Significant updates are being put into place by Governor Baker effective November 6. I recommend you review these changes carefully. November 6 is Friday! From the City of Gloucester:
City of Gloucester COVID-19 Update – November 2, 2020
The City of Gloucester continues to advance measures to limit person to person contact to help slow the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Everyone should continue to follow the guidelines and recommendations from the City, the CDC and the DPH.
The following are timely updates, announcements, and reminders from the City.
COVID-19 Updates & Information
STAY AT HOME ADVISORY: Today the Baker-Polito Administration announced a Stay a Home Advisory that is set to begin on November 6. All residents of Massachusetts are advised to stay home between the hours of 10pm and 5am. Residents are asked to only leave home to go to work or school, or for essential needs such as seeking emergency medical care, going to the grocery store or pharmacy, picking up take-out food, or receiving deliveries.
EARLY CLOSURE OF BUSINESSES & ACTIVITIES: Governor Baker also issued a new executive order that requires the early closure of certain businesses and activities each night at 9:30 PM. The 9:30 PM closure requirement is aligned with the Stay At Home Advisory and together the two new initiatives are designed to further limit activities that could lead to COVID-19 transmission. Effective November 6, the following businesses and activities must close to the public each day between the hours of 9:30 PM and 5:00 AM.
- Restaurants (in-person dining must cease at 9:30 PM, although takeout and delivery may continue for food and non-alcoholic beverages, but not alcohol)
- Liquor stores and other retail establishments that sell alcohol must cease alcohol sales at 9:30 PM (but may continue to sell other products)
- Adult-use marijuana sales must cease at 9:30 PM (not including medical marijuana)
- Indoor & outdoor events
- Theaters/movie theaters (including drive-in movie theaters), and performance venues (indoor and outdoor)
- Youth and adult amateur sports activities
- Golf facilities
- Recreational boating and boating businesses
- Driving and flight schools
- Close contact personal services (such as hair and nail salons)
- Gyms, Fitness Centers and Health Clubs
- Indoor and outdoor pools
- Museums/cultural & historical facilities/guided tours
GATHERINGS ORDER UPDATED: Governor Baker also signed an updated order restricting gatherings. The new gatherings order reduces the gathering size limit for gatherings at private residences: indoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 25 people. The limit on gatherings held in public spaces and at event venues (e.g. wedding venues) remains the same. The new order also requires that all gatherings (regardless of size or location) must end and disperse by 9:30 PM.
FACE COVERING ORDER: Governor Baker also signed an updated order related to face-coverings. The revised order requires all persons to wear face-coverings in all public places, even where they are able to maintain 6 feet of distance from others. The revised order still allows for an exception for residents who cannot wear a face-covering due to a medical or disabling condition, but it allows employers to require employees to provide proof of such a condition. It also allows schools to require that students participating in in-person learning provide proof of such a medical or disabling condition.
MA TRAVEL ORDER IN EFFECT: All visitors and returning residents are required to fill out a “Massachusetts Traveler Form” unless they are coming from a state that has been designated a lower risk COVID-19 state or fall into an exemption category. The new travel order also provides that visitors and returning residents arriving in Massachusetts from any place other than a COVID-19 lower-risk state must quarantine for 14-days unless they can produce a negative COVID-19 test result administered on a sample taken not more than 72-hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts. For more details please visit mass.gov/matraveler.
LOWER RISK STATES: Travelers from COVID-19 lower-risk States are not required to fill out the Massachusetts Travel Formand do not need to quarantine. States are included on the list based on meeting two criteria: average daily cases per 100K below 6 AND positive test rate below 5%, both measured as a 7-day rolling average. The current list of COVID-19 lower-risk states, which was recently amended, includes: California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington.
TIPS FOR A SAFE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING: Traveling and gathering with family and friends for Thanksgiving will look different this year to keep loved ones safe from COVID-19. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) provided guidance for holiday celebrations to help limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and reduce the spread of the virus. Read the full press release here.
Status of Cases
As of today, November 2 the status of COVID-19 cases in the City of Gloucester were as follows:
- 458 overall cases (411 confirmed and 47 probable);
- 419 recovered;
- 26 COVID-19 related deaths; and
- 13 active cases.
For a list of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, which is updated every evening, click here.
City Updates & Information
IMPORTANT NOVEMBER 3 ELECTION DATES AND REMINDERS: For important November 3 election related information including election related deadlines, in-person early voting dates/times, and polling locations please clickhere.
VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETINGS: The City of Gloucester is utilizing the Zoom platform for remote participation of public meetings. Virtual Public Meeting Forums are open to the public. For a list of all upcoming scheduled meetings, including meeting agendas, click here. For Zoom links to access these remote meetings click here.
STAY INFORMED, SIGN UP FOR CITY EMERGENCY ALERTS/WEBSITE NOTIFICATIONS: City officials have and will continue to use the Smart911 system to share information and updates regarding COVID-19 as the situation surrounding the virus continues to evolve. To sign up for Smart 911 go to http://www.gloucester-ma.gov/384/Emergency-Alerting. To review current subscription selections and/or sign up for City of Gloucester website notifications go to http://gloucester-ma.gov/list.aspx.
Health Guidance and Recommendations
According to the CDC, symptoms of the virus appear within 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19: Cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing or at least two of these symptoms: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
If you display symptoms or suspect that you may have come into contact with a person who may be infected, please contact your primary care provider immediately.
Stop the Spread of COVID-19
Please wear a mask or face covering when out in public, maintain a safe physical distance of 6 feet from others, wash and sanitize your hands and frequently touched surfaces often, and stay home if you’re sick.
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