• Route 25: November 8, 2020
• Route 3: November 15, 2020

Work will take place on each corridor in the east to west or north to south direction. Work will typically be completed during the overnight hours. Construction schedule updates are posted regularly to the project website. For more information on the project, to submit a comment or question, or to sign up for construction updates, please visit the project website: newmassexits.com

Sincerely,

Highway Administrator, MA Dept. of Transportation

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Updates from state government

• As of Monday night, DPH reported a total of 156,385 cases of COVID-19. The state has now confirmed a total of 9,797 deaths from the virus.
• The number of confirmed and probable deaths caused by COVID-19 surpassed 10,000 over the weekend as 2,431 new people tested positive for the virus and new daily cases detected continues to exceed 1,000 a day. The Department of Public Health reported 1,292 new confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus on Saturday and another 1,139 on Sunday. The totals stemmed from 34,846 new individuals tested for COVID-19. With the 38 newly reported deaths of people confirmed to have had the virus, the toll in Massachusetts climbed to 10,013 confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19, including 9,788 from confirmed cases of the virus.
• Daily counts of more than 1,000 new cases are now the norm in Massachusetts as the predicted virus resurgence has come to pass. Public health and government officials, however, say the state is better prepared to respond to the virus than in the spring when COVID-19 was a new disease and hospitals feared becoming overrun. Based on the ways the state calculates positive testing rates counting people who are tested frequently, the state’s rate dropped to 1.8 percent over the weekend from a high of 2 percent last week. In an attempt to make the publicly released COVID-19 data more useful, the Department of Public Health has reorganized the daily “dashboard” that reports on new cases, testing and other metrics, and the department on Monday will begin reporting on case growth by age group and the impact of university testing on broader state trends. Secretary Sudders said the new daily report will also allow researchers and members of the public view trend lines that go back to March and also for the past six weeks.
• The separating out of COVID-19 case growth by age coincides with recent warnings from the administration that spread among people under 30 has become more prevalent that among those over 60, which is a reverse from the early days of the pandemic. Too many people in Massachusetts have let down their guard when it comes to protecting against the coronavirus that has killed more than 10,000 people here since mid-March and the state must take steps now to slow the spread of the virus or else hospitals will be overrun with COVID-19 patients by the holidays, Governor Baker said Monday.
• Starting Friday, everyone above the age of five in Massachusetts will be required to wear a mask or facecoveringindoors and outdoors in public, regardless of whether social distancing is practiced, and restaurants and entertainment venues will be subject to a 9:30 p.m. curfew, the governor announced. The state’s indoor gathering limit will be lowered to 10 people, down from 25, as well.
• The governor said his decision to put more restrictive measures in place was made after consultation with public health experts whom he said “are increasingly concerned about the virus’s spread and the uptick it creates in hospitalizations.” He said health care workers are becoming alarmed by the state’s recent resurgence.
• The House sent legislation to the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee on Monday that would allow businesses to retain their alcohol licenses for up to a year after ceasing operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives also approved local bills and an extension order for legislation related to Clinton’s police chief.
• In July, Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler and emergency department doctor Rep. Jon Santiago filed a bill that would legislate mandatory face-covering usage during the current state of emergency in a manner similar to Governor Baker’s May 1 executive order. Four months later, the Senate on Monday sent the bill (SD 3005) to the Public Health Committee where lawmakers can begin to review it. The bill also contains elements similar to other orders from Baker including a quarantine period for interstate travelers. Governor Baker’s authority to institute those orders on his own is currently under legal challenge before the Supreme Judicial Court in Desrosiers v. Baker, on which the state’s highest court heard arguments in September.
• State lawmakers will take up legislation related to abortion and reproductive health care at some point in the next two months, Democratic leaders announced Monday, setting the table for a rare high-profile debate after elections are complete. With legislation governing abortion access hung up in committee since early 2019, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka said in a brief joint statement that they are “committed” to holding debate by the end of the current lawmaking session, though they offered few details on what shape the legislation will take. It is not clear if DeLeo and Spilka were referring to the so-called ROE Act (H 3320 / S 1209), which would eliminate parental consent requirements for teenagers seeking abortions, permit abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy in limited cases, and require insurance coverage of abortions for state residents who are not eligible for MassHealth. Those bills have been cosponsored by a majority of members in each branch, but they have been sitting before the Judiciary Committee for more than a year.
• Governor Baker activated up to 1,000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard on Monday as one step in preparations to ensure Massachusetts “is positioned to maintain public safety following Tuesday’s election,” his administration said. Secretary of Public Safety Tom Turco said there is “no indication of any public safety risk in Massachusetts” but that the administration is making resources are available in case municipal officials request state assistance. The National Guard has been similarly activated a few times in recent months without its members being pressed into duty.
• Another 1.3 million people are projected to cast their ballots on Tuesday, and when added to the 2.3 million people who have already voted the anticipated turnout would set a new record during an intense and unusual presidential election cycle. Secretary of State William Galvin on Monday forecast that total turnout would surpass the 3.3 million record set in the 2016 presidential election, by more than 300,000 people. He said polling places, which will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday, will be safe from a public health standpoint, with COVID-19 precautions in place, and that elections officials are expecting a “very orderly day.” More than 4.8 million people are now registered to vote in Massachusetts, according to Galvin, who said there has been “a consistent increase in voter registration” and a decline in the number of inactive voters.
• Several major property owners representing hundreds of thousands of rental units nationwide agreed Monday to pause evictions for failure to pay rent until 2021 and to work with tenants who are struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greater Boston Real Estate Board announced. By signing the board’s housing stability pledge, property holders and landlords said they would communicate with tenants experiencing financial hardship about emergency support programs that could help them cover rent. They also said they will pursue repayment plans and seek mediation as first steps before turning to formal eviction proceedings.

Special thanks to MassAccess for providing these updates.

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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 601 with 53 new cases today. 5,103 Lynn residents have recovered and 123 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 5,827. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

Yesterday, Governor Baker announced updates to several executive orders which all go into effect statewide this Friday, November 6^th to assist in the State’s COVID-19 response efforts:

• A Stay at Home Advisory from 10:00pm-5:00am to ensure residents avoid unnecessary activities. Residents are still allowed to conduct essential business such as going to or from work, school, the grocery store or the pharmacy during the advisory.
• Certain businesses and activities must be closed at 9:30pm, such as in person dining, adult use cannabis sales, casinos, and fitness centers. Restaurants may continue to provide takeout and delivery after 9:30pm for food and non-alcoholic beverages.
• The gatherings order has been adjusted for private residences, limiting 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Indoor gatherings at event venues or in public settings are limited to 25 people. Outdoor gatherings at event venues or in public settings in Lynn are limited to 50 people. All gatherings must disperse by 9:30pm.
• All persons over the age of 5 must wear face masks whenever they are in public, inside and outside, regardless of their distance from other people. Those people who are unable to wear a mask due to a medical or a disabling condition are still exempt from this order.

Please visit the Governor’s Press website to view the full details of the updated orders:https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-targeted-measures-to-curb-rising-covid-19-cases.

Stop the Spread Initiative Testing have been extended until December 31^st

Please visit http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/covid19/resources.shtml#p7GPc1_2 for more information on how you can get a free COVID-19 test in the City of Lynn until December 31st.

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).