THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 Page 11 Socially distant Easter Bunny tour inspires and uplifts T By Tara Vocino he Revere Parks and Recreation, Police and Fire Departments put a smile on everyone’s face throughout a six-hour, socially distant Easter Bunny tour, hitting 98 percent of streets, on Saturday. “It was a huge success, and thousands of people came out to support us,” Event Organizer/ Revere Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hinojosa said on Monday. From left to right, Police Officer Jerry Salvati, Mayor Brian Arrigo and Police Chief James Guido geared up for the Easter Bunny Tour on Saturday morning. Brothers Joseph and Michael Biasella wait for the Easter Bunny at the bottom of Robert Street in North Revere. Their poster reads, ‘Happy Easter’ and ‘Thank you.’ Revere Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hinojosa, Revere Parks and Recreation Program Coordinator Adriana Carrillo and the masked Easter Bunny peeking out of a sunroof, led the parade in the West Revere neighborhood. Led by a police escort, a second bunny cruises by in a decorated float downtown. Baker-Polito Administration Launches Spanish Language Unemployment Application B OSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today Mobile friendly portal will help Spanish speaking claimants access benefits The new Spanish language UI launched a Spanish language online, mobile-friendly, unemployment benefits application for those who need to apply. The new, secure application for Spanish speakers is available through mass.gov/desempleo, the Spanish language website for unemployment in Massachusetts. The Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) will make language applications available in Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Vietnamese and additional languages in the coming days. form is the latest effort from the Commonwealth to deliver crucial COVID-19 information to non-English speakers, including: • Yesterday, the Administration announced that its COVID-19 text message alert system is available in Spanish • All of Mass.Gov (including Mass.Gov/COVID19) is available in 13 different languages • The Commonwealth’s nonemergency help line for COVID-19, 2-1-1 is available in over 150 languages • Several agencies, including the Department of Public Health, offer additional fact sheets available in multiple languages The Department of Unemployment Assistance is focused on supporting workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to process claims as quickly as possible. The new Spanish mobile-friendly application is among several efforts to reach and assist all individuals who are eligible for unemployment benefits and provide the financial assistance they need. Other efforts include: • Rapidly updating the DUA website with the latest information that claimants and employers need to know, what the latest federal legislation means for them, and a step-by-step guide to filing a claim available in multiple languages. • The unemployment contact form to reach a DUA agent is also available in multiple languages. • Hosting daily town halls in both English and Spanish, which have been attended by over 100,000 constituents. Individuals can sign up to attend a virtual town hall at mass.gov/unemployment/townhall or at mass. gov/desempleo. • Deploying over 600 new remote employees to keep pace with the increased volume of unemployment insurance claims, and adding language capacities in the call center to better serve residents across the state. • Legislation proposed and signed by Governor Baker waiving the one-week waiting period to collect an unemployment claim payment. The Baker-Polito Administration will continue to update the public on developments related to COVID-19. Residents can visit www.mass.gov/covid19 for the latest information, call 2-1-1 with questions, and text “COVIDMA” to 888-777 to subscribe to text-alert updates (COVIDMAESP for Spanish language alerts).
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