Downtown Berkeley Association

Berkeley’s small business owners met virtually Thursday to discuss the actions they are taking to engage with customers and to financially support their businesses during the shelter-in-place order.

The city of Berkeley rolled out a number of resources to help the homeless community navigate challenges associated with being unhoused during the COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, pandemic. With limited options for sheltering in place or following social distancing directives, Berkeley’s homeless community is particularly vulnerable to contracting the disease

The Dorothy Day House Berkeley Community Resource Center and the Downtown Berkeley Association partnered with local restaurants to create the Double Helping Hands program to provide to-go meals to Berkeley’s homeless community.

$3.5 million has been donated to the Berkeley Relief Fund to help small businesses cover operations costs during the shelter-in-place order. Of the total donations, $3 million was contributed by the city of Berkeley.

Small and local businesses around Berkeley are struggling because of the COVID-19, colloquially known as the coronavirus, pandemic.

Feelmore Adult, an adult entertainment store and sex shop, opened a Berkeley location Jan. 2 on Shattuck Avenue. The Berkeley location is smaller compared to its other location in Oakland, according to store owner Nenna Joiner.

Berkeley High School students worked with the Downtown Berkeley Association to coordinate an event Thursday for United Against Hate Week, delivering speeches denouncing racism, antisemitism, sexism and other forms of discrimination in their schools and community.

Sunday Streets is a part of the international Open Streets Project, which aims to shut down high-traffic areas for the enjoyment of the public. Berkeley’s street festivities included a family Bastille Day celebration, the second annual Downtown Berkeley Pet Parade, and Cornerfest, an outdoor music concert hosted by Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music.

The Shattuck-Adeline-Stanford Greenway Vision Plan models a three-mile pedestrian-bicycle route that would connect Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville.

As some businesses close their doors, others open.