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Massachusetts
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2020-03-13
New Bedford Whaling Museum Announces Closure in Response to Coronavirus Concern
The New Bedford Whaling Museum announces closure due to COVID19 pandemic. -
2020-06-30
Welcome Back!
The New Bedford Whaling Museum announces reopening for summer 2020, during the the COVID19 pandemic. The announcement shares details about new hours, opening dates, museum rules, online ticketing and timed admissions, and what visitors should expect during their visit. -
2020-07-08
HMSC Connects
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture offers HMSC Connects, programming built to "acknowledge the trauma of the times." The programming includes virtual programming, a podcast, online resources, coloring pages, and family activities. -
2020-06-12
Racism and coronavirus add stress to already vulnerable communities
This is the third episode of the Boston Children's Museum's podcast, Big & Little, a podcast for adults about kids and families. "In this episode, Carole [Charnow} talks with Manny Lopes, the CEO of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and a leader in community health care, about the ways in which Boston's vulnerable communities are coping during this challenging time and how today's uncertainty offers room for positive change to come." -
2020-07-08
Museum Reopening Updates
Boston Children's Museum has posted updates regarding reopening in July 2020. Their June 24, 2020 announcement discusses BCM's commitment to their community and the safety measures BCM will be taking. "As we begin summer, I wanted to bring you up to date with our work to re-open the Museum. But first, I wanted to acknowledge your patience and support over the last three months. As parents and caregivers of young children, you have no doubt been challenged with schools and day care services being closed, work and employment disruptions, navigating through health challenges, and most recently the social upheaval in our country resulting from the death of George Floyd. More than ever, our children need our love and support. Their routines, friendships, and opportunities for play and learning have all been upended. It has been a trying time, with much anxiety and uncertainty testing us all." -
2020-06-30
Funding Received
Announcement by the West End Museum in Boston that they have received funding from the National Endowment of the Humanities through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The post discusses what the museum hopes to do with these funds, and how the funds will support them and their staff during the pandemic. As museums struggle to remain financially solvent through closures, grants and other funds have become a vital lifeline. This is especially true for small institutions that lack the large funds of major institutions. -
2020-04-10
Action for Boston Community responds to the pandemic on Twitter
Action for Boston Community Development(ABCD) is a nonprofit organization that works with low income individuals and families in Boston, Massachusetts. Low income communities have been hit the hardest during the Covid-19 pandemic, and ABCD offers resources such as food pantry services, diapers, and activities to keep children occupied. ABCD has been a staple in many Boston neighborhoods and while Covid-19 has created obstacles for the organization, they remain committed to serving the needs of the Community in any way possible. -
2020-06-26
Boston Public Library, Shelf Service Live
Twitter post from the Boston Public Library, as part of their campaign to promote adult summer reading. Post announces that for the day (June 26th), librarians will be responding on twitter to people asking for book recommendations. Because libraries are no longer able to operate out of their physical spaces, librarians have had to seek new ways to interact with their publics and fulfill their traditional duties. Posts like this emphasize new approaches that librarians are taking, as well as the increased role of social media in interactions between libraries and the public. -
2020-06-20
Summer Solstice 2020 Virtual Celebration
Video virtual celebration of the Summer Solstice hosted by the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. The video includes scientific and cultural presentations, as well as activities. Programming is drawn from the four museums that make up the Harvard Museums. As museums have been forced into online outreach because of the pandemic, they have had to change how they celebrate and commemorate important days and events. -
2020-05
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, Coronavirus Legal Warriors
"As legal first responders, at a time when many doors are closing, we are opening ours wider. In response to an unprecedented need, we’re adding a new coronavirus legal warrior to our team. This expansion is critical to deepening and expanding free support for affected families, including help with unemployment claims. We’re also unveiling a state-wide initiative to support hundreds of small businesses. We’re joining forces with over a dozen legal, business, and community partners, launching a large-scale initiative for small businesses affected by the crisis: https://www.covidreliefcoalition.com/en Check out our coronavirus resource page in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Join us on Facebook every weekday at 10 AM for the latest scoop. Injustice doesn’t take a break during the crisis — and neither do we." -
2020-05
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, Blocking Courthouse ICE Arrests
Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights group filed a case blocking immigration arrests in and around courthouses. The pandemic has not stopped ICE from detaining immigrants. "Lawyers for Civil Rights’ landmark case blocking immigration arrests in and around Massachusetts courthouses, Ryan v. ICE, is the first case of its kind in the country. The case was filed in partnership with Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), and Chelsea Collaborative with pro bono support from Goodwin LLP. It is now on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit." -
2020-05
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, Coronavirus Response
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston offered this Coronavirus Pandemic Response update outlining the work they have continued doing during the pandemic, including information about intake, community legal education and outreach, legal advocacy, small business support, unemployment assistance, medical-legal partnerships, and litigation. "The demand for our free legal services has increased exponentially since the start of the public health and economic crisis. Since March, we have received over 350 requests for legal assistance (intakes). The estimated demographic breakdown is as follows: 55% Black; 25% Latinx; 10% Asian American; and 10% other." -
2020-06-03
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, COVID Resources
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston offer resources for legal, medical, unemployment, housing, and economic support on their COVID response webpage . This document is in English and the site also offers translations in Spanish, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. While the world shut down for the pandemic, ICE continued to detain and deport immigrants here in the US, and the Black Lives Matter movement's response to police brutality sparked a number of arrests. Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights organization has continued to offer legal support for those in need and has kept a running page of legal updates. -
2020-04-28
Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: April 28 - May 12, 2020
These two orders, issued by the Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner in late April and early May of 2020, waive the time frame for CNA training and the need for health screenings in Massachusetts schools. Both of these mandates reflected the constant need to buttress the number of frontline medical personnel available for service, as well as the fact that Massachusetts schools would no longer require such screenings due to the transition to virtual learning. -
2020-04-20
Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: April 20 - April 28, 2020
Issued at the end of April 2020, these public health directives include guidance on staff-to-patient ratios in dialysis units, COVID-19 data accessibility, allowing certain referrals to labs conducting COVID-19 testing, and essential practices for the continued operation of farmers' markets in Massachusetts. While most of these orders highlight the virus's testing and healthcare impacts, the last ordnance reflects the careful mitigation efforts employed to ensure access to a healthy food supply. -
2020-04-04
Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: April 4 - April 8, 2020
The public health directives contained in this set provide a closer look at COVID-19's impact on daily life in Massachusetts as it pertains to personal health. These orders sought to relieve the burden of prescription refills on quarantined individuals, clarify the essential practices of grocery stores, and details on the reporting COVID-19 case numbers and all relevant data. -
2020-04-03
Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: April 3 - April 4, 2020
These orders offer guidance on the maximization of healthcare availability, the compounding and sale of over-the-counter hand sanitizer at pharmacies, the continued expansion of the available pool of medical personnel, and public health guidance on the operation of garden centers/nurseries as an essential service. -
2020-03-28
Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: March 28 - April 2, 2020
These public health orders primarily address long-term care and assisted living facilities within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Specifically, they expand the number of medical personnel permitted to administer rescue inhalers and epinephrine injections in community programs, address the transfer/discharge of patients from long-term care facilities, while expanding the pool of nurses qualified to work in assisted living programs. Moreover, the orders give the Department of Public Health the authority to run criminal background checks on volunteers for MAResponds. Orders such as these detail the different ways that state governments, like Massachusetts, attempted to reinforce their healthcare system in the face of the pandemic. -
2020-03-24
Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: March 24 - March 26 2020
Because of the coronavirus's potential to overwhelm the healthcare system at virtually every level, the Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner issued these orders to address the maintenance of adequate hospital staffing, the need for more medical personnel to perform a greater range of functions, and the steps grocery stores and pharmacies need to take to ensure customer safety. While providing a look into COVID-19's effects upon the public health system, these orders also render a snapshot into how the "new normal" began to take shape in Massachusetts. -
2020-03-23
Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: March 23 - March 24, 2020
Contained in this set are public health orders addressing modifications to medical examiner inspections, the production and donation of hand sanitizer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the closure of day programs, and directives for pharmacies to ensure the continuation of operations and the reduction of exposure to COVID-19. These orders give testament to the drastic alterations that COVID-19 forced upon the state, as well as the country and the world, as it aimed to combat the growing crisis. -
2020-03-17
Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Orders: March 17-March 18, 2020
These public health directives issued by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health reveal how the sudden health crisis forced the MA Department of Public Health to quickly adapt to a disease that had stormed the state, the country, and the world. These orders include guidance on the reassignment of physician's assistants to address the shortage of healthcare personnel, the administering of medications to treat opioid addiction due to said personnel shortage, the continuity of emergency medical services, as well as sharing of vital information with first responders. -
2020-06-17
Make Your Own Monument
Webpage created by the Boston National Historical Park to celebrate the Bunker Hill Monument. The page includes instructions for kids to create their own monument that they can then decorate, and gives an explanation of the battle that the Bunker Hill Monument commemorates. The page further asks kids to reflect on "What do you want to commemorate or remember?" The pandemic has forced changes in how people commemorate important historical or cultural events, items like this illustrate how cultural organizations seek to keep these events in the public consciousness and relate them to present day issues. -
2020-06-18
Virtual Bunker Hill Day Commemoration
Video produced by the Boston National Historic Park commemorating the 245th Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The video features speakers from several organizations discussing the importance of the battle. https://www.facebook.com/BostonNHP/videos/639899866613819/?v=639899866613819 -
2020-05-08
Zoom Backgrounds
Social media post on the Facebook page of the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library. The post highlights eight different historical maps from the collection, noting that those interested can download these maps and use them as backgrounds on a video conferencing platform like Zoom. Due to social distancing, video conferencing apps like Zoom have become increasingly popular, and cultural institutions have sought to utilize and promote their collections in ways that are compatible with these platforms. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622122709/https://www.facebook.com/bplmaps/photos/a.10150599262740304/10163440288820304/?type=3&theater= -
2020
West End Museum #Museumfromhome
Post on the Twitter page of the West End Museum, highlighting an antique bicycle from their collection. The museum's then-current exhibition focused on cycling, and the role women played in the development of cycling as a pastime and means of transportation. Social media posts using #MuseumFrom Home became a crucial way for museums to interact with the public and was accessible to all institutions regardless of their size. -
2020-04-14
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture Caption Challenge
Post on the Twitter page of the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture that asks users to comment "what does this painting say to you?" Asks social media users to engage with their recent exhibit "Face to Face: Portraits of Museum Animals" by Jana Matusz. The specific post deals with a painting of a lion cub, inspired by the lion cub that can be viewed in the Africa Gallery of the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Posts like this highlight how museums continue to interact with their audience, and build awareness around their current exhibitions. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417092351/https:/twitter.com/HarvardMuseum/status/1250050814930026503 -
2020-04-22
HMSC Connects! Earth Day
Webpage created by the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture to educate and inform the public about vital environmental issues on Earth Day. This resource emphasizes the difference between 2020's socially distanced Earth Day, and how the holiday has normally been seen as a time for people to celebrate their natural environment and continue protecting it. The webpage includes resources for activities as well as lesson plans produced by the Harvard Museums, Harvard University, and other organizations in the Greater Boston area. Resources like this highlight how museums and other cultural institutions sought to continue using public holidays as opportunities to educate, even as they were no longer able to host physical events in their own spaces. https://hmsc.harvard.edu/earth-day -
2020-06-09
Harvard Museum of Natural History #MuseumAtHome
Coloring page for the exterior of the Harvard Museum of Natural History published on their Twitter page as part of the social media campaign #MuseumAtHome. This is also tied to their #ColorOurCollections social media campaign. Both campaigns are part of Boston museums' efforts to engage in socially distanced outreach as a result of the CoVid-19 pandemic. -
2020-06-12
Edward M. Kennedy Institute Webinar - Dual Pandemics: Global Youth Perspectives on Fighting HIV & COVID-19
Webinar hosted by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate focused on the CoVid-19 pandemic and the continued struggle against HIV/AIDS. Program focuses on youth perspectives, highlighting voices of HIV-positive youth advocates in the United States and Uganda. Participants discuss how the current pandemic has affected them, and how they relate to it both as young people who are also living with HIV. -
2020-06-01
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 35
Following the announcement of Massachusetts's reopening, this order, signed by Governor Baker on June 1, 2020, clarified the details as to how the state would progress. While some states attempted to rush their reopening in a bid for a quick economic revival, Governor Baker and his team of advisors opted for a much slower and methodical approach, especially given Massachusetts's high number of COVID-19 cases and the correspondingly high death toll. Northeastern University Northeastern University -
2020-05-18
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 33
As states came under pressure to reopen their economies despite the pandemic's continued presence, the Governor's Office unveiled this phased reopening plan that sought to slowly revive the economy while imposing safety measures to guard the public's health. Northeastern University -
May 18, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 34
As Massachusetts began its slow reopening process, the Governor allowed for beaches to reopen to a certain spectrum of "passive recreational activities." However, state authorities retained the power to limit the size of crowds and ensure social distancing. -
May 15, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 32
Governor Charlie Baker's extension of the state lock down to May 19, 2020. As Massachusetts prepared to follow other states by gradually reopening its economy, the governor issued this order as part of "a measured relaxation of currently existing restrictions." -
May 1, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 31
This order required that all residents of the state above the age of 2 years must wear a face mask/covering, either inside or outside, when social distancing is not possible. As scientists raced to understand COVID-19's transmission, the medical community's stance on face masks gradually shifted. In the early days of the pandemic, physicians and public health officials advised against the use of masks, citing their relative ineffectiveness, only to do an about-face a couple of months later by stressing their importance in cutting down on the airborne contagions that allow the virus to jump from person-to-person. -
April 28, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 30
Effective on April 28, 2020, this measure extended the state's lock down by maintaining the closure of certain non-essential workplaces, as well as the prohibition on gathering of 10 people or more. -
April 28, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 29
A revision of a previous COVID order allowing the Governor's Council to engage in remote participation. -
April 16, 2020
Massachusetts Executive Order - 4/16/2020
This executive order authorized the creation of emergency residential and emergency placement programs for children during the course of the COVID-19 emergency. -
April 9, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 24
Order effective on April 9, 2020, that permitted graduate and senior level nursing students to begin practicing; a direct reflection of the dire need for qualified medical personnel to be on hand for the surge of COVID cases that could potentially overwhelm the state's hospital system. -
April 9, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 25
In an effort to expand citizens' access to medical services, Governor Baker signed this order so as to require all major health insurers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to cover any and all medical services related to COVID-19. -
March 26, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 17
This order suspends deadlines related to state permits and extends existing permits' validity. Northeastern JOTPY -
March 26, 2020
Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 18
One of Governor Charlie Baker's early executive orders extending licenses, permits, and registrations not already covered by previous orders. This highlights the importance of ensuring that all essential services and operations were able to function with little to no interruption during the pandemic. -
March 20, 2020
Massachusetts Executive Order Reducing In-Person Transactions at the DMV
Signed on March 20,2020, this executive order sought to reinforce the state's social distancing measures by reducing the level of contact between people at the Department of Motor Vehicles. -
2020-06-15
Edward M. Kennedy Institute Youth Action Guide on Climate
Online guide exploring how young people can be involved in climate activism during the CoVid-19 pandemic. Explores activists that are crucial to the global movement for climate justice, and highlights 4 organizations engaged in this work. Guide emphasizes actions people can take to connect with these groups even during quarantine. -
2020-04-01
West End Museum Gofundme
Gofundme webpage created by the West End Museum to help sustain itself during the CoVid-19 pandemic. Webpage asks for donations that will assist the institution with the transition to creating more virtual content, as well as the maintenance of their collection. Reflects the challenges under-funded and community museums face as they have been forced to close their doors and rely more heavily on online platforms. -
2020-06-11
BPL To Go
Service offered by the Boston Public Library in response to continued closure related to the CoVid-19 pandemic. Service allows for library members to pick up books, movies, and CDs from library locations. FAQs and press releases related to the program highlight the compliance with social distancing, as well as quarantine protocols for materials that are loaned out. This service highlights how libraries are coping with the coronavirus, both in terms of being unable to welcome visitors but also how the coronavirus affects their lending of physical items. -
2020-04-05
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture Explorers Club
An Instagram page created by the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture in 2020. This page's first post was from April 5th, during the pandemic. The page posts photos, offers activities during social distancing, and different ways to engage with science and other cultures in one's neighborhood or immediate surroundings. The page also promotes virtual events that are put on by the Harvard museums. This page highlights new approaches to engagement that museums have had to develop as they have been forced online, and how they're relating their collections and expertise to the current pandemic. -
March 20, 2020
Massachusetts Executive Order Permitting the Deferral of Certain Real Estate Inspections
This executive order signed by Governor Baker on March 20, 2020, permitted the deferral of real estate inspections during home sales or transfers, thereby placing the responsibility of equipping the dwelling with proper alarms/detection systems on the buyer and not the seller. -
03/23/2020
Massachusetts Executive COVID-19 Order No. 13
This order limited gatherings of 10 or more and closed non-essential services, while mandating the continued operations of all essential operations. Signed by Governor Baker on March 23, 2020, the order sought to "minimize all unnecessary activities outside of the home during the state of emergency." -
March 18, 2020
Massachusetts Executive Order Closing Child Care Programs and Authorizing the Creation of Emergency Measures
Signed by Governor Baker on March 18, 2020, this executive order sought to mitigate the virus's spread by closing all child care facilities in the state; a necessary step according to health officials, since COVID-19 easily spread from asymptomatic children to adults. -
March 12, 2020
Massachusetts Executive Order Regarding the Suspension of certain Open Meeting Law Provisions
This executive order, signed by Governor Baker on March 12th, 2020, relieves a "public body" from conducting its business in an openly accessible meeting place in favor of "adequate, alternative means," particularly remote options. Yet another mitigation effort, this order also reveals how Massachusetts, and society in general, had to adapt to strict social distancing measures in order to carry on day-to-day operations.