Mayor Holaday's COVID-19 Update 5/7/2020
Mayor Donna D. Holaday
May 7, 2020 COVID-19 UPDATE
Good afternoon everyone and thank you for listening in on this latest COVID-19 update. To date, there have been 49 positive COVID-19 cases in Newburyport, and we have lost two residents due to the virus. While we’re still very much in the fight against the virus, it appears we are moving in the right direction, and are starting to see a downward trend statewide in the number of new positive cases.
We are very fortunate at this juncture to have such limited number of positive cases compared to many other communities. I know your compliance with staying at home except for essentials, exercising near your homes, social distancing and wearing protective face coverings has really helped to keep the spread of this insidious virus down. We are not on the other side of this yet and must continue to follow CDC and state recommendations.
The Governor’s stay-at-home advisory and closure of non-essential businesses remains in effect until May 18. I know that this has been difficult and will continue to challenge all of us as the weather gets nicer. We need to stay the course in these next few weeks. The state is cautiously optimistic that we may be at a point of lifting some restrictions and re-opening our local economy, but we must be smart in how we do it. We’ve come this far, and can’t undo all that we’ve accomplished.
The Newburyport Board of Health Emergency Orders remain in effect. Gatherings of any size are banned and both customers and employees are required to wear masks within essential businesses open to the public. Please continue to stay physically away from other people.
Effective yesterday, May 6th, the Governor’s Executive Order requires face masks or cloth face coverings to be worn in public places where social distancing is not possible. This applies to both indoor and outdoor spaces. Even if you are outside and do not believe you will come in close contact with anyone, be prepared. I recommend wearing your face covering around your neck, then raising it to cover your nose and mouth when you come to within six feet of someone. A face covering may include anything that covers your nose and mouth, including a mask, scarf, or bandana. This is an ENFORCEABLE order, but as I’ve mentioned, we really do not want to penalize or fine people. Our medical experts continue to tell us to wear coverings because doing so will lessen the chance the wearer will infect someone. I ask that we all do the right thing and care for other’s health. Even with a face covering on we should keep six feet distance from others.
Through the generosity of many volunteers around our city, I am pleased to let you know that the city has free cloth face masks available for our residents. They can be obtained at the Newburyport Senior/Community Center at 331 High Street from 9am – 1pm every weekday. Call 978-462-0430 to make arrangements for other pick up times.
As a reminder, playground and athletic fields remain closed. We have managed to keep the Rail Trail, the boardwalk, and other parks and open spaces open, and would like to keep it this way. All public parking on Plum Island is closed; however the beaches and Parker River remain accessible to pedestrians for transitory use only – walking, jogging and biking. We must always strictly adhere to social distancing and wearing of a face covering.
As our public spaces have become more crowded, the Board of Heath is updating their orders to require all dogs to be on-leash at all times in public areas, effective tomorrow, Friday May 7th. The off-lease areas of our parks will be suspended until further notice. It is important for public health and safety that pets and their owners do not interact with people or animals outside the household. Moreover, we want to discourage out of town visitors from coming here due to the off-leash park areas that have continued to be open. We hope this can be temporary and we will re-open off-lease published hours and locations again when the time is right. In the meantime, residents will still be able to enjoy going for a walk with their dog. Thank you for your cooperation on this.
In March, when we announced the closing of schools, it was hard to imagine what this would all look like. In these unprecedented times, the Newburyport faculty and support staff have been asked to reimagine their instruction and think of innovative and engaging ways to reach their students. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and I wish to express my extreme gratitude for our teachers’ commitment to the children of Newburyport. The Superintendent and his team at the School Department are working very hard on plans for the end-of-school traditions, such as high school graduation and senior week activities, 8th grade class day, and grade level transitions. Their goal is to celebrate and highlight student accomplishments and important transitions while maintaining safety.
We understand that many families are waiting to make summer plans for their children with programs and camps. Although the picture for the summer is not very clear yet, we are busy planning for various contingencies. We hope to have more finite direction from the state in a few weeks to determine how to move forward in the safest and wisest manner for our community. The health and well-being of our kids and staff is of the utmost importance.
Our yard waste facility is up and running as of this week. We opened with a line of traffic, as we can only allow a certain number of cars in at once. People were patient, practiced social distancing and wore masks; thank you for this great community effort! We also will not be issuing new permits until sometime in the future when the on line payment system can be finalized. Your current permit or proof of residency can be used for access. The recycling center will not be opening until after the state has lifted the stay at home order. Otherwise, we hear people are busy at home organizing, cleaning out, and wanting to update their green practices which we welcome!
My office has convened an Economic Recovery and Revitalization Task Force to create a plan for re-opening the economy. The Task Force includes representatives from my office, the department of planning and development, the City Council, and the Chamber of Commerce. The Task Force’s first action was releasing an online survey to better understand their individual situations. We’re pleased that over 300 local businesses have responded, and we are in the process of compiling this information. The process to reopen our local economy will prioritize safety and public health first, and will need to be phased, following the same steps we believe the state will be planning with respect to reopening. Sector teams are being finalized to coordinate phased plans for re-opening. We are also working on phased plans for reopening municipal buildings. I have also been in contact with neighboring beach communities and Southern Maine and New Hampshire representatives as we coordinate re-opening efforts. I’m confident we’ll get there soon.
As I have repeatedly stated – remember if you or a family member is sick or not feeling well and may be exhibiting the main symptoms of COVID-19 - please call your health care provider for direction. Do NOT go to AJH or Urgent Care or your PCP without calling first. To honor our nurses during this week’s National Nurses Week, the best thing we can do is be socially responsible. However, it very important for anyone who is ill and needs medical care for other concerns than the Coronavirus to know that our medical professionals and hospitals are well-prepared to provide the care you need in a safe and sanitary environment.
It seems as if all we hear and talk about every day is this pandemic, and it’s hard to keep positive while staying at home. But this crisis has also brought plenty of heartwarming acts of kindness and generosity as we all adapt to this new way of life. I would like to share a few of these moments with you.
- Our local and regional fire and police departments have done ride-bys honoring our Anna Jaques Hospital health workers. This week there were 2 rides to celebrate birthdays of two of our WWII veterans, one 96 and one 102 years old. There have also been many of these ride-bys organized by community members honoring birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and such. Thank you all for bringing cheer and celebrating safely during these difficult times.
- As a message of hope in these challenging times, the Institute Savings Bank donated 200 15-foot trees to the 13 communities it serves as a sign of stability and life. The Bank celebrates its 200th anniversary this year and is one of the oldest financial institutions in the country.
- Our middle schoolers may not have been able to go to Washington DC this year as originally planned, but they still got to learn about civics via a Zoom meeting with Representative Seth Moulton. They got to ask him about his experience in the office and how the federal and state governments are responding to COVID-19;
- Thank you to all of our restaurant and catering providers that have been so generous in donating breakfasts and lunches to our health care providers and first responders; a personal shout out to the Port City Sandwich Company and Sea Level for providing lunch for our public works staff. Thank you, it means so much!
For any of our residents and families needing assistance, we are here to help. We have The Newburyport Connected webpage on the city website, a resource for all, and have dedicated staff available to guide you. Please complete the online form and you will be contacted. You can also use this same form to request gifts cards for food, we have received many donations and would like to distribute these to anyone who needs assistance.
Please, keep checking in with family, friends, and your neighbors. And, remember to look at all of our resources and updates on the city website – www.cityofnewburyport.com.
Lastly, I want to thank all of you, our residents, families, and children for following the guidelines and respecting the restrictions. Remember, it is a 100% proven fact that washing our hands, washing down surfaces, physical distancing, and wearing a mask is making a difference.
And to all mothers, this will probably be a very different celebration this year but I wish all a very Happy Mother’s Day. Don’t forget to call your mother!
Thank you for everything each of you is doing to keep our community safe. Be well, stay healthy and safe.