California Reopening

Like most of our friends, associates and clients, we are looking forward to be officially reopening. While we adapted quickly to virtual delivery, we’re delighted to be providing in-person appointments again. For important legal matters, we’re finding that many people like the reassurance of one-to-one connections. We like it too.

A few fast facts about California’s place in the national reopening rollout

According to Governor Newsom, “There is no American recovery without California’s recovery.”

• We are one of the first states to lock down and last states to reopen.
• Social distancing and masking are mostly over.
• The coronavirus has infected some 3.8 million Californians and killed more than 63,000—more than any other state due to our population.
• The state’s approach to combating Covid has been walking a fine legal line between balancing civil liberties with public health needs.
• On Tuesday, June 15, Governor Newsom awarded ten prizes of $1.5M each from the vaccine lottery to those who had received at least one vaccine dose.

Keep those masks; you’re going to need them

• Masks will continue to be required in crowded and high-risk areas — hospitals, long-term-care facilities, public transit.
• Large indoor events, like NBA games and concerts, will require a negative coronavirus test or proof of vaccination for entry.

We’re still in the habit of social distancing

Social distancing is no longer required, but on my morning walks, it seems our old habits are hard to break. If someone’s approaching, one of us will step onto the curb to create space—even though the sidewalk is wide enough to accommodate several people and their dogs!

A sign of the times: Berkeley Bowl’s reopening

Berkeley’s venerated market, known for its nearly endless aisles of fresh produce, notified shoppers that it was okay to enter maskless if they were fully vaccinated. The reality? The vast majority of people entering the store around midday on Tuesday ignored the option and shopped fully masked. One shopper wasn’t taking any chances and wore two masks.

We’re the Bay Area, after all. We totally got this

We were the first part of the country to order residents to stay home when the coronavirus began spreading out of control last year. We were the area most diligent in complying with mask orders. Bay Area residents covered up even when outdoors, whether it was hiking the trails above the Pacific Ocean or schmoozing with our neighbors.

Sadly, we’ve all lost a year

Looking back, we’ve suffered profound losses. We cancelled vacations and spent the holidays alone. Sports seasons were weird, truncated affairs. We stopped going to the doctor, afraid we’d be exposed to Covid. We watched as people stood in food lines for hours. So many people lost their homes and livelihoods altogether. Many more lost family members and friends. Still more survived Covid, but are now dealing with lingering side effects that are sabotaging their ability to get on with their lives.

What have we learned?

How clever and resourceful we are. That we can Zoom just about anything. We’ve learned that we can live more simply, to rethink our values and identify what’s important. To be more flexible. To make decisions that benefit the greater good. And of course, to create a Living Trust! We have worked with so many clients this last year who have felt the urgency to have a Trust in place in case something happened to them. We’re all more vulnerable than we had imagined. This is not the first, nor will it be the last pandemic.

Creating a Living Trust is an important part of life planning

Our Living Trust package includes a Power of Attorney and Advance Healthcare Directive. Having these legal documents in place now can help avoid confusion later on. We learned an important lesson from Covid: Once patients were infected with the virus, they were in no condition to be signing legal documents. We guide you through the process, and we prepare the legal documents. Schedule an appointment with Guideway today.

We service the entire East Bay and North Bay areas

Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, Pinole, Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley Newark, San Lorenzo, Concord, Alamo, Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Livermore, Tracy and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.