Dear Neighbors and Friends,
We have flattened the curve – the number of new cases have been largely flat and hospitalizations have slowly started to drop over the last week. Social distancing is working, please continue wearing masks and keeping your distance from others.
Experts are saying we are in the second inning of a nine inning game and the state predicts a second surge this fall.
We are all working our way through this as patiently as we can. We have a ways to go, but we appear to have stopped the spiking of new hospitalizations and cases that was happening a short time ago.
State Updates Legislation: During a historic first remote voting formal session on Wednesday May 6th, the House passed legislation to authorize necessary state borrowing during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The legislation passed is H.4677 An Act to facilitate the delay of the income tax filing deadline.Reopening Advisory Board: The Baker Administration has opened up the opportunity to provide feedback or suggestions for the Reopening Advisory Board, which has been tasked to figure out metrics to use to determine when to re-open and recommendations on a plan to do so when appropriate. You can use this link to add any comments. Mask Mandate: The state now requires everyone over the age of 2 to wear masks whenever they leave their home as of May 6th. The state order on face coverings includes exceptions for those who have breathing challenges; those who rely on lip-reading to communicate; and those with certain mental health diagnoses. Immigrants’ Day: I also had the opportunity to be a legislative co-host, alongside Representative Barber, for the 24th Annual Immigrants’ Day, which was held virtually and included almost 500 attendees. It was an inspiring event. 
MBTA Updates
Lechmere station – will be closed starting May 24th – it will be closed for one year regarding the Green Line extension.
Senior cards – Currently the Charlie Card Store is closed however, Seniors can still replace their lost, expired, or damaged Senior, TAP, Blind, or RIDE CharlieCard over the phone by calling 617-222-3200. The renewal process for expired Senior Cards is through an automated system and once the card is renewed it will be mailed to the applicant’s address.
Coming closures – The MBTA hopes to soon resume temporary closures for repairs. It is taking advantage of record low ridership and no congestion blocking buses. It plans to close the C line (green line) for the month of July, E line (green) the month of August, and blue line for 10 days starting May 18th. These plans are all subject to re-opening.
Boston Updates
If anyone in Boston needs help finding or making face coverings, please reach out and call 311.
Boston has been working continuously to increase testing and currently an average of 1,100 tests are conducted per day of Boston residents across all available testing sites, up from an average of 680 tests conducted per day the previous week. Boston is increasing mobile testing, surveillance testing for targeted populations, and antibody testing. Boston’s goal is universal COVID-19 testing for all unhoused individuals in Boston.
Cambridge Update
The City and Cambridge Health Alliance are now offering universal COVID-19 testing for all Cambridge residents ages 8 and older, regardless of insurance or immigration status. The testing center is located at 163 Gore St., Cambridge. You must call in order to set up an appointment at 617-665-2928. For more information click here.
Contact Tracing
The state has been, and continues, to use contact tracing as a means of flattening the curve of covid-19. When you receive a call from the Community Tracing Collaborative Team, please answer! You can help identify close contacts and appropriately isolate to slow the spread of the virus. These calls will come from numbers with the area code (833) or (857) or with the caller ID “MA Covid Team.”
If you are home and looking to help you can apply to be a contact tracer through Partners in Health. You can learn more about how to apply here.
Office Hours
I will be hosting virtual office hours:
Have a great weekend.
Best,
Jay Copyright © 2020 Office of State Representative Jay Livingstone, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St., Room 472
Boston, MA 02133
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