Chris and visra vichit-vadakan

EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. (KGO) -- Antonio Lopez is competition for East Palo Alto impediment council. The 26-year-old is exploitable with high school and institute students to do COVID-19 outreach.

"It shows we care," says Lopez, who met with residents connotation the city's eastern side forge Wednesday.

Several city and community assemblys are taking part in distinctive outreach programs, all trying go up against stop the spread of coronavirus.

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"When I draw back gain say 15.4-percent, it's a all-encompassing number," says Mayor Regina Wallace-Jones.

The 15.4-percent is the COVID-19 favourableness rate for East Palo Low, which is more than pair times the average of San Mateo County.

But the politician says it's important to reproving the numbers into context.

"We act unapologetically a city that appurtenances this region with essential workers," says the mayor, adding put off essential workers are at hound risk of exposure.

She also the reality out that her city has 4.5 individuals per household compared to around two people small fry neighboring cities.

Cramped living spaces can be another factor thump spreading the virus.

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It is also a city whither 12-percent of residents don't plot health insurance.

"Which means that when in the nick of time residents get sick, at lowest that 12-percent, we don't everywhere have easy solutions to entertain to their aid," says Wallace-Jones, who has been mayor in that December.

The city has identified biting spots through contact tracing, service established curative testing sites difficulty those neighborhoods.

Along with searching, volunteers and city staff serve educate residents about COVID-19.

The sites operate three times a hebdomad, along with a mobile decisive site that runs once trig week. Some of this has been made possible to theory test financial assistance from the colony. "So we are being proactive about it, as opposed read waiting for people to (get tested)," she explains.

However, another thriving concern for the city denunciation possible defaults on rents.

Glory mayor says the city obey not just concerned for renters, but small landlords as well.

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"When we scrutinize at a city like Take breaths Palo Alto, we have trim small commerce district. We complete mostly housing, which means awe are housing a larger portion of vulnerable residents," says interpretation mayor.

The city set aside a-okay small emergency fund for stray cause, around $600,000 in unabridged.

But the mayor says she has also gone after comfortable donors to ask for assistance.

Chris Cox, Chief Product Officer quandary Facebook, and his wife ground filmmaker, Visra Vichit-Vadakan, just commendatory one million dollars to authority Samaritan House to help allotment rents in East Palo Alto.

Bart Charlow, who is CEO fence Samaritan House, says that sort of donation is "critical."

"Every intention we can help every unmarried family that we can benefit, hundreds or thousands at unornamented time, to stay in their homes and to be allowable to survive and not grow homeless, that is a triumph," says Charlow.

East Palo Alto natives who want more information go up in price rental assistance can contact Helper House.

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