Fenway Civic Association

 

With surge trends in Massachusetts growing, the State has released a COVID-19 Dashboard which tracks the daily and cumulative confirmed cases; cases by hospital, county, and age/sex/ethnicity; testing by date; hospital capacity; nursing home data; and PPE distribution. You may access today’s dashboard here.

 

We urge everyone to take the public health guidelines of physical distancing seriously and encourage you to share accurate information with neighbors. Below are the most recent updates from the Mayor’s Office. 

 

COVID-19 CASES

SOCIAL DISTANCING IN PUBLIC SPACES

TESTING ACCESS MAP 

FOOD RESOURCES FOR ALL RESIDENTS

STATE OF MA UPDATES

UPDATE ON PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

RESPONSE TO RECENT ACTS OF VIOLENCE

UPDATE ON BOSTON HOPE MEDICAL CENTER

CITY OF BOSTON COVID-19 OPERATIONS

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CONSTRUCTION

HIRING BPHC POSITIONS

HELP COVID-19 EFFORTS

STAY INFORMED

 

COVID-19 CASES

The City of Boston has 5,749 positive cases of coronavirus (confirmed and presumptive) in Boston residents. So far, 1,044 of these 5,749 residents have fully recovered. There have been 187 COVID-19 related deaths in Boston residents. 

 

We urge everyone to stay home, avoid contact with others and observe the recommended curfew of 9pm-6am. If you must go outside for an essential task, we urge you to wear a face covering and stay 6ft away from others. Make sure to wash your hands often and clean and sanitize high-contact surfaces frequently. 

 

The City posts race and ethnicity data for deaths, as well as for confirmed cases on boston.gov/coronavirus. As of yesterday, the data shows that of the 142 deaths in Boston, where race is known, 41% are white, 30% are black, 12% are Asian or Pacific Islander, 11% are Latino, and 6% are identified as other. The City of Boston’s COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force meets regularly. They are identifying key strategies to address inequities including expanded testng, data sharing and analysis, and strengthening neighborhood outreach.

 

The Boston Public Health Commission will be providing the updated total of cases in Boston residents as it is received from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Information can be found at boston.gov/coronavirus or bphc.org.

 

Massachusetts has 39,643 positive cases of coronavirus (confirmed and presumptive) and 1,809 deaths reported at this time. Massachusetts has also tested 169,398 individuals to date. 

 

The City of Boston has two dashboards to provide statistics on COVID19 cases in Boston and throughout Massachusetts.  View them here.

 

The City of Boston has a free texting service to provide daily updates and information about the coronavirus. Text BOSCOVID to 888-777 to opt-in for English. Language and communications access remains a priority for Mayor Walsh, so this text service which was available in Spanish, Haitan Creole, French, Cabo Verdean Creole, and Portuguese, now includes Somali, Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Russian.

• Text BOSEspanol to 888-777 for Spanish

• Text BOSKreyol to 888-777 for Haitian Kreyol

• Text BOSFrancais to 888-777 for French

• Text BOSKriolu to 888-777 for Cabo Verdean Creole

• Text BOSPortugues to 888-777 for Portuguese

• Text BOSSoomali to 888-777 for Somali

• Text BOSChi to 888-777 for Simplified Chinese

• Text BOSbilAraby to 888-777 for Arabic

• Text BOSViet to 888-777 for Vietnamese

• Text BOSRus to 888-777 for Russian

Updates in 10 total languages can additionally be accessed through boston.gov/coronavirus#multilingual-help. Each language has its own page and hosts multilingual print materials distributed citywide. 

 

SOCIAL DISTANCING IN PUBLIC SPACES

Mayor urges everyone to continue social and physical distancing, especially in public spaces.

• Yesterday, groups were playing golf at the Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park and the George Wright course in Hyde Park even though the courses are closed. Boston Police had to come and tell them to leave. The City will not hesitate to send police officers to deliver the message and, if necessary, deliver citations.

• Please stay home and avoid contact with others. Respect the recommended curfew from 9pm to 6am. Wear a face covering whenever you leave home. Stay at least six feet from other people at all times. Wash your hands frequently. Clean and sanitize surfaces frequently.

TESTING ACCESS MAP

The City of Boston has been working with hospitals and community health centers across the city to create and expand testing sites.

• We created a Testing Access Map to make it easier for residents to find and contact a testing site near them. It includes locations, hours, and phone numbers and websites of testing locations. It will be updated as new testing sites come online. The goal is to have every community health center able to provide testing to residents in the neighborhood. 

• Starting today, we will be able to start sharing data on testing at the neighborhood level. New reports will include the number of people tested, and positive testing rates, for each neighborhood.

 

FOOD RESOURCES FOR ALL RESIDENTS

• All of our 65 youth meal sites remain open during April school vacation week. After Friday’s distribution, we have served a total of 438,000 meals since schools closed.

• Starting today, we have opened 6 new meal sites, in East Boston, Dorchester, South Boston, Roxbury, Mattapan, and Brighton, that will serve all residents. They can each serve up to 2,500 meals a day. 

• For hours and locations, visit our Food Resources Map or call 3-1-1.

 

STATE OF MA UPDATES

On April 20th, Governor Baker announced that residents who are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits can now apply for the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. 

• The PUA program provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits for those who are unable to work because of COVID-19 but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits. That includes self-employed workers, independent contractors, gig economy workers, and those with limited work history.

• To be eligible for this new program, individuals must provide self-certification that they are otherwise able and available to work but are prevented from doing so by circumstances relating to COVID-19, including their own illness or that of a family member.

• Visit www.mass.gov/pua
 for additional info

 

UPDATE ON PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Batelle and Partners Health have given the City of Boston access to the decontamination facility in Somerville. 

• It will take pressure off sourcing PPE for police, fire, and EMS, as well as in the larger system of supply chains that the medical system is drawing on. 

• Starting today, we’ve begun a program of decontaminating N95 masks used by first responders.

 

RESPONSE TO RECENT ACTS OF VIOLENCE

This past week, there have been multiple terrible acts of violence involving young people. The City of Boston is doing everything it can to ensure this is not a trend. 

• Mayor Walsh urges everyone to do their part to keep their community safe, including following the City’s curfew and guidelines. 

• The Office of Public Safety is working on intervention plans with trauma teams, street workers, clergy and community leaders, and the Boston Police Department. 

 

UPDATE ON BOSTON HOPE MEDICAL CENTER 

Boston Hope Medical Center at the BCEC has a capacity of 1,000 beds. 

• As of Sunday (4/19) night, there were 162 total patients being treated, including 86 on the hospital side and 76 on the respite side for homeless individuals. In all, Boston Hope has served over 250 patients. 

• Because of the City’s ongoing work and the support of partnerships at Boston Hope and other facilities across the City, Boston has the capacity to shelter and treat every single homeless individual safely.

 

CITY OF BOSTON COVID-19 OPERATIONS

All essential City of Boston services such as public safety, public health and maintenance operations including street cleaning, parks maintenance, trash and recycling pick up, etc will continue to be in operation.

• City Hall is open to the public only on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 am.to 5 pm

• Public access to 1010 Massachusetts Avenue is limited to the Boston Public Health Commission on the 2nd Floor and residents must be accompanied when entering the building. 

• Everyone entering City Hall, including employees and members of the public, will be required to complete a self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms, including elevated temperature.

• Residents are required to make appointments if they need to visit any of the essential services offered out of City Hall, and can learn more about the status of city departments and hours of operation here. 

 

Residents are asked not to call 9-1-1 unless you are experiencing a medical emergency. All COVID-19 questions should be directed to the Mayor’s Health Line at 617-534-5050 or 311. The City and BPHC will continue to provide updated information on bphc.org and boston.gov/coronavirus.

 

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Boston Public Schools has issued a needs assessment survey to all students in the district. Families should respond to the survey to help us determine how to better support them throughout the school closure. The survey is available in 10 different languages. 

 

As of April 18th, Boston Public Schools has distributed 29,000 Chromebooks to students who do not have consistent access to a computer at home.

 

The City of Boston, in partnership with Project Bread, YMCA of Greater Boston, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, and other community organizations, has served over 438,000 meals since schools have closed. BPS is also delivering meals to the homes of students with special needs.

 

Free breakfast and lunch will be provided throughout the school closure including on April 20th (Patriots’ Day) and April 21st-24th (April vacation)

 

Meal Distribution sites near Fenway, Kenmore, and Mission Hill include the following:

BCYF Tobin at 1481 Tremont Street — 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM 
Boston Latin School at 78 Avenue Louis Pasteur — 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM

YMCA at 316 Huntington Ave — 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Blackstone Elementary School at 380 Shawmut Ave — 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Vibrant Boston Community Center at Lenox/Camden at 136 Lenox St — 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

 

More information about how we’re supporting Boston Public School families can be found here.

 

CONSTRUCTION

Due to the public health emergency caused by the spread of COVID-19, Mayor Walsh announced that he is extending the City of Boston’s order to pause non-essential construction for City of Boston permitted sites. The initial order announced on March 16th was set for 14 days and will now continue until further notice. Additional information can be found here. 

 

HIRING BPHC POSITIONS

The City is actively hiring candidates for critical positions such as homeless counselors, recovery services, public health advocates and public safety officers. Please go to bphc.org for job listings.

 

HELP COVID19 EFFORTS

• Stay home. If you must go outside, practice physical distancing from others (6 feet apart); avoid crowded places.

• Wear a face covering if you absolutely must go outside. Face covers help reduce the risk of a person spreading the virus, especially if they are asymptomatic. Visit CDC guidelines on face coverings for more information and guidance. 

• Observe the recommended curfew for everyone in Boston except for essential workers to stay at home from 9 pm to 6 am daily 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol; avoid shaking hands

• Cover your coughs and sneezes; clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces; and avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• If you think you might be sick, please call your doctor or 311 to be connected to the Mayor’s Health Line 617-534-5050. Buoy Health has created a free online diagnostic tool which screens for COVID19 at buoy.com/mass.

• Donate supplies to first responders here

• Donate to the City of Boston Resiliency Fund here

• Volunteer with the City of Boston here 

• Fill out the 2020 Census. The Census informs how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers annually for the next 10 years. It’s more critical than ever to ensure that all Bostonians are counted. 

 

STAY INFORMED

Receive the latest COVID19 info from reliable sources. Visit: bphc.org/coronavirus; boston.gov/coronavirus; mass.gov/2019coronavirus. Call: 311 or 211

 

We will keep you informed as we receive updates. Stay healthy and stay safe.