SALEM — It was a quiet Halloween season in Salem this year as the city took several measures to dissuade tourism and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Mayor Kim Driscoll prohibited MBTA trains from stopping in Salem on certain days leading up to Halloween and requested that businesses close at 8 p.m. in the weeks leading up to Halloween, and made this request mandatory on Halloween night.
They also tripled fines on Halloween for all violations of COVID-19 protocols around town.
These measures severely limited the number of tourists in the city in the weeks leading up to Halloween night.
The result was a Halloween in downtown Salem that, while still crowded, was nothing compared to the festivities of recent years.
Businesses and workers reliant on tourism struggled with these changes and with the effects of COVID-19 in general. Several Salem businesses including Gulu-Gulu Cafe, The Derby, Olde Main Street Pub were forced to hibernate for the winter.
Yet these restrictions seem to have been key in preventing a post-Halloween COVID-19 spike.
In the two weeks leading up to Dec. 1, Salem reported a daily incidence rate of 45.9 cases per 100,000 residents, at 3.78 percent positivity, and is considered a yellow community–numbers that were significantly lower than surrounding communities.
Other major stories included:
— The city launched the Salem Skipper rideshare service, which offers affordable rides through Salem.
— Facing budget shortfalls, and potential loss of students due to COVID-19, Salem State President John Keenan furloughed staff and faculty to the dismay of the faculty union, who decried the actions as illegal.
–Two arrests were made at two separate gatherings involving Salem State University students this September, validating months of concerns from Salem Police about the effect of the return of SSU students on the spread of COVID-19.
— After 33 years of service with the Salem police department, Police Chief Mary Butler announced her retirement from the force.
— Following a community protest, Capt. Kate Stephens was demoted two levels to the rank of sergeant as a result of an unauthorized post on the department’s official Twitter account that questioned BLM protests and insulted Governor Baker.
