Hi, this is Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken with some important COVID-19 updates and reminders.
New, temporary measures are being put in place by the state beginning this weekend to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Gov. Charlie Baker is issuing an Executive Order effective Saturday, Dec. 26 through Sunday, Jan. 10, which temporarily reduces occupancy limits to 25% for several sectors including office spaces, restaurants, places of worship, businesses and fitness centers.
Under the new order indoor event venues will be limited to a maximum of 10 people at a time. Indoor private gatherings are limited to 10 people and outdoor private gatherings are limited to 25 people.
As of today, December 23 the status of COVID-19 cases in the City of Gloucester were as follows: 895 overall cases (834 confirmed and 61 probable); 786 recovered; 31 COVID-19 related deaths; and 78 active cases.
Please note that the number of COVID-19 related deaths has increased from 26 to 31 since our last update. We were recently made aware of newly coded COVID related deaths most likely as a result of post-mortem testing.
Although our active case count has decreased over the past week and our wastewater testing is detecting less of the virus, Gloucester currently remains a high-risk community. Please continue to do the following:
- Wear a mask or face covering at all times while in public – indoors and outside;
- Maintain a safe physical distance of 6 feet from others;
- Wash and sanitize your hands and frequently touched surfaces often;
- When riding in a car with someone outside of your household wear a face covering/mask and open the windows for airflow;
- Stay home if you’re sick; and
- Take extra precautions around those who may be at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, such as older adults or those with certain medical conditions.
This holiday season be safe. Please, do what you can to limit interactions with those outside your household. Gatherings with those outside your household are not safe right now and greatly increase the risk of COVID-19 spread.
Wishing you all a safe holiday filled with peace & love. Cheers to a New Year and the hope that we will all have many blessings and brighter days ahead.
