The City of Boston has opened 20 cooling centers to help residents escape from the brutal summer heat that is expected to continue into the start of the work week.
The cooling centers, which are air conditioned rooms in select community centers across the city, are open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to Mayor Marty Walsh's office. Temperatures in Boston are expected to peak at 98 degrees on Sunday and hit 92 degrees on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
A full list of the cooling centers, from the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, is below, along with hours of operation and contact information. Residents are advised to call before visiting a cooling center in order to ensure it is open and has not yet reached maximum capacity. Due to COVID-19 precautions, only 40 percent of the building's maximum occupancy wil be permitted inside, according to a Friday press release from the mayor's office.
Social distancing rules and safety precautions will be in place at the cooling centers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Residents must wear face coverings, maintain 6 feet of distance between others, and wash their hands often.
"If the face covering causes you to overheat, find a shaded area where you can maintain 6 feet of distance from others, and then remove the face covering so that you can breathe easily and cool down," Walsh is quoted as saying in the press release.
City libraries and pools, typically used for relief during the summer heat, remain closed due to the pandemic.
