Good Evening Everyone,
Please find the updates from The City of Boston regarding COVID-19 as of tonight, May 4th, 2020.
COVID-19 CASES
CASE TRENDS IN BOSTON
COVID-19 INFORMATION BOOKLETS
STATEWIDE FACE COVERING MANDATE
NEW STEPS AND PROGRESS TO EXPAND TESTING ACCESS
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS UPDATE
EXPANDING FOOD ACCESS FOR FAMILIES AND SENIORS
CITY OF BOSTON COVID-19 OPERATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
HELP COVID-19 EFFORTS
STAY INFORMED
COVID-19 CASES
The City of Boston has 10,077 positive cases of coronavirus (confirmed and presumptive) in Boston residents. So far, 2,384 of these 10,077 residents have fully recovered. There have been 442 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 69,087 positive cases of coronavirus (confirmed and presumptive) and 4,090 deaths reported at this time. Massachusetts has also tested 324,268 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
At Today’s press briefing, Mayor Walsh provided some additional data to illustrate the current state of the coronavirus outbreak in Boston.
- The daily increase in cases has been roughly steady for some time.
- The number of people in ICU care for COVID-19 at Boston hospitals has been gradually going down.
- At the same time, Boston hospitals are still operating at around 120% of normal ICU capacity.
- We are still relying on Boston Hope Medical Center at the BCEC to help make that space available. As of Sunday night, there were 161 patients at Boston Hope, including 63 on the homeless respite side, and 98 on the hospital side. Altogether, 548 patients have been treated at the facility. This is allowing hospitals to maintain expanded ICU capacity.
- Mayor Walsh expressed that Boston is moving in the right direction, but that this is not a time to ease up on the precautions we are taking to prevent the spread of the virus.
COVID-19 INFORMATION BOOKLETS
This weekend we began distributing new COVID-19 information booklets with information on how to stay safe during the coronavirus outbreak. This information is available in 7 languages. In total, we will be distributing about 70,000 of these booklets to places like convenience stores, banks, and food distribution sites. Following the recommendations of the City of Boston’s COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force, we are targeting neighborhoods with the greatest needs to bridge information gaps. You may find a copy of the booklet here.
STATEWIDE FACE COVERING MANDATE
Governor Baker’s executive order requiring all Massachusetts residents over the age of 2 to wear face coverings in public and wherever physical distancing is a challenge, goes into effect on Wednesday, May 6. This includes at grocery stores, retail stores, and on public transit. An example of how to make a face covering can be found here.
NEW STEPS AND PROGRESS TO EXPAND TESTING ACCESS
- So far, about 28,000 Boston residents, or 4% of the City’s population, have been tested for COVID-19. Last week, testing increased by 44%. Currently, about 32% of people who get tested are testing positive. This number has been trending down slightly. We are analyzing the data to see how the virus is impacting certain neighborhoods the hardest.
- COVID-19 testing is being conducted at Boston’s hospitals and community health centers. By the end of this week, there will be 19 testing sites in Boston. This week, Brigham & Women’s Hospital will begin running a testing site at the BCYF Tobin Center in Roxbury. Residents can find a map of testing sites on boston.gov and bphc.org. The Mayor reminded residents to call ahead for pre-screening and to schedule an appointment.
- We continue to conduct universal testing among the homeless population. So far, more than 1,800 homeless individuals in Boston have been tested. About 33%, or 596 individuals, have tested positive. 2 homeless individuals have passed away from COVID-19 in Boston.
- The City of Boston’s antibody testing initiative is ongoing. This is a partnership with Mass General Hospital, that entails testing 1,000 residents of East Boston, Roslindale and the 02121 and 02125 zip codes of Dorchester. These neighborhoods reflect Boston’s diversity and the results will provide important information about how different populations are being impacted. We will make a summary of the results available, including the numbers and percentage of residents who test positive for the virus and its antibodies.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS UPDATE:
- On Friday, May 1, BPS shared new policies with families and schools for remote learning. Those policies go into effect today, Monday May 4. This updated learning plan gives more guidance for students and teachers around attendance, assignments, grading, and scheduling. It also provides predictability for families with routine class schedules and contact between students and teachers.
- As part of the new policies, no student will be held back in their grade. All students will advance to the next grade and have opportunities for summer learning and additional support in the fall.
- If parents believe their child would benefit from repeating their grade, they can request a meeting with their teacher to discuss further.
- The City of Boston is working with the Boston Public Schools to develop plans to honor graduating seniors and their families. Details will be shared soon.
- Mayor Walsh thanked Boston’s teachers and staff for their continued cooperation during this difficult time, acknowledging that this week is Teachers Appreciation Week, and tomorrow is National Teachers Day.
- The Mayor stated that throughout the final weeks of the school year, BPS will continue distributing free meals for students and other resources; connecting with students on a routine basis; and collaborating with school communities, nonprofit partners, and parent groups, to ensure that students are getting the support they need.
Meal Distribution sites near Back Bay and Beacon Hill include the following:
YMCA Wang at 8 Oak Street West
— 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
YMCA at 316 Huntington Ave — 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
YMCA Charlestown at 150 3rd Ave — 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
BCYF Quincy Community Center at 885 Washington St — 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Boston Latin School at 78 Louis Pasteur Avenue — 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
EXPANDING FOOD ACCESS FOR FAMILIES AND SENIORS
On May 4th, Mayor Walsh discussed new food benefits for families and on-going programs that serve seniors in Boston.
- Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) is a special food benefit authorized by the federal coronavirus bill. It’s available for all Boston Public Schools and Charter School students while schools are closed. Households will receive $5.70 per child per school day for the duration of school closures—or $28.50 a week per child. If families currently receive SNAP benefits, the P-EBT will be added to their cards. If families aren’t enrolled, they will get cards sent to them in the mail. Some families may have gotten their benefits last week, and everyone else can expect to receive theirs in the coming weeks.
- Using P-EBT benefits does not impact any adult or child’s immigration status, and the Public Charge rule does not apply to P-EBT benefits.
- If families have questions about P-EBT, SNAP, WIC or other food resources, they can call Project Bread’s Hotline at 1-800-645-8333. They can also contact the city’s Office of Food Access at 617-635-3717 or by email at food@boston.gov.
- The City of Boston also continues to operate 65 youth-oriented meal sites, which are open every weekday with weekend meals available on Friday. Eight of these sites serve youth and adults in East Boston, Dorchester, South Boston, Mattapan, and Brighton, Mission Hill and Egleston Square, which is easily accessible from Roxbury and JP. By the end of this week, we will have added an additional 8 sites in East Boston, Charlestown, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Roxbury, almost doubling the number of meals available to adults. The City of Boston has served more than 740,000 meals at its meal sites so far. For hours and locations, visit the Food Resources Map on Boston.gov or call 3-1-1.
- We continue to serve seniors through the Meals on Wheels program. Last week over 58,000 meals were distributed, representing a 33% increase from the pre-COVID levels.
- The City of Boston is launching a new food program with the Greater Boston Food Bank, Boston Public Schools, the Boston Housing Authority, and the Age Strong Commission. This week, they will distribute 2,400 boxes of food to households in need within the Boston Housing Authority and at others identified by the Age Strong Commission.
- Mayor Walsh thanked all of the partners who have helped make this happen, including volunteers with the Building Trades, the Boston Housing Authority, and the Newmarket Business Association.
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.
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.
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
- 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.
