Fall River

City:

• Government Center, the Library, Senior Centers, and Schools will remain closed until May 4th.
  • Work that can be done at home should be done at home (phone calls, follow up e-mails, etc.) Coming to Government Center should be for essential work only.  Managers and Department
• Heads please stagger employees as much as possible so we can limit the number of folks within an office at one time.
• Public Safety / Inspectional Services continues to monitor and enforce City and State orders.
• The City’s Task Force Continues to work with local organizations and hospitals to address the needs of the community at this time.
• Projections indicate a surge will be seen in Massachusetts

What can you do at home?

• Please continue to exercise social distancing while you are away from work. This can and will make a difference.
• Continue to prepare your home. Please be sure to have enough food, medical supplies, personal care items for you and your family member for a 14 day period.  As cases increase here in Massachusetts, you or your family members may be subject to quarantine and will not be able to leave your home.
• Please be sure you are prepared.
• If you have elders or high-risk family members, please encourage them to stay home as much as possible.

State:

• Again, I’d encourage individuals to view Governor Baker’s press conference here for updated information in MA.  A press conference is currently in progress.

US: The CDC has issued a domestic travel advisory for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

– As of Friday, March 27, 2020 – Positive COVID- 19 Cases – 4
– As of Saturday, March 28, 2020 – Positive COVID-19 Cases – 5 (additional)

There are a total of 9 positive COVID-19 cases as of this morning in the City of Fall River. A detailed breakdown will be provided by the Director of Health and Human Services after 4:00 pm this afternoon.

Fall River, MA – A joint order by the Mayor of the City of Fall River and the Director of Health of Human Services/Board of Health has been issued to close personal care type businesses effective Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The last day operations will be allowed until further notice will be Monday, March 23, 2020. Establishments include but are not limited to the following:

• hair salons/barbers
• nail salons
• massage services
• body art
• bodywork
• aestheticians
• day spas
• tanning salons
• fitness and exercise centers

The above businesses have been identified as personal care in nature and offer services to the public that cannot be performed at the necessary social distancing (6 foot) requirement that has been established to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Please continue to maintain social distancing, wash your hands frequently, stay home whenever possible, and kindly continue to respect and support each other.

The City of Fall River was informed that a resident has tested positive for COVID-19. The resident is now isolated.  Those potentially exposed to the diagnosed resident have been traced and contacted.  Those individuals are now in quarantine.

Resources for COVID-19 Information:

Behavioral Health: It is important that residents prioritize their mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.  Residents experiencing anxiety, depression, or need emotional support can call 211 to be connected to behavioral health resources.

Massachusetts 2-1-1 provides residents with real-time COVID-19 information.  Residents with questions regarding COVID-19 should call 2-1-1.

• MA 2-1-1 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week
• Information is available in over 150 languages
• All calls are confidential

Information regarding the City of Fall River’s response to COVID-19 can be found on the City’s website at https://www.fallriverma.org/department/corona-virus-information/.  Information can also be found on the City’s Facebook page.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is creating an interactive web map that will identify organizations that are providing vital services to those most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Organizations we are targeting include, but are not limited to, food pantries, elder support, meal delivery, meals for school-age children, shelter assistance, emotional support, spiritual support, etc. We are looking to you, our dedicated support organizations, to identify as many services as possible in an effort to assist our most vulnerable populations.

To capture this information, we ask that you take a minute to complete this brief survey to identify your organization, its locations, and the services that you provide. Once you submit your response, your organization and information will appear on our public-facing map.

If your organization has multiple locations, we ask that you fill out a survey for each location. This will ensure that locations will appear within the community that they serve.

Governor Baker has ordered all early childhood education programs across the State of Massachusetts to suspend providing childcare by 11:59 P.M. on Sunday, March 22, 2020. This will remain in effect until April 6, 2020. At the same time, the Department of Early Education and Care (“EEC”) is establishing a process to approve Exempt Emergency Child Care Programs to serve vulnerable children and the children of families who are required to work to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of all Commonwealth citizens. This approach prioritizes public health and safety while maintaining critical service for vulnerable children and the children of families who are required to work during this pandemic.