Around Town

UPDATED: Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Up to More Than a Dozen in Watertown, Parks Still Closed

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The sign posted at Watertown parks and fields reminding people that they are closed due to the Coronavirus. The number of Watertown residents who have tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has reached 15, as of Wednesday. Also, Town officials remind residents that parks and fields remained closed in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. The number of confirmed cases in town was published on the Town’s COVID-19 web page. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts has increased significantly over the past six days.

Government

See the Results of Sen. Brownsberger’s Poll on the State’s Coronavirus Response

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

A majority of people who took State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s poll on Massachusetts’ response to the Coronavirus said they don’t think the state has gone far enough to stop the spread, would be willing to shelter-in-place for a few weeks and believe they are financially secure for a year. Brownsberger, who represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston, put up the poll over the weekend, and asked four questions. “The surprising result of the survey is that willingness to increase social distancing appears, at least in this sample of people engaged in the community, to have only modest relationship to age, zipcode, financial security or current working arrangement,” Brownsberger wrote in his post about the poll results. The first question, about Massachusetts’ response to COVID-19, found that 54 percent of the 3,259 people who took the poll said the state “did not go far enough,” 42 percent said they state is getting it just right, while 3 percent checked “We have gone too far.” Note that the poll went up before Gov. Baker’s order to close non-essential businesses and the stay-at-home advisory.

Around Town

State Sen. Brownsberger Polling People About State’s Response to Coronavirus

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

State Sen. Will Brownsberger is taking an anonymous poll of constituents about Massachusetts’ response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), so far. (See the results here: https://www.watertownmanews.com/2020/03/24/see-the-results-of-sen-brownsbergers-poll-on-the-states-coronavirus-response/)

The short questionnaire (four questions) asks people what they think about the steps taken by the State of Massachusetts, including closing schools, potentially sheltering in place and how it has impacted them. To take the poll go here: https://willbrownsberger.com/covid-19-response-questions/

Brownsberger represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston.

Coronavirus

Gov. Baker Closing Non-Essential Businesses, Issues Stay-at-Home Advisory

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NEW: Gov. Charlie Baker orders all non-essential businesses in Massachusetts to close Tuesday at noon https://t.co/7FtmrZJiUi #Breaking— WBZ | CBS Boston News (@wbz) March 23, 2020

Gov. Charlie Baker announced an order closing non-essential businesses for two weeks, and put out a stay-at-home advisory to state residents, due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The order begins at noon on Tuesday, March 24 and runs through April 7. It closes physical workspaces and facilities to all workers, customers, and the public, Baker said, according to a report by WBZ Channel 4. This list of essential businesses include medical facilities, grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, restaurants open for delivery and take out and companies working on a vaccine for COVID-19, according to WBZ. Also medical equipment and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the MBTA are exempted.

Government

RMV Extends Deadlines for Vehicle Inspections, Commercial Licenses & Permits

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The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is announcing today that it will be implementing a 60-day extension to Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) and Commercial Learner’s Permits (CLPs) expired or expiring in March and April, and that the Service Centers in Milford and Wilmington are reopened to exclusively perform commercial license/permit transactions. These initiatives recognize the importance of commercial vehicle drivers to the supply chain during the State of Emergency declaration, and will continue to prioritize reducing customer volumes in physical locations. All commercial licenses or permits with an expiration date between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020, will have the 60-day extension applied to that customer’s credential. The RMV implemented a similar extension for residents with Class D, Class M and Class DM driver’s licenses, ID cards, and Learner’s Permits on March 16 with the exception of customers whose end of stay in the United States is the same as the expiration date on their driver’s license, ID card, or Learner’s Permit. Customers eligible for these extensions should wait to visit an RMV Service Center to renew until after the State of Emergency has concluded.

Coronavirus

Council President Discusses Watertown’s Response to the Coronavirus, Steps You Can Take

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Town Council President Mark Siders at the inauguration in 2018. To the Watertown community:

I want to take this opportunity to give you a brief update with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic and how Watertown is managing our response to it. The Town Manager and Administration along with myself and the Town Council are staying on top of all measures being put in place at the state level, in addition to those regulations we have put in place locally. The Town Manager is meeting daily with the Director of Public Health, the Police and Fire Chiefs, and other Department heads to assess the effectiveness of recent state and local regulations, and to determine if other actions may be needed to best protect our community. Communications from the Town Manager are available on the Town’s website and are updated frequently.

Around Town

Gov. Baker Orders Most Day Care to Close During Coronavirus Crisis

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Most childcare providers will be closed beginning Monday in an effort to stop the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday. Baker said that most child care providers would be closed, but added the state was also looking to create “a process for opening exempt emergency child care programs,” according to a Boston Globe article. The emergency child care programs will be for families of medical staff, emergency personnel and “others critical to fighting the COVID-19 outbreak,” Baker said. These programs will be the only ones allowed to operate during this state of emergency, Baker added. The state will continue to give childcare providers subsidy payments to help them through the Coronavirus crisis.

Coronavirus

Town Cancelling Meetings, Town Hall & DPW Closed to Visitors, Parking Passes Valid

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Watertown Town Hall

(CORRECTION: It was incorrectly stated in a previous version of the story that the March 23 School Committee meeting will be cancelled. It will be held remotely.)

The Town of Watertown will not be holding meetings for the next few weeks as a precaution against the Coronavirus, and Town Hall and the Department of Public Works Facility are the latest to close to public visitors. Town Council President Mark Sideris said all meetings through April 6. Town Manager Michael Driscoll also announced that Town Hall and the Department of Public Works will be closed through April 6, and asked residents to call or email if they need to contact town officials. Town Meetings

On Monday, Sideris informed the Town Council that he was cancelling meetings.