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Friend --
Starting today, the Mayor has declared the District will enter
Phase 2 of Re-Opening. There are a lot of big changes in store, and
I'll run through a few that are likely to affect many of us. But I
want to first emphasize that what has gotten us to this point is the
tough steps we've taken to contain the spread of the virus. That means
wearing a mask when you are around others -- indoors and outdoors. It
means washing your hands (a lot) and limiting in-person contact,
especially indoors. We should feel good that unlike many other
jurisdictions in the United States, we are adhering to smart public
health recommendations and it's working to decrease the number of new
infections.
 But don't let your guard down now, even as we
work to get more businesses back open and more people back to work. To
boil this down: WEAR A MASK.
Phase Two | Testing Sites | Student Meals
| SNAP Benefits | More Rental
Assistance | Metro Station Closures | DC Statehood Vote | How to
Help | Free Diapers | Groceries
Phase Two Re-Opening Overview: You can find
greater detail on all the reopening guidelines here -- https://coronavirus.dc.gov/phasetwo
Restaurants: Starting Monday,
restaurants can serve at 50-percent capacity indoors, as long as
tables are at least six feet apart. Restaurants can continue to do
carryout service as well. Staff must wear a mask and PPE, guests
should be wearing a mask when not eating or drinking. This is one I
want to urge caution on. I, too, really miss a simple night out for
dinner. And I really want to get our service industry folks back to
work. But remember that the guidance is also a recommendation for
limiting sustained exposure to shorter amounts of time. Duration and
eating can increase the risk of viral spread, particularly indoors. So
if you go out to eat at a restaurant, be extra careful to wear a mask
when not eating or drinking, limit your stay, and ensure you are
getting as much space from other tables as possible. And be sure you
tip generously, recognizing that restaurants are doing the very best
they can in a difficult situation. Learn
more here.
Places of Worship: Starting Monday, places of
worship can re-open, at a maximum of 50-percent capacity. Groups or
families attending must not exceed 10 people and groups should remain
six feet away from other attendees. Distancing markings are strongly
encouraged indoors and outdoors. These rules apply to not only worship
services, but other events held at a place of worship. This is another
area where I have seen the experts urge a lot of caution. The spread
we have found is most likely through air droplets, which result from
talking and singing (the Mayor's order notes choir performances are
strongly discouraged during Phase 2). I know the important role our
places of worship play in our community, so I just want to urge an
extra sense of caution should you decide to attend in person. Many
religious communities will continue to offer online services and
events -- please consider those options if you are in a high-risk
group. Learn
more here.
Museums, Libraries, and Exhibits: These important
cultural and community spaces are able to return open while operating
with strict social distancing and capacity limits. Learn
more here.
Playgrounds: Playgrounds are back open with strong
cautions around washing hands before and after, maintaining social
distancing from other families, and wearing face coverings. Again, I
urge caution here. If you have kids and they're anything like mine,
all the efforts to remind them about distancing seems to go out of
mind when they're having a blast playing and suddenly see a friend
they've been missing for weeks and months. Learn
more here.
Condominiums, Apartments, Cooperatives: Common
rooms, lobbies, and rooftops may re-open, including pools (with
restrictions). Building management should be maintaining regular
cleaning and providing hand sanitizer for residents. Shared amenities
such as gyms need to follow gym guidance. Learn more here.
Childcare Centers: Childcare centers are also
cleared to return to operation, with no more than 10 people
(caregivers and children) in one room. For centers with a large room,
partitions at least six feet tall must be constructed and children
must be kept six feet from each side of the partitions. Learn
more here.
There are a whole list of guidance and changes that come with Phase
Two. Review them here: https://coronavirus.dc.gov/phasetwo
Free COVID-19 testing for
anyone: Beginning this week, the District now offers
a number of daily testing sites where anyone can receive a test,
regardless of symptoms and without needing a referral. A daily testing
location downtown on F Street, NW between 4th and 5th Streets, NW
offers testing Monday - Friday, from 10 am to 2 pm.
Starting yesterday, the District launched ongoing daily testing at
different firehouses around the city. Here's the schedule (these
locations are subject to weather-related closure, check DC
Health Twitter before you go if the forecast is dicey):
 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: 4-8 pm
- Engine 4 (2531 Sherman Ave. NW)
- Engine 11 (3420 14th St. NW)
- Engine 24 (5101 Georgia Ave. NW)
- Engine 31 (4930 Connecticut Ave. NW)
Thursday and Friday: 4-8 pm, Saturday: 12-4 pm
- Engine 8 (1520 C St. SE)
- Engine 10 (1342 Florida Ave. NE)
- Engine 30 (50 49th St. NE)
- Engine 33 (101 Atlantic St. SE)
On https://coronavirus.dc.gov/testing,
there are a number of testing locations throughout the District. The
majority of them are prioritizing testing for specific groups, however
the District is steadily expanding testing for anyone.
Antibody Testing Now Taking Place in Navy Yard/ Capitol
Riverfront: The District also started offering scheduled
antibody testing for District residents ages 6 and up as another way
to track community spread with a site in Canal Park open to all DC
residents. You need to make an appointment before heading over there,
however. Learn
more here.
Contact Tracing: A critical part of any safe and
successful re-opening of our city that still minimizes the spread of
COVID-19 is a robust contact tracing program. This is exactly what it
sounds like -- a team of people who work backwards from a positive
case to trace and contain possible spread by alerting others who may
have been exposed. If you get tested and have a positive result,
please, please work with the contact tracing team that reaches out so
we can identify and head off hot spots. And, keep in mind, contact
tracers will never 1) ask your immigration status, 2) ask for your
social security number, or 3) ask for any payment or financial
information.
Free Student/Kid Meal Sites As Of June 1: Click
here to see the updated list of school
meals being provided over the summer here. As the city transitions
to the summer meal program, many new Rec Center feeding sites have
been added. Use this handy mapping tool to find the site nearest
you.
If Your Child Receives a Free School Meal, There's Extra
Help For You: During the pandemic, families with one or more
children receiving free or reduced-price meals through the National
School Lunch Program, you can sign-up here for extra support with food
during the pandemic. Learn
more and enroll with DC's Department of Human Services, and share
this information in your neighborhood.
Extra Rental Assistance Available: If you are
behind in your rent, there might be support available. Additional
funding from the federal government will be available to assist
District residents. More
information here.
 US House of Representatives Set for Historic
Vote on DC Statehood: This Friday, June 26, the US House of
Representatives will vote on HR 51, which would make the District of
Columbia the 51st US state! This is a historic moment as it could be
the first time a DC Statehood bill passes a chamber of congress. More
from Washington Post ahead of Friday's big vote. Here's a photo
from last year's hearing on the bill in committee.
Metro Announces Summer Rail Stations Shutdowns for Repair
Work: Over the summer, while trying to take advantage of low
ridership, WMATA announced a series of closures to do capital projects
at these stations. Here's the full list, which includes:
- June 28-July 2 – Mt Vernon to U St
- Closed Station: Shaw-Howard
- July 6-July 18 – U St to Ft. Totten
- Closed Stations: Columbia Heights and Georgia Ave
- July 19-July 25 – Judiciary Sq to Rhode Island
- Closed Station: Union Station and NoMa
- July 26-August 1 – Ft. Totten to Silver Spring
Here's Who To Support Financially or By
Volunteering: At this point, we've been living physical
distancing for more than 100 days. The initial burn to do something
may have faded, but these organizations are still doing great work to
help our neighbors and they're worth your support. If you find
yourself with a lot of time and you are healthy and able to volunteer,
these are groups that can put you to work. I cannot emphasize enough,
however, that if you are not feeling well at all, please do not
volunteer. And if you are fortunate enough to be in a position to make
donations, these are organizations helping put food on the table and
meet other needs for your neighbors right here in Ward 6 and across
the District:
-
Table
Church DC (via Ward 6 neighbors): Started by Ward 6
neighbor Allison McGill, this is a great effort pairing volunteers
with residents who need help with a range of needs, including just
someone to run to the store for them.
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Ward
6 Mutual Aid Network: Started by Ward 6 neighbor Maurice
Cook and Serve Your City, this is a group collecting and
redistributing food and other essential items for neighbors.
-
World
Central Kitchen: Chef José Andres' nonprofit kitchen has
set up shop at Nationals Park and has been serving up hundreds of
meals to Ward 6 seniors. If you can chip in to keep their work going,
know it is helping your neighbors.
-
DC
Medical Reserve Corps: Organized by the DC Government,
here's a way to help out as our medical response scales up.
-
DC Public Schools: In need of volunteers
to help keep running their many meal sites for kids in DC during
school closures! Please fill out the linked survey.
-
Capital Area Food Bank: In
critical need of volunteers to help sort and pack food in their
warehouse and assist at their offsite food distributions
-
Food and Friends DC: In urgent
need of extra volunteers throughout the coming weeks. There are two
volunteer opportunities, food preparation and packaging and meal and
grocery delivery
-
Food Rescue US: Volunteers with
vehicles needed to pick up and deliver food from businesses to DC
residents in need
-
Grace’s Table: Looking for
volunteers to help feed the homeless each Saturday
-
Martha’s Table: Volunteers needed
to help prepare and bag food for their emergency food sites across the
city
-
We Are Family: Volunteer to
deliver groceries to seniors.
-
Food for All DC: Volunteer to drive
groceries to seniors, immunocompromised, and other DC neighbors who
are homebound. Volunteer here.
-
Aunt Bertha: Aunt Bertha’s network
connects people seeking help and verified social care providers that
serve them by zip code. Contact your local shelter to see what help
and/or items may be needed
Free diapers:
Free groceries for residents:
-
Ten DC School Sites Distributing Free Groceries Each Week:
I mentioned this above, but sharing here as well. Ten DCPS
meal locations are now distributing groceries as well as student
meals. Every Monday is Eastern High School's day to distribute in
Ward.
-
Martha's Table: Daily grocery distribution at 2nd and
H Street, from 5:15-5:45 pm. Donate here to support their work: https://marthastable.networkforgood.com/projects/95536-martha-s-table-martha-s-table-expanded-programs-covid-19
-
Capital Area Food Bank: Behind many good nonprofits
is the CAFB, supplying many groceries from bulk purchasing to food
pantries across the region. Help them today: https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/donate/
-
Father McKenna Center Grocery Pantry Now Open: One of
the programs partnering with the Capital Area Food Bank is the Father
McKenna Center at 900 North Capitol St., NW. Information
on how to support or receive groceries here.
-
H Street Food Drive for Ward 5-6 Neighbors:
Contactless food/groceries available for neighbors who need some extra
assistance. They also offer contactless food delivery for anyone in
the area that needs it, especially elderly, single parents, those with
special needs. Drop off or Send Non-Perishable Food Deliveries To: @maketto1351 |
Attention: H ST. NE FOOD DRIVE | 1351 H ST. NE, Washington, D.C.
20002. Send all monetary donations To: PayPal: PayPal.me/CHRiSCARDi
| Venmo: @ChrisCardi
-
Pick up at Maketto: 1351 H Street, NE
Monday – Saturday:
7:30am – 9:30pm
Sunday: 7:30am -5pm
- If in need of delivery assistance text 202-681-3532
Charles Allen
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