March 18, 2021

Coronavirus Update: Pre-Registration Now Open to Everyone

Dear Neighbors,

Pre-registraion is now open to all District residents, not just for those
who are currently eligible for the vaccine. Current eligibility remains
limited to seniors, certain workers, those with qualifying medical
conditions, and [1]now restaurant/bar/coffee shop staff, but it is
important that everyone pre-register now so you're in the system come May
1st when eligibility will expand to all District residents per [2]President
Biden's directive. Residents may pre-register through [3]vaccinate.dc.gov
or by calling the coronavirus call center at 1-855-363-0333.

I've heard largely positive feedback since the pre-registration portal's
launch last week, but there are still some important updates that need to
be made to the system. DC Health is working on adding text notifications to
the portal and is aiming to launch a drop down menu for additional language
options within the next ten days. In the meantime, they have created
[4]this guide for Spanish-speaking residents. For those who have already
registered, please know that indicating a location preference or vaccine
preference will not limit your likelihood of being selected for an
appointment, these questions are merely for data collection purposes. And
on vaccine preferences, we know that DC Health is prioritizing the single
shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine for our neighbors experiencing homelessness,
so it is more likely that you will be scheduled for the Pfizer or Moderna
vaccine. Of course, the number of appointments available is going to be
limited by the amount of vaccine the District receives each week.

Should you need to update your information in the portal (in the case of a
new medical diagnosis or in-person work requirement, for example) please
call the call center or email [5][email protected] to request the change.
This will be the same process if you would like to be removed from the
portal in the event of receiving a vaccine through a healthcare provider or
other jurisdiction. DC Health is working on upgrading the functionality of
the portal to enable residents to make these changes directly online.

Vaccine eligibility is going to expand in the coming weeks. Here are some
important dates to keep in mind:

Beginning March 15th (this week) - Those in Phase 1B Tier 3 & Phase 1C Tier
1 will become eligible for the vaccine.
* This includes: staff working in Courts, individuals providing legal
services, US Postal Service employees, essential employees in local
government agencies, public transit workers, staff working in food service,
and staff in health, human, and social services.

Beginning March 29th - Those in Phase 1C Tier 2 will become eligible for
the vaccine.
* This includes: individuals working in non-public transit services (i.e.
for hire vehicles and ride share), residents working in delivery/courier
services, and essential employees in media and mass communications.

Beginning April 12th - Those in Phase 1C Tier 3 will become eligible for
the vaccine.
* This includes: essential employees within higher education, those
working in construction, essential employees in federal government
agencies, and those working in commercial/residential property management.

Beginning May 1st - The District will move into Phase 2 of vaccination
eligibility, which effectively includes everyone 16 years of age and older
who were not previously eligible.

Many residents have questioned why the District's vaccination rate is so
much lower than other jurisdictions and are dismayed by the state by state
comparison maps (like this [6]one in The Washington Post) that depict the
District as being among the worst performing jurisdictions in the
percentage of vaccinated residents. What these types of trackers are not
able to capture is the nuance that our workers in the first priority groups
(our healthcare workers, firefighters, police officers, essential workers,
etc.) often do not live in the District. The District needs our frontline
workers to be vaccinated, for their safety and ours, so the initial weeks
of vaccine deliveries were administered to a commuter workforce. This is
why the federal government's vaccine allotment formula, which is based on
total population, does not work for jurisdictions like ours. And now that
vaccination eligibility is expanding, the rate of vaccinated residents will
most certainly improve.

Unquestionably, we need more vaccine, but we also need to ensure that the
vaccine we do receive is distributed efficiently and expediently. There
have been some reporting discrepancies in our vaccine data and, after a
conversation with the Council this week, the Executive will be furnishing a
written explanation as to why DC's distribution numbers may be low relative
to other states. And I will share that rationale (and, ideally, the
Executive's plan to address this problem) once I receive it.

Regards,

Mary

Please see [7]coronavirus.dc.gov for the latest District updates &
resources on COVID-19

The Public Health Emergency has been extended through May 20th, 2021

Sign up to receive these updates directly through [8]marycheh.com

Re-imagining Transit & Reversible Lanes Along Connecticut Ave

Safer Transit in Ward 3 - The District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
will host two virtual public meetings to present an overview of the
[9]Connecticut Avenue NW Reversible Lane Safety and Operations Study. The
Reversible Lane Study responds to the confusing and often dangerous
reversible lane configuration on Connecticut Avenue and assess how the road
could be re-engineered without the reversible lanes while also
incorporating protected bicycle lane infrastructure and advancing the
District's Vision Zero goals.

The same information will be presented at both meetings:
* [10]Tuesday, March 30th beginning at 9:30 am
* [11]Thursday, April 1st beginning at 5:00 pm

Four road concepts were developed from the Reversible Lane Study, and DDOT
has now narrowed the concepts down to Concept B and Concept C (pictured
above). For more on these two concepts, please see [12]The Forest Hills
Connection.

Virtual Cakepop Class to benefit the Woodley Park Main Street

Class by Baked by Yael - This weekend, Baked by Yael is hosting a virtual
cakepop making class to benefit the [13]Woodley Park Main Street! At a
45-60 minute class, participants will be able to choose from 3 flavors:
birthday (vanilla), chocolate, or gluten-free & vegan chocolate. The
registration fee includes materials for a Home Cakepop Kit of baked cake,
frosting, candy melts, cakepop sticks, and a cakepop drying stand.

Cakepop Class with Baked by Yael

Sunday, March 21st at 4:30 pm

[14]Register here

If you have any questions, please contact Baked by Yael at
[15][email protected].

In Case You Missed It - [16]Baked by Yael was recently featured in Jewish
Insider as a business that has found creative ways to pivot and survive the
economic downturn: [17]"For D.C.’s kosher restaurants, chaos and community
filled the pandemic year[18]."

Virtual & In-Person Programming at DPR

DPR Spring Programming - The Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) has
opened registration for in-person and virtual spring programming and is
accepting outdoor permit applications for a number of low-contact sports.

Spring Programs:
* In Person - Environmental/sustainability programs, sports, and health &
fitness
* Virtual - Fitness at home, e-sports, and senior programming

Outdoor Permit Applications will be accepted for:
* Small groups with safety plans for proper social distancing
* Low to no-contact sports (little league baseball, softball, tennis)
* Medium or high-contact sports for non-contact training only
(football/soccer training and individual drills)

[19]Sign up at DPRPrograms.com

Forest Hills Trash Clean-Up this Weekend!

[20]

[21]Click Here to Volunteer

Parking Enforcement Expands

Ticketing Returns - The Department of Public Works (DPW) has resumed
parking enforcement this week for a number of safety-elated violations.
Warning tickets (with no fines) will be issued this week until Friday,
March 19th. Beginning on Monday, March 22nd, $25 tickets will be issued to
violators.

[22]

Click [23]here or on the image above to enlarge the DPW enforcement lists

Reminder: Leaf & Tree Collections Extended - DPW has also extended leaf and
holiday tree collections through this Friday, March 19th.
* Residents are asked to leave their trees at their regular point of
collection (with trash/recycling cans).

Libraries Will Begin to ReOpen

Library Update - Beginning March 29th, 18 currently operating libraries
will begin offering limited indoor services such as access to public
computers, printing pick-up, book pick-up, and library card registration.

In addition to following cleaning safeguards, libraries will operate at a
25% capacity limit.

Fans to Return to Nats Stadium & Audi Field

From The Washington Post - Nationals, D.C. United receive approval to have
limited fans at home games

"In a pair of letters from the D.C. government Monday, the Washington
Nationals and D.C. United were approved to host fans at a limited capacity
when their home schedules begin in April. The decisions come a year after
fans were last allowed at professional sporting events in the District.

The Nationals, who open their season against the New York Mets on April 1,
will be permitted to welcome 5,000 fans per game, about 12 percent of
Nationals Park’s capacity. United will be allowed to host up to 2,000 fans
per match, 10 percent capacity of Audi Field, when it starts its home slate
April 17 against New York City FC."

[24]Read the Full Story

The American Rescue Plan:

What it means for the District of Columbia

The American Rescue Plan - Last week, President Biden signed the American
Rescue Plan into law. The DC Democratic Party has put together a helpful
summary of how the law's provisions will improve the lives of
Washingtonians: 

* Direct Payments - District residents earning up to $75,000 and couples
earning up to $150,000 will receive direct payments of $1,400 per person.
Eligible residents will also receive an additional $1,400 payment for each
dependent claimed on their tax returns.
* Child Tax Credit - District residents earning up to $75,000 and couples
earning up to $150,000 will receive a total of $3,000 per child between the
ages of 6-17 and $3,600 per child under 6 years old. The IRS will provide
advances on the credit through periodic direct payments of $250 starting in
July. This bill will cut childhood poverty in half.
* Enhanced Unemployment Benefits - Unemployed District residents will
receive $300 per week in unemployment insurance payments from the Federal
Government. The first $10,200 in unemployment insurance is not taxable for
households with incomes under $150,000.
* State and Local Government Aid - The District of Columbia Government
will receive $2.2 billion in aid from this bill, including $775 million the
District was shortchanged in the CARES Act.
* Safe School Reopening - $130 billion will be distributed to school
districts across the country, including DCPS and DC Public Charter Schools,
to safely reopen and protect students and teachers.
* Vaccine Distribution and Testing - The Federal Government will receive
$16 billion to pay for national vaccine distribution and $50 billion for
national testing and contact tracing.
* Health Insurance Coverage Subsidies - The bill provides the largest
expansion of health care coverage in over a decade through the Affordable
Care Act’s health insurance exchange. American’s health insurance payments
will be limited to 8.5% of their household income.
* Small Business Support - Restaurants and bars will be able to access
$25 billion in grants to cover revenue loss during the pandemic. The
Paycheck Protection Program will also receive an additional $7.5 billion in
funding.
* Rental Assistance - DC residents will be able to apply for the $25
billion pool of emergency rental assistance funds. An additional $5 billion
will be spent in the form of emergency housing vouchers for people
experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic violence and victims of
human trafficking.
* Regional Transit Agencies Funding Assistance - Our region’s transit
agencies will receive $1.4 billion to fill budget shortfalls. This funding
will mean that Metro will no longer need to cut service or lay off
employees as previously planned. $1.5 billion in funds will also go to
Amtrak including $970 million in grants for the Northeast Corridor route.

Ending this Update on a Happy Note:

Celebrating Women-Owned Businesses in Ward 3

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March is Women’s History Month! To honor the occasion, District Bridges has
gathered a list of some of the many wonderful women-owned businesses across
the District and in Ward 3. Whether you patronize them virtually or in
person, they appreciate your support!

For a list of women-owned businesses to support along the Chevy Chase &
Cleveland Park Main Streets, click here: [29]Celebrate Women's History
Month.

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Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is
closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are
teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to reach us via phone through our main line at (202)
724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent services
requests.

[34]Facebook [35]Twitter

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Mary Cheh
Mary Cheh Ward 3
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NWSuite 108
Washington, DC 20004
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