Katie Lannan
State House News Service

The number of COVID-19 cases in Chelsea, a city that’s been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus, has more than doubled in the past week, according to new state data.

The latest municipal level breakdown of COVID-19 case numbers in Massachusetts, published Wednesday night by the Department of Public Health, showed that Chelsea remains the community with the highest rate of infection, now at nearly 3,842 per 100,000 people. That’s more than twice the next-highest rate, Brockton’s 1,794 per 100,000.

There were 1,447 COVID-19 cases in Chelsea as of Wednesday’s report, up from 712 the previous week. While testing may not capture infected individuals without symptoms, Gov. Charlie Baker has also said that increases in case numbers can reflect the higher number of tests being done as well as who is being tested. Testing ramped up in Chelsea this month, along with efforts to provide meals and isolation spaces after the city was identified as a hotspot.

After Chelsea and Brockton, the communities with the next highest rates per 100,000 are Everett (1,475), Randolph (1,406), Lynn (1,375), and Lawrence (1,367). The statewide rate is about 616 per 100,000, up from last week’s 488.

There are 24 towns that have not reported any COVID-19 cases, and 48 communities with fewer than five cases. Boston has the most cases of any municipality, with 6,744, followed by Brockton’s 1,763, Worcester’s 1,457, and Chelsea.

“Wahlburgers, the Boston-area based restaurant owned by the Wahlberg brothers, stopped by District C-11 in Dorchester to drop off freshly-made meals while thanking Boston’s first responders for the ongoing efforts to keep everybody safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

Officers made sure to respect social distance protocols as they approached and retrieved food from the Wahlburgers food truck.

In addition to the officers at District C-11, Wahlburgers delivered meals to every district station in the city, as well as, every fire and EMS station in Boston. Said Commissioner Gross, “We appreciate Wahlburgers for stepping up to thank and support our officers during these difficult times.”

Said Chef Paul Wahlberg, “Being able to reach out to all the firefighters and the police officers and all the hospitals in Boston is amazing for us. We want to make sure that everybody knows that we’re here and the community is out to support them.”

All in all, Wahlburgers will prepare and deliver approximately 2,000 freshly made warm meals to first responders, hospital workers and other frontline heroes battling the COVID-19 pandemic here in Boston.” -Boston Police Department.

Boston Police Department photos:

The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of April 27, 2020 –May 1, 2020 and they are as follows:

Eversource:

Eversource will replace the gas mains at the following locations:

• Hathaway Rd. from Valley View Dr. to Rockdale Ave.
• South Front St. from 460 S. Front St. to Gifford St
• Brook St. from Collette St. to Earle St.
• Davis St. from Riverside Ave. to 389 Davis St.
• Thomas St.  from #59 to #85 Thomas St.

Eversource will be doing final street and sidewalk restoration at the following locations:

• Carrol St. from Burns St. to Brigham St.
• Priscilla St. from Gould St. to Brigham St.
• Bedford St. from John St. to Rockdale Ave.
• Ryan St. from Bedford St. to Rockdale Ave.
• Kirby St. from Ryan St. to Allen St.
• Farm St. from Rockdale Ave. to John St.
• John St. from Ryan St. to Farm St.
• Whittier St. from Ryan St. to Hawthorn St.
• Plymouth St. from Rockdale Ave. to Whittier St.
• Byron St. from #11 Byron St. to Ryan St.

Other:

• Contractor (PA Landers) to being MassDOT Project #606709, New Bedford- Roadway Reconstruction and Related Work (including signals) along a section of Kings Highway and Tarkiln Hill Road, Construction to take place during regular working hours (Monday – Friday), police details and traffic controls will be in place.
• The contractor (P. Gioioso & Sons, Inc.) will begin paving water service trenches along Rockland St. (Between Acushnet Ave. and Dartmouth St.), County St. (Between Mosher St. and Wing St.), Fair St. (Between County St. and Dartmouth St.), Dartmouth St. (Between Washington St. and Rockland St.), Grinnell St. (Between Acushnet Ave. and Orchard St.), Washington St. (Between Purchase St. and Dartmouth St.), and Sears St. During work hours, police details and traffic controls will be in place.
• The contractor (P. Gioiso & Sones, Inc.) will also continue sidewalk panel replacements along Branscomb St, Deane St, Holly St and Eugenia St.
• The contractor (WES Construction) is scheduled to continue construction of the new pumping station and installation of the site utilities at the Front St./ Elm St. site. Elm St, between JFK Memorial Highway (RTE 18) and Macarthur Dr. will be closed to westbound traffic. Westbound traffic will be detoured via MacArthur Drive. There will be detour signage and traffic controls in place.
• The Contractor (Green Mountain) will be installing CIPP lining within wastewater piping at the locations listed below. This work will take place after 9:00 PM. During working hours, police details and traffic controls will be in place.
Monday: JFK Memorial Hwy, Tuesday: Fisherman’s Wharf and Shawmut Ave, Wednesday: Fisherman’s Wharf and MacArthur Drive, Thursday: Front St.
• Due to ongoing construction at the High Hill Reservoir residents may experience discolored water. The water is safe, and the discoloration will be temporary. We recommend allowing the water to settle for a few hours and then flushing your service line by letting the bathtub run for a few minutes until the water clears.
• Department of Public Infrastructure will be filling potholes on a continuous basis throughout the city.
• Department of Public Infrastructure conducting its annual street sweeping program city-wide.

* Please note: contractors will continue to follow guidelines and protocol regarding COVID-19 social distancing while conducting work in construction zone.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation the Department of Public Infrastructure will be closed to the public entry. Office staff is available to assist by email and telephone.

Walmart and Nextdoor announced today the launch of their “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program, an effort to make it easier for neighbors across the country to help one another during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through this new program, a first for both companies, Nextdoor members in cities across the country can now request assistance – or offer to help someone in their community – with shopping for their essential items at Walmart. This support network makes it easier for vulnerable community members to coordinate the pickup and delivery of their groceries, medications and other essentials with a neighbor who is already planning a shopping trip to their local Walmart store – completely contact-free.

The new “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” initiative follows recent moves by Walmart to make other shopping services, like checking out with Walmart Pay and its curbside pickup and delivery services, contact-free.

“I’ve seen firsthand the countless ways our Walmart team is working together during this challenging time, leading with humanity, compassion and understanding to serve our customers,” said Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s chief customer officer. “We’re continuing to do that through our new program with Nextdoor. We’re connecting neighbors to each other so that more members of our communities have access to essential items, while limiting contact and the number of people shopping in our stores.”

If a Nextdoor member wants help shopping for needed items or wants to offer their help to do so, it’s as easy as visiting Nextdoor.com or logging on to the Nextdoor app, which is available on both iOS and Android phones. From there, members click on the “Groups” tab and will see Walmart stores in their area pinned to the top of the page. Members will then be prompted to share a message in the group feed where they can indicate if they need help or want to help. Once members connect in the feed they can work out details of the shopping trip on the message board or direct message each other to work on the specifics. Neighbors are encouraged to utilize contact-free payment options and delivery methods.

“We’re inspired every day by the kindness of people around the world who are stepping up and helping out. In recent weeks, we’ve been blown away by the number of members who have raised their hands to run an errand, go to the grocery store or pick up a prescription for a neighbor,” said Sarah Friar, Nextdoor CEO. “We’re grateful for Walmart’s partnership to make this important connection between neighbors around vital services, and we’re proud to come together to ensure everyone has a neighborhood to rely on.”

The “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program builds on Nextdoor’s recently launched “Groups” feature which enables members to organize around a shared interest or project. Over the last few weeks, Nextdoor has seen a 7x increase in people joining groups to help one another – from checking in with the elderly and vulnerable to running errands for those who simply need a helping hand.

Walmart store locations and hours where “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” is available can be found on Nextdoor’s “Help Map.”

A Bristol County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer has tested positive for COVID-19.

According to a BCSO spokesperson, the corrections officer left work after becoming ill in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 19, during a third-shift assignment in a control room at the Bristol County House of Corrections in Dartmouth. He received a COVID-19 test later on April 19 and was notified of a positive test on Monday, April 20.

“There have been almost 2,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Bristol County overall,” Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said Thursday morning. “We feel very fortunate that every staff member who has tested positive at the Sheriff’s Office has either made a full recovery and returned to duty or is feeling okay and expected back soon.”

The officer is the sixth Bristol County staff member to test positive for COVID-19. A nurse, K9 officer and a corrections officer have fully recovered and returned to duty. A mental health professional and two corrections officers, including this most recent one, are expected to make full recoveries and return to duty soon.

Currently, no one incarcerated in a Bristol County corrections facility has tested positive for the virus. Eight symptomatic prisoners have tested negative.

Over the past month, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has instituted many protocols to protect inmates, detainees and staff from the Coronavirus outbreak. Some of those measures include:

• All employees were given masks that must be worn inside the secure perimeter of our facilities. All inmates and detainees have also been given masks to wear for protection.

• All areas of the facility are being cleaned\disinfected every day on every shift.

• All staff members are being screened before entering the buildings; new arriving inmates are being screened before being accepted into custody.

• In-person visitation has been suspended to limit the number of people coming in and out.

“The support we’ve received from the community has been outstanding and it means a lot to our health care professionals, food services team, corrections officers and every other essential worker here who keeps our operation running around the clock,” Sheriff Hodgson said. “The next few weeks are expected to be rough, so I can’t stress enough to the people of Bristol County the importance of staying home if possible and practicing strict hygiene protocols. We’ll get through this together.”

Massachusetts Coronavirus Update

On April 23, the Massachusetts Public Health Department reported that the state added 3,079 more positive cases of COVID-19 bringing to total to 46,023. This is an increase from Wednesday’s 1,745 reported cases. 178 new COVID-19 related deaths were reported since yesterday, down from 221, bringing the total deaths in Massachusetts to 2,360.

As of 4 pm today, 195,076 people in Massachusetts have been tested for COVID-19 – 14,614 new tests since yesterday. The previous high was 8,750 new tests on April 16.

Southcoast Health’s $14 million, state of the art intensive care unit at St. Luke’s is slated to open soon. Full details here.

Massachusetts labor officials reported another wave of surging new unemployment claims Thursday, bringing the total in Massachusetts over the past five weeks to more than 650,000, largely ex-workers whose employers are in forced shutdowns. Full details here.

New Bedford Coronavirus Update

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 13 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford Thursday morning, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 352, up from 339 on Wednesday. New Bedford added two more COVID-19 related death on Thursday bringing the total to 12. No specific details (age, sex of the patient, etc) are available.

Sadly, Teresa Maria Raposo Cordeiro, New Bedford Police Chief Joeseph Cordeiro’s mom, passed away on Saturday to COVID-19. She was 84 years old. Full details here.

New Bedford’s Zeiterion stage will be dark through August 2. Full details here.

While New Bedford’s Cape Verdean Recognition Parade and Memorial Day parade have been canceled, and Fall River’s Day of Portugal has been postponed, the 2020 Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in New Bedford is still moving forward as planned. This year’s festival is scheduled for July 30-31 and August 1-2. Full details here.

New Bedford’s 2020 Memorial Day parade, scheduled for Monday, May 25, has been canceled due to social distancing measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Full details here.

Fall River Coronavirus Update

Fall River reported 47 more confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. According to Mayor Coogan’s Office, Fall River has seen 314 total positive cases. 141 cases have cleared isolation. Full details here.

Southcoast Health’s $14 million, state of the art intensive care unit at St. Luke’s was slated to open soon – just not quite this soon.

But the not-for-profit health system opted to accelerate the project’s completion as part of its preparation for and response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s potential impact in the region, Southcoast officials said this week during a “virtual ribbon cutting” featuring physically distanced administrative and clinical leaders. The timeline was moved up by as much as a month in anticipation of a projected surge, they said.

At 16,000 square feet, the new ICU, built on the fourth floor of St. Luke’s, more than doubles the size of the previous unit, which itself will remain in operation to handle increased patient volume related to the coronavirus. At a later date to be determined, the space will be repurposed for medical/surgical patients.

“The fact that this investment in our community could be up and running at such a crucial time is a remarkable achievement on the part of our staff and a testament to the trades and small businesses who stayed on the job to see the project through ahead of schedule,” said Keith Hovan, President and CEO of Southcoast Health. “Amid so much uncertainty right now, these frontline health care heroes and amazing essential workers are a source of confidence who inspire enduring gratitude and hope.”

Hovan also thanked the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the local legislative delegation, and the City of New Bedford for working closely with Southcoast throughout the process.

The new ICU will add 16 beds in 440-square-foot rooms to the hospital’s capacity. Other features include an advanced video system for monitoring and safe patient-nurse communication, transitional screening windows for privacy, and images of the region created by local artists to promote a calming, healing environment.

“This new ICU is important for our trauma and critical care patients and staff,” said Maria Tassoni, RN, Nurse Manager. “It’s more modern, more spacious, and more accessible. We’re thankful to everyone who has worked on this project. It’s been a group effort, and all involved have been tremendous.”

Officials said the new ICU also aligns with Southcoast Health’s process to establish St. Luke’s as a Level II Trauma Center, meaning patients along the 195 corridor can receive critical care without necessarily needing transport to Providence or Boston during the moments that matter most.

“The Level II Trauma Center required a state of the art medical ICU with enhanced surgical capability, and that’s what we have here now to provide our patients with the best possible care,” said Dr. Michael Barretti, Medical Director for the new ICU.

“The technology and comfort, along with the negative pressure rooms for airborne precautions and upgrades in safety and monitoring features, make this an incredible opportunity and honor for me and our entire staff.”

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 13 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford Thursday morning, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 352, up from 339 on Wednesday. New Bedford added two more COVID-19 related death on Thursday bringing the total to 12. No specific details (age, sex of the patient, etc) are available.

Sadly, Teresa Maria Raposo Cordeiro, New Bedford Police Chief Joeseph Cordeiro’s mom, passed away on Saturday to COVID-19. She was 84 years old. Full details here.

New Bedford’s Zeiterion stage will be dark through August 2. Full details here.

While New Bedford’s Cape Verdean Recognition Parade and Memorial Day parade have been canceled, and Fall River’s Day of Portugal has been postponed, the 2020 Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in New Bedford is still moving forward as planned. This year’s festival is scheduled for July 30-31 and August 1-2. Full details here.

New Bedford’s 2020 Memorial Day parade, scheduled for Monday, May 25, has been canceled due to social distancing measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Full details here.

Fall River reported 78 more confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.According to Mayor Coogan, the City of Fall River has seen 267 total positive cases. Full details here.

On April 22, the Massachusetts Public Health Department reported that the state added 1,745 more positive cases of COVID-19 bringing to total to 41,199. This is an increase from Tuesday’s 1,556 reported cases and is the first increase after five days of decreases. 221 new COVID-19 related deaths were reported since yesterday, up from 152, bringing the total deaths in Massachusetts to 2,182. 221 is the highest single-day death total in Massachusetts yet, topping 161 deaths on April 15. Full details here.

The Baker-Polito Administration announced that it received federal approval to promote increased food security for families who participate in the United States Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program (NSLP) through an initiative called Pandemic EBT, or P-EBT. As of October 2019, more than 500,000 students receive free or reduced-price meals through the NSLP. Families receiving P-EBT will get a payment equal $5.70 per student per day of school closure through this new initiative, bringing more than $200 million in federal dollars to the state.

“DTA has been pursuing all available tools and resources to support individuals and families impacted by this public health crisis. In light of school closures, the approval of this collaborative initiative adds another critical tool to the state’s effort to leverage federal funds, promote food security, and provide additional food assistance to students and their families. This initiative will also bring close to $200 million into the Commonwealth’s economy, supporting our local grocery stores, corner stores, and their employees,” said Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA)​ Commissioner Amy Kershaw.

“I’m happy to be working across agencies to get these additional benefits to eligible students’ families,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley said. “This will supplement the great work that districts and other organizations are already doing to provide grab-and-go meals to students, and I know that many families’ needs have increased as a result of the pandemic.”

P-EBT is administered by DTA and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Funds through the program will be issued in the coming weeks, beginning with households with active Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cases. Nearly half of the households who will receive assistance are SNAP recipients. DTA and DESE are working with local school districts to provide P-EBT benefits to families who would have received free or reduced-priced meals. More information on when and how benefits will be issued will be shared soon.

The Administration is partnering with Project Bread and the Shah Family Foundation to share information and resources with households who will be receiving P-EBT. Information about P-EBT can be found at: Mass.gov/p-ebt. The Shah Foundation will be setting up a P-EBT page with additional information. For questions about P-EBT or other food access resources, call Project Bread’s FoodSource hotline at (800) 645-8333.

“We know we need big solutions to solve a crisis of this size. P-EBT is a great example and we applaud our leaders here in Massachusetts and DTA for taking action so more than 500,000 kids can buy food that will help keep them healthy during the crisis,” said Erin McAleer, President of Project Bread

“We are proud to partner with Governor Baker and his administration to support families in accessing healthy food for their children during this challenging time. Every child deserves daily nutritious meals – whether school is in session or not – and we know now more than ever that this is critical to building strong, resilient communities.,” said Jill Shah, President of the Shah Family Foundation said.

Since the beginning of this public health crisis, the weekly average number of SNAP applications received has increased by nearly 400%. The Administration remains committed to supporting food security and nutrition for Massachusetts residents. P-EBT builds on DTA and DESE’s ongoing efforts to promote food security for families and children who have been impacted by COVID-19, including:

– Setting up more than 1,500 grab and go meal sites at schools across the Commonwealth
– Issuing emergency SNAP benefits to more than 240,000 households to bring all SNAP recipients to their maximum benefit amount, bringing more than $40 million into the state
– Streamlining SNAP application processes and extending certification periods
– Pursuing the opportunity to enable SNAP recipients to make online EBT food purchases
DTA assists and empowers low-income individuals and families to meet their basic needs, improve their quality of life, and achieve long term economic self-sufficiency. DTA serves one in nine residents of the Commonwealth with direct economic assistance and food assistance, as well as workforce training opportunities. Learn more: https://www.mass.gov/DTA/COVID-19

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is committed to preparing all students for success after high school. The Department’s work includes licensing educators, distributing state and federal education money, helping districts implement learning standards, overseeing statewide standardized tests, monitoring schools and districts, and convening districts and individuals to share best practices. In addition, we collect data to inform state and local decisions. Learn more: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/.

The Shah Family Foundation supports innovative and transformative work in education, healthcare and the community. We believe that interesting and lasting solutions sit where these intersect. Our primary work and support is centered in Boston, with the goal of sharing broadly the programs and innovations that prove successful in our home town. Learn more at: https://www.shahfoundation.org/.

Project Bread is committed to preventing and ending hunger in Massachusetts. We provide access to food for people who are hungry today while working to break the cycle of hunger through advocacy, education, and community action. Learn more at: ProjectBread.org/

“HIDING IN A TREE WILL FOOL THEM. YEAH, NOT SO MUCH.

At about 2:40 yesterday afternoon, Massachusetts State Police K9 Trooper Brian Soares was monitoring his cruiser’s radio when he heard that Trooper John Pina from the State Police-Dartmouth Barracks was pursuing a stolen car on Route 24 northbound near Fall River. The stolen vehicle, a 2006 Audi A6 taken out of Roxbury, got off the highway at Exit 9 and entered onto Route 79 in Freetown. The car eventually stopped and two male suspects bailed out of the car on a dead-end off South Main Street known as The Lane. The suspects ran into the woods.

Trooper Soares and his partner Kantor (pictured), along with other MSP Troop D and K9 units and Freetown Police patrols and a local K9 unit converged on the scene, set up a perimeter, and began a search operation.

Trooper Pina and Freetown officers chased one suspect on foot and last saw him near a cemetery along the Assonet River. Trooper Soares deployed Kantor from the cemetery and, along with Trooper Pina, began a search in the woods. After searching along the river and in woods along Route 24 for an hour, the Troopers saw one of the suspects running through the woods toward the river. They pursued but lost sight of him in the thick brush, but continued to search the area.

At that point, Kantor started displaying tracking behavior, pulled up a steep embankment along the river, and found the suspect trying to hide in a tree, about eight feet off the ground. Trooper Soares gave the suspect commands to surrender or face apprehension by Kantor. The suspect complied and was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect, a 16-year-old boy from Mattapan, was charged with stolen motor vehicle and other offenses and was booked at State Police-Dartmouth. Freetown Police captured the other suspect.”