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Friend --
The scope of this public health crisis is deep
and wide.
Yesterday, the Council passed a number of emergency measures to
help cope with the immediate fallout from the spread of the novel
coronavirus, we’ve had several additional school lunch locations set
up this week, and WMATA just announced a further reduction in service.
Also, tomorrow I'd like to hold a virtual field trip for any kids at
home as a chance to meet their Councilmember and ask me questions on
Facebook. More information below.
If you’re like me, the reality is setting in that the crisis we’re
experiencing will be months long, and the recovery will last years
after. A lot of people are being asked to stay home right now. And
because we are all connected, this has immediate consequences on many
people's income. The Mayor has rightly closed down bars, nightclubs,
and restaurants in an effort to slow transmission of the virus, but
that's a scary reality for a lot of our neighbors. Other families are
juggling still going to work to keep basic services running, trying to
figure out childcare, and trying to avoid exposure to the virus. Still
others have lost a paycheck (or likely more than one) -- it's scary.
And if you have kids who are now home all day and you’re trying to
telework at the same time, it's... it's a lot to manage.
Of course, these are necessary steps and they are the only way to
slow the spread of a dangerous virus and save lives. My message to you
today is to please listen to the important advice by our doctors and
healthcare professionals to stay home and to stay the course.
The federal government's response has been woefully inadequate and
has hamstrung the ability of each state lab to test as many people as
we should so we can have a clearer picture of what's happening. It’s a
failure of federal leadership that has cost us precious time and will
cost us lives. That's why these painful measures and self-isolation
are so important -- we all must take steps to protect our health care
system, its workers, and everyone else who can't stay home right
now.
In the coming days, even with social distancing and shutdowns, know
that the total number of new cases will increase (and will likely
increase dramatically). That isn't because our measures aren't
working. It's that it can take 10 days or more from the point of
exposure to the time someone would show symptoms, be tested, and
receive their results. So the efforts we take this week to reduce
exposure and slow transmission won’t show up in the nightly numbers of
positive tests being reported for about two weeks. Stay home
as much as you can. Take walks or step outside when you need
fresh air, but let's make these sacrifices work. This is hard.
Really hard. But we will get through this. We will recover. I
trust that we will see some of the best in our neighbors and we will
see creativity to adapt. What's crucial right now is to slow the
spread of the disease and help as many people as we can.
I want to take a moment to publicly say thank you to to the
thousands of people working as first responders, working around the
clock at our Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency
(HSEMA), providing health care, working to get meals to our students
and seniors, operating Metro to help people who do need to get to work
to do so, restocking the shelves at our grocery stores, and keeping
our pharmacies open. It takes a lot of courage to show up to work in
an emergency and provide these essential services. I am incredibly
grateful to each of you.
To keep up with the latest on DC's coronavirus, this is still the
best web resource: https://coronavirus.dc.gov
Council Passes Emergency Legislation to Help
DC Residents
The Council (while observing social distancing) unanimously passed
emergency legislation in response to the coronavirus. It’s not the
only emergency relief effort we will need, but it’s a start. And
there’s a lot that was included. I'll cover a few of the big items I
think most people want to know more about below, but you
can read a more detailed recap here.
Unemployment Insurance for District Residents: Perhaps
most urgently needed was an expansive and fast-acting way to get more
people receiving unemployment benefits who have lost their job, or are
even just losing income from coronavirus closures.
You are eligible to apply without having been fully laid off -- if
your working hours have been reduced, you can apply right now. Our
bill means you can start receiving benefits as soon as you apply
without having to wait a week. It has a broad definition to include
the many unique cases, including many who are self-employed or
independent contractors.
I'm sure your next question is how to apply. It will go into effect
immediately. Keep
an eye on the Department of Employment Services for information on how
to apply Be mindful that since the bill just passed yesterday,
this website likely hasn't updated its language yet but that will be
coming soon.
- A quick note: I know there was an ask to increase the weekly
maximum benefit available. We couldn't take that step because we don't
know how much this current expansion will tap into our existing
unemployment funds and we need to exercise caution since much of the
District's revenue is also dramatically slowing down. It's something I
will keep in mind as we move forward, but I did want to acknowledge
these benefits aren't going to fully replace lost income for
everyone.
Small Business Support: Another key piece needed right
away is help for our businesses, small and local businesses
especially. We are in what can essentially be considered a severe
recession for the next few weeks of widespread closures. For many
businesses, the drop-off in sales is going to threaten their ability
to keep the doors open. Others might be able to weather the storm for
a bit. Either way, we need to help support our small and local
businesses immediately. The Council took two key steps:
-
Created a small business grant program: The Council
authorized the Mayor to provide grant funding to DC small businesses
that need financial support with payroll, operations, or meeting loan
requirements with the Small Business Administration. Businesses,
non-profits, and independent contractors will be eligible. I will
share updates on how to apply once this is up and running. I expect it
to be administered through DC's Department
of Small and Local Business Development.
- Deferred when businesses need to pay taxes until later this year,
including an extension for our hotel industry.
Preventing Evictions, Utility Cutoffs: The Council also
froze all evictions and utility cutoffs for non-payment during the
public health emergency.
Plenty More: I'd encourage you to check out this
longer update on what else was included. And keep in mind, this is
only the first step we will take to address challenges around this
unprecedented pandemic.
Reminder on School Schedules, Free School Meals for
Students, and Free Internet
NEW
LOCATIONS!!! During the closure period, there will be
daily meals for students served at multiple schools, including three
in Ward 6 - and shelf-stable breakfasts provided for the next day at
each DCPS location.
- DC Central Kitchen is opening sites serving grab-n-go breakfast
and lunch daily, and distributing fresh produce while supplies last
each day. In Ward 6, find them at Banning Courts Community Center
(1713 Banning Road, NE Monday-Friday from 12-1 pm) and The Pentacle
Community Center (1509 Banning Rd, NE Monday-Friday 2:15-3:15 pm)
- Jefferson Middle School (801 7th St., SW)
- Eastern High School (1700 East Capitol Street, NE)
- Walker-Jones Education Campus (1125 New Jersey Avenue, NW)
- Howard University Middle School of Math and Science PCS
(outside of Shaw Metro) | 12-1 pm Monday-Friday
- Friendship Chamberlain PCS (1345 Potomac Avenue, SE) |
8:30-11:30 am
- Kingsman Academy PCS (1375 E Street, SE) | ***Beginning
March 23, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. M-F
- Full list: https://dcps.dc.gov/coronavirus
and full list of DC
Public Charter School meal locations
**These meals are available for ALL students, regardless of
what school they attend. There is no need to present a student
ID.**
DC
Public Schools will be closed for students from March 16 through March
31. Here's how those days breakdown:
- Spring Break is now this week (March 17-23), moved up from April.
Happy Spring Break...
- March 24-31 students will participate in distance learning.
I know many Ward 6 families also have DC Public Charter School
students. Each school makes its own decision, but almost every school
has followed the same guidance. The
DC Public Charter School Board is maintaining a running list of
closures here.
Free Internet Service for Low-Income Families, Seniors, and
Veterans: Passing on this offer from Comcast that is offering
two months free for the Internet Essentials service for low-income
families, seniors, and veterans. Learn
more here.
Resources for our Ward 6 Senior Residents
My staff have been checking in on seniors around Ward 6. I want to
thank family members and neighbors who have been helping with errands
or groceries.
Some grocery stores are reserving store hours just for seniors and
other folks who might be more vulnerable to coronavirus to do their
shopping earlier in the day. That includes Whole
Foods (60 years and older can shop every day from 7-8 am). That
means that if you are less vulnerable, please shop later in the
day.
Here's some information on meals and food available or coming
online shortly. If you have a senior neighbor who might not be online,
feel free to print out this information and share:
1) Daily meal pick-up at the Hayes Center (500 K Street, NE) is available
Monday-Friday from 10 am to 2 pm, as well as boxed lunches available
daily at the normal
senior meal sites. Previously scheduled home-delivered meals are
continuing as usual.
2) Hot meal pickup from Southeast
White House is at 12pm -- 2909 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. No ID
required.
3) The Capital Area Food Bank has shelf-ready food for
free pickup at 900 North Capitol (front of St. Aloysius Church)
starting March 18, Monday-Thursday from 1:30-4:00 pm. Call (202)
842-1112 for more information.
4) There's an exercise program on
Channel 16 from 9am-3pm for the general public and healthy
seniors.
5) The Department on Aging and Community Living social
workers, including Adult Protective Services, are on duty regular
hours. Seabury Resources, Ward 6's Lead Agency for social workers and
other services, are also on-call at (202) 397-1725.
Good Health Habits: Just so we aren't
forgetting some of the basics, I want to plug the classic info here.
Wash your hands a lot. Use soap ( soap
= the unsung hero of the pandemic), which is more effective than
hand sanitizer against viruses. Wash your hands with a good lather for
20 seconds and rinse in hot water. Wipe down surfaces touched often
with disinfecting wipes, and launder your hand towels, especially
shared ones, in hot water frequently.
Related: Every District resident is legally entitled to paid
sick days annually. This is a really good time to use them if you
aren't feeling well. Here's
info on your rights.
Bored? Remember, you can take the Census and
#BeCounted! Between March 12-20, every home should receive
official mail to participate in the US Census. It can be done online
once you receive your mail: https://2020census.gov/en.html
Just to be Prudent, Go Ahead and Order an Absentee Ballot:
If you're looking to plan ahead a bit, you can order an
absentee ballot ahead of DC's June 2 Primary Election
here: https://www.vote4dc.com/ApplyInstructions/Absentee
Explore the DC Public Library's
Online Catalogue: Libraries may be closed, but you can still
tap into a whole host of resources and materials for all age
groups: https://www.dclibrary.org/godigital
For distance learning for students, there's even this great
resource: https://www.dclibrary.org/distancelearning
Let's do a virtual field trip Thursday: Look, I
have two young kids at home who usually are in school. I know how
tough it is to keep the learning going and balance telework. In our
home, we’ve tried to set up a schedule to mix in a little learning, a
little fun, and a little exploration. So we might as well make the
most of it. On Thursday, March 19, at 10 am, I'll host a Facebook Live
"virtual field trip" and chat with you and your kids about our
government and answer questions from the kids. I'm happy to do this
soon just for adult constituents, but I'd like to keep this focused on
kids' questions. Head over to my Facebook
page Thursday at 10 am and let's see how it goes. I'll answer
questions via your comments, or have your child email me the question in advance
and I’ll read it online and provide an answer.
Live Jazz at Home? Coming soon! As our arts
community looks at how to manage in a socially-distanced world, I am
hearing from Capital Bop that they'll soon be adding streamed
performances to try and replace the cancelled gigs. Keep
an eye on the calendar for ways to take these shows in and support
local musicians. This is the kind of creativity that I know will help
us push through.
Update on District City Services: For an ongoing
list of what is open and what is not in DC government, check out: https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/whats-open
WMATA Reducing Service, today, Wednesday, March
18: Sharing this change
in service beginning today, Wednesday, March 18 from WMATA.
Contacting Me and my Team: My team and I have
transitioned to work remotely. But we are here and ready to help!
We’ve got things set up so that you can still call the main office
line 202-724-8072 to reach a staff member immediately during normal
business hours or email
or call any of us here. If you don't get someone on the main line,
please leave a message. Kimberly Kennedy (thank you Kimberly!) is
fielding our main line, but she can only take one call at a time. Just
leave a quick message and she'll get back to you or send the right
staff member to call.
Alright, that's enough for today. Share this update with your
neighbors - it can be hard to get information out to everyone, so
please feel free to post or share this anywhere it can be helpful. Let
me know what other questions you have and I'll keep you posted on
changes in how our government is operating or any big changes coming.
Stay healthy and stay strong!
Charles Allen
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office Twitter My
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