The Garlick Press, Thursday, November 19, 2020

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

When asked “what are you doing for Thanksgiving?” my response is “I am keeping my loved ones safe and healthy. “

For Russell, Beth, and I that means we will not celebrating our traditional holiday dinner with Russell’s sister and 28 members of our nuclear and extended family, playing football in a multigenerational melee, and then traveling to a dessert extravaganza with my brother and his equally large, boisterous, fun family. It will feel like a loss but it is a gain. It is a gain to be wise about our own personal health, it is a gain to protect those we love, and it is a gain to protect our community.

However, I have no intention of giving up this holiday which is my favorite! I have moved it to mid -June because I fully intend to celebrate our families’ Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations in July. Stay in the fight now. We are in a war against an insidious and deadly virus. We can deny this virus access to our loved ones, including ourselves, while the work for a vaccine continues. We can control the virus when we control ourselves. It is in our power to ensure that we can look forward to many holidays, with the people of all ages that we love in the future.

Yours in Service,

Denise

• In Needham, the Town has launched an Emergency Rental Assistance Program to help those affected by income loss due to COVID-19 make rent payments in the coming months. Applicants have until December 4, 2020, to apply for this temporary rent relief. For more information, click here.
• In Dover, the Board of Selectmen will be holding their Tax Classification Hearing tonight at 6:30 PM via Zoom. In addition to this hearing, the board will discuss its quarterly goals and their social media policy. For more information, click here.
• In Medfield, the Route 109 Bridge will be paved on Friday, November 20 starting at 7:00 AM. Two lanes of traffic will remain open as long as possible, but potential detours may be implemented. To learn more, click here.

• Yesterday, the Regional Coalition of Northeastern Governors announced that colleges will be encouraged to provide testing for students before leaving for Thanksgiving Break. Additionally, the Governors are recommending the colleges and universities finish their fall semesters by expanding remote instruction. To read the press release, click here.
• Governor Baker announced the distribution of the first round of Abbott BinaxNOW tests from the federal government that has been prioritized for use in K-12 schools. This is a no-cost, voluntary program that will allow schools to test symptomatic students and receive test results within 15 minutes. To learn more, click here.
• It is open enrollment time for the Massachusetts Health Connector. Open enrollment is a time period to enroll or renew your health care coverage. Open enrollment will continue through January 23, 2021.

• The State is currently in Phase 3 of Massachusetts Reopening. If you have questions, input, or comments regarding the Reopening Massachusetts plan, you can submit comments online. These comments can be used by the Administration to support efforts to methodically reopen the economy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for the form.

• If you are in need of resources, information, or support, please visit my website for a list of resources. Additionally, our local boards of health, the Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control are continuing to maintain websites with the most updated information regarding COVID-19 that you can access here:

• Needham Health Department Updates
• Medfield Updates
• Dover Updates
• Department of Public Health: Click here or Call 2-1-1.
• Reopening Massachusetts
• COVID-19 Travel Order
• Centers for Disease Control