Gov. Baker’s reopening plan, Sen. Markey Press Conference on Small Biz Relief & PPP, & more | May 18, 2020

Tune in at 3pm every weekday on our Government Channel or Facebook page for an update from city officials. Past updates can be found by clicking here. At 2pm & 8pm we are also airing Gov. Baker’s press conferences.

See other COVID-19 related posts by clicking here.
See our running list of announcements for Lynn by visiting bit.ly/LynnCOVID19.

Gov. Baker unveils reopening plan for state, Phase 1 begins immediately

Governor Charlie Baker today announced details for the state’s reopening plan, which is able to begin immediately.

The plan was created with help from the Governor’s Reopening Advisory Board and other state officials. It outlines requirements for four phases, including guidance for individuals, government, employers, employees and the health system.

Gov. Baker said that how and when businesses will reopen, and how individuals should act, will be detailed in the 4-phase plan. The phases are being labeled (in order) as Start, Cautious, Vigilant, & New Normal. Each phase will last approx. 3 weeks, but has the potential to last longer or revert if public health data warrants it.

Baker also said that hospitalizations were down & the trends in public health were positive, but urged caution. He asked the public to continue to follow social distancing protocols, wearing masks, and staying home if sick. He is still encouraging businesses to allow workers to continue to work remote, to continue to keep the spread of COVID-19 under control.

All residents are advised to leave home only for health care, worship, permitted work, shopping, and outdoor activities (excluding sports). The plan calls for people over the age of 65 and people who have underlying health conditions — who are at high risk for COVID-19 — to continue to stay home except for essential errands such as going to the grocery store and to attend to health care needs.

The following businesses will be allowed to
open again in Phase 1:

• Allowed to open immediately: Construction, Firearm retailers and shooting ranges, Home remodeling, In home installations (construction related), Manufacturing, & Places of worship (40% of building’s capacity).
• Allowed to open May 25th (Memorial Day): In home installations (non-construction related), Auto dealers and wholesalers (curbside pickup/delivery only), Car washes, Drive-in movie theaters, Hair salons / barbershops, General office spaces at 25% capacity (June 1st for Boston), Lab space, Libraries (curbside pickup/delivery only), Pet grooming, retail stores (curbside pickup and remote fulfillment), recreational cannabis stores (curbside pickup/delivery only)
• Businesses operating prior to today to provide Essential Services, as defined in the Governor’s Executive Order, may remain open and have until May 25th to comply with their industry’s sector-specific protocols (if applicable). If able, businesses are strongly encouraged to continue having employees work remotely.
• All businesses are required to follow Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards, Sector specific safety protocols, and best practices. Businesses must also develop a written control plan outlining how their workplace will comply with the mandatory safety standards for operation in the COVID-19 reopening period.

• Recreation/outdoors reopenings on May 25th: beaches will open for more activities, parks with expanded services/facilities, fishing, hunting, boating,Outdoor adventure activities (including ski area summer activities, zip-lines, and mountain biking), outdoor gardens, zoos, reserves and public installations.

Read the press release from the state of MA by clicking here.
Read more about the reopening plans on the state’s website by clicking here.

ACM & local governments across nation
file suit against FCC

From Alliance For Community Media President/CEO Mike Wassenaar:

The Alliance and our allies in local government filed suit against the FCC Friday challenging the legality of its Third Order and Report on Cable Franchising (the so-called “In-Kind” Order filed August 2019).

The heart of the suit demonstrates how the FCC usurped the role of Congress by rewriting the Cable Act’s “franchise fee” definition and taking away the role Congress gave to local communities when it said in law that communities could determine local community cable-related needs and interests.

The FCC’s action also would cut local governments’ fee revenue by millions of dollars just as those governments are simultaneously suffering huge budget shortfalls due to the corona-virus crisis.

Here’s a copy of our filing, along with the filing of other colleagues in local government.

The case in the 6^th US Circuit Court will continue through the year – we’ll keep you updated as the arguments continue.

Read our past articles about the Alliance’s work to defend community

media from the FCC by clicking here.

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4,000+ COVID-19 Care Kits given out in matter of hours this weekend

This weekend Commercial Street had cars backed up from the Lynnway to the Common, going all the way to the Lynn Tech parking lot. They were all there for the COVID-19 Care Kits the City of Lynn’s Police & Fire Departments were handing out to residents. These kits contained masks, education material, sanitizing supplies, and personal care items.

From the Lynn Fire Dept. on Facebook:

A successful morning at Lynn Tech. Off duty Lynn police officers and firefighters were able to distribute more than 4000 comfort care kits to our citizens. Thank you to North Shore Medical Center for providing the kits. Unfortunately, the demand was so high we ran out in just a couple hours.

Sen. Edward Markey’s Press Conference on Small Biz Relief & PPP

Watch the full press conference, available on our website, below.

From Mayor McGee’s office:

The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 2,095 with 20 new cases today. 858 Lynn residents have recovered and 82 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 3,035.

Governor Charlie Baker announced a four-phase plan for re-opening Massachusetts. All individuals should continue to wear face coverings, wash your hands, social distance, be vigilant for symptoms and stay home if you feel sick. Residents are still encouraged to stay home unless they are conducting essential business, seeking medical attention or engaging in an outdoor recreational activity under the Safer at Home Advisory. The limitation of gatherings of no more than 10 people remains in effect and people over the age of 65 and who are high risk are advised to continue to stay home. Please visit www.mass.gov/reopening to read the State’s entire reopening plan.

Today, May 18th, marks the beginning of Phase 1 where essential businesses will remain open in addition to the reopening of construction, manufacturing and places of worship. All workplaces that are open in Phase 1 must follow the Mandatory Safety Standards for Workplaces and sector specific protocols put together by the Governor’s Reopening Advisory Board. These standards are designed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission to employees and customers during the first phases of reopening, and are applicable to all sectors and industries. Please visit www.mass.gov/…/reopening-mandatory-safety-standards-for-wor… to learn more.

The Mayor and Public Health Director have updated and extended both the Curfew and Social Behaviors and Essential Services orders within the City of Lynn until Monday, June 1st.

We will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 through the City website (www.lynnma.gov), social media, and the Smart 911 emergency notification system (sign up at www.smart911.com).