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2021-08-05
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2021-08-05
How COVID Affected My Family
COVID took a huge tole on my family. We were unable to have getting togethers for almost a year since my grandparents are older. This was hard for us because we have multiple get togethers in a year. Last August, both of my great grandparents tested positive with COVID. They both have many underlying health conditions that made their fight hard. My great grandma pulled through but my great grandpa did not. This was a very hard loss for my family because his passing was the first in our close family. The worst part about all of it was that they would not let any of us in the hospital to say goodbye. We had his funeral outside so all of my older relatives could attend and stay safe. COVID years were hard for my family and I am very glad we are finally on the other side of it. -
2021-08-05
New Beginnings - Meal Vouchers for International Students
The meal voucher was made for international students coming during the first weekend of August and did not have food, nor was the cafe open for them to eat. During the summer of 2021, communication between the University Cafeteria and the Center for International Programs was complex due to changes inside the Center for International Programs. No plans were made for the incoming students coming that weekend. For that reason, the Center for International Programs had to create a meal voucher to eat at Starbucks or Chick-fil-a inside the campus. Twenty students were coming in the weekend, and the CIP team had to check them in, bring food supplies, and pick them up from the airport. -
2021-08-05
Tucson Unified requires masks
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona State Legislature have attempted to make it illegal for school districts to require face masks. Tucson Unified School District's school board voted for a mask mandate in defiance of this. Other Arizona districts followed, risking the withholding of COVID relief funds that the governor is refusing to disburse to any district with a mask mandate. A judge later ruled that the law was invalid and schools could have a mask mandate. As someone with children who are in school but are too young to receive a vaccine yet, I hope districts continue to require face masks for the safety of the students and staff. The Arizona Daily Star published a story about TUSD's decision. TEXT OF ARTICLE: Tucson Unified School District is requiring all staffers, students and visitors to wear masks at all its school sites when the school year begins on Thursday, Aug. 5. The TUSD decision defies a new state law that bans public schools from issuing mask mandates. “While Gov. (Doug) Ducey and the state Legislature has decided to ignore the advice of our public health experts and endanger our community, we can’t sit idle and watch COVID inevitably spread throughout our schools and devastate so many TUSD families,” said board member Ravi Grivois-Shah during an emergency Governing Board meeting Wednesday morning. “This is why I will support, along with my colleagues, a requirement to have masks on TUSD campuses and authorize TUSD to enforce this.” The board passed the measure 4-0. Board President Leila Counts was not present for the vote. Masking in schools is an important mitigation measure to slow the spread of COVID-19, and especially the new delta variant, health agencies at the county, state and federal level all say. This week, with Tucson classrooms back at capacity, as nearly 140,000 children across Pima County are returning to classrooms in person, indoor masking is one of the remaining virus mitigation measures schools have left. Social distancing is problematic at most school sites because of large class sizes, and there’s a state ban on a vaccine mandate. Further, a vaccine is unavailable to anyone younger than 12 years old. Between July 20 and Aug. 2, there were 102 virus cases in Pima County schools and 11 outbreaks, according to data from the Health Department. Those figures occurred when most schools here were not yet open. At the end of July, cases in schools accounted for about 8% of the Pima County’s total reported cases, compared to 4% of total cases during last school year — when masks were required. The county also has seen an increase in pediatric admissions and ER visits in children over the last two weeks of July. Vail Unified is the only Tucson school district that has been open for two weeks. Without a mask mandate, the district has 57 current COVID-19 cases in students and 12 in staff workers. The county Health Department has already temporarily closed three Vail classrooms and told staffers and students to quarantine. “Last year, schools had a number of tools that are no longer available,” said Vail Superintendent John Carruth. “They had the ability to do hybrid learning with smaller class sizes, require face coverings and close classrooms if needed. This year, Vail has two instructional options for families — fully in person and fully remote. With all of our teachers assigned to in-person or fully remote instruction, we are leaning on structures we built last year to support students when (the Health Department) requires them to quarantine.” And while some parents, especially those with children not old enough to be vaccinated, fear for their children’s safety in a packed classroom with unmasked people, other parents are staunchly against mask mandates, saying it is unnecessary and even harmful. In an informal survey by the Arizona Daily Star, with 180 participants two weeks ago when the COVID-19 numbers were lower, less than a third of respondents said masks should be optional, in line with the new state law. The other two-thirds said masks should be required or schools should at least have the option to require them. TUSD, with about 42,000 students, follows at least two other school districts in the state, the Phoenix Union High and Phoenix Elementary school districts, in defying the governor and state Legislature by requiring masks. A Phoenix Union teacher sued the district over the mandate, but a court hearing on the case that was set for Wednesday morning was postponed until next week. Science teacher Douglas Hester filed a lawsuit against the Phoenix Union school district’s board members and superintendent on Aug. 2, saying the mandate is illegal and can’t be enforced. A hearing on the case is set for Aug. 13. While most Tucson school districts are strongly recommending that students and staff wear masks indoors, most have also said they don’t intend on mandating masks, including Vail, Marana, Amphitheater, Sahuarita, Sunnyside and Tanque Verde. TUSD Board Member Adelita Grijalva said the mask mandate is necessary for the following reasons: More children are getting sick from the new COVID variant; new evidence has shown that fully vaccinated people may still be able to transmit the virus; the delta variant appears to be more contagious than chickenpox; and many students in the district are too young to be vaccinated. “Probably over 30% of our district cannot be vaccinated because of age,” she said. “I know my youngest can’t. I know many of our children cannot or their friends cannot, and so we have to do everything we can in the district to ensure their safety. That’s our No. 1 priority.” -
2021-08-05
Recovery Justice Mail Art
I See Dedication I See Hope I See Love We are all suffering illness, sadness, loss of the way we think life should be– Using the cool patterns on the panels of tissue boxes, I thought that material appropriate. Most of these collaged images appropriate an eye form, much like the Turkish Evil Eye, when given as a gift it offers protection. In this project many 18th St. artists participated and a single art piece was sent out with mental health support materials for anyone who signed-up on our website. This has been an artist-driven 18th St. Arts supported and produced project also supported by Recovery Justice, Santa Monica and We Rise LA. Special thanks to Sara Daleiden and Sue Bell Yank at 18th St. –Melinda Smith Altshuler P.S. Honestly it has been an honor and a blessing to produce work for this project and also support our friends and neighbors who are suffering more than us. -
2021-08-05
Wetzel's Pretzel doing their part
I snapped this picture at the mall today. Most of the signs that I've seen around the valley just say that masks are no longer required if people are vaccinated but of course, no one is allowed to ask for a vaccination card so no one can ever be sure. This sign however states that by approaching the register without a mask you are attesting that you have been vaccinated. I really liked the wording of this sign because it makes the customer think about the responsibility they alone hold on being careful regardless of their vaccination status. -
2021-08-05
SECDEF is expected to formally announce a mandatory vaccine policy for active-duty troops on Friday, according to Fox News.
I was active duty military for nine years and am now a reservist. My time in the military is almost done but I keep in contact with a lot of people who are still on active duty. I also keep myself up to date on military matters out of curiosity I guess. I am a corpsman in the Navy so I was really interested to see how the military would handle this pandemic. I was unsatisfied with the late response in a lot of matters (like masks and limiting gatherings) but this news is something that I am proud of. Working in the medical field out in the civilian world I have seen the impact of the COVID virus more than I would have to be on active duty. I have seen firsthand how relatively young and healthy people can become ill and die. I wanted to add some screenshots of the comment section to this post as well just to show that the military members are divided on the issue of vaccines just like civilians are. The difference is that active-duty members don't have a choice. If Uncle Sam says everyone needs to be vaccinated then that's what's gonna happen. Like someone on the comment section said "they injected us with anthrax, so I'm sure well fine with this vax shot"