Jamaica Plain News (https://www.jamaicaplainnews.com/category/coronavirus/page/3)
The Biden administration heard the calls for help and after letting a federal eviction moratorium end on Aug. 1, reversed course and issued a new moratorium running through Oct. 3. The federal moratorium was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The new ban applies to parts of the country experiencing what the CDC refers to as "substantial" and "high" spreads of COVID.
The CDC's eviction moratorium expired August 1, but rental assistance resources are available through the city's Office of Housing Stability. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is also pushing legislation to extend the moratorium. You can apply for rental assistance through the city's Office of Housing Stability by visiting their website here. The Office of Housing Stability hosts a virtual clinic for small landlords and tenants every Tuesday at 5:30 pm. Complete the online form to RSVP for this virtual clinic. The Office of Housing Stability also host virtual walk-in hours on Wednesday from noon to 2 pm to answer your housing questions.
Sherrill House, a Jamaica Plain not-for-profit skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, recently announced that it will require all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of its efforts to ensure the health and safety of patients, residents and staff. The vaccination requirement will go into effect once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves at least one of the currently available vaccines as expected later this year. The vaccines, shown to be safe and effective for millions of Americans, are currently used under the FDA’s emergency use authorization. Sherrill House employees will be able to request an exemption for medical and religious reasons. “As an organization providing health care to a vulnerable population, we feel strongly that requiring our staff to be vaccinated from COVID-19 is another important step that we can take to ensure the health and safety of our entire community,” said Patrick J. Stapleton, CEO of Sherrill House.
The Jackson Square Stop & Shop in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on Thursday, June 17. The clinic will be held from 10 am to 4 pm in the store’s parking lot. Stop & Shop’s vaccine clinic will offer the single-dose Johnson & Johnson and the Pfizer vaccine, which is now approved for ages 12+. Patients under 18 must have written consent of a parent or guardian to receive the vaccine and those under 16 must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or authorized representative. No insurance is necessary, and vaccines are given at no cost.
While the Commonwealth of Massachusetts begins to ease many of the restrictions that have been in place since the start of the pandemic, families in Jamaica Plain and throughout the state are still facing the risk of losing their homes due to financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Now, due to additional federal funding, there is increased emergency housing assistance available to Massachusetts individuals and families through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). With the launch of ERAP, which builds upon the popular and effective Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) and Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance (ERMA) programs, Metro Housing and our regional partners across the state now have resources to help families with incomes up to 80 percent of the area median. For a family of three in the Boston region that level is $90,950. In the month of May, Metro Housing provided rental assistance to more than 4,500 families, distributing $11.5 million.
The Dimock Center will be hosting walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics at the Bethel AME Church Sanctuary on Walk Hill Street in Jamaica Plain from June 8th through Aug. 31st. Join us Tuesdays from 2-6pm and Saturdays from 9am-3pm, except for Saturday, July 3rd. The clinics are being offered Tuesdays from 2 to 6 pm, and Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm, except for Saturday, July 3rd. The AME Church Sanctuary is at 40 Walk Hill St., Jamaica Plain from June 8th through August 31st.
Two Boston moms are trying to make masks fun again. In a pandemic-inspired Kickstarter campaign, Jamaica Plain locals Ricki and Orly Bartour designed a lift-the-flap board book for young children. The twist? The flaps are colorful masks covering images of children’s faces, and lifting them reveals the wearer’s emotion. The project is currently featured as a staff-pick Project We Love on Kickstarter.
To celebrate the success of the first 100 days of the Biden/Harris administration, the Ward 19 Democratic Committee (JP, Roslindale) is launching Spring Back Better, a campaign to help local community groups and businesses to fully re-open. With the benefit of the COVID-19 Relief Bill and COVID-19 vaccinations widely disseminated, we’re able to start venturing out and opening back up. We know that our community in Jamaica Plain and Roslindale has gone through a lot. Some small businesses and community organizations have been able to function online or through take-out and delivery. Others had to close due to the absence of clients and revenues.
The Hyde Square Task Force is happy to be hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic this Friday, May 7th, from 2 to 7 pm. Anyone ages 16 and older are welcome to register for the clinic. This clinic is in partnership with the city of Boston. The vaccination clinic will take place at Hyde Square Task Force, located at 30 Sunnyside St., Jamaica Plain, directly behind the former Blessed Sacrament Church building. Please click this link to register for a vaccination appointment: https://www.cic-health.com/boston/hyde.
Beginning Friday, Boston will move into a modified version of the state’s current phase of its reopening Massachusetts plan. Boston will delay most of the state’s reopening guidance announced by the state on Tuesday by three weeks, in an effort to "accommodate the unique preparations needed by the city," according to a press release. In late March the city announced that it would not move forward with additional reopening steps until the citywide positivity rate remained at or below 2.75 percent for two consecutive weeks -- it is currently at 3.6 percent. But the city is pointing to "improved trends in the positivity rate and other COVID-19 public health metrics," and thus they're forward with its reopening efforts. As of April 20, 2021 (statistics from the city of Boston):
33.1 percent of Bostonians are fully vaccinated;
55.1 percent have received at least one dose.