Tragically, this morning we got word of the first coronavirus-related death in Somerville. My first thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased. Words cannot encompass the pain of your loss, but know that I share your grief. I suspect everyone else in the city will be joining me as they hear this news. Even though we’re all socially distanced from each other, thousands of people will be feeling the sadness of your loss in their hearts.

Out of respect for the family, we are not releasing any personal details, but I want to say that no one is a statistic. While we may be counting numbers to gauge the effectiveness of our response, we fully realize every confirmed case and every loss is an individual human being who will be missed by those who knew them and who will be forever lost to our broader community. All of our current efforts are designed to reduce the human toll of this disease, to keep the pain in our community to a minimum.

And, as I say that, I want to be honest with people – we will lose others in the coming days and weeks. We need to be prepared for the emotional weight that comes with this pandemic. We’re all going to need to give ourselves permission to feel sadness as we do our best to get through this crisis. It’s a natural human response to what we’re experiencing. Yet it is a burden we can all bear together. We can be united in our sadness, connected by our empathy.

Every one of us matters. None of us are in this alone. I urge everyone to stay as connected as you can, reach out for help if you need it and give yourself the space to feel what you need to feel during these trying times.

– Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone