Letter from Councillor E. Denise Simmons transmitting Coronavirus Preparation

CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL E. Denise Simmons Mayor City Councillor 2008-2009 2016-2017 March 16, 2020 Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui Cambridge City Hall Cambridge, MA 02139 Re: Communication Re Coronavirus Preparation Dear Madam Mayor: At tonight’s meeting, the City Council is poised to receive a response to the March 2, 2020 Policy Order I submitted alongside you, Councilor Toomey, and Councilor Nolan that asked the City Manager to inform the City Council about the steps being taken to prepare Cambridge for the coronavirus. In the two weeks since that order was submitted, communities across the globe have been increasingly impacted by this illness, and time is clearly critical in determining what actions we may need to be contemplating. I am hoping that my colleagues on the City Council will forward any specific questions, concerns, and ideas they have to the City Manager and to the head of our Public Health Department. I am using this communication to raise the following questions and concerns: • As news of the coronavirus continues to dominate the headlines and Cambridge residents are increasingly concerned about this threat, it would be wise to devote a space on the City’s main webpage that links to rolling updates on this matter (and I am hoping we can have material in multiple languages). • Not everyone has ready access to online resources, and it is therefore important for the City to establish a hotline people can call to have their coronavirus questions answered, or that can direct them to where to find the latest information (beyond merely directing them to online resources). • We have been told that the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are at the greatest risk of having severe responses to this illness; I believe it would be wise for the Mayor’s Office and officials at MIT and Harvard to discuss the wisdom of modifying or canceling plans for the annual senior luncheons co-sponsored by those institutions and the Mayor’s Office. • As City Councilors have been receiving anxious calls and emails from parents who are nervous about whether additional precautions at the schools may be needed, I am urging the City Manager and the Mayor’s Office to be as vigilant as possible in sharing information with the School Committee and in working to speak with one clear, consistent voice and message to the public. • It would be wise for the City Manager to conduct a concerted outreach to our Interfaith Community, to ensure that all relevant information is reaching the local congregations. Again, I am looking forward to receiving tonight’s update from the City Manager on our March 2 Policy Order, and I know that by working collaboratively, our City shall be well-positioned to face this challenge as it comes. Sincerely, __________________________ City Councilor E. Denise Simmons ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CITY HALL, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02139 [phone removed] FAX: [phone removed] TTY/TDD: [phone removed] EMAIL: dsimmons@cambridgema.gov