This weekend the city began deployment of seven Boston Public Works trucks through six neighborhoods, that are using loud speakers telling people to stay home.
A Boston Public Works truck being outfitted with speakers. (City of Boston)
Jamaica Plain was not one of the initial neighborhoods because it is not a neighborhood with higher COVID-19 rates. The following neighborhoods had trucks rolling through telling people to stay home as much as they can, wash their hands often, cover their faces when out, and keep distance from others: Hyde Park, Mattapan, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, and Roslindale,
According to the latest data from the Boston Public Health Commission, Hyde Park had 413 reported cases of COVID-19, Mattapan had 298, Dorchester had 1,274, East Boston had 410, Roxbury had 335, and Roslindale had 302. Jamaica Plain had 253 cases, with 62.7 cases per 10,000 residents, compared to neighboring Roslindale had 89.4 cases to 10,000 residents.
"We need everyone to know that we are in a public health emergency and we need everyone to do their part. We also continue to work on expanding access to testing for our residents, because every community deserves full access to the level of testing and communication that meets the needs they have," said Mayor Marty Walsh.
The message is being broadcasted in seven languages, depending on the community, including: English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Arabic, Somali, and Cabo Verdean Creole.