Eureka Mayor Susan Seaman Talks About Being Moved to the Purple Tier

This is a press release from the City of Eureka:

Hello. I’m Mayor Susan Seaman.  The City of Eureka is continuing our commitment to support the health and well-being of our citizens, our community, and our economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week when I wrote my address, the insurgence at the Capitol was still fresh. Purposefully, I kept my tone measured as I talked about it, although I was feeling anger and disbelief over what I had just seen. A week has passed, and I continue to feel a heavy weight over the divisiveness and anger that continues to be stoked throughout the country. I’m also concerned about what the next week will bring. I’m grateful to know that we have a committed team at the City, and EPD is prepared to protect our community members’ ability to peacefully protest, but also hold people accountable if they are using force, fear, or violence to upend democracy.

We’ve also moved to the purple tier this week, and even though we expected it, I’ll admit, I haven’t been in a great mood. I’ve been impatient and distracted, and just tired. I say this to let you know that if you’re feeling that way, you’re not alone. For about nine months, we have been going through pervasive stress sprinkled with periods of tumult. We don’t have to be okay with it all the time. It can get overwhelming if we just sit in that space too long, though. Fortunately, we live in a pretty great community and if we open ourselves to letting in some of the joy, it’s not hard to find.

One example of that came from a resident who wrote saying she was feeling pretty emotional about missing friends and our local festivals, so she wanted to share a Reddit thread written by a man who fell in love with Eureka after looking at it through the eyes of a local artist. She wanted to remind us about the importance of our local artists and the value they bring to our community. In times like this, our artists are more important than ever. I think about our poet Laureate, David Holper, who is the administrator for the Facebook Page, “Poetry on the Edge” where people can share poetry serving as an outlet to express their feelings, or to read other work and find community in these dark times.

I think about people who create little artistic surprises that others can happen upon—whether it’s a chalk drawing on a sidewalk, a painted rock on the trail, or somebody decorating their bicycle before taking a ride downtown.  

I think about those artists who have used this time to become more connected with their roots through traditional arts, by learning a new language, or by capturing stories from family members.

Creativity and inspiration are essential to help make times like this bearable. We are so fortunate to live among such a variety of artists who make our community one that is so wealthy with culture and beauty.

So, despite a rough start to the year, we still have so much to celebrate. That includes celebrating each other for being conscious about how we can keep the spread of COVID 19 to a minimum. Please continue to follow the protocol as put forth by the County Department of Public Health. Remember that now that we are in the purple tier, restaurants, family entertainment, and places of worship will be open outdoors only. This is the time when our restaurants can really use our support, so if you eat outside or pick up for takeout, be sure to take a picture and use the hashtags #DineOutHumboldt and #DineOutEureka. Hopefully, by doing that, you can encourage others to join you. Bars and breweries that do not serve food will be closed and offices should operate remotely. Most stores will only be open to 25% capacity.

Get tested periodically. It gives Public Health a chance to catch cases early and limit the spread of COVID-19. Limit your exposure by staying home as much as possible or taking care of business during non-peak times.  Plan how you will respond if somebody in your household gets sick. Where will they stay and how will you move around the house and avoid exposure? Talk about it with your kids so they are not surprised if somebody does have to stay separated. And, if you do find you have COVID, please be honest with the Department of Public Health about contacts you have had to make it easier to trace outbreaks.

Again, I’m Mayor Susan Seaman, and I appreciate everybody’s commitment to keeping us healthy. Please continue to practice good habits, wash your hands, wear a mask, practice social distancing. Be patient with yourself and kind to your neighbors and family. We’ll get through this. And we’ll talk again soon.