Mayor Holaday's Weekly COVID-19 Update - December 10, 2020

Mayor Donna D. Holaday
December 10, 2020
COVID-19 UPDATE

Link to recording of speech.


Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for listening in on this latest COVID-19 update.  As you most likely know, the state is rolling back its reopening plan, as a surge of coronavirus infections threaten to overwhelm the state’s healthcare capacity. We are moving back to the first part of phase three beginning this Sunday. The new restrictions aren’t nearly as severe as last spring’s near complete lockdown of the state’s economy, but they will impact a wide variety of businesses, in terms of capacity limits and/or outright closures. The changes that were unveiled were well thought out and calculated. They include the closure of indoor performance venues and indoor recreation businesses, as well as reduced capacity allowed at gyms, libraries, places of worship and other public venues. There is also additional mask guidance for many indoor businesses and activities. Changes for the restaurant industry include customers being required to wear masks unless they are eating or drinking, table capacities for people back from ten to six, and 90-minute time limits on tables. There are also changes to outdoor and indoor gatherings with new guidelines. Detailed changes and restrictions are listed on the state’s website at www.mass.gov/covid-19 or the city website at www.cityofnewburyport/covid -19. 

This will be a critical time for our local businesses and restaurants and I’m asking you to support them. Shopping at local stores and ordering from our small retailers online or curbside pickup has always been a good idea, but COVID-19 has made it more important than ever.  We need to be there for them.  When we spend locally, we are helping to keep their doors open and keeping our downtown viable and active. We can help create hope for the future of our business owners in our city.

And for our arts and cultural community who have pivoted to digital and remote programming amid the pandemic, our hope and my belief is that we will be there for them when we can return to live performances, audiences and gatherings. In the meantime, support them in any way you can.  Unfortunately, we are considerable time away from what a Phase 4 will look like, but regardless, our arts and cultural organizations will take a lot of support from the community to return to pre-Covoid periods. 

Like many Massachusetts communities, Newburyport is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases. Recent days have seen record COVID-19 cases within the state, and we are no exception.  We are now at 552 positive cases since the pandemic began in March, and sadly have lost 23 residents in our city. We are clearly in a second surge at the local level, there is no question about it. In November we had 215 cases, and already, for the first 9 days in December, are at a startling number of 121 cases.  As a comparison, during the first surge of infections back in the spring, Newburyport had a total of 85 positive cases from March through May.  And through the summer months a total of 50 cases, and in the fall a total of 81 cases. So, as you can see, these current numbers are extremely concerning at the local level. 

We have added temporary part time contact tracers to aid in the Health Department’s contact tracing and positive case management.  We are asking residents who have tested position or if someone in their household tests positive for COVID-19 to proactively reach out to our Health Department to begin the quarantine and contact tracing process.  We ask that all contacted be honest and forthright with our contact tracers, especially during this time with the increase in positive cases. They are taking great care to be complete and thorough in tracing of our cases. 

As far as information on postitive cases, our Health Department continues to see the virus spreading mainly through family contact within the household and contact through social interactions outside of school and work.  There has also been several restaurants in the past few weeks with positive cases, but fortunately, it does appear there has not been a spread within the workplace.  There have also been two assisted living facilities with clusters of cases and our Health Department worked with those working facilities.

We have been doing well within the school district. Even though we’ve had cases come into the schools, we have not had in school transmissions and this has been largely attributed to the safety protocols in place. It is also important to note that we do have more students staying home this year as a precaution rather than coming into school.  Credit is due to our parents for following the protocols and being more cautious about sending their children to school when they have symptoms of a cold or other illness. However, since the start of the school year, we have had 69 students dismissed due to possible exposure of the virus, and 36 students and 6 staff members who have tested positive.

Based on the increase in overall COVID-19 cases in Newburyport, the schools will move to a full virtual learning model in all grades starting Monday, December 21st through Wednesday, December 23rd and then the December vacation begins. The plan as of now is to return to our hybrid learning model at the end of the December break, unless activity with the virus tells us otherwise. We continue to closely monitor the local metrics and collaborate with our medical advisory team to ensure everything is being done to protect the health of our students and staff.

On a positive and exhilarating note, a national COVID-19 vaccination program is underway, and this is wonderful news. While there may be a limited supply initially, the efforts will be focused on those critical to the COVID-19 response, those providing direct care, and for those at highest risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19. The general public in Massachusetts could receive the COVID-19 vaccine as early as April under a three-phase distribution plan unveiled Wednesday by Governor Baker. Phase one will include healthcare workers doing direct COVID-19 care, long term care facilities, police, fire and emergency medical services, along with healthcare workers doing home-base and non-COVID health care. Phase 2 will include individuals with high-risk for COVID-19 complications, early education and K-12 teachers and staff, transit, grocery, utility, food and agriculture, sanitation, public works and public health workers, and adults 65 years and older. Phase 3 will include the general public.  So, while small numbers of the vaccine are coming soon for front line health care workers, first responders and residents and staff of Long-Term Care Facilities, it will still take several months for vaccines to be available for us all.

And that means we are going to need to keep being careful. It is strongly recommended that we don’t spend a lot of time in indoor spaces with people we don’t live with. And please don’t go to a friend or neighbor’s house without a mask on. We all need to do our part in slowing the spread of the virus which has spiked since before Thanksgiving and continues to grow.  So please, wear a mask, keep your distance, and see other people outdoors as much as possible. While the first coronavirus vaccines are arriving shortly, the need to wear a face mask is not going away anytime soon.

It could be six to nine months or longer before enough residents are vaccinated to where it is safe to significantly relax coronavirus-related restrictions, ease up on social distancing guidelines and not require face masks. 

COVID-19 has not only brought a new “normal” to every-day living, it has made us rethink these holidays and celebrations. The familiar sights, sounds and smells of the holidays are upon us. TV commercials, gift catalogues, and storefront windows provide telltale signs that the season is in full swing.  But as the cases surge across the state and locally, the usual parties and celebrations with friends and families need to be reconsidered. Not only is the medical field contending with the rise in cases, we need to be mindful that it is also flu season. This means we have to take all necessary precautions to reduce the spread of respiratory illness.


Experts strongly advise limiting in-person holiday celebrations to those in your own household and linking up with family and friends virtually. And when it comes to travel, it is better not to travel for everyone’s health and safety.  Unfortunately, “Home for the Holidays” takes on a whole new meaning in this COVID-19 era. So, let’s stay the course and bunker down, and hope we’re in the beginning of a home stretch with a vaccination program on the way.

Better times are ahead, stay safe and be well. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.