Fight COVID-19

Updated: 4/5/2020 – Updates are prefixed by NEW:

COVID-19, aka Coronavirus, has spread around the world, forcing people to minimize contact with others or locking down whole countries, laying off millions and shutting down large portions of the economy. For the sake of everyone’s physical health, it is important to minimize interactions with others, maintain a distance of at least six feet from others and not gather in large groups. For your mental health, take time to rest and talk with friends, family and others working to get this pandemic under control. Together, we will win this struggle.

Here are ways you can help.

Calls to Action

• UPDATED: Contact your State Senator and tell them to support HD.4935 to halt foreclosures and evictions during the COVID-19 Emergency. Mass. Jobs with Justice has a how-to page on calling your legislators to support this bill;

Know your enemy

• Ars Technica has a comprehensive guide to COVID-19 that they are updating daily
• COVID-19: How to be Safe and Resilient: a series of brief audio talks on protecting yourself, family and neighbors from COVID-19. It was produced by Northeastern University’s Global Resilience Institute;
• collaborative guide to COVID-19 care;
• a guide to food safety and coronavirus;

Unemployed/Small business shutdown?

• food insecure? The state has a list of food banks;
• if you or others were recently unemployed:
  • Mass. Gov’s page on filing for unemployment due to the pandemic;
  • Mass. Jobs with Justice has a page on How to Apply for Unemployment Benefits in Massachusetts;
• Mass. Gov’s Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program;
• if you are facing eviction, download and follow these instructions from the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL) for how to submit such an emergency stay of eviction filing. (DOC and PDF). You can also share our post on it;
• NEW: Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay: Rent Striking during the COVID-19 Crisis from Rent Strike;

Communicating remotely

Alternatives to zoom, skype and other video chat services:

• Jitsi: easy, private, free software that works in your web browser and doesn’t require you to create an account;
• Signal: truly private txt, calls and video calls that is also free;

Other (better?) resources

• the Asian American Resource Workshop has a limited list of resources on a variety of topics including worker, housing and disability rights;
• Citizen Action Team’s Relief Database;

Mutual Aid

• Donate to your local food bank. The state has a list of food banks;
• Join a mutual aid network. Mass. Jobs with Justice has a list though this Google spreadsheet will probably be more up to date;
• purchase and donate items to the homeless or those in need. MAAP’s emergency wishlist;

Help our health care professionals

• you can donate time on any computers you have to help with COVID-19 protein folding calculations;
• IFixit needs help crowdsourcing repair information for hospital equipment;

Printed Medical Supply Initiatives

• the Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies group is up on Facebook and has files you can download to use to make different protective equipment or parts for medical devices;
• NIH 3D Print Exchange;
• Operation Shields Up;
• Discord Server for medical workers and 3D designers to collaborate;
• 7 open hardware projects working to solve COVID-19;
• Hack the Pandemic;
• Make4Covid;
• Help produce medical equipment with Covid-19 Fund;
• Makers vs. Virus hacker group in Austria and Germany;
• Turkish hacker group fighting COVID-19;

Make personal protective gear

If you can sew or 3D print, here are designs and intructions for making masks and other personal protective gear. Hospitals NEED masks:

• Masks Sewn:
  • DIY Facemasks How-To;
  • Design from Taiwan How-To;
  • Million Masks Response Instructions;
  • NEW: How to make facemasks YouTube videos;
  • NEW: Sewing Fabric Face Masks (may be specific to UnityPoint Health in Iowa);
  • NEW: Pleated DIY Face Mask Sewing Tutorial
• Masks 3D Printed:
  • 3D printed, cleanable, surgical mask, w/filter: Instructions and CAD files or here;
  • 3D Printable Mask With Filter Cartridges;
• 3D Printed Face Shields:
  • DtM-v3.0 Face Shield PPE, 3D printable headband
  • Vice Mini Doc;
  • Prusa Design;
  • Budmen Design;
  • Glia Design;
  • Faceshield.nu Design;
• Ventilators:
  • VentilAid: open-source 3D printed ventilator;
  • OxVent;
  • MIT E-Vent;
• Suits:
  • Positive Pressure PPE Suit;

Speaking truth in a time of propaganda

• if you are a freelance journalist, add your name to this list of freelancers for on the ground reporting.

Got other suggestions for resources? Add them in the comments.