The Lincoln Squirrel

News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

Covid-19*

Covid-19 news for March 16

Click here for a collection of previous stories and updates on the effects in Lincoln of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Social services in Lincoln

Bemis Hall is closed, but Lincoln’s social services staff are available by phone or email to help residents of all ages with:

  • Having food and medication delivered
  • Getting emergency financial assistance with rent or utilities
  • Other urgent resource or social service needs

Council on Aging Director Carolyn Bottum is at her desk manning the phone while other social services staff are working remotely. Call 781-259-8811 during regular COA hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or email bottumc@lincolntown.org 

If you would like to donate funds to help residents who may experience difficulties due to the inability to work or other circumstances during this crisis, please send a check to the Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund, COA, Town of Lincoln, 16 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, MA 01773. 

As a reminder, all nonessential Council on Aging activities (classes, tax preparation, transportation, and senior dining) are canceled until further notice.

Town government

In response to the evolving public health emergency, town offices will be closed to the public except by appointment, effective Tuesday, March 17. However, the town’s essential services (public health, public safety, water department, public works, cemetery, inspectional services and Town Administrator Tim Higgins’s office) continue to be staffed and remain fully functional. Contact Higgins at 781-259-2604 or higginst@lincolntown.org, or Assistant Town Administrator Mary Day at 781-259-2603 or daym@lincolntown.org.

Some business transactions (property and excise bill payment, building permits, dog licenses and vital records) have been automated and are accessible through the town’s website at www.lincolntown.org. Anyone having difficulty navigating these services may contact Patrice Brennan brennanp@lincolntown.org.

The town’s key leadership boards, including the Board of Selectmen, Board of Health, School Committee, and Finance Committee, will continue to function and coordinate. For the most current public health emergency response information visit: lincolnpublichealthnews.com.

Food pantry

The Lincoln Food Pantry, operated by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) at St. Joseph Church, expects that the need for food and financial support will greatly increase over the coming weeks. SVdP serves 200 clients who live, work or go to school in Lincoln or Weston and also offers emergency financial assistance with rent, utilities, car repairs, medications, etc.

Residents can help by donating nonperishable food. Suggestions of items to add to your shopping list (please make sure the food is within the sell-by date):

  • Progresso soup
  • pasta sauce
  • cereals
  • peanut butter and jelly
  • canned tuna
  • mayonnaise
  • shelf-stable Parmesan cheese
  • crackers
  • cookies
  • gluten-free items
  • paper towels and toilet paper

Food donations may be left at:

  • St. Joseph’s Church, in the vestibule at the side entrance where the ramp is.
  • St. Julia’s Church in Weston, at the back of the church
  • Donelan’s (buy and drop in the collection bin behind the registers)

Deliveries of online orders (without a signature required) from places like Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Walmart, etc., can be sent to Chris Connell, 142, Lincoln Rd., Lincoln MA 01773

To donate funds, please send checks to SVdP, PO Box 324, Lincoln MA 01773, made payable to SVdP. For more information, please contact Ursula Nowak at unowak33@gmail.com or 781 259 4297.

Anyone in need of food may contact Karen Boyce at karenboyce620@gmail.com or 781-259-9303. For emergency financial assistance, contact Tomasina Lucchese at tomasinal@mac.com  or 617-680-4159.

Commuter rail schedule reduced

Starting Tuesday, March 17, the MBTA commuter rail is reducing service. There will be seven trains each way stopping in Lincoln per day, vs. the usual 17. Click here for the train schedule. Subway and bus lines are on a Saturday schedule.

Transfer station

The swap table area at the transfer station will be closed until April 1. Trash and recycling drop-off will continue normally. The Department of Public Works office will also be closed and no new transfer station stickers will be issued until April 1. Questions? Call the DPW at 781-259-8999.

Restaurants

All Massachusetts restaurants have been ordered to stop dine-in service. However, Lincoln’s eateries are adapting. Real is now offering a small selection of family-friendly takeout dinners delivered to your car. Go to www.keepitreallincoln.com/real-takeout/ and place your order by 5 p.m. You can also order from their regular menu by calling 781-259-9464 or ordering from www.keepitreallincoln.com/menu-dinner. Gift cards are also available.

Beginning March 16, the Twisted Tree will start offering delivery to the local community, and will continue to have pick up options available as well. Visit thetwistedtreecafe.com to place your order.

Police Department

The Lincoln Police Department is fully operational but is taking antiviral precautions. “Officers are using lots of Clorox wipes in the cruisers and workstations along with hand sanitizer, and more importantly, washing their hands with soap and water,” Lt. Sean Kennedy said on Monday. “During traffic stops or motor vehicle crashes, officers have been told to verbally obtain the individual’s information vs. handling their paperwork. It’s easy enough for them to check the driver’s information on the computer. Traffic is way down, and our incidents are way down as well. People seem to be hunkering down, which is good.”

School closings extended

Gov. Charlie Baker has ordered all public schools in Massachusetts to stay closed until at least April 6.

Emerson Hospital appeal

Emerson Hospital employees are in desperate need of childcare. If you or someone you know can provide babysitting in their homes, please contact Emerson HR Manager Diana Marzoratti at DMarzoratti@emersonhosp.org.

More information:

Covid-19 updates in Lincoln

Town health and government

The town has established a Covid-19 updates page here. Public health questions should be addressed to Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean at PublicHealthNurse@lincolntown.org. Questions regarding town services and response planning should be directed to Town Administrator Tim Higgins at higginst@lincolntown.org. Board of Selectmen Chair Jennifer Glass is also available to answer questions at selectmen@lincolntown.org.

Town officials will continue to make use of customary communication channels including the town’s website, LincolnTalk, the Lincoln Squirrel, cable television, periodic mailings, reverse 911 phone calls when appropriate, our public safety message boards, and social media.

A group of residents has assembled this list of resources and contacts for those who want to help as well as those who need help during the Covid-19 crisis. 

Lincoln Public Schools

All school events are cancelled and all meetings including staff meetings, professional development, student conferences, IST meetings, and IEP team meetings are cancelled or postponed. All school buildings are closed and no entry will be allowed, except to carry out essential functions related to Covid-19 cleaning or required building and district operations. Administrators are monitoring who enters the building to carry out essential operations and are using strict cleaning protocols following access. 

The state Commissioner of Education has amended the rules so that schools are not required to make up closed days beyond the 185th day on the school calendar. The last day for students on both campuses will be Friday, June 19 as noted on the 2019-2020 academic calendar.

During the closure, schools will not attempt to run school virtually or conduct a formal online learning program, as students have a range of learning needs, access to technology, and levels of support at home. However, they’re providing families with a collection of home learning resources to use as a menu of activities and learning experiences. They are provided “as-is” and will not be evaluated, assessed, or graded.  Assistant Superintendent Jess Rose will share these resources with parents via email by the end of the day on Monday, March 16.

Faculty and staff are checking their email, though they may not be able to respond immediately because they are home with their families. Teachers have been given recommendations for work they can do from home to ensure that they’re fully prepared for the return to school.

Families are reminded that social distancing means staying approximately 6 feet away from others. You may be able to go for a run, hike in the woods, play in the yard or driveway, or have a Skype visit, but not have a group sleepover or multi-person playdate. School administrators strongly urge parents to supervise their children and ensure they are not participating in group activities.

Drinking water is safe

The Covid-19 virus has not been detected anywhere in drinking water, and the Lincoln Water Department assures customers that the town’s water treatment plant is well equipped to remove and disinfect viruses through the filtration and disinfection process. The department is following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations with treatment requirements for public water systems that prevent waterborne pathogens such as viruses from contaminating drinking water. Click here for more information.

School Building Committee

The March 18 community forum to present items that were to be voted on at the Special Town Meeting. on March 28 has been canceled. The SBC will hold a virtual community forum on a  date to be announced. The March 18 SBC meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. The meeting is necessary in order to vote approvals for expenditures, but it will probably take place virtually. This is possible because Gov. Baker signed an executive order that relaxed the Open Meeting Law rules for remote participation. The meeting must still be open to the community and there must be a quorum in order to make decisions, but the quorum does not need to be present in the same location. The town is determining the best way to hold virtual meetings so that the format and accessibility is as uniform as possible.

Parks and Rec

The Parks and Recreation Department has canceled all classes and programs through Friday, March 27. The office along with all school campus buildings are closed for cleaning, and staff will be working remotely. Those with questions may contact Park and Rec Director Daniel Pereira at 781-389-0280 or dpereira@lincnet.org.

Magic Garden

Both locations of the Magic Garden Children’s Center are closed through March 27. On March 13, the preschool disinfected the classrooms and office spaces, and all classroom equipment, toys, and materials at both locations. A professional cleaning company will also complete a deep cleaning process on Monday and Tuesday, March 16 and 17. Although the available information indicates that the Covid-19 virus does not live on soft surfaces, the preschool is also having its classroom rugs and couches disinfected and cleaned.

Magic Garden teachers will be in touch with families on a daily basis to provide them with ideas for things to do with their children at home. They’ve also shared their regular classroom schedules as a guide to support parents. 

Drumlin Farm

Mass Audubon has closed its state headquarters in Lincoln as well as Drumlin Farm and other nature centers, museums, and shops, and all programs are canceled through March 31. For more information about Mass Audubon’s response to Covid-19, visit massaudubon.org/covid19.

Codman Community Farms

Codman Community Farms is open, even as it continues to reassess farm operations each day and makes adjustments as needs dictate. CCF has increased orders with its local vendors and will be receiving deliveries through the upcoming week to keep shelves as full as possible. They’re also reaching out to local farms to see what locally grown produce they can supply, and to help support local growers.

At the farm store, staff are wiping down all surfaces at least twice per day, including all handles and electronic terminals, and they’ve added a second electronic checkout terminal in the barn to speed checkout and reduce congestion. The farm store is open 24/7 so off-hours shopping is encouraged. There is a healthy supply of both pork and beef in farm freezers.

The store is adding new products, with yogurt from Sidehill Farm plus knockwurst and nitrite-free kielbasa hot dogs and locally made pasta (frozen and dried plus sauces) expected this week from Deano’s in Somerville. The hens continue to lay eggs, and a new flock of almost 1,400 hens is due to arrive arrive in less than a month. CCF has increased its grain orders to keep livestock well fed in the coming weeks, and has identified other farms that can fill the gap should inventory run low.

Visitors to the rest of the farm are welcome, but please make sure you’re wearing gloves or wash your hands both before and after leaving the farm, and avoid touching surfaces around the farm if possible. 

Lincoln Public Library

The library is closed until at least March 29. However, its online service Kanopy has assembled a collection of online films that patrons can watch for free for the next 30 days. Kanopy Kids, which offers films and TV series that help children develop empathy, mindfulness, and self-esteem through entertaining and educational videos, is also free online. The library recently added BookFlix, a digital literacy resource for students in grades PreK–3. It pairs classic storybooks with related nonfiction titles and offers many options to read along, listen to stories, and/or watch stories come to life. 

For information on any of of the library’s digital/online services for both adults and kids including audiobooks, movies, magazines and music, visit www.lincolnpl.org. Some services require users to be either a Lincoln residents or Lincoln library card holders.

Stonegate Gardens

Stonegate Gardens is open but is frequently sanitizing shopping carts, work surfaces, countertops, bathrooms, phones (including personal cell phones), and door handles according to CDC standards. They are also having cashiers handle the credit card processor for customers and are discouraging the use of cash. Delivery vehicles (steering wheel, door handles, etc.) are wiped down after every use and drivers are also implementing social distancing.

Covid-19 closings and cancellations

Lincoln Public Library

The library will be closed through at least March 29. All items currently checked out will automatically have a new due date of April 6, and fines for items due during this closure will be waived. The library is always open online: contact a librarian, borrow books and movies, read the paper, and more. Check the library’s website at lincolnpl.org or call 781-259-8465 for further updates. The Friends of the Lincoln Library are also suspending collections and sales of used books and other materials. Please do not bring used books, CDs, or DVDs to Bemis Hall until further notice.

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School

L-S is creating learning continuity plans in the event of extended school closure. The Learning Continuity Steering Committee began meeting this week and is researching what has been done already in other schools, particularly those in Asia during the SARS epidemic.

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

Effectively immediately, the deCordova is closing its indoor galleries and will remain closed until the planned late April opening of its spring exhibition, Visionary New England. Members and guests are welcome to the outdoor Sculpture Park, and the gates will now be open for free admission in order to minimize staff with the public in handling cash or credit cards. 

Real restaurant

Real is setting up an online ordering system with a reduced menu at www.keepitreallincoln.com as well as its regular takeout menu. Staff can take credit card numbers over the phone and deliver food to your car. The restaurant itself has also reduced the number of tables to allow more space between diners and is following CDC guidelines for cleaning and sanitizing.

Churches

The First Parish in Lincoln has decided to move its services online for March 15, 22, and 29. The church has also closed both of its buildings to all gatherings until April 1. This week’s worship on Sunday morning will be streamed using Facebook Live — click on this link to view.

St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church is also live-streaming services at www.stanneslincoln.org/live.

Town meeting, election postponed for at least a month

The town meetings and election scheduled for the end of this month have been called off, with tentative new dates in late April, though town officials have the option of postponing again if the Covid-19 epidemic has not abated.

“The sentiment is very clear — everyone thinks we should postpone,” said Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden at an emergency meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Friday morning.

“We are very strongly against pulling people together at any public gathering at this point in time,” said Patricia Miller, a member of the Board of Health, which met on March 11.

Holden officially declared that the Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting will be postponed “to a time certain” — Saturday, April 25 a 9:30 a.m. in the Donaldson Auditorium. The actions came just hours before Gov. Baker issued an order banning public gatherings with more than 250 people, with some exceptions.

The most time-sensitive issue that was due for a vote on March 28 was the Special Town Meeting question about the school project. Last month, the School Building was forced to cut items totaling $3.5 million after construction bids came in higher than expected, so they’re hoping residents approve adding back up to $2 million for the items they consider most important. 

Architects and construction firms need to know by June 1 which items will be part of the project, and they would prefer that the town vote by mid-May. However, the project as a whole is not stalled. “The contracts are signed, the project is moving forward,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said. “The pieces in question are the items we’re thinking about adding back.”

Virtual meetings

In the coming weeks, town officials will be thinking about ways to make both the town meetings and town government function given the necessity of social distancing. Meetings of boards and commissions and their accompanying public hearings will be postponed when possible or held remotely. The state’s open Meeting Law requires members of town boards to meet in person in public, but an executive order issued by Gov. Baker on Thursday night relaxes that requirement, allowing meetings to be held remotely, without a quorum gathered at a single location, as long as the public has access in real time to the proceedings via the web or some other audio or videoconferencing method.

“We need to move on that now,” Miller said about the issue of getting access to the appropriate technology for board chairs. These methods could also be used to shorten the town meetings when they do take place, such as having televised presentations of the warrant articles. 

Unlike elections, residents may not vote early or by absentee ballot at Town Meeting. However, officials could survey residents ahead of time to shape a shortened agenda with just the most popular or important items. Votes on other matters such as the citizens’ petitions could  be postponed until later in the year or even 2021.

If necessary, the April 25 Town Meetings could be opened and the immediately postponed to another “time certain.”

Town election

Under state law, the only way to postpone town elections is via court injunction or special legislation by the state. Voters as well as poll workers at elections tend to skew toward the senior citizen population, who are more vulnerable to serious illness from Covid-19, and the idea of them interacting with hundreds of people on Election Day is “disconcerting,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.

The board voted to ask the governor to file emergency legislation on behalf of the town seeking authorization to postpone the election to a date on or before June 30. However, if the election is to be held the customary two days after Town Meeting (which is now scheduled for April 27), officials must nail down the election date by April 5 because 20 days’ notice is required. That period is to allow people who were not eligible to vote in March to register.

The rescheduled election will probably also allow “modified early voting by mail,” which is essentially the same as absentee ballot voting, but without the requirement for the voter to sign an affidavit saying they are unable to vote in person for religious or medical reasons or because they are out of town. Voters would still have to request ballots in advance.

Lincoln’s town election is normally held on the same day as Sudbury’s so the two towns can simultaneously elect members of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee. However, that isn’t critical this year, since the seats for that board are uncontested.

Like everything else nowadays, these tentative plans are subject to change, depending on what happens with the pandemic and whether the state offers more rules or guidance on how town government should be conducted in the Covid-19 era.

Lincoln public health nurse Trish McGean, who was also at the selectmen’s meeting, said that as of Friday morning she did not know if and when the town’s preschools and private schools would close, though she assumed they would follow the lead of the Lincoln Public Schools.

There were no official cases as of Covid-19 on Friday, though experts agree that the virus is circulating widely. When someone does test positive or presumptively positive, the state Department of Public Health will inform McGean, who will publish that fact (minus patient-identifying information) on the town’s Covid-19 website at lincolnpublichealthnews.com.

Schools close; Town Meeting and election postponement likely

Lincoln Public Schools will be closed for the rest of the month, and the Board of Selectmen has scheduled an emergency meeting on Friday morning to discuss postponing the town meetings and election scheduled for March 28 and March 30.

The latest development in the swiftly progressing Covid-9 pandemic events came late Thursday night, when Superintendent of School Becky McFall contacted parents to tell them there would be no school on Friday, March 13 and schools would not reopen until at least March 30. Earlier in the day, she said the state Commissioner of Education had scheduled a Friday morning conference call for school superintendents where we “anticipate we will be given some direct guidance about school closures.” 

These were just the latest in a rapid series of communications from McFall about the virus in the last two days, starting with a March 11 notice about limiting access to the schools to students and employees only, while canceling field trips and athletic events.

“Since my communication this afternoon, we have seen a significant shift in the coronavirus outbreak and we have decided to take proactive measures to slow the rapid spread of the virus,” McFall said in a email to parents sent Thursday night at 10:12 p.m. announcing the school closures through at least March 27.

This came after the School Committee met Thursday evening and reviewed the latest information about the spread of the virus as well as closures by other school districts. Sudbury schools and Minuteman High School are also closed as of Friday; Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School is open Friday but will close after that for at least two weeks. Six other districts including Bedford and Lexington jointly announced closings as of March 13.

“It is important for families to understand that this is an initial determination, and as we monitor the outbreak, it may lead to a longer closure,” McFall wrote. 

Lincoln made its announcement amid widespread measures nationwide to restrict gatherings of people, and McFall urged families to follow that guidance in coming weeks. “If students and families continue to meet together in groups outside of school, this initial closure will not have the desired impact. It is critical that everyone refrains from meeting in large groups and practices social distancing as recommended by the CDC,” she wrote.

School administrators, teachers and technology specialists are developing “curated resources” for families and students during the closure. “These resources are not intended as a ‘virtual school,’ but rather will provide a bank of ideas for learning activities that families may find useful,” McFall wrote.

Information on preschools in Lincoln was not available Thursday night.

There were 108 presumptive or confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Massachusetts as of March 12, according to the state Department of Public Health. Middlesex County had twice as many cases as any other county in the state with 49. It’s unclear if are any cases in Lincoln yet.

Town meeting and election

The Board of Selectmen has scheduled an emergency meeting on Friday, March 13 at 7:30 a.m. to discuss the possibility of postponing the town meetings scheduled for March 28 and the town election on March 30. The agenda can be found here.

The Lincoln Squirrel will report on actions that result from that meeting and will post a story on Friday. We’ll continue to post on weekends when breaking news warrants.

Other cancellations

As the Lincoln Squirrel learns about cancellations due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the affected events will be noted as postponed in the calendar. However, if an event is still listed, don’t assume it’s happening —  check with organizers before going.

  • The Council on Aging has canceled or postponed all COA classes and activities through Friday, March 27. At that point they will review the situation. COA staff will be in their offices during regular business hours and we will continue to offer social work and other social services as usual. For more information, call the COA at 781-259-8811.
  • The Lincoln Public library has canceled or postponed the Friday morning book group on March 13 and will probably cancel some other activities as well, once they’ve talked with the presenters. Please check the library website at lincolnpl.org for the latest news.
  • The library has also canceled all children’s programming through the month of March. Please contact the library with any questions or concerns: 781-259-8465 ext. 4 or dleopold@minlib.net.
  • The Lincoln Family Association has suspended its weekly Wednesday playgroups through the end of March. 
  • The March 13 WHDH videotaping at the Lincoln train station described in the March 11 article headlined “TV station to film Lincoln MBTA activists on Friday” has been canceled.
  • The Old Town Hall Exchange will close for the time being. Saturday, March 13 will be its last day open until further notice.
  • The deCordova Museum will remain open for now, with increased cleaning protocols. However, events in March where more than 100 people are expected have been canceled. For the immediate future, if programs or events that you are registered for are canceled, you will be notified via email and issued a full refund. If you’re unsure of the status of the event, check the deCordova website at decordova.org and social media channels.
More information:

Covid-19 updates and cancellations

Restricted access to schools

Beginning March 12, access to the Lincoln Public Schools is being limited to students and employees only, with a few exceptions. Events that include invitations to parents, extended family members, and outside guests will be postponed, canceled or rescheduled, Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall said in a March 11 communication.

This means that events like plays and musicals (including the middle school performance of “Frozen Jr.” that was scheduled for the evenings of March 19 and 20) may be performed for a student audience during the school day but will not be open to parents and community members. “We will do our best to take steps to allow parents and family members to view the performances via video or other measures. Performances may also be rescheduled to later in the year,” McFall wrote.

Community events that are scheduled in school gyms and auditoriums or other large spaces will also be cancelled.

Other changes and cancellations
  • The Friends of the Library monthly used book sale (was Saturday, March 14 in Bemis Hall). Organizers hope to proceed with the next scheduled book sale on Saturday, April 11 but will keep LincolnTalk posted about plans. Donations are still welcome in the box at Bemis Hall.
  • “Coping & Understanding Hearing Loss” (was Saturday, March 14 at the library). Organizers hope to reschedule for later in the spring.
  • “Tough Guys and Gentle Men: Healthy Men in the Age of #MeToo” (was Saturday, March 14 at St. Anne’s Church). This was a half-day summit hosted by the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable. 
More information:

 

Some activities canceled as town girds for coronavirus

Some activities for seniors in Lincoln have been canceled, and town officials are beginning to make contingency plans in case the threat of the Covid-19 coronavirus makes it necessary to postpone the town meetings and election later this month.

In consultation with town public health nurse Tricia McGean, the Council on Aging canceled several non-health-related group events during the next few weeks, including Lincoln Academy talks and special educational presentations, senior dining, and foreign language conversation groups.

As of March 9, the COA’s Matter of Balance, Stretch and Flex, Active Aging, tai chi, and line dancing classes will continue, as will tax counseling, the wellness clinics for all ages, the senior legal clinic, and office hours with Jay Higgins of Rep. Katherine Clark’s office. All social services provided by the COA are still in place. To check on specific activities or for more information, call the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 or consult their online calendar.

The town has convened a group of senior department staff and health officials including McGean and the Board of Health to plan local prevention and response measures during the epidemic.

“It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility” that the town would need to postpone the special and annual town meetings on March 28 and the town election on March 30, Town Administrator Tim Higgins told the Board of Selectmen on Monday. The virus seems to make older people the sickest, “and they turn out in big numbers for both.”

Postponing town-wide votes could have logistical repercussions, especially for the school project. At the Special Town Meeting that will start at 9:30 a.m. on March 28 immediately before the Annual Town Meeting, residents will be asked to vote on whether to fund some of the $3.5 million recently cut from the project. Bids have been received and contracts must be signed as soon as those decisions are made. 

Higgins told the selectmen he had asked construction managers how long they could postpone the Town Meeting vote and heard that “June 1 is an important deadline for them,” and they would have to have a final decision on the cuts at least a week or two before that. If the town election is postponed, Llincoln would also have to coordinate with Sudbury, which holds its election on the same day to have simultaneous votes of members of the Lincoln-Sudbury regional School Committee.

By state law, town boards and commissions must hold meetings in person and in public. Asked if that rule would be relaxed if meetings need to be held remotely, “the state has resisted that to this point, but a public health emergency might change their thinking,” Higgins said on Monday. 

Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts today, which gives the governor some extra powers including ordering cancellation of large-scale events, but it was not immediately clear how this would affect requirements normally imposed on local governments.

Town Clerk Valerie Fox considered not ordering ballots for the town election but went ahead and did so this week, Higgins said. If Town Meeting were to be postponed, it would technically have to be convened and then adjourned, though a quorum of residents probably would not be required for that vote. Plans are being made for sanitation precautions regarding microphones at Town Meeting and pens at the election, but “there is no backup plan yet” if the town moderator or town clerk were unable to preside at the meetings, Higgins said.

“These are the practical things we’re having to think through” as the situation changes rapidly, Higgins added. Health officials “tell us it’s just a matter of time until everyone in the community experiences this on some level.” 

As of March 10, there are 92 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. Of those, 70 are employees or their contacts from Biogen, which held a conference from Feb. 24–27 at the Marriott Long Wharf in Boston. Forty-one of the 92 patients are from Middlesex County, and six have been hospitalized thus far.

The Centers for Disease Control have issued guidelines for older people and others at higher risk of serious illness should they become infected. Those measures include stocking up on prescription and over-the-counter medications, groceries, and other household items in case they need to stay at home for an extended period. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath that appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.

More information: