COVID-19 Mobile Testing
The mobile testing unit will accept patients by appointment at roaming locations.
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The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a new virus that emerged in 2019. While some cases can be mild, some persons may develop more serious complications, and in some cases the virus can be fatal. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) strongly advises that community members prepare and take preventive steps. Please read through these pages for information and guidance. The City Emergency Response Team has been activated and is working in coordination with MA Department of Public Health (DPH) and other State, regional, and community partners on a rapidly evolving response.
People with COVID-19 can experience a wide range of symptoms, and some don't experience any symptoms at all. Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. According to the CDC, people with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
Please seek medical attention immediately if you are experiencing these emergency warning signs for COVID-19:
Call 911 or your local emergency facility if you have a medical emergency. Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives.
Check your symptoms for COVID-19 online
Buoy Health’s online 24/7 tool is free for Massachusetts residents and uses current COVID-19 guidance from the CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health to help users check their symptoms and connect with the next appropriate health care resource. This tool does not replace emergency medical care, but it may be used as a support for residents during the COVID-19 outbreak to connect them with appropriate health care resources if they display coronavirus symptoms. Visit buoy.com/mass to learn more and use the tool.
You can also call 2-1-1 to learn more about COVID-19 prevention, symptoms, testing, and treatment.
Older people (age 65 and up), people who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility, and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions seem to be at higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19. We all must take precautions to limit the spread in order to protect ourselves and those most vulnerable to complications.
The underlying conditions identified as increasing risk include but are not limited to:
For more information, see the CDC’s guidance on People Who Are at Higher Risk for Severe Illness.
The CDC offers guidance for higher risk populations including:
COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person:
It is important to know that people can spread the virus even if they don't have any symptoms.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus. CDC recommends people practice frequent “hand hygiene,” which is either washing hands with soap or water or using an alcohol-based hand rub. CDC also recommends routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.
The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus yourself and to avoid spreading it to others. The virus is thought to spread from person-to-person, typically between people in close contact through respiratory droplets, which are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. COVID-19 may also be spread by people who are not visibly showing symptoms.
The CDC recommends the following to protect yourself and others from COVID-19:
Prepare a two-week emergency kit and complete an emergency checklist in case you need to quarantine at home. An emergency kit is a collection of items you may need in an emergency. An emergency checklist helps you gather information you may need in an emergency. Kits generally include essentials such as food, water, medicine, power sources, paperwork, and other items to cover a 3-day period. With COVID-19, it is recommended to prepare a 2-week supply. Here are few links with suggestions for your kit and checklists:
Do not hoard. While it is advisable to plan and prepare for your general emergency needs and possible quarantine, it is detrimental to overall public health if individuals hoard more resources than they need. For example, if one person hoards hand sanitizer or face masks that they can’t possibly use up alone, others may not have access and then may be more likely to spread germs to everyone, including the hoarder, making the risk of the virus spreading greater for all.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires certain employers provide paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19 between April 1 and December 31, 2020.
The FFCRA applies to most employers with fewer than 500 employees. Employers with fewer than 50 employees may qualify for an exemption in limited circumstances. Employers that employ healthcare providers or emergency responders may also elect to exclude such workers from eligibility for this leave.
Additionally, under the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law, most employees in the state also have the right to earn and use up to 40 hours of job-protected sick leave per year to take care of themselves and certain family members. If you’re eligible for both FFCRA leave and Massachusetts earned sick leave, employees may choose to take FFCRA leave first and save Massachusetts earned sick leave for later use.
For more information:
Click here for more information about employee rights and employer obligations in Massachusetts during this pandemic.
As City of Somerville businesses begin to reopen, it is important that all workers and employers know how to protect themselves to prevent the spread of COVID-19. All businesses in the State of Massachusetts must meet these safety requirements in order to reopen, and Somerville has established some additional protections for certain industries.
The minimum safety requirements for businesses in Somerville include:
Highly recommended safety practices for businesses in Somerville include:
Know your rights as an employee during COVID-19. If you have a concern about the safety of your workplace during COVID-19, you can file a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office online. Your complaint may concern issues such as:
The Attorney General’s Office has also published Frequently Asked Questions in multiple languages regarding the rights of workers and employers during COVID-19.
The goal of “social distancing” is to slow the spread of COVID-19 by limiting the number of people that infected people interact with. Slowing the spread of COVID-19 is necessary for preventing the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed.
Social gatherings with family and friends outside of your immediate household should be avoided. Locally, gatherings remain limited to no more than ten people until further notice. When outside, everyone should practice social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from others and wearing a face covering.
The MBTA has implemented updated cleaning protocols and adjusted some operations procedures to protect riders and employees. Learn more here. Guidance for riders includes:
Stay up to date on service updates at mbta.com/alerts.
Massachusetts has issued a Safer-at-Home advisory statewide to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Residents should only leave their homes for essential tasks and permitted work and activities. If you do need to travel, be sure to take steps to help prevent getting and spreading COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.
Please ensure you read through the full guidance before embarking on out-of-state travel.
In most cases, yes. On April 27, Mayor Curtatone and the Board of Health issued an order requiring face coverings in public places to slow the spread of COVID-19. Everyone over 2 years old must wear a clean face covering, such as a fabric mask, scarf, or bandana, over their mouth and nose in all indoor and outdoor public spaces in Somerville.
The CDC advises wearing a simple cloth face covering over your nose and mouth in public as an additional public health measure. It is now understood that the virus can spread between people who are interacting in close proximity even if neither person is showing symptoms. Wearing a cloth face covering can help reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others. However, wearing a face covering is not a replacement for social distancing. Social distancing remains the most effective way to slow the spread of the virus, so it is still important to remain at least 6 feet away from people who are not part of your household, even when wearing a face covering.
Face coverings may be any clean cloth that covers your nose and mouth, including scarves or bandanas. Simple face coverings can be made quite easily with things you already have in your home.
The CDC also offers several simple options that can be sewn or made without sewing. Cotton bandanas or T-shirts can be cut or folded to fashion a face covering. Multiple layers of fabric with a tight weave will be most effective. To check your fabric, hold it up to the light to see how much light comes through. Try to choose a fabric that lets less light through.
The CDC recommends that face coverings
For more quick and easy ways to make a cloth face covering, check out the following video tutorials:
The City continues to source masks and distribute them to our most vulnerable residents as they’re available.
As a reminder, the face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are crucial supplies that must continue to be reserved for health care workers and other medical first responders.
Face coverings or masks must be worn in all public indoor and outdoor spaces in Somerville. Persons who cannot wear a mask or face covering for medical reasons, which includes disability, are exempt from this order. Medical exemptions will be allowed based on the honor system. You do not need to carry a doctor's note.
Indoors - Face coverings or masks must be worn in all indoor public spaces. All open businesses must display signs reminding anyone entering that they need to be wearing a face covering. Face coverings must also be worn inside when in public common areas of multi-unit residences or commercial buildings such as entrances and public hallways.
Outside - Face masks/coverings must be worn in or at all public spaces such as parks, sidewalks, streets, paths, squares, or outdoor commercial areas such as parking lots and outdoor premises of retail locations. Joggers and cyclists must adhere to the order along with pedestrians.
On Public Transportation & in Ride Shares - In accordance with the statewide order, MBTA customers over the age of 2 must wear face coverings when using the MBTA, including when in an enclosed or semi-enclosed transit stop or waiting area. Face coverings are also required in taxis and ride shares.
While face coverings can help control the spread of COVID-19, it’s important to remember it is an extra protection in addition to social distancing to help reduce transmission of the virus. Facial coverings do not make it safe for people to start congregating.
First, remember that face coverings may be any clean cloth that covers your nose and mouth, including scarves or bandanas. Simple face coverings can be made quite easily with things you already have in your home.
If you don’t have anything at home that works as a face covering or you are having trouble buying a face covering, the City of Somerville will be distributing 100,000 civilian three-ply masks with a focus on getting masks to people most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Masks are being delivered to senior residences and public housing buildings as supplies are available. Community Police Officers are also bringing masks along on their usual beats to provide to those who need them.
The City of Somerville is also collecting donations of homemade cloth masks, which are washable and reusable, to give out to residents in need.
Visit our Mental Health and Wellbeing page for information about:
The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has provided a COVID-19 communications cardto help hard of hearing and Deaf individuals and patients communicate with hospital staff, medical personnel, first responders, and service providers.
Older people (age 65 and up), people who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility, and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness. The CDC advises that it is “extra important” that persons with higher risk take action to help prevent exposure to the virus, and that all of us take actions to limit the spread in order to protect ourselves and those most vulnerable to complications.
The underlying conditions identified as increasing risk include but are not limited to:
For more information, see the CDC’s guidance on People Who Are at Higher Risk for Severe Illness.
The CDC offers guidance for higher risk populations including:
If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 or you develop symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, fever, difficulty breathing), call your healthcare provider first. They will advise you on what to do next.
COVID-19 tests are available to all Somerville residents for free, regardless of health insurance or immigration status. You do not need to be symptomatic to receive a test.
Assembly Square
Cambridge Health Alliance offers a COVID-19 testing site at 77 Middlesex Avenue (near the former Kmart) in Assembly Square. Appointment slots are limited and cannot be booked more than five days in advance. See below to schedule a test:
Mobile Testing Sites in Somerville
The mobile testing unit will accept patients by appointment at roaming locations. You must call one of the phone numbers below to make an appointment during regular City Hall business hours (Monday-Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.). Please leave a message if no one answers. Staff members may be receiving a high volume of calls and will return your call as soon as possible.
“Stop the Spread” Testing in Everett and Chelsea
The State is offering testing nearby in Everett and Chelsea, among other locations across the Commonwealth. If you’re not able to get an appointment in Somerville at a time that will work for you, consider one of these sites as another option. Some locations require appointments, and some offer walk-up testing. Learn more here.
Other Testing Sites in Massachusetts
This MEMA interactive map shows COVID-19 test sites in Massachusetts. It also includes a downloadable list of test sites. All information is sourced from site operators and healthcare providers. Information continues to evolve quickly, so contact a site before you visit.
A number of states and countries have issued travel restrictions and advisories, which may change rapidly. Be sure to research guidelines specific to your destination before traveling. Learn more from the State here, or visit the CDC COVID-19 Travel page.
If you have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, contact your healthcare provider, and monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. If you have been directed to quarantine or self-monitor because of a possible COVID-19 contact, follow this guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
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Contact tracing is an important tool to slow the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19. If you test positive, a public health nurse will call you and ask who you've recently been in close contact with. A close contact is considered anyone you've been within 6 feet of for a total of 15 minutes or more. Those contacts will then be notified of their exposure to COVID-19 so they can quarantine or isolate to stop further transmission of the virus.
If a local contact tracer is trying to reach you, you will receive a call from "City of Somerville" or "Health and Human Services." Please answer the call! Your information will be kept confidential. A contact tracer will never ask for your social security number or financial information, share your name with your close contacts, or share your information with immigration officials or ICE.
The City of Somerville is in a modified version of Phase 3, Step 1 of the Reopening Massachusetts plan.
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All residents are advised to continue to stay home as much as possible and leave only for essential trips and permitted work. The following guidance remains in effect locally:
The City operates two pools: the indoor Kennedy School pool at 5 Cherry St. and the outdoor Dilboy Pool at 324 Alewife Brook Parkway. Both are scheduled to open Wednesday, July 1. The state operates the Latta Pool at Foss Park at Broadway and McGrath, which will open Friday, June 26. All have new COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols, including:
All Somerville City buildings are closed to slow the spread of COVID-19. See below for more information about City operations during the shutdown. For other questions, contact 311.
Please note: We are currently accepting marriage applications from Somerville residents only. If you plan to get married in the next 14 days, we cannot accommodate you. City Hall is closed and our staffing is limited due to social distancing protocols. Please be aware that you can apply anywhere else in Massachusetts as long as they can accommodate you and you're physically getting married in Massachusetts. You can also apply out-of-state, but that state’s rules will apply. Just remember that wherever you apply is the place that will maintain your marriage record and provide you with certified copies.
Any couple can get married as long as both people are not closely related. In Massachusetts, that generally means that you can’t marry your parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, step-parent, step-grandparent, step-child, step-grandchild, parent-in-law, grandparent-in-law, child-in-law, grandchild-in-law, sibling’s child, or parent’s sibling.
If you or your partner are under the age of 18, you’ll need to get a Court Marriage of Minor Order (also known as an “age waiver”) from your local probate or district court.
Your marriage license expires 60 days from the day you apply, so make sure you plan accordingly. You can apply in any municipality in Massachusetts and get married anywhere in Massachusetts, but you can’t get married out of state with a Massachusetts license.
You don’t need a medical certificate or blood work to get married.
You can choose to change or keep your surname when you get married, but you can’t change your first or middle names. To change your surname, simply enter it on the Notice of Intention of Marriage.
If you’re divorced, you don’t need to submit your divorce papers, but your divorce must be finalized when you apply for the marriage license. In Massachusetts, divorces generally become final 90 days after the judge signs the Final Judgment. Other states have different time periods.
We are currently accepting marriage applications from Somerville residents only, in a way that minimizes your face-to-face interaction with city employees. Plan on the process taking two to three weeks before you receive your marriage license.
Here are the steps to follow:
The marriage must be solemnized within 60 days of your application. Any of the following people may perform the ceremony:
You don’t need a witness if a Justice of the Peace performs the ceremony. Some religions do require witnesses, so make sure you check beforehand.
Yes. Please go to https://www.somervillema.gov/payonline and follow the prompts.
Somerville Libraries is now offering contactless pickup for limited items at all branches. The first step is to place items you’d like on hold using your Minuteman Account. Next, wait for an email or phone call confirming that your items have been successfully placed on hold and ready to be picked up. Then, you’ll schedule your own time to go and grab your items. Learn all about how this will work here.
If you have further questions about library transactions, please email [email protected].
Yes, you can submit an application for a parking permit online, by mail, or via secure dropbox at the Parking Office, 133 Holland Street. Residential parking enforcement will resume December 1, 2020.
Constituents may pay their parking tickets online or via the pay by phone automated system (1-844-807-9069) with a debit or credit card during the shutdown.
Constituents may appeal their parking tickets online up to 21 days from the issue date. All in-person hearings are automatically scheduled after 35 days if the ticket is not paid or appealed during the first 21 days. However, all scheduled in-person hearings have been postponed until further notice due to COVID 19. Until the shutdown ends, constituents, whose hearing was scheduled, may submit their appeal via email to [email protected], or may contact 311 to request to be added to the reschedule a hearing list. Hearing officers will review online and e-mail appeals during the shutdown on a limited basis. Once normal operations resume, we will contact the constituents that would like in person hearings..
To restart projects, all contractors must submit a Jobsite Hazard Analysis and prepare a Site Specific Safety Plan (example here) with a particular focus on COVID safety in accordance with state and federal guidelines on COVID spread prevention. Required measures include, but are not limited to, providing all workers and staff on site with proper personal protective equipment (PPE), handwashing facilities and supplies, social distancing protocols, safe site access, and other measures. Once safety plans are approved, projects will be allowed to restart.
Yes. Trash, recycling, TV/monitors, and white good items (large appliances) will be collected on its regular schedule during the shutdown. Our contractor Simple Recycling has resumed curbside collection of textile recycling. You can now put out Simple Recycling pink bags on your normal trash day for pick up. If you need pink bags please call Simple Recycling at 866-835-5068 or put in a request at simplerecycling.com.
The DPW yard will be closed to the public, so constituents will not be able to bring any waste items like electronic recycling or yard waste to 1 Franey Rd.
New, missing, and damaged trash and recycling cart reports will be addressed once the shutdown is over in the order they were received.
Tax, excise, and water bills may be paid online via electronic check or with a debit or credit during shut down. Electronic check payments on tax and water bills are free but there will be a 2.95% fee on debit/credit payments. There is a $0.50 fee on electronic checks and 3.20% fee on debit and credit payment on excise bills. Of course, as in the past, these bills may also be paid by mailing in the payment in the envelope provided. Send checks or money orders only, never cash:
Treasurer/Collector
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
Yes. If there is a special request for an expedited MLC, this office will make every effort to accommodate the request. If there is an MLC emergency, both an e-mail to [email protected] and a voice mail on the treasury line x-3500 is advisable. We will also be processing certificates of good standing. If there is an issue with a cert of GS, e-mail the treasury office.
Yes. Treasury will be sending checks to vendors via the normal weekly process. Vendors must contact the department with which they did business to address any concerns regarding outstanding invoices.
If you need a final water reading for property sale, please fill out the "Request a Final Water Bill" form in your browser or PDF viewer and email the completed PDF to [email protected]. Due to office closures, final bills will be emailed or mailed to you. Payment will need to be mailed to the Treasurer's Office at City Hall or placed in the lockbox mailbox outside of City Hall.
Treasurer/Collector's Office
City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
The mobile testing unit will accept patients by appointment at roaming locations.
The mobile testing unit will accept patients by appointment at roaming locations.
The mobile testing unit will accept patients by appointment at roaming locations.
The mobile testing unit will accept patients by appointment at roaming locations.
SomervilleMA/COVIDBizHelp aims to be a place for businesses to access resources, information, and support in this difficult time.
Providing emergency funding to all Somerville residents facing hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
93 Highland Ave. may be closed, but City Hall is hard at work. Join our virtual town halls, listening sessions, & more from the comfort of your home.
The vaccine is being provided free of charge to all individuals, regardless of insurance or immigration status.
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