Special July 3rd Fireworks & Speech programming, MA travel guidelines, Commuter Rail fares lowered, & more | July 1, 2020

Our COVID-19 weekday updates with city officials have ended, but will resume if there is any breaking news or urgent information to get out to the public.
Past updates can be found by clicking here.

See other COVID-19 related posts by clicking here

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Special programming on Friday to keep
Lynn’s July 3rd traditions alive

We are proud to announce that we will have special programming on our Public Access TV channel starting at 8pm on Friday, July 3rd. The aim of this special programming is to keep Lynn traditions alive this year, when COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of our annual July 3rd events here in the City of Lynn.

At 8PM we will be airing a special program sent to us by member Wendy Joseph, who has been working on this project with fellow member Calvin Anderson. This is a special 10th year of the Frederick Douglass Community event, where 44 Lynners take turns reading his speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”. It also includes retrospective images of years past, with remarks by Coordinator Wendy Joseph, City Council President Darren Cyr, Mayor Thomas M. McGee and a special surprise commentator.

At 9PM we will air a special presentation of the annual Lynn/Swampscott Fireworks show. This program will be feature performances by Lois Lane & The Daily Planets and fireworks from the 2017-2019 shows.

We will be broadcasting them on TV (Comcast: 3 / Verizon: 38), on our our website & on our Facebook page. Join us on Facebook to watch and comment along live with fellow Lynners, & keep these traditions alive!

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City Council & FY 2021 Budget Update

From Ward 2 Councilor Rick Starbard: As we begin to open things back up, we are back to in person city council meetings even though we are spaced out in the council chamber and outside participants are required to phone in (click here for more info). At last night’s meeting we set down a public hearing for the FY21 City Budget which will be on July 14th. Hopefully by that point, City Hall will be open to the public. If it is not, provisions will be made which will allow residents an opportunity to offer comment. The proposed budget should be made available shortly on the lynnma.gov web site.

While the city was on track coming out of our financial crisis, Covid-19 has brought everything including city finances to a screeching halt. The preliminary budget presented to the council from the Mayor and CFO is balanced but that was only made possible from a series of cuts from almost every department. While state aid numbers looked good before the pandemic, we are still unsure where we stand now but expect that it will now be significantly lower. The city has also seen a large drop in meals taxes and fees that are typically collected. The sooner that we can get businesses open and people back to work everywhere, the sooner that we can get back to normal, both in our lives and finances.

Special thanks to Ward 2 Councilor Rick Starbard for this information. The info. above was taken from his Ward 2 newsletter, found by clicking here.

Watch last night’s City Council meeting by clicking here.

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All travelers arriving to MA, including residents returning home, are instructed to self-quarantine for 14-days

Effective Wednesday, July 1, all travelers arriving to Massachusetts, including residents returning home, are instructed to self-quarantine for 14-days. This guidance does not apply to travelers from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York or New Jersey. Additionally, workers designated by the federal government as essential critical infrastructure workers are also exempt from this directive.

Travelers who are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 are instructed to not travel to Massachusetts. All visitors and residents of MA are also reminded that the use of masks or face coverings in public places where individuals cannot socially distance from others remains required.

These new guidelines replace previously announced MA travel guidance.

Learn more about this guidance by clicking here.

A number of states have issued travel restrictions. The situation is rapidly changing. For national travel information, please visit www.travel.state.gov. 

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Updates from state government

• As of Tuesday night, DPH reported a total of 108,882 cases of COVID-19. The state has now confirmed a total of 8,054 deaths from the virus. According to DPH, due to ongoing data cleaning which identifies and removes duplicate reports, the number of both confirmed and probable deaths has decreased as of today’s report. Yesterday was the first day since March that the state did not report a new COVID related death.
• Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito also announced a new $20 million rental assistance program that will use a mix of CARES Act and other federal funds to provide relief of up to $4,000 per household to low-income families struggling to pay their rents or mortgages due to COVID-19. Governor Baker has been getting pressure this week to extend the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures put in place in April to protect those who could not cover their housing costs during the pandemic as businesses closed and income dried up. The moratorium expires on Aug. 18, but the governor has the option to extend it for 90 days at a time.
• The Department of Conservation and Recreation announced state park usage is surging, based on data from a June 23 COVID-19 Community Mobility Report prepared by Google. That document shows that mobility related to places like national parks, public beaches, marinas, dog parks, plazas and public gardens in Massachusetts is up 99 percent over the baseline, and even higher for specific counties.
• Members of the Massachusetts Board of Education on Tuesday dove into the plan to reopen Massachusetts schools this fall under new COVID-19 precautions, with the unknown variables associated with a still-unsettled state budget looming over school districts. The final DESE guidance will be released in July. The education department will address topics including transportation, athletics and extracurriculars, special programs and populations, facilities and operations, academic calendar considerations and other key policies, remote learning resources, prerequisites for in-person reopenings, and the process for handling a COVID-19 case within a school community.

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MBTA Reminder: Lynn Commuter Rail lower fare pilot, 5-day Flex Pass pilot, & Youth Pass Improvements

The MBTA is reminding customers of fares initiatives that start tomorrow, July 1. Zone 1A fares will again be temporarily accepted at Lynn and Riverworks Commuter Rail Stations on a pilot basis beginning tomorrow through Monday, August 31; the new Five-day Flex Pass on mTicket pilot, which is a bundled fare good for any five days of travel within a thirty-day period, also begins tomorrow; and Youth Pass holders can purchase half-price fares for all Commuter Rail zones also beginning July 1.

“We’re excited to begin offering these fare pilots starting tomorrow, which expand our efforts to offer more travel options that promote social distancing efforts,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “The Lynn Zone 1A pilot allows riders to travel between Lynn and Downtown Boston for the same price as a subway fare, and we hope this pilot will reduce crowding on area buses. Commuter Rail customers can also now purchase a Flex Pass on mTicket and use their five one-day passes any day within a thirty-day period, giving riders the flexibility to travel when they need to, using an option that’s cheaper than the traditional roundtrip ticket. Our Youth Pass holders can now purchase half-price fares on the Commuter Rail – an option that was not previously available.”

More on the Lynn Zone 1A Pilot:

The Lynn Zone 1A Pilot is again being offered so the MBTA may provide additional travel options for North Shore customers, ease crowding on nearby bus routes, and to allow the MBTA to collect ridership data related to the effects of temporary fare changes on relieving crowding.

Zone 1A fares were temporarily accepted at Lynn from May 22 to May 31 in an effort to provide additional travel options for customers affected by the Blue Line shutdown from Bowdoin to Airport and so that MBTA staff could begin to gather ridership data related to temporary fare changes. Though data on Commuter Rail and relevant bus route ridership was inconclusive given the short length of the May offering, the MBTA hopes a longer two-month pilot will allow customers to learn about the Commuter Rail option so that additional data can be collected.

Customers heading inbound from Lynn or Riverworks to North Station and outbound from North Station to Lynn or Riverworks can purchase a Zone 1A ticket on mTicket, at a fare vending machine, onboard, or at a ticket window at North Station. Zone 1A monthly passes printed on CharlieTickets or CharlieCards or on mTicket will also be accepted. A one-way Zone 1A commuter rail fare is $2.40, which is the same as a CharlieCard subway fare. Bus Routes that stop at Lynn Station include Routes 426, 429, 435, 436, 441, 442, and 455.

More on the Five-day Flex Pass:

With the understanding that travel patterns are changing and many employers are exploring new ways of working like staggered schedules and telework policies, this new fare product aims to serve Commuter Rail riders whose commutes may change as they return to using the system during the Commonwealth’s reopening phases. This product also comes as part of the MBTA’s Fare Transformation program, which aims to make paying for transit easier and more convenient.

The Five-day Flex Pass Pilot will take place beginning July 1 through September 30 and is available within the mTicket app only. Once purchased within mTicket, the Flex Pass provides five one-day passes that can be used at any time in a thirty-day period. Available for all zones and interzones, the price of a Five-day Flex Pass is a 10% discount when compared to five round-trip tickets.

More on Youth Pass Improvements:

As part of the Five-day Flex Pass pilot, beginning July 1, Youth Pass holders can now purchase half-price fares for all Commuter Rail zones at ticket windows, onboard, and via the mTicket app, which was not previously available to Youth Pass holders. The Youth Pass Program is a partnership between the MBTA and participating cities and towns that offers young adults with low incomes roughly 50% reduced one-way fares or $30 monthly LinkPasses and was previously only available on bus and subway. Other recent Youth Pass updates include approval this past May by the Fiscal and Management Control Board of allowing Youth Pass holders to purchase half-price Zone 1A Commuter Rail tickets. This half-price Zone 1A Youth Pass ticket is available through the use of Fairmount Line validators, at ticket windows, and onboard trains beginning upon the commencement of the  Fairmount Line Weekday Service Pilot, which began on June 22.

In compliance with the Commonwealth’s Reopening Massachusetts Report, riders are also reminded that face coverings are required while onboard MBTA service and within stations.

For more information, please visit mbta.com or connect with the T on Twitter@MBTA, Facebook /TheMBTA, or Instagram @theMBTA.