City of Boston Update 5.14.20

Good Morning Everyone,

Please find updates and announcements from The City of Boston regarding COVID-19.

COVID-19 CASES

CASE TRENDS IN BOSTON AND REOPENING EXPECTATIONS

BOSTON RESILIENCY FUND UPDATE

SMALL BUSINESS FUND UPDATE

FEDERAL ECONOMIC STIMULUS HOTLINE

ZONING BOARD OF APPEAL VIRTUAL HEARINGS UPDATE

YOUTH JOBS COMMUNITY DIALOGUE

CITY OF BOSTON COVID-19 OPERATIONS

GENERAL REMINDERS

STAY INFORMED

COVID-19 CASES

The City of Boston has 11,284 positive cases of coronavirus (confirmed and presumptive) in Boston residents. So far, 3,948 of these 11,284 residents have fully recovered. There have been 542 COVID-19 related deaths in Boston residents. 

The City posts race and ethnicity data for deaths, as well as for confirmed cases here.

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 80,492 positive cases of coronavirus (confirmed and presumptive) and 5,315 deaths reported at this time. Massachusetts has also tested 410,032 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. 

CASE TRENDS IN BOSTON AND REOPENING EXPECTATIONS

  • Boston’s number for new deaths is slowing and Tuesday was the first day we had with no new deaths to report in a 24hr period. 
  • Boston’s number of recoveries of coronavirus cases are growing faster as we continue to get data from the State’s community tracing collaborative. 
  • The City of Boston’s expanded medical capacity is allowing hospitals to maintain expanded ICU capacity. Currently hospitals are at 110% of normal ICU capacity. 
  • As of Tuesday night, there were 158 patients at Boston Hope, including 83 on the homeless respite side, and 75 on the hospital side. Altogether, over 688 patients have been treated at the facility. 
  • Monday, May 18th is a date that many are focused on as the Governor’s Advisory Board is due to release their reopening report. The City of Boston is working every day as part of that advisory board. 
  • Mayor Walsh stressed that he supports a cautious, multi-phased reopening approach that includes clear health criteria and safety guidelines for each industry. Our administration is working on what that will look like for City Hall, city employees and throughout the City of Boston.
  • We’re also in conversation with employers in Boston in many industries such as restaurants, labor organizations, faith communities, advocacy groups, healthcare providers, colleges and universities, office buildings, and other businesses. We have worked to make these conversations broad and inclusive with a focus on equity and the impacts that different communities are experiencing both in health impacts and economic impacts.
  • Mayor Walsh acknowledged that we will not move forward based on dates but will plan reopening around public health data. This must be a gradual phased in approach which depends on testing data and hospital metrics reaching certain benchmarks. It would be worse for our economy to reopen too soon and roll back all of our efforts due to new outbreaks. We must remain focused on physical distancing and good hygiene practices. 

BOSTON RESILIENCY FUND UPDATE

As of yesterday, The Boston Resiliency Fund has raised $30.7 million, from over 5,800 donations.

  • This week, we are distributing $1.3 million to 17 organizations.
  • 52% of these organizations are led by a person of color and 47% by women.
  • These grants will allow us to expand telehealth COVID-19 treatment—from 9 current sites to 19 Community Health Centers in Boston. Additional grants support community organizations in providing food, childcare, gift cards, face coverings, and more, to those in need. The populations they work with include seniors, service workers, young people of color, and homeless individuals.
  • Grantee highlights include:
    • The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, which provides emotional and psychological support to healthcare workers. The program they are launching draws on PTSD experts who work with veterans. They will train staff at hospitals and health centers to treat job-related stress at the work site. 
    • Newmarket Business Association, who will provide truck and delivery support for their neighbors at the Greater Boston Food Bank.
    • Based on previous BRF grants, COVID testing is underway at South Boston Community Health Center and at the Charlestown location of North End Waterfront Health.
  • With this week’s grants, we have now distributed $17.5 million to nearly 200 organizations.

SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF FUND UPDATE

Last week, the Mayor announced that the first $2 million of relief is in the hands of 561 locally owned businesses. And we have added $5.5 million more, to help every eligible business that applied.

  • In this first round, we have funded a diverse range of businesses reflective of all of our neighborhoods
    • 58% of the businesses receiving grants are owned by people of color
    • 48% are owned by women
    • 44% are owned by immigrants
    • 95% went to businesses with 15 or fewer employees
    • The top 10 zip codes with the most recipients include East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Brighton, South End, Dorchester, Roslindale, and Roxbury
  • Back Bay/ Beacon Hill recipients in the first round of funding include: A La Carte Massage by Toe2Heal, Aiyara Thai Massage & Wellness, Aluna Salon SPA, LLC, Arden Gallery Ltd., Bacco’s Wine & Cheese, Back Bay Acupuncture + Chinese Herbal Medicine, Bare Bones Yoga, Blank Ink, Inc., Bonne Chance Cafe, Boston Medical, Carrig Kitchens, LLC, Castanet, Chaba Florist, Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe, Coppley Acupuncture, CyromedBoston, David Binder Photography, Diamond Chiropractic, George Horemiotis, Iterate Labs, Inc. JSD Studio, Maria Karalexis Hair Stylist, Maria’s Taqueria, Melman Chiropractic Group, Micro Scalp Pigmentation Inc, Mike & Patty’s, Mondi’s Brow Studio, Movement Over Everything, My Destination Pilates LLC, North Station Barbers, OCEAN TIME, Ouimillie, Parker Cote Elite Fitness, Parkside Dental Care, Patella & Palmito Corporation, Patron Films, Paul & Susan Buta, Peter Pavlina, Scire Massage Therapy, LLC, Seed Acupuncture, Suds N Duds, The Body Shop, The Collier Connection, The Newbury Center, Weston Eyecare, LLC dba Yosemite Eyewear, Wright Performance, Zenith Health Works.
  • The full list of recipients is posted here
.
  • The City of Boston has more than tripled the size of this Fund since the first round of applications and we expect additional businesses to be funded. 

FEDERAL ECONOMIC STIMULUS HOTLINE

On May 13th, Mayor Walsh announced that the Boston Tax Help Coalition, a program within the Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment, has launched a Stimulus Hotline to assist Boston residents eligible for the federal economic stimulus payment.

  • Residents with incomes under $75,000, including those with no income, may be eligible for the full $1,200 payment. However, residents who do not usually file a tax return must file an application with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in order to receive their payment.
  • Boston Tax Help Coalition volunteers and staff have been trained to assist residents in filing this application with the IRS.
  • Boston residents should check if they are eligible for the stimulus before calling at: https://www.bostontaxhelp.org/stimulus-payment-help/.
  • The hotline can be accessed by calling (781) 399-5330 or 311. The hotline is staffed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m., and calls received outside of those time frames will be returned. Staff are available to assist residents in Spanish, and residents in need of assistance in additional languages will be connected to the appropriate translation services.
  • The Tax Help Coalition is also getting ready to provide its usual free services for the July 15 tax deadline, for those who make under $56,000. We are setting up the technology to be able to provide these services virtually in the coming weeks.

ZONING BOARD OF APPEAL VIRTUAL HEARINGS UPDATE

The May 14th, 2020 hearing of the Zoning Board of Appeal Subcommittee will be held virtually, via video teleconferencing and/or telephone. Interested persons can participate in the hearing REMOTELY by following a link to the virtual hearing, or by calling into the virtual hearing via telephone.

The May 19th, 2020 hearing of the Zoning Board of Appeal has been POSTPONED

  • Back Bay/Beacon Hill projects POSTPONED: 28 Exeter Street
  • We will follow up with a new hearing date once it has been scheduled

YOUTH JOBS COMMUNITY DIALOGUE

The Mayor’s Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development will host two community listening sessions to discuss plans for the summer youth jobs program. We also want to hear from you on what creative ideas you may have as we work to figure out ways to engage young people in paid work opportunities this summer.

  • In addition to the Department of Youth Engagement and Employment (DYEE), Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), and the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, we will also be joined by representatives from ABCD, Boston PIC, and MLK Scholars.
  • May 14th, 2020 2-3PM Zoom Session: https://zoom.us/j/99414693682
  • May 15th, 2020 1-2PM Zoom Session: https://zoom.us/j/98463512997

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. 

GENERAL REMINDERS

  • 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. 
  • Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911. The City of Boston’s EMTs and hospitals have the capacity and ability to treat everyone.
  • 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 
  • For Food access needs, visit our Food Resources Map or call 3-1-1
  • 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.
Best,Shanice–
Shanice Pimentel

Neighborhood/Constituency Liaison for

Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Kenmore, and Mission Hill

Mayor Martin J. Walsh

Office of Neighborhood Services

617-635-2679

Sign up for neighborhood news here.