LYNN — Mayor Thomas M. McGee has announced Lynn will join Boston and several other large communities in the region in rolling back its economic reopening in the midst of the skyrocketing coronavirus case numbers that have followed the Thanksgiving holiday.
Beginning on Friday, Lynn will roll back to a modified version of Phase 2, Step 2 of the state’s reopening plan, a decision that McGee said was aimed at limiting the sizes of social gatherings and one that requires certain businesses to close that were allowed to operate in Phase 3.
Indoor gyms and fitness centers; indoor non-athletic instructional classes in arts, education and life sciences; indoor recreational and athletic facilities, except for youth 18 and under; indoor recreational venues with potential for low contact, such as batting cages, bowling alleys, driving ranges and rock climbing; indoor historical spaces and sites; and indoor event spaces, such as meeting rooms and social clubs are required to close on Friday.
The changes allow for indoor dining in restaurants to remain open with particular adherence to bar seating guidelines and permission from the city’s public health department. Bar-related activities such as pool tables, darts and trivia will be prohibited, according to executive orders issued Monday by McGee and Public Health Director Michele Desmarais.
“We need to take drastic action now to prevent a repeat of what our hospitals and healthcare workers went through back in the spring trying to care for hospitalized COVID patients,” said McGee. “As we continue to see an uptick in cases since Thanksgiving, unfortunately we anticipate there will be an equal, if not greater surge after the December holidays.
“I am continuing to advocate for additional financial support at the state level for our small businesses, and I hope the state will work to pass the Economic Development Bill, which is up for debate right now. Our communities are also desperately in need of a second federal relief bill to get our residents through the remainder of this pandemic.”
Mayors from Boston, Arlington, Brockton, Newtown, Somerville and Winthrop also announced a rollback to a modified Step 2 of the second phase on Monday, with more cities and towns expected to follow in the coming days.
The joint effort comes a week after Gov. Charlie Baker announced he was rolling back the state’s reopening plan to Phase 3, Step 1 amid the post-holiday surge.
The increase in coronavirus cases since Thanksgiving has been particularly drastic in Lynn, which has seen its positive test rate increase from 10.23 percent to 12.27 percent and its daily incidence rate increase from 67.6 to 89.19 new cases per 100,000 residents between Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, according to the executive orders.
Lynn, which has reported more than 9,500 cases since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been consistently designated as a “red,” or high-risk community, by the state. The city’s death toll now stands at 144 — five additional deaths and 372 new cases were reported over the weekend, according to city data.
Under the modified rollback, gatherings in private and public settings will be required to remain below 10 people for indoor settings and 25 for outdoor settings. McGee urged residents to continue to limit their interactions with people outside of their immediate households and follow the guidelines centered around limiting the spread of the virus within the Lynn community.
In order for restaurants to continue with bar seating, they will be required to submit their bar seating plan and receive approval from the city’s public health director to ensure they are following state regulations by close of business on Friday.
Bar seating will be permitted provided that plexiglass or another non-porous surface is installed around the bar to separate patrons from the bartender, and the designated active work/service area is separated by more than six feet from any patrons.
In lieu of plexiglass, a licensee may propose a plan that includes pulling up a table to the bar, which would increase the space between the patrons and the bartender, and seat patrons at the far end of the table not adjacent to the bar, according to McGee’s office.
The city directives will become effective at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and will remain in effect until rescinded by McGee and Desmarais, who will determine the necessity of continuing the rollback on or before Jan. 6, based on the number of COVID-19 cases and trends following the upcoming holidays, according to the mayor’s office.
