Applause

Give a Round of Applause Friday for Medical Workers, Grocery Employees & Others Helping During COVID-19; More than 1,100 New Cases

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On Friday, people across Massachusetts are invited to show their love and appreciation for the people on the front line of the fight against the Coronavirus. Following similar efforts in New York City, Italy and London, #ClapBecauseWeCare will come to the Boston area and the whole Bay State on Friday at 7 p.m., according to a piece in the Boston Globe. Let’s clap for Boston’s finest heroes this Friday, Apr 3rd at 7PM. Open your windows and doors and cheer for our brave nurses, doctors, and first responders here and let’s show the country and the world we’re still and always will be #BostonStrong #ClapBecauseWeCare 👏👩🏾‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️ pic.twitter.com/57JyFVgMba— Dream Big Boston (@Boston2024) March 29, 2020

People can go to their windows, go outside and clap and cheer for ” doctors, nurses, and first responders; the pharmacists and grocery workers, delivery drivers and postal employees, restaurateurs who have stayed open, and other essential personnel who are risking exposure to COVID-19 so everyone else can stay home and stay healthy,” as the Globe article put it. New Yorkers thanking those on the front lines ❤️ #clapbecausewecare #nyc pic.twitter.com/mS02YOJsOy— Lisa Yaconiello (@lyac21) March 27, 2020

These people are our family members, friends, neighbors and members of the Watertown community.

Government

Congresswoman Clark Hosting Telephone Town Hall on the CARES Act

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Congresswoman Katherine Clark will be hosting a teleconferenced town hall about the CARES Act. The following announcement was provided by Congresswoman Clark’s office:

This week, on Thursday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. EDT, I will be hosting a telephone town hall about the CARES Act, the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) relief bill signed into law to help families, workers, hospitals, and businesses during this national emergency.I will be available to answer questions about the different types of aid available to Massachusetts residents, including direct cash payments for eligible constituents, expanded unemployment assistance, and new relief for affected local businesses non-profits. You can join the town hall by dialing in at 1 (844) 734-8764. If you are not able to join the call but have a question or need assistance, please reach out to my district office. As we continue working together in Washington to help all our communities during this difficult time, it is so important that those in need know how to access the new resources that are being made available to them.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Warn Residents to Beware of COVID-19 Scammers

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The Watertown Police announced that residents should watch out for scammers trying to take advantage of the Coronavirus outbreak. The Police Department put out the following statement:

Please be aware of individuals attempting to take advantage of and scam residents by offering false services related to COVID 19. Below is an example of a craigslist scam that was forwarded to the Watertown Police Department today. If you receive an offer/ad, such as pictured below, check the validity of it by emailing it to the WPD at COVID19@police.watertown-ma.gov.

Business

Gov. Baker Extends Closing of Non-Essential Businesses, New Cases Up More than 800

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Gov. Charlie Baker announced that non-essential businesses would remain closed in Massachusetts through May 4 in an effort to control the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The announcement came before the announcement of the lastest statistics for the impact of COVID-19 in Massachusetts on Tuesday. The Mass. Department of Public Health announced 33 more deaths from the virus, brining the total to 89. Massachusetts has 868 new postive cases for a total of 6,620.

Around Town

Eversource Eliminating Late Fees, Disconnections During COVID-19 Outbreak; Warns of Scams

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Eversources will not charge late fees or disconnect power from customers during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. “We’ve suspended disconnections, late fees and taken other steps to help customers in response to COVID-19,” Eversource announced on its website. Eversource is also offering a flexible payment plan with no down payment. Customers should also be aware of ongoing scams.

“The COVID-19 outbreak has led to an increase in scam activity. Be wary of any unsolicited calls that threaten to disconnect your utility service and that demand payment by unusual means.

Around Town

OP-ED: What Do We Know and What Don’t We Know About COVID-19?

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger, who represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston:

We all now know that the coronavirus is loose in the community and anyone could be unknowingly spreading it. We’ve all seen the terrifying exponential growth curves that project need for hospital beds peaking well above available supply. And we understand that by social distancing, we can bend the disease curve down, lower the peak hospital demand and gain time so that the hospital system has more time to prepare. What we don’t know is whether we have done as much as we should to check the spread of the virus and what the benefits of additional measures would be. Tomas Pueyo has written one of the more widely read analyses of our current uncertainties: The Hammer and the Dance. His basic argument is that we should be coming down as hard as we can on social distancing initially to buy time (the “hammer”), and that after a few weeks of maximal social distancing, we can let up some while doing widespread testing, contact tracing, and isolation to make sure we don’t reignite community spread (the “dance”).

Around Town

VA System Closing Clinics During COVID-19, Red Cross Seeking Blood Donations

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The VA Boston Healthcare System will close clinics in the area to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), but will continue to provide services. Also, the Red Cross announced a shortage of blood. Access to the VA clinics in Boston, Framingham, Quincy and Plymouth will closed, but VA officials said they will provide outpatient care using virtual technology, such as telehealth, according to an NBC 10 Boston story. See more details in the NBC 10 story by clicking here. The Red Cross announced it faces a shortage of blood due to cancellations of blood drives due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Around Town

State Seeks Donations of Protective Equipment, Health Volunteers; Number of New Cases Lower

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Massachusetts officials will be taking donations of personal protection equipment (PPE), and seeks health professional volunteers to assist during the Coronavirus outbreak. Gov. Charlie Baker announced the creation of the PPE Procurement and Donation Portal on Sunday. The state seeks donations of a variety of things, including: surgical masks, N95/99 respirator masks, gloves, goggles, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. See the entire list and how to donate by clicking here: https://www.mass.gov/forms/covid-19-donation-program. The state needs help dealing with the increasing number of cases of COVID-19.