GLOUCESTER – City of Gloucester COVID-19 Response Update – March 22, 2020 – Facebook Post
The City of Gloucester continues to advance measures to limit person to person contact to help slow the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The following are updates and announcements regarding from the City regarding this public health emergency.
Everyone is urged to follow all the local and state guidelines and recommendations. The priority right now is to slow the community spread of the Coronavirus, which will allow our healthcare professionals to do their job.
Please check in on your family, neighbors and friends – especially seniors. We all have a responsibility to do our part to keep each other and our City safe
Status of Cases
For a list of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, which is updated every evening, please visit: https://www.mass.gov/…/covid-19-cases-quarantine-and-monito….
As of today, there are 5 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the City of Gloucester.
This is not an unexpected development and our local health officials have been preparing for this scenario. The City expects this number to rise as testing becomes more widely available.
Health Guidance and Recommendations
According to the CDC, symptoms of the virus appear within 2-14 days of exposure. The DPH reports that symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath and pneumonia in severe cases.
Anyone who displays symptoms of COVID-19 are advised to contact their primary care physician.
If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have it, first and foremost you should consult and/or stay in touch with your primary care physician. This CDC fact sheet also provides helpful information – https://www.cdc.gov/…/do…/sick-with-2019-nCoV-fact-sheet.pdf.
The Gloucester Health Department and the Mayor’s Office encourage the following precautions to prevent infectious diseases from spreading:
• Wash your hands frequently, with soap and water, for a minimum of 20 seconds (sing happy birthday twice);
• If you are sick, stay home to protect others;
• Using proper techniques when coughing or sneezing – cover your nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing with a tissue and discard it immediately or cough into the sleeve over your elbow instead of your hand;
• Avoiding touching your face;
• Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily;
• Practice social distancing (remain at least 6-foot distance between others); and
• Restrict all social interactions to essential activities, such as getting food, medicine and gas.
Gloucester Updates
• As of noon today, March 22, and until further notice, all personal care businesses in the City were closed by emergency order. Personal care business include, but are not limited to: hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, day spas, message and body work establishments, tattoo, piercing and body art establishments, aesthetics establishments, tanning salons, gyms and fitness centers.
• On Tuesday, Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken declared a local state of emergency that enables us to deploy the resources to meet the needs of our city. It also creates a mechanism for the city to be reimbursed by the federal government for emergency expenses to this crisis.
• Municipal buildings – including City Hall, City Hall Annex, Rose Baker Senior Center, Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library, Department of Public Works Administrative Offices, Cape Ann Veterans Services Office, and Talbot Rink – continue to be closed to the public. Anyone wishing to do City business is encouraged to do so online or by calling or emailing any city office. Payments or applications may be dropped off in drop boxes located at Gloucester City Hall (Warren Street Entrance) or City Hall Annex at 3 Pond Road. A City department/staff directory can be found here: https://gloucester-ma.gov/directory.aspx. Due to high call volume, we encourage everyone to leave a message and City staff will return calls.
• Many municipal transactions and requests can be completed online. Visit our City’s website at https://gloucester-ma.gov/index.aspx?NID=459 to:
o Pay Motor Vehicle Excise Tax
o Pay Parking Tickets
o Pay Personal Property Tax
o Pay Real Estate Tax
o Pay Water / Sewer Bills
o Document a neighborhood concern via SeeClickFix
o License your dog
• The Gloucester Police and Fire Departments are restricting access to their stations/lobbies. For emergencies please call 9-1-1. For police non-emergencies please call 978-283-1212 and for fire non-emergencies please call 978-325-5300.
• All Gloucester Public Schools are closed for three weeks. Arrangements have been made for all students who are in need of a meal to get one. There is a “grab and go” bagged lunch and breakfast operation. Students can pick up a lunch for that day AND breakfast for the next morning at the same time. Curbside pick-up is available 11 AM – 12 PM Monday – Friday at Veterans’ Memorial and Beeman Elementary Schools. Neighborhood bus delivery is now available at the following locations: Veterans’ Way (Riverdale Park) from 10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. and Willowood Road (next to park) from 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• As of Thursday, March 19 and until further notice all City playgrounds are closed. Studies have shown that the virus can stay on surfaces for up to several days and playgrounds are not disinfected. Parks, beaches, and trails remain open. Please do not engage in sports or activities (examples: baseball/softball, football, basketball, soccer) that require physical or shared contact. Get out and enjoy the open spaces in Gloucester while practicing social distancing.
• There is currently no on premise consumption at any local restaurant. Take-out and delivery options are available throughout the City. For a list of participating establishments visit: https://bit.ly/2Umvrql.
• Market Basket, Shaw’s and Stop & Shop have implemented “Senior Shopping Hours” for customers 60 and older. Market Basket hours are 5:30 a.m. – 7 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Shaw’s hours are 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Stop & Shop hours are 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. everyday.
• With the North Shore and Liberty Tre Mall closures CATA will suspend their Saturday mall bus service on Saturday, March 21 and 28. All other CATA services continue to operate normally at this time.
• Trash collection will operate on its normal schedule. The compost facility will not be open the last Saturday of this month, March 28. Recycling scheduled for that day has also been cancelled.
State & Federal Updates
• Yesterday, the Massachusetts National Guard was activated to support the Commonwealth’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, representing a significant addition of supply chain resources available to the Commonwealth and its residents. For more information visit: https://www.mass.gov/…/baker-polito-administration-activate…
• Earlier this week a series of new measures to adapt childcare operations, enhance the Commonwealth’s healthcare system’s capacity, assist small businesses, and support unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 outbreak was announced. For more information visit: https://www.mass.gov/…/baker-polito-administration-makes-ne…
• Governor Charlie Baker announced a three-week suspension of school operations for educational purposes at all public and private elementary and secondary (K-12) schools in the Commonwealth beginning Tuesday, March 17, and a series of new guidance and legislation in response to COVID-19 which included prohibiting gatherings of 25 or more and prohibiting on-premises consumption of food or drink at bars and restaurants. For more information visit: https://www.mass.gov/…/baker-polito-administration-announce….
• On March 10, Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency to support the Commonwealth’s response to coronavirus. For more invitation visit: https://www.mass.gov/…/governor-baker-declares-state-of-eme….
• The U.S. Department of State has issued a Global Level 4 Health Advisory to all U.S. citizens to avoid international travel. For more information please visit: https://travel.state.gov/…/travel-advisory-alert-global-lev….
Additional Information
For more information about COVID-19, call 2-1-1 from any landline or cellphone, visit the City’s website www.gloucester-ma.gov, the state’s website www.mass.gov, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website www.cdc.gov .
