. Flooding the downtown area just scares away customers who want to patronize the struggling small businesses there.


Posted by Resident
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 24, 2020 at 3:06 pm

Perhaps the people exercising downtown are walking to patronize the businesses that are open downtown rather than driving. Walking is allowed without a mask and those sidewalks are not very wide, perhaps the sidewalks should be one way.

Walking is great exercise and patronizing a business with curbside pickup while exercising seems like a great idea.


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