Dear Community Members,

• 4,000 masks distributed to seniors: Earlier this week, the City distributed 4,000 facial masks to residents of senior buildings across the city. The high density of these buildings, combined with risk factors like age and preexisting health conditions leaves residents particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and severe symptoms. The masks were distributed quickly after they arrived thanks to Council on Aging and Department of Public Works staffers.

• More Good News: Somerville Public Schools sign up student families for free internet access: With a student population that includes 41.8% considered economically disadvantaged (and more than 70% receiving free or reduced-cost lunch), one of the greatest challenges for remote learning is ensuring equity of access. After finding that roughly 450 student homes were without Internet when schools were closed, the Somerville Public Schools (SPS) launched an intensive effort to change that. By the end of next week, close to 100% of families in the district will have Internet access. That’s thanks to coordinated efforts by an army of SPS and other City staff, working in partnership with Comcast, and funded in part by a COVID-19 Assistance grant from the Somerville Job Creation and Retention Trust. SPS has also provided devices like Chromebooks and tablets to students who needed them. Don’t know about you, but it’s these successes amid the storm that keep us going.

• Senior buildings required to share/create safety plans: Yesterday Mayor Joe Curtatone and the Somerville Board of Health issued an order requiring senior housing facilities to share existing COVID-19 safety plans or formally create plans and policies aimed at increasing the safety of their residents and staff by reducing the risk of virus spread. Seniors can be more vulnerable to serious complications of COVID-19. Thus each building’s plan must comply with CDC and MA Dept. of Public Health guidelines for protecting senior residences including health screening of residents and staff, closing to non-essential visitors, and requiring safe practices such as thorough hand washing, face coverings, and at least six feet distance from other people.

• New COVID-19 data dashboard: To provide more detailed information about confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Somerville, the City of Somerville partnered with Opendatasoft to create a COVID-19 dashboard that provides daily updates on cases and fatalities in Somerville and Massachusetts by county. You can find the new dashboard on somervillema.gov/coronavirus. Opendatasoft’s Boston office created the dashboard free of charge as part of their effort to support governments to share up to date information with their communities about how COVID-19 is affecting them.

Today’s Assistance Tip: What should I do if I can’t pay my utility bills?