Thank you for your support of The Research Bureau, and for the comprehensive community response in Greater Worcester to the COVID-19 crisis.
This morning Governor Baker ordered non-essential businesses to cease in-person operations from noon on March 24 to April 7. He also announced the Dept. of Public Health will be issuing a stay at home advisory, and reduced the limit on gatherings to 10 people, rather than the previous limit of 25.
More on his Executive Order is available at https://www.mass.gov/news/
The categories of essential services include:
- Health Care & Public Health
- Law Enforcement, Public Safety & First Responders
- Food & Agriculture
- Critical Manufacturing
- Transportation
- Energy
- Water & Wastewater
- Public Works
- Communications and Information Technology
- Financial Services
- Defense Industry Base
- Chemical Manufacturing & Hazardous Materials
- Other Designated Community Based Essential Function & Government Operations
- News Media
Locally, the City of Worcester has partnered with the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and the United Way of Central Massachusetts to create the Worcester Together fund to aid in local relief efforts of COVID-19. These efforts have been supported by the George I. Alden Trust, which has contributed $500,000 to both philanthropies; to make contributions, go to The United Way of Central Massachusetts’ We Care fund and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. The Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester, Worcester Division of Public Health, Kennedy Community Health, CommunityHELP, Mutual Aid Worcester, UMass Worcester PRC and others are updating a resource guide for community members to use and are collecting organizational information here.
Your continued leadership throughout this situation is essential, so please monitor the city webpage (with a city COVID-19 Information Line at 508-799-1019) and state webpage (with a state assistance line at 211) for daily updates, and if you have any questions or feedback, please email me at any time.
Paul Matthews
Executive Director & CEO
Worcester Regional Research Bureau
390 Main Street, Suite 208 (Though we are currently working remotely)
Worcester, MA 01608
www.wrrb.org
If you have a suggestion for WRRB research, let us know at www.wrrb.org/submit-your-idea/