Malden Coronavirus Update: Cases Surpass 70

MALDEN, MA — The number of positive coronavirus cases in Malden stood at 75 as of March 31, according to the latest data from the city. There are 85 people in quarantine, and health officials are monitoring 160 residents. No deaths have been reported.

Gov. Charlie Baker has extended the closure of nonessential businesses to May 4. The governor's order also extends to the stay-at-home advisory and the 10-person cap on social gatherings, which will also run until at least May 4.

The number of cases across Massachusetts rose to 7,738 on Wednesday, including 122 deaths. More than half of the Massachusetts residents who have died from the coronavirus succumbed in the past two days, as state health officials reported 33 new deaths for the second straight day Wednesday.

Malden Updates

● Parks closed to all activity until further notice. This

includes all fields, basketball courts, tennis courts,
playgrounds, dog parks and the community gardens.
● Non-essential businesses continuing to stay closed.
● Pink curbside textile recycling bags not being
collected until further notice.

State and Federal Updates

● President Trump issues Major Disaster Declaration
for Massachusetts.
● Governor Baker extends closure of non-essential
businesses until May 4th
● Release of new COVID-19 online symptom checker.
● Attorney General asks us to be on the lookout for
price gouging and to report it if seen.
● State Income Tax filing extended to July 15th.

City Services Update

● All City Buildings still remain closed to the public but
are open during normal business hours for phone
calls and emails. Please call 781-397-7000.
● Please visit our City Services Status page for a
complete listing of all City Departments and the
related services that are being performed. As
services change, we will update this page
accordingly.
● The Treasurer’s Office has installed a secure
lockbox outside of 110 Pleasant Street for payment
drop-offs.
● Many bills can be paid online using our Online Bill
Pay page.

Malden Public Schools Update

Governor Baker has announced that schools will be out of session until at least
May 4th. Superintendent John Oteri has reported that the Malden Public Schools
(MPS) is in the process of developing a remote learning model and the hope is to
launch it next Monday, April 6th. In the meantime, MPS has created a resource to
support students at home.

MPS is also beginning a Chromebook distribution on Thursday, April 2 at the
Ferryway School for families who do not have access to a computer. A Request
Form is available at www.maldenps.org and can be accessed by any device
including a cell phone. There is a limit of one Chromebook per family.

MPS continues to provide free breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. Meals
are available for any Malden student from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Salemwood
School and at Malden High School. There is a drive-thru available to limit contact.

Malden Business Update

Many Malden businesses are affected by Governor Charlie Baker’s order of
closing non-essential businesses. The emergency order requires all businesses
and organizations that do not provide “COVID-19 Essential Services” to close
their physical workplaces and facilities to workers, customers and the public as of
Tuesday, March 24th until May 4th. These businesses are encouraged to
continue operations remotely.

For businesses impacted by the Coronavirus, we recommend checking our
Business Resource Page for a compilation of resources that can address
concerns for a wide array of businesses. Links include information on loans,
fundraising & matching grants as well as primers on the recently passed
Congressional CARES Act. Check back often as this page is updated frequently.

There are Malden restaurants who continue to remain open for takeout and
delivery. To find out their status, check our page that is regularly updated with
information on the status of restaurants and other businesses.

Volunteering During COVID-19

Many residents have been asking about how they can volunteer. It comes as no
surprise given the resiliency of our great City that there are MANY efforts going
on throughout the City.

We are currently referring residents who would like to volunteer to Malden
Neighbors Helping Neighbors which is part of a larger Mutual Aid group in the
region.

For residents in need they can make requests at Malden Neighbors Helping
Neighbors or call 339-224-4842.

This article originally appeared on the Malden Patch