City of Gloucester COVID-19 Weekly Update – December 2, 2020

Posted on December 2, 2020 by |

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

GET TESTED MA!:  Testing for COVID-19 is widely available in Massachusetts.  For more information or to find a test site please visit https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-testing.  

#GETBACKMASS:  This public awareness campaign was launched earlier this week and highlights the steps everyone should take to protect themselves and their loved ones that will help everyone get back to doing the types of things they did before the pandemic hit. The multilingual campaign will run through Feb. 2 and will include television and digital ads.  For more information please visit:  https://www.mass.gov/getback.

COVID-19 RISK DESIGNATION BY COMMUNITY:  Based on the average daily cases per 100,000 residents, each city or town has been designated as a higher risk, moderate risk, or lower risk community. This information is updated and included in the Department of Public Health’s weekly public health dashboard, which are now posted on Thursdays.  As of Thursday, November 26 Gloucester was in the yellow and was considered a moderate-risk community.

STAY AT HOME ADVISORY:  The Stay a Home Advisory is in effect and 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:  A new executive order is in effect requiring 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.

GATHERINGS ORDER UPDATED: An updated order restricting gatherings 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:  An updated order related to face-coverings 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 Form and 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: Hawaii and Vermont.

COVID-19 COMPLIANCE:  An online portal is available where residents can report any businesses or workplaces that are violating the state’s reopening guidelines.   Anyone wishing to submit a report of non-compliance can go to mass.gov/compliance or call the state’s 211 COVID-19 hotline. Non-compliance can also be reported to the Department of Labor Standards (DLS) through their hotline (508) 616-0461 x 9488, by completing this online form, or by sending an email to safepublicworkplacemailbox@mass.gov.

Status of Cases

Since yesterday, there have been 32 new cases of COVID-19 identified among Gloucester residents — the highest rate of new daily cases in the community since the pandemic began. On Tuesday, there were 17 confirmed and one probable cases of the virus reported to the City, and today, as of 3:30 p.m., there were nine confirmed and five probable new cases reported.

As of today, December 2 the status of COVID-19 cases in the City of Gloucester were as follows:

  • 624 overall cases (564 confirmed and 60 probable);
  • 533 recovered;
  • 26 COVID-19 related deaths; and
  • 65 active cases.

For a list of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, which is updated every evening, click here.

City Updates & Information

CITY CLERK’S OFFICE NOW HAS LIMITED HOURS FOR WALK-IN SERVICES:  The City Clerk’s Office, now has limited walk-in hours and will be conducting the majority of services by appointment only in order to limit those coming in and out of the office, and to reduce wait times and prevent the spread of COVID-19.  This temporary change will be in effect until further notice and walk-in hours will only be available on Thursdays from 2-6 p.m. For a full list of services and options available, please click here or contact the office at 978-281-9720 during normal business hours.

WATER RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE: Water conservation measures are currently in place and will remain in effect until further notice.   In accordance with Section 23-60 of the Gloucester Code of Ordinances, the Director of Public Works has instituted the following water conservation measures to help ensure an adequate supply of water to all customers:

  • Outdoor watering and lawn irrigation is permissible from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily;
  • Outdoor watering is limited to “handheld” with a hose or a watering can after 5 p.m. or before 9 a.m;
  • Filling/replenishing of swimming pools from the City water supply is prohibited; and
  • Washing of vehicles, boats, driveways and sidewalks is prohibited.

FALL CURBSIDE YARD WASTE COLLECTION: The final fall curbside collection of yard waste (leaves and clippings) will be next week, Dec. 7-11.  Place leaves and grass clippings in paper leaf bags or loose in marked barrels. Please NO plastic bags.  Leaf bags and barrels should be on the curb by 7 a.m.   Yard waste is collected first and after the trucks are dumped regular trash and recycling routes will begin.

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..

Communications Resources

In case you missed it please view these important articles, informative videos and/or flyers:

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.

Important Local, State & Federal Information and Updates 

Please visit the City of Gloucester’s COVID-19 information page here.   

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