Schools closed until May 4th, Statement from Mayor McGee – March 25, 2020

The City of Lynn, the Emergency Management Team and our Department of Public Health continue to take proactive steps to slow community transmission of COVID-19 and prepare for further spread of the virus. The Board of Health has been notified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that we now have 7 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the City of Lynn.

The patients are currently in quarantine in their home. Officials within the Lynn Department of Public Health will be actively monitoring the patients and conducting an extensive investigation into who the patients have come into contact with recently. All those people who have been confirmed to have come into direct contact with this patient will be notified by their local Board of Health. They will be instructed to stay at home and the Public Health Department will be in daily communication with them regarding their potential symptoms for fourteen (14) days.

Today, Governor Baker announced at a press conference that all public and private schools and all non-emergency day care centers will be closed until Monday, May 4 . Earlier this week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced a two week, “stay at home” advisory for all residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on March 23, 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Grocery Stores, pharmacies, medical facilities and gas stations will remain open.

“We are urging residents to follow the Governor’s Order and stay home to help us slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee. “The number of confirmed cases in the city, state and country continue to increase steadily as we test more individuals. I want to reassure everyone that there is no need to rush to grocery stores or gas stations—they will remain open. There is no need to stock up on items. Please continue to shop for essential supplies as you normally would to avoid overcrowding essential businesses. Moving forward, we must all pitch in to help prevent community spread by substantially limiting the number of times we leave our home, postponing any unnecessary meetings or gatherings, and practicing social distancing at all times.”

We will continue to provide regular updates on the City website, social media, and through the Smart 911 emergency notification system as the situation evolves. We encourage all residents to visit the City of Lynn Health Department “Coronavirus Resources” page at www.lynnma.gov/coronavirus which includes information and links on COVID-19 from the CDC, and to sign up for the Smart 911 updates at smart911.com/

Please follow www.lynnma.gov for more updates.