All members of the public above the age of 2 urged to wear a face-covering when outside their homes in order to prevent transmission of the coronavirus.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the Somerville Board of Health have issued a public advisory that, starting immediately, everyone in Somerville should wear a clean face covering, such as a fabric mask, scarf, or bandana, over their mouth and nose when in any public establishment or common area. Community members are also advised to wear face coverings when in parks, on paths, or in other shared community spaces.  

Expert, Trained Volunteers to Provide COVID-19 Health and Human Service Support via Virtual 311 Call Center

From Quarantine Guidance to Unemployment Access to Pothole Repairs: For 311 in Somerville, It’s Still “One Call to City Hall”

Today the City of Somerville’s 311 Constituent Services Division launched a new initiative to provide constituents with access to one-on-one expert guidance during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Normally there is an editorial from Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone in this space, but this week the City is instead sharing important information and updates about COVID-19.

 Updates on City Closures, Event Cancelations, and Tax Payments

City buildings are closed through May 4, but many City services are still available. To find out which services are still available, click the “City Services Status” tab at www.somervillema.gov/coronavirus. You can also 311 for more information. City-sponsored events and events that are permitted by the city are canceled through June to help control the spread of COVID-19.

Facial coverings help prevent people who don’t realize they’re infected from spreading coronavirus to others.

Dear Community Members,

Here is a COVID-19 update for Thursday, April 9.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers.)

Dear Editor:

During these challenging times, postal employees are working hard to ensure residents stay connected with their world through the mail. Whether it’s medications, a package, a paycheck, benefits or pension check, a bill or letter from a family member, postal workers understand that every piece of mail is important. While service like this is nothing new to us, we need our communities’ help with social distancing.

Amidst a dire, statewide shortage of critical medical supplies, the region’s largest electrical workers’ union, IBEW Local 103, has donated 20,000 medical-grade protective masks to the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) for direct distribution to front-line caregivers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Residents of Somerville, on behalf of the members of the Somerville Police Department I want to ensure you that we are working tirelessly with our partners in Public Health and across every City Department to do everything we can to ensure your health and safety. I want to thank you for your voluntary compliance regarding social distancing, hand washing and adherence to CDC guidelines. These are difficult times for everyone including public safety. Due to the restrictions of in person resources we want to assist you in connecting with on line resources.

The Battelle Critical Care Contamination System designed to sanitize N95 respirator masks for reuse by medical professionals arrived last week at the now vacant Kmart auto shop space at Assembly Square.

By Jim Clark

Somerville’s Assembly Row will be playing host to a mechanical system that is capable of sterilizing as many as 80,000 respirator masks per day, a tremendous boon to medical facilities engaged in the fight against the current COVID-19 epidemic.

The system’s creators, Columbus, OH, non-profit Battelle has coordinated with the City of Somerville and PartnersHealthCare to set up the system in the now vacant Kmart auto shop area.

An uptick in needy families and individual turning to Project Soup for food assistance is seen due to the effects of the coronavirus crisis.

By Isabel Sami

With the coronavirus closing businesses and putting people out of work, more individuals are losing their main source of income, affecting their financial stability and forcing them to find alternate means. Somerville’s Project SOUP (Share Our United Pantry) provides a free food pantry for residents in need, but the pandemic is impacting their operations as well.