Around Town

Perkins Library Remains Closed, Find Out About Online Services

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The following information was provided by the Perkins School for the Blind Library:

Dear Perkins Library Patrons,

As Coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns continue to evolve, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has extended his March 23rd “Stay at Home” Executive Order requiring all non-essential businesses to close. At this time, the Executive Order will now extend until May 4, 2020. As we had previously communicated, the Perkins Library falls into this category, so no Library mail has been sent out since March 24. Additionally, we ask borrowers to hold all Library materials until you are notified that we are able to receive them by return mail. While we can’t ship physical materials, you can always download from our Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) service.

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Gov. Baker Gives Estimates for COVID-19 Cases in State, Beach Parking Closing

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Massachusetts will see between 47,000 to 172,000 cases of Coronavirus during the outbreak, according to the latest models. Gov. Charlie Baker discussed the figures during an update on COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon. Those numbers would be 0.7 to 2.5 percent of the state’s population, and the peak is expected to occur between April 10 and 20, according to a WBZ Channel 4 story. As of Thursday, Massachusetts had 8,966 cases and 154 people have died, according to the Mass. Department of Public Health.

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Watertown Police Reschedule Finish Strong 5K Road Race

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Police Department:

Due to the ongoing and rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, we have rescheduled our annual 5k Finish Strong Road Race to Sunday, September 27, 2020. We are looking forward to once again commemorating the resiliency of the Watertown Community by running, walking, and celebrating together after overcoming yet another challenging situation. Please remember to stay healthy, stay home, and stay tuned to WPD social media for important information and updates.

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Boston Marathon Organizers Offering Refunds to Entrants

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The organizers of the Boston Marathon announced that refunds will be offered for those who decide not to participate in the rescheduled race in September. The deadline to accept or reject the refund is May 29, 2020. Also, the B.A.A. 5K has been postponed to Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. The following information was provided by the B.A.A.:

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced that participants in the 2020 Boston Marathon, which was originally scheduled for April 20, 2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, may elect to receive a refund for entry fees associated with the Boston Marathon.

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.

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Wegmans Looking to Hire 400 Part- & Full-Time Workers

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The following announcement was provide by Wegmans Food Markets. The chain has locations in Chestnut Hill, Medford, Burlington, Natick, Westwood and Northborough:

Committed to keeping its doors opened and its shelves stocked during this time of uncertainty, Wegmans Food Markets is hiring for more than 400 part- and full-time positions throughout its six Massachusetts stores. “Even as we look to grow our team, the health and safety of all Wegmans customers and employees remains a top priority,” said Kelly Schoeneck, New England Division Manager. “We are humbled by our amazing employees who continue to show up for their colleagues and our customers every day,” she continued. “At Wegmans, we love what we do, and we love the communities we serve.

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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.

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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”).