Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

April 27, 2020

City of Cambridge Issues Emergency Order Requiring Use of Face Coverings

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge government — Tags: , , , , — Robert Winters @ 7:54 pm

City of Cambridge Issues Emergency Order Requiring Use of Face Coverings

The City of Cambridge today issued an emergency order requiring that face coverings be worn in all public places, businesses and common areas of residential buildings. The order takes effect at 12:01am on Wednesday, April 29, and applies to everyone over the age of five years old, with exceptions in alignment with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control or Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Violations may be punishable by a $300 fine.

“While we are grateful to those in Cambridge who have been heeding our previous mask advisory and taking this issue seriously, we are concerned about the number of residents who continue to shop, walk, run and bike throughout the city without proper face coverings,” said Mayor Siddiqui and City Manager DePasquale in a joint statement. “We must all do our part in flattening the curve and make sure we are preventing the further spread of COVID-19. This mandate emphasizes the importance of wearing a face covering, not as an option, but as a requirement in our effort to combat this pandemic together.”City Seal

The order applies to everyone over five years old “without limitation, when on, in or about” public places, defined as:

  • Sidewalks
  • Streets
  • Parks
  • Plazas
  • Bus stops
  • Non-residential parking lots and garages
  • Any other outdoor area or non-residential parking facility which is open and accessible to the general public.

The mask requirement also applies to anyone working in or visiting an essential business, as well as shoppers and consumers. Masks must remain on throughout shifts or visits to those businesses. The businesses covered under the order, include:

  • Grocery stores or supermarkets
  • Pharmacies
  • Laundromats
  • Dry cleaners
  • Hardware stores
  • Restaurants, cafes or similar establishments where prepared foods, meals or beverages may be purchased
  • Local government buildings
  • Commercial office buildings
  • All essential businesses defined in Governor Baker’s March 23, 2020 Executive Order

In residential buildings of two or more units, masks will be required prior to entering any common area, including:

  • Lobbies
  • Hallways
  • Elevators
  • Stairwells
  • Laundry rooms
  • Garages or parking lots
  • Walkways
  • Yards and other outdoor common areas
  • Mailrooms and other indoor common areas

Residents are reminded to serve as positive community role models by wearing their masks during this order. The Cambridge Police Department will be focused on educating violators and may issue warnings to those residents who do not cooperate. For those who willingly refuse to comply, they may be subject to a $300 fine.

The full text of the emergency order can be found here.

As a reminder, face covering is not a substitute for physical distancing and regular hand washing, which remain among the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19. The single most effective way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home.

The City is committed to identifying new resources to help residents and businesses navigate this difficult time. For more information and to sign up to receive updates on COVID-19, please visit the City’s dedicated information page: https://www.cambridgema.gov/covid19

April 26, 2020

Elected, Injected, Inspected, Detected, Infected, Neglected and Selected Highlights on the April 27, 2020 City Council Agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge government,City Council — Tags: , , , — Robert Winters @ 11:36 pm

Elected, Injected, Inspected, Detected, Infected, Neglected and Selected Highlights on the April 27, 2020 City Council Agenda

Another week of Covid-19 updates and policy proposals. Here are a few things that struck me as more interesting than drinking Clorox or having miniaturized Fantasic Voyage actors in the USS Proteus injected into my arteries equipped with tiny little ultraviolet ray guns.Fantastic Voyage

Manager’s Agenda #7. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $500,000 donated to the City by Harvard University ($250,000) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($250,000), to the Grant Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures Account for the construction and operation of the War Memorial Temporary Emergency Shelter at 1640 Cambridge Street.

While I can’t speak to what else Harvard has done in the midst of this pandemic, it’s worth highlighting that in addition to these donated funds, MIT has also transformed its Johnson Skating Rink into the fully licensed 75-bed "Sean Collier Care Center" that will serve members of the MIT community and residents who are referred from the Cambridge Health Alliance and Mt. Auburn Hospital who need medical care for Covid-19. The center is staffed, operated, and funded by MIT.

Sean Collier Care Center

MIT also suspended rent for all of its retail tenants in Central Square, Kendall Square, and on campus – including 27 small businesses. There have been plenty of additional initiatives taken by MIT to address this crisis. Perhaps most significantly, many of the research scientists here and around the world now working on therapies and vaccines have roots at MIT.

Manager’s Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19.

This has become the primary agenda item for City Council meetings. I look forward to the day when this need no longer be the case.

Charter Right #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to repurpose the War Memorial facility into only a COVID-19 testing and temporary quarantine site for unhoused individuals awaiting their test results.

Last week’s Special Meeting was very informative and highlighted the extraordinary efforts of a wide range of City staff and partners who are diligently providing solutions even as the circumstances change from day to day. While thoughtful questions and suggestions from elected representatives are appreciated, the wise choice remains to let the professionals do their job and make the best use of their experience and judgment. Reaching quota in a Cambridge PR election does not miraculous confer expertise in either medicine, public saftety, or epidemiology. Also, this is not the time for coronagendas to transform society according to your own personal politics.

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant departments to restrict third party delivery services fees to restaurants and disclose to customers of how delivery charges are allocated.   Councillor Nolan, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui

Delivery services right now are in great demand, but the costs should be commensurate with the service, and the primary beneficiaries of any additional cost should be our struggling retailers. I hope this Order can help to shape the fee structures for the better while still providing incentives for these services. In the meantime, if anyone wants to drop off some lettuce, canned tuna, and a quart of light cream for my morning coffee I’ll be your best friend and maybe even throw a few bucks your way. We’re also running low on cheese and crackers.

Order #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to issue an emergency order to make wearing a cloth face covering in public mandatory for all persons in the City of Cambridge, and that such a covering must be worn outdoors, inside essential businesses, and when entering and exiting residential buildings.   Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Toomey

People can argue about just how much freedom can or should be compromised in an actual emergency, but to me the most important fact is that the greatest potential for reduction in the transmission of the coronavirus is a mask worn by a carrier – even if that person is not symptomatic or even aware that he/she is a carrier. So I’ll go with making the masks mandatory for at least the short term. Walking along Memorial Drive the other day was like seeing Idiots on Parade – almost nobody wearing a mask as they were biking and running past leaving their vapors in their wake.

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to establish what specific steps will be made to ensure the safety of the workforce upon the re-opening of City offices, and what specific options will be made available to those City workers who are more susceptible to severe covid-19 infections and may require the ability to work remotely until such time as this crisis passes.   Councillor Simmons

I have no suggestions at all about next steps, but I do find something promising in the fact that people are at least thinking about how we can get back to "normal" even if it proves to be a very different kind of "new normal." Even Boo Radley had to emerge eventually. – Robert Winters

April 21, 2020

Cambridge InsideOut Episode 462: Apr 21, 2020 – More Inside than Out

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge InsideOut — Tags: , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 8:11 pm

Episode 462 – Cambridge InsideOut: Apr 21, 2020 – More Inside than Out

This episode was broadcast on Apr 21, 2020 at 6:30pm. Topics: Covid-19 updates; The Empty City – continued; Are emergency shelters being occupied?; Business Impacts of Shutdown; Disparate Impacts – Tough times in Chelsea while Cambridge debates access to recreation; Resiliency in Focus; price in oil dropped below zero; What Happens Next? What will change permanently? Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in this episode]

April 16, 2020

Cambridge InsideOut Episode 461 – The Quarantine Edition: April 16, 2020

Filed under: Cambridge — Robert Winters @ 10:49 pm

Episode 461 – Cambridge InsideOut: Apr 16, 2020

This episode was broadcast on Apr 16, 2020 at 7:00pm. Topics: The Empty City; The City Responds to COVID-19; Business Impacts of Shutdown; Virtual Public Meetings; Coronagendas; The Digital Divide in Sharp Focus; Disparate Impacts – Some can work at home while others are on the front lines; Lack of Resiliency on Display; What Happens Afterwards? What will change permanently? What will remain the same? Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

April 13, 2020

Coming Up at the April 13, 2020 Cambridge City Council meeting

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge government,City Council — Tags: , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 12:23 am

Coming Up at the April 13, 2020 Cambridge City Council meeting

While we all strive to "level the curve" and hope for the best, City Council business continues even as most other businesses do not (at least for now). Springtime is usually the season of hope and renewal and that’s rarely been more relevant than this year – at least for those of us who have not lived through World Wars or civil wars (which always struck me as a oxymoron).City Hall

Here are the items on this week’s agenda that I found most noteworthy:

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19.

Manager’s Agenda #4. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $215,450 from Free Cash to the General Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account to support the Homeless Shelter / Local Restaurant Community Meals Program.

While people can debate whether every action has been the right choice, there is no question that the City Manager and City departments have really been responsive in dealing with this horrible crisis. I’m looking forward to how we go about the transition from crisis to manageable threat. In any case, a lot of practices adopted during this crisis will persist for a very long time. Don’t go expecting a handshake from anyone any time soon, and I expect that masks and gloves may become a regular practice on all public transportation for the foreseeable future.

Charter Right #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the relevant City departments to give the Council a financial impact summary on how the local Covid-19 response will be impacting the City’s free cash and ability to budget looking into July 1, 2021, and to report back to the City Council in a timely manner. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS ON APR 6, 2020]

Communications & Reports #5. A communication was received from Anthony Ivan Wilson, City Clerk, responding to a question regarding parliamentary procedure.

Pointless kerfuffle. The issue is whether the latter (Apr 6 Order #1 which asks about the effect on next year’s budget and free cash) duplicates the former (Mar 30 Order #5 which asks about current year’s/next year’s budget and free cash). The City Clerk is correct, but the City Council has filed repeated orders on various topics in the past regardless of what the rules may say.

Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to appoint and convene a Small Business Recovery Advisory Committee.   Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Mallon

Order #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to appoint and convene a COVID-19 Advisory Committee to review the impact of the pandemic on local communities of color, to propose ways to better disseminate information on Impact to Communities of Color.   Councillor Simmons

I think the real distinction here has more to do with income levels and job categories than anything else. Some people can avoid public transportation and work from home and maybe have a good health plan and enough savings to ride things out. Others don’t have such luxuries.

Order #3. That in absence of revised City Council goals for the new term, the most recent approved goals are used in all Council business, particularly the budgetary process.   Councillor Carlone, Councillor Simmons, Mayor Siddiqui

One would hope that they would at least pencil in the one additional goal of providing sufficient resources to continue to deal with the Covid-19 crisis and its effects on residents and businesses. I really don’t want to see a lot of resources dedicated to things that are fundamentally optional when there are necessities that have to be addressed right now.

Order #4. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Public Health Department to develop and implement stricter public health regulations to protect our grocery store workers.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui

Absolutely, but not just because of an anecdote or two. Sometimes I think Twitter and neighborhood listservs are the primary source of Cambridge public policy.

Order #5. That the City Council go on record in full support of this petition and of Harvard graduate students as they courageously stand up for their needs in a time of crisis.   Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Zondervan

Order #7. That the City Manager examine expanding the City’s jobs programs for those unemployed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone

Order #8. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to repurpose the War Memorial facility into only a COVID-19 testing and temporary quarantine site for unhoused individuals awaiting their test results.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler

One week the War Memorial facility is set aside as an emergency shelter primarily to prevent infection, and now this Order calls for it to be used only as a COVID-19 testing and temporary quarantine site. It will be interesting to hear from City Management on this, but it sure seems like a couple of city councillors are making a career out of second-guessing city management and those in charge of public health and public safety.

Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, transmitting the 2019 Annual Report.

Communications & Reports #6. A communication was received from Councillor Quinton Zondervan, transmitting thoughts on planning for the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I won’t comment on the particulars, but I do appreciate that we are at least beginning to think of next phases to this thing. Unlike some of the foolishness I hear from Washington, D.C. about "reopening the country" as though it was some kind of on-off switch, any rational person needs to understand that this will have to be an extended transition during which some aspects of normalcy will take longer than others and some things will likely change permanently. – Robert Winters

April 5, 2020

We’ll Meet Again – What’s on the Agenda for the April 6, 2020 Cambridge City Council Virtual Meeting

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge government,City Council — Tags: , , , , — Robert Winters @ 11:43 pm

We’ll Meet Again – What’s on the Agenda for the April 6, 2020 Cambridge City Council Virtual Meeting?

The address of Queen Elizabeth to the people of England today is still resonating with me, especially the subtle reference to the Vera Lynn song from the days of World War II. It really choked me up listing to the old gal weave together past, present, and future. If only we had that kind of moral leadership at the top of our political heap. Perhaps we will again some sunny day.Vera Lynn - We'll Meeting Again

Meanwhile, back in our Cambridge, here are a few agenda items this week that I found interesting:

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a request for the City Council to adopt a statutory small business exemption for personal property accounts equal to or less than $10,000 in assessed value, and if approved as a special act by the Legislature and Governor of the Commonwealth, for personal property accounts equal to or less than $20,000 in assessed value.

This is a relatively modest assist to small businesses, but it’s also a sign that maybe there’s a realization that small businesses are deserving of benefits now reserved entirely for resident homeowners. There’s also the added benefit of bureaucratic simplification.

Manager’s Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19.

We’ve all come to appreciate the daily updates from the City administration, but perhaps this will be an opportunity to get some insight into the larger picture of how the City is responding and will continue to respond to this public health nightmare.

Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the relevant City departments to give the Council a financial impact summary on how the local Covid-19 response will be impacting the City’s free cash and ability to budget looking into July 1, 2021, and to report back to the City Council in a timely manner.   Councillor Simmons, Councillor Carlone

I can’t help but be reminded of how often some councillors would view the City’s fund balance as some kind of untapped piggy bank just waiting to be broken open for pet projects and populist initiatives. I guess it takes an actual rainy day to fully understand the value of maintaining a "rainy day fund."

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the relevant City departments to report back to the Council on what efforts have been made to work with other municipalities on this issue and to work with Cambridge’s State Delegation and the Governor’s office for a comprehensive regional housing plan to be put in place to house the homeless during the COVID-19 emergency.   Councillor Toomey, Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern

ALL housing solutions have to be understood regionally. Unilateral solutions are not solutions. They never were and they never will be.

Order #4. That the City Manager expand tax-filing and stimulus benefit assistance to low-income and unhoused residents.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan

With so many banks in every city square and elsewhere, one might think that these could provide the financial infrastructure for stimulus benefit assistance through coordination between the federal government and all of these banks. The same goes for providing low-interest or zero-interest short-term, government-insured business loans and mortgage assistance. Waiting several months for an across-the-board $1200 check to every resident seems like the least effective way to get through these difficult months of temporary unemployment and loss of income. As for those who lack a bank account or a home address, how to receive the federal benefit seems like just one more problem heaped on top of a host of other problems. – Robert Winters

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