City of Boston Update 6.29.20

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Please see the latest updates and information from The City of Boston.

COVID-19 CASES

UPDATES ON PUBLIC HEALTH METRICS AND REOPENING RESOURCES

EQUITY AND INCLUSION CABINET

BOSTON RACIAL EQUITY FUND

FAIR HOUSING ZONING AMENDMENT

FY21 BUDGET

BPL TO GO UPDATE

GENERAL REMINDERS

STAY INFORMED

COVID-19 CASES

The City of Boston has 13,399 positive cases of coronavirus (confirmed and presumptive). So far, 9,333 of these 13,399 residents have fully recovered. Unfortunately, there have been 705 COVID-19 related deaths in Boston. 

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 108,070 positive cases of coronavirus (confirmed and presumptive) and 8,013 deaths reported at this time. Massachusetts has also tested 809,086 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. 

UPDATES ON PUBLIC HEALTH METRICS AND REOPENING RESOURCES

  • Average new cases in Boston came down by 50% from June 4 to June 17 and continue to decline. The City’s overall positive test rate is down to 17.9% and last week’s rate was 1.9%, both new lows. The number of COVID patients in Boston ICUs is down by 87% since the peak in April. 
  • However, the United States yesterday saw the most new cases of any day since this pandemic began, with 36,000 new cases, and several states are in a full-blown surge. This is a stark reminder of how quickly the virus can spread. That’s why, for every new step the City takes in reopening, there must be a renewed focus on the risks involved and the precautions needed. 
  • No business should reopen unless they are ready to do so safely—by meeting all the state requirements and managing the risks every day. Detailed sector guidelines and resources are available at boston.gov/reopening

EQUITY AND INCLUSION CABINET

  • The Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, the first in Boston’s history, will drive the work to dismantle systemic racism and embed equity in all planning and operations moving forward. That work will include:
    • Taking down barriers to equity in health and economic well-being;
    • Accelerating our progress toward a city workforce that reflects the people of the city, at all levels; and
    • Supporting full inclusion and opportunity for immigrant, refugee, and other vulnerable communities.
  • The Cabinet will bring together existing departments, including the Offices of: Resilience and Racial Equity, Diversity, Language and Communication Access, Women’s Advancement, Immigrant Advancement, and the Human Rights Commission. And it will apply an equity lens to every department and service, ensuring accountability to this lens in all city policies and practices.
  • It will put an intentional focus on supporting communities of color and marginalized groups. And it will partner with residents, community groups, nonprofits, and businesses to build equity throughout our economy and society. 
  • The Mayor will be appointing a Chief of Equity and Inclusion to lead this work. The work of this cabinet will combat systemic racism in every single way that the City government touches people’s lives. An important part of the Cabinet’s work will be to leverage private and nonprofit resources through cross-sector partnerships. 

BOSTON RACIAL EQUITY FUND

  • The Boston Racial Equity Fund will invest in nonprofits that empower Black and Brown residents in economic development, public health, youth employment, education, the arts, and more. 
  • Its mission is to increase the safety, wellbeing, equity, and prosperity of the Black and Brown community. 
  • The City’s initial goal is to raise $10 million, and the long-term goal is to get the fund up to $50 million. Next week, the Mayor will announce a steering committee that will be made up of leaders in business, higher education, and community development.  
  • The Mayor noted that one of the City’s goals is to coordinate and amplify this interest, and that there are statewide efforts being led by Black and Brown business leaders the City wants to support. The City is working with those leaders to coordinate the work, through communication and shared oversight. 

FAIR HOUSING ZONING AMENDMENT

  • This year, the City will be filing a new zoning amendment aimed at ensuring access to fair housing in every neighborhood.
  • This amendment will require developers in our City to do more to fight displacement and promote inclusion.
  • The BPDA is working with the Department of Neighborhood Development, the Boston Housing Authority, and the Office of Fair Housing to create a project assessment tool. The purpose will be to identify and address the risk of displacement, as well as foster access for historically excluded communities.

FY21 BUDGET

  • The City Council passed the FY21 budget. The City refiled the budget after taking into account the economic impacts of COVID, the mass movement for racial justice, and extensive review with the City Council. 
  • The FY21 budget strikes the best possible path forward, and includes investments that, before COVID, were considered historic advances in equity including:
    • $80 million, or 7% increase, for schools
    • $16 million increase for affordable housing–including one of the first city-funded rental voucher programs in the country.
    • In addition: $13 million increase in public health and $2 million from the police budget to directly address racism. 

BPL TO GO UPDATE

The Boston Public Library has added five new locations to its BPL To Go program

As of July 6, patrons will be able to pick up books, DVDs, and CDs at the following branches:  

  • Brighton
  • Charlestown
  • Lower Mills
  • South Boston
  • West Roxbury 

These are in addition to the five locations previously announced (Central, Mattapan, East Boston, JP, and Codman).

With BPL To Go, library card holders — including e-card holders — can “order” items by placing holds on their items at bpl.org, by using the new BPL To Go iPhone app, or by calling the library’s main number at 617-536-5400.  

GENERAL REMINDERS

  • Learn more about the reopening process: www.mass.gov/reopening. View The Full Report | View Guidance For Specific Industries.
  • Apply to the Boston Reopen Fund boston.gov/reopenfund. The $6 million Fund is a resource to help  small businesses minimize risk and manage economic recovery during reopening. 
  • Learn about the ONE+Boston program, which gives income-qualified first-time Boston homebuyers greater ability to purchase a home in Boston.
  • If you hear or see fireworks being displayed in your neighborhood, please call 911. You can also anonymously report the illegal purchasing or selling of fireworks to the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1(800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).
  • Enter the Mayor’s Garden Contest.
  • When going outside, wear a face covering, practice physical distancing from others (6 feet apart), and avoid mass  gatherings.
  • Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911. 
  • 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
  • Fresh Truck Open Air Markets schedule.
  • City Hall is open to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays, 9 am – 5 pm. Learn more about the status of city departments and hours of operation here
  • Tell the Parks Department where you would like to see more open space in our neighborhood here

STAY INFORMED

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

Stay safe.

Best,

Shanice–

Shanice PimentelNeighborhood Coordinator and Constituency Liaison forBack Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Kenmore, and Mission Hill Mayor Martin J. WalshOffice of Neighborhood Services617-635-2679 Sign up for neighborhood news here.Click here to follow me on Twitter.