City Council Update Slides — File 211024

COVID-19 Update December 17, 2020 1

Agenda 1. School reopening update 2. COVID-19 data update 3. ICS Update 4. New surge mitigation: reopening rollback + proposed economic relief package 5. COVID-19 budget (J an-Mar) 2

School Reopening Update 3

Building Completion Update ▹Contracts awarded; work started ▹Initial contractors' schedules indicated completion dates of April 2021, citing long lead times for equipment and materials ▹City aggressively worked with contractors and suppliers for critical elements, reduced lead times from 8 – 12 weeks to 2 – 3 weeks ▹Contractors are revising schedules, reviewing with IAM & SPS 4

Building Completion Update ▹Scope of work: ▸Minimum threshold for occupancy ⬩Filtration – increase to MERV-13 ⬩Ventilation – retro-commission air handling equipment, handle addition pressure from filters ▸Additional work while buildings are occupied ⬩Disinfection – UV germicidal irradiation ⬩Humidification ▸Consistent with Harvard School of Public Health 5

COVID-19 Data Update 6

Daily New Cases by State (as of 12/16) Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/

Daily New Cases (as of 12/16) Source: https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-dashboard-december-16-2020/download

Percent Positivity (as of 12/16) Source: https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-dashboard-december-16-2020/download 9

Hospital Admissions (through 12/16) Source: https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-dashboard-december-16- 2020/download

Deaths (through 12/16) Source: https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-dashboard-december-16- 2020/download

Average Daily Incidence (through 12/17) Source: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid- 19-weekly-public-health-report-

Percent Positivity (through 12/17) Source: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid- 19-weekly-public-health-report-

Somerville Case Data: Positive Cases Identified by MDPH (through 12/17) ▹As of Thursday, 12/17: ▸2,748 positive confirmed cases (PCR test) ▸178 positive probable cases (antigen or antibody) ▸50 fatalities

Somerville Confirmed COVID-19 POSITIVE Cases March - December Each frame is one month March Intensity of red indicates the highest densities within each month and does not necessarily represent the same density value as the highest density in a different month.

April May June Intensity of red indicates the highest densities within each month and does not necessarily represent the same density value as the highest density in a different month.

July August September Intensity of red indicates the highest densities within each month and does not necessarily represent the same density value as the highest density in a different month.

October November December * through 12/13 Intensity of red indicates the highest densities within each month and does not necessarily represent the same density value as the highest density in a different month.

ICS Update 19

Incident Command System - Structure 20

Examples of ICS functions Primarily utilizing existing staff, sustain the City's response to the COVID pandemic through: ▹Rapid implementation public health interventions, such as the universal face covering order, isolation and quarantine support, free community testing, issuance of health and safety guidelines for congregate living assets, implementation of transmission mitigation measures and policies, formulation and implementation of phased reopening, as well as the Shared Streets initiative ▹Acquisition, monitoring, and distribution of PPE to support operations and residents ▹Development of funding programs, technical support, and other strategies to support local businesses and residents financially impacted by the pandemic ▹Development of identification, tracking, and visualization tools and procedures to highlight and analyze relevant local data, such as the COVID-19 dashboard ▹Rapid expansion of services and sustained communication of timely, useful, and critical information to community members in multiple languages through multiple outreach methods. ▹Recruit, train, and deploy volunteers ▹Developed and implemented legally compliant virtual meeting infrastructure for City Council, School Committee, town halls, and public hearings 21

Highlights of ICS Initiatives ▹311 has had month after month record-breaking call volumes up to 40% higher than normal. ▹Created 150 new web pages dedicated to COVID-19, with a 76% increase in web users year-over-year. ▹Distributed food to more than 7,400 households through the emergency food pantry ▹Provided technical assistance and $1.75 million in loans to hundreds of small businesses. ▹Provided over $500,000 in grants to the arts and cultural community ▹Established and promoted the charitable Somerville Cares Fund, which has raised ~$800,000 for residents in need ▹Held dozens of Town Halls, ranging from school reopening to the phased reopening process in English, Portuguese, and Haitian-Creole. 22

COVID-19 budget (J an-Mar) 23

Why we need a COVID-19 budget ▹Two main external funding sources ▸CARES Act – limited to costs incurred by 12/30 ▸FEMA's Public Assistance program – inconsistent, changing guidance ▹Challenges: ▸Covid-19 emergency-related funding expiring ▸No reliable, clear and consistent source of funding lasting for the duration of the emergency. ▸Inadequate funding for unplanned and fluctuating expenses incurred due to COVID response 24

CARES Act Expenses (finals & projected, as of 12/15) 25 Expense / category Estimated cost Building assessments, SPS HVAC improvements​ $614,128 ​ Cleaning, disinfection, air cleaners, including staff overtime​ $486,840 ​ Construction site (SHS, West Branch, SAUSI) cleaning​ $993,905 ​ Elections temporary staff and supplies​ $71,532 ​ City's cost-share for FEMA FY20 expenses (approx.)​ $242,306 ​ Food pantry and mobile market support​ $4,643 ​ PPE and cleaning supplies for City and School staff​ $144,460 ​ Communications needs & supports​ $131,000 ​ Social distancing supplies & compliance support​ $62,622 ​ SPS costs, including IT, Rec programming, furniture​ $1,763,758 ​ Short-term rental assistance and program implementation ​ $565,000 ​ Telework licenses, subscriptions, hardware​ $35,539 ​ COVID testing, contact tracing, and wastewater testing​ $292,000 ​ TOTAL​ $5,407,733 ​

Summary of Appropriations for COVID-19 Budget (J anuary 1-March 31, 2021) 26 Category Name Appropriation Amount ($) Additional Info Resident Outreach & Communications 121,090 Website support, online meeting accessibility, ethnic media outreach, printing costs 311 Call Center Resources 39,493 Constituent Services additional staffing and technology Testing & Contract Tracing 291,000 Contact tracing, community and school testing PPE & Supplies 170,000 PPE & supplies citywide Out of School Time Programming 120,000 Parks & Rec and HHS programming (staff & supplies) Health & Safety Compliance 45,000 Social distancing inspection & compliance School Resources 180,000 Testing coordinator, communications, staffing, and technology School Wellness Staffing 37,760 Staffing for school wellness rooms Public Safety Overtime 142,500 Public safety overtime Public Works Overtime 170,477 DPW overtime for school reopening FEMA Cost Share 100,000 Unfunded portion of City costs for FEMA 25% cost share Total 1,417,320

New Surge Mitigation: Reopening Rollback + Emergency Relief 27

Reopening Rollback ▹On Monday, December 14th, Somerville, Boston, and several other municipalities in the greater Boston region announced we would be rolling back to a modified version of phase 2.2 of the state's reopening plan ▸Effective Wednesday, December 16th at 11:59pm ▸Will remain in effect for a minimum of three weeks ▸Additional rollbacks may follow 28

Reopening Rollback Closed as of the end of day on Wed., Dec. 17 ▹Indoor fitness centers and health clubs, including gyms using alternative spaces. One-on-one personal training sessions are allowed. ▹Indoor non-athletic instructional classes in arts, education & life sciences for persons 18 years and older ▹Indoor recreational and athletic facilities (except for youth 18 and under), indoor pools may remain open for all ages under pre-registration format structure limited to one person per swim lane ▹Indoor recreational venues with potential for low-contact (for example, ax throwing, rock-climbing, etc.) 29

Reopening Rollback Remaining closed or restricted (Somerville has had existing additional phase restrictions in place) ▹Outdoor theaters and outdoor performance venues ▹Indoor theaters, arenas, and performance venues, including concert halls ▹Museums ▹Movie theaters ▹Indoor live theaters ▹Bowling facilities, arcades, and gaming spaces ▹Indoor event spaces (meeting rooms, ballrooms, private party rooms, social clubs) 30

COVID-19 Emergency Relief ▹A bridge of financing to keep Somerville strong ▹Three areas of need: ▸Small Businesses ▸Artists and Cultural Organizations ▸Residents in need 31

COVID-19 Emergency Relief: Small Businesses ▸To date: ⬩$1,750,000 of forgivable loan ⬩$700,000 in fee waivers ▸NEW: ⬩COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Fund - $5M ⬩Focused on businesses that have remained closed, been recently closed, or had operations significantly reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions 32

COVID-19 Emergency Relief: Artists and Cultural Organizations ▸To date: ⬩$500k Artist Community Support program ▸NEW: ⬩Additional $600,000 to bring total funds to $1.1M 33

COVID-19 Emergency Relief: Basic needs ▸To date: ⬩$2.26M for rental assistance ⬩$400k+ for child-care, food and workforce development ⬩Additional capacity in OHS and local non-profits to help Somerville residents apply for state rental assistance (RAFT program) ▸NEXT STEPS: ⬩Future requests will be made if funds are being depleted and no additional state or federal funds are available 34

Funding sources for proposed new economic relief package For small business: The COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Fund will be funded at $5,000,000 by transferring money from the following sources: ▹Rainy Day Stabilization $1,843,117 ▹Capital Stabilization $1,000,000 ▹Street Reconstruction Stabilization $1,500,000 ▹Wynn Casino – FY21 Payments $ 300,000 ▹Water Transportation Stabilization $ 150,306 ▹Algonquin Mitigation Stabilization $ 132,359 ▹Small Business Assistance Stabilization $ 74,218 For artists and arts non-profits: We will supplement the recently announced $500,000 Artist Community Support program with an additional $600,000 by transferring money from the following sources:  Wynn Casino – FY20 and FY21 payments $ 200,000  Park Stabilization $ 400,000 Note: A $400,000 state grant for parks, recently accepted, reimburses the City and frees up funds for this proposed use. 35

Replenishing Funds ▹Note: We intend to replenish the stabilization accounts once federal/state funding or free cash is certified in February 2021. 36

Questions? 37