The town of Swampscott has posted mandatory mask signs since Sept. 13 in four areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. Salem volunteers hand out masks, and city “ambassadors” remind pre-Halloween visitors to wear them.
And in Lynn? Mayor Thomas M. McGee during an Oct. 6 “telehealth town meeting” said the city will “…continue to do everything we can…” to keep the city healthy during the pandemic.
Those are reassuring words but where is the tangible proof that words from the city’s top officials have been translated into action?
With a two-week average daily incidence rate of 9.8 new cases per 100,000 residents, Lynn continues to remain a high-risk, or
red community, under the state’s COVID-19 ranking system.
Swampscott, by contrast, is a lowest-risk gray community, and yet it has taken more proactive approaches, along with pedestrian-packed Salem, to protect residents and visitors from coronavirus than Lynn.
Why isn’t Lynn adopting measures already well established by the city’s neighbors?
North Shore Medical Center chief medical officer Dr. Mitchell Rein emphasized during the telehealth meeting how important it remains for everyone to wash hands frequently, wear masks, socially distance and avoid large gatherings.
Rein’s hand-washing reminders came in the wake of a city order directing the removal of hand washing stations around the city, including one at Lynn Community Health Center, because the stations did not comply with plumbing codes.
Rein’s reminders — amplified by a state public information commercial heard on radio — can be plastered on billboards around Lynn, displayed on signs like the mandatory mask signs in Swampscott, and reinforced by volunteer outreach efforts.
One ingredient is required to put a public education campaign incorporating these ideas in motion: leadership.
Why won’t Mayor McGee mandate mask wearing and why isn’t the city matching the proactive approach taken by Salem and the state to educate people about COVID-19 dangers?
Telehealth meeting participants took a survey that indicated 42 percent support stronger enforcement to ensure mask wearing, social distancing and large gathering avoidance.
Instead of holding another meeting, it’s time for city leadership to step up COVID-19 precaution enforcement and education. It is the only way the city will pull away from its dangerous red status.
