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Blake, Wm. The First Book of Urizen, object 3. 1794.

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San Mateo County, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and includes part of Silicon Valley, has declared loneliness a public health emergency, a first in the U.S. The ruling came after officials found that loneliness affects 45% of the county’s population.

The resolution aims to prompt action against the loneliness epidemic, which experts say has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Notably, it includes a request to California Governor Gavin Newsom to create a state-level Minister of Loneliness. 

Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General: “This is a problem that has been building for decades in our country. COVID certainly worsened it and poured fuel on the fire. But that fire was burning before.”