Thousands of residents work from home (regardless of Covid). Our children are learning from home. Elderly, impaired, and infants are home all day trying to rest. It has become impossible to concentrate on any given day of the week as leaf blowers are used every day at all hours of the day! We have also ceased to hear birds for much of the day, animals run in fear, kids cease playing outside, you can't even walk your dog any longer without being blasted with NOISE & POLLUTION!

The reason this is important is because in the past few weeks I have watched trans girls in Baltimore be murdered. We do not want to have to hide, but for safety we must at times. Many trans women in Baltimore do not have access to the funds to cover FFS and this leaves them still with this dysphoria and still as a target to those who have hatred.

Women's health has been seriously affected by the Global Gag Rule, which has withdrawn American aid from any nongovernmental organization offering abortion. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to restore women's access to reproductive health care.

Has this virus not been downplayed and kept a secret from the American people we could have kept it from spreading like wildfire across our nation. The virus found my Father in his own home where he was supposed to be safe. My Father had COPD & Rhuemetiod Arthritis and was 77 years young. He took good care of himself & despite his underlying conditions was in very good health. My father contracted Covid in his own home and spent 6 long weeks fighting for his life in the ICU department at the hospital alone. He died. He may be nobody to Donald Trump BUT TO ME HE WAS MY WORLD. Mask wearing and social distancing must be taken seriously and enforced to the fullest extent in order to stop this virus from claiming more lives. A caring & strong leader would set the example and vocalize the severity of this virus so that people are not letting their guards down and a lot of American’s lives can be saved. I want to do this to honor my Daddy who should have been protected!!!

We understand that herd immunity via vaccination will take months to achieve. Without the steps outlined above many more lives will be lost and many others will become ill, perhaps chronically, per the models. This hurts people, and in the long run, is also expensive across many systems. We have seen what happens when countries work to eliminate COVID. New York State may have more difficulty than a country would, but we can see that the current level of mitigation is not enough. We have seen responses from leaders like Adern, Battulga and Merkel. While they have all struggled with COVID returning, the defining feature of their response is their unwillingness to lose lives. A positive side effect is that their economies have been impacted positively by this approach. COVID Zero NY should be our aspiration. Being better than other states is not enough. It is imperative that our goals be higher because this is impacting our lives, our health, and our livelihoods. We must act, immediately. The WHO’s Dr. Mike Ryan’s statement from March is as relevant today as it was then: “Perfection is the enemy of the good when it comes to emergency management. Speed trumps perfection, and the problem in society we have at the moment is everyone is afraid of making a mistake - everyone is afraid of the consequence of error. But the greatest error is not to move. The greatest error is to be paralyzed by the fear of failure.” Respectfully submitted, Dec 22, 2020 — Sample of Information Utilized Substantial majorities (6 in 10, or more) of Americans support all seven restrictive measures. www.thecovidstates.org THE COVID STATES PROJECT: A 50-STATE COVID-19 SURVEY REPORT #25: PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR MEASURES AIMED AT CURBING COVID-19 USA, November 2020 COVID Zero: https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/after-eliminating-covid-19-new-zealand-pm-says-flattening-curve-wasnt-enough/ Economy and COVID: https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/a-false-choice-how-the-coronavirus-married-public-health-the-economy.php?s=09 Lack of transparency undermining response: https://www.wired.com/story/a-lack-of-transparency-is-undermining-pandemic-policy/ Updated COVID risk: https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/ Closing schools, bars, workplaces, public events reduces R to safe levels https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30785-4/fulltext Additional school information: https://twitter.com/DrZoeHyde/status/1336612124835995648?s=20 Aerosols: https://time.com/5883081/covid-19-transmitted-aerosols/

56.4 million children and their families have been suffering without in-person school for almost a year. The fastest way to end that suffering is to get teachers vaccinated quickly. Teachers are essential workers and giving them high priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in phase 1B is the only way to ensure that all of our schools can reopen safely and quickly. The loss of in-person school has already impacted the mental health and growth of this generation of students. Most American kids are showing some signs of mental health problems and millions are significantly behind in academic and social development. Other kids face significant hunger and food insecurity due to the loss of school meals. Parents also rely on teachers and schools to provide child care when they need to work during the day. Without this resource, families have been forced to reduce their work hours or leave their jobs, losing income they need to pay their bills. Students need to return to school as fast as possible, but we cannot achieve that goal without making sure that teachers and support staff are given the protection they need to return to the classroom.

It is important understand that the students of Bloomfield college have worked hard and should be allowed the choice of a Pass or Fail grade for the Fall 2020 semester because of the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on Bloomfield College.

The nearly 8% or $3 million + increase in the Elgin Police Department budget is excessive. This money should be reallocated to support community based services such as the creation of an Elgin Health and Human Services Department that would include mental health, addiction treatment, housing, food distribution, nutrition, education, recreation, job development, public transportation, accessibility to resources, infrastructure, etc. The Elgin Police Department’s proposed budget for 2021 is well over $51 million. This is absurd. Crime statistics are trending down. The community needs expanded social services not weaponized control. Over policing is a clear manifestation of systemic and structural racism. The community needs to hold the City Council, City Manager and Mayor accountable to prioritize community well being with investment in basic human dignity and the expansion of systems of social justice. El aumento de casi 8% o más de $ 3 millones en el presupuesto para el Departamento de Policía de Elgin es excesivo. Este dinero debe reasignarse para apoyar servicios comunitarios como la creación de un Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Elgin que incluiría salud mental, tratamiento de adicciones, vivienda, distribución de alimentos, nutrición, educación, recreación, desarrollo laboral, transporte público, accesibilidad a recursos, infraestructura, etc. El presupuesto propuesto por el Departamento de Policía de Elgin para el 2021 supera con creces los $ 51 millones. Esto es absurdo. Las estadísticas sobre delitos están a la baja. La comunidad necesita servicios sociales ampliados, no un control armado sobre la población. La vigilancia excesiva es una clara manifestación de racismo sistémico y estructural. La comunidad debe responsabilizar al Concejo Municipal, al Administrador de la ciudad y al Alcalde de priorizar el bienestar de la comunidad con la inversión en nuestra dignidad humana básica y la expansión de los sistemas de justicia social.

Pickleball is ‘America’s Fastest Growing Sport’ and one that is enjoyed by players of all ages and abilities, spread by the grassroots enthusiasm of its participants. It is a sport more appropriate to the “People’s House” than Tennis, which developed under the aristocratic patronage of the Royalty of both England and France. Pickleball originated in the United States, created through old-fashioned American ingenuity and creativity when a planned family badminton game had to be cancelled due to the lack of correct equipment. While the large, space-hungry tennis court demands a high level of athletic conditioning, Pickleball is played on a much smaller court which allows for more efficient use of public land (in parks nationwide as well as in the White House lawn) and can be effectively played by a much broader spectrum of America’s casual athletes. Pickleball is also a much more community-based, social sport than tennis, encouraging people of all backgrounds to find common cause and enjoyment together. Changing the White House tennis court to multiple Pickleball courts would be an inspiration to increased fitness achievable by all Americans, as well as a of symbol both American ingenuity and the effective and efficient use of our public lands.

Two U.S. companies — Pfizer and Moderna — have reported that their vaccines are 90%+ effective in providing immunity from COVID-19. This is groundbreaking, game-changing news for people here in the United States and all over the world — but only if everyone can access these treatments. NOW is the time to demand these treatments be free and accessible to EVERYONE. We have a tiny window to pressure President-elect Biden's COVID-19 task force to ensure PEOPLE come before PROFITS. A Biden administration must not only immediately rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO) — the United States has got to go further. Add your name now to urge President-elect Biden's COVID task force to support the global COVAX initiative AND ensure that any FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine is made COMPLETELY free and fully accessible to everyone, as quickly as possible.

Students receive the highest quality of education in school buildings with face-to-face contact with educators. In order to appropriately address students’ academic and social-emotional needs, the schools need to be consistently and fully staffed. For educators and children to be healthy and safe so they can be present in person, Covid-19 transmission and infection rates within Brookline’s schools need to be identified, monitored and minimized. While we understand that discussions are underway between the Town of Brookline and the Public Schools of Brookline concerning implementation of a program of asymptomatic testing of staff, an immediate and more comprehensive approach is urgently needed.

COVID-19 cases are climbing in Arizona, as they are around the country. Arizona hospitals are already becoming overwhelmed, and many of our rural healthcare facilities are not equipped to handle a serious surge in COVID cases. We can stop more Arizonans from dying from COVID-19 but we need officials at every level of government to step up. As healthcare workers and patients standing together, we believe It’s time to confront the virus directly and take the steps health experts tell us will save lives. It’s time to require everyone to wear a mask when we are outside of our homes. We can prevent so many deaths and needless suffering by just taking this simple step. Let’s tell Governor Ducey that he needs to step up and make masks mandatory in our state.