Around Town

Watertown Square Post Office Closed Temporarily

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The U.S. Post Office in Watertown Square has closed with no known date for reopening, and lobby service will be sporadic. Watertown Town Councilor Angeline Kounelis said she was alerted by a resident about the closing of the post office on Main Street. “It has been brought to our attention that the U.S. Post Office at 126 Main St., in Watertown Sq., closed early on Saturday the 28th. A sign was posted on the door indicating unknown status for reopening,” Kounelis said. Kounelis spoke with officials at the USPS distribution center in Waltham, and was told that the resident was correct.

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.

Around Town

Coronavirus Cases Grow by 33% in Mass., Up in Watertown; FEMA Will Provide Assistance

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On the same day that Massachusetts had its largest increase in positive Coronavirus cases, FEMA announced it will make disaster assistance to the Bay State to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. Watertown also saw its positive cases grow by three. In Watertown, the cases increased from 24 to 27 in one day, according to the total provided on the Watertown Health Department’s website, and Middlesex County now has 847 cases. Massachusetts had 1,017 more cases and nine more deaths, according to according to Mass. Department of Public’s latest COVID-19 update on Saturday.

Business

Many Watertown Restaurants Open During COVID-19, See the List Compiled by the Town & a Local Business Group

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Looking for a restaurant in Watertown to pick up food or have a meal delivered, check out the list compiled by the Watertown Business Coalition and the Town of Watertown. A few restaurants have closed temporarily during the Coronavirus outbreak, but most remain open for take out and, in many cases, delivery. You can call to order, some restaurants take orders on their website, or through food delivery apps such as Grub Hub, Doordash or Uber Eats. Town officials sent out the following statement:

In order to track what restaurants and other food establishments are open during this challenging and unprecedented time, the Town of Watertown has coordinated with the Watertown Business Coalition to compile and keep an up to date list of food establishments. We will continue to update the list with missing establishments and changes to current status for takeout and delivery.

Government

Gov. Baker, Legislature Extend Tax Filing Deadline Due to Coronavirus

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Massachusetts State House. Gov. Charlie Baker announced that Massachusetts income tax deadline will be pushed back three months in response to the the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. The agreement between the Governor’s office and the State Legislature pushes the deadline to file taxes from April 15 to July 15, 2020. Taxpayers do not have to file anything to qualify to the extension. The change comes a week after the Federal Income Tax filing deadline was extended.