Town Administrator Tom Mayo and Assistant Town Administrator Michelle Monsegur provided the following COVID-19 and Town services updated as the Board of Selectmen meeting on July 7, 2020.
COVID-19 Update
- Effective yesterday, July 6th, Massachusetts moved to Phase 3 of the Governor’s reopening plan.
- Phase 3 will have 3 steps. In Phase 3 - Step 1, the following enterprises and activities are allowed to reopen with restrictions:
- Movie theaters and outdoor performance venues
- Museums, cultural, and historical sites
- Fitness centers and health clubs
- Certain indoor recreational activities with low potential for contact
- Professional sports teams, under the authority of league-wide rules, may hold games without spectators
- Under the updated gatherings order, indoor gatherings are limited to 8 people per 1,000 square feet, but should not exceed 25 people in a single enclosed, indoor space.
- Outdoor gatherings in enclosed spaces are limited to 25% of the facility’s maximum permitted occupancy, with a maximum of 100 people in a single enclosed outdoor space. This includes community events, civic events, sporting events, concerts, conventions, and more. This order does not apply to outdoor, unenclosed gatherings if proper social distancing measures are possible.
- As of today, DPH is reporting 104,799 cases in Massachusetts, of which 8,757 are in Plymouth County.
- As of last Wednesday, DPH was reporting 278 COVID-19 cases in Hingham.
Town Services Update
- The Hingham Public Library started contactless curbside operations yesterday, July 6th. To check out physical materials from the library at this time, patrons can follow these steps, which are outlined on the library’s website:
- Log on to your library account online www.hinghamlibrary.org or call the library at 781-741-1405 x0 to place holds on items from Hingham collections.
- The Library will call you to let you know when your library materials are available and ready for pickup.
- Choose a pickup date/time between 9am – 5pm Monday through Thursday and Saturday. You’ll have one week to come in to pick up holds after being notified.
- Holds will be available for pickup in the vestibule of the Library’s main entrance between 9am – 5pm on the day you choose. Items will be already checked out to you and placed in a bag with your name on it. Only one person at a time will be allowed to enter the vestibule; if there is a wait to enter, patrons should stand on the designated social distancing lines marked on the outside walkway.
- When you’re done with your library materials, please return them in the outside bookdrops at the library. All returned items will be quarantined for 3 days prior to being checked in, and no overdue fines will accrue at this time.
- We are starting the reopening process for Town Hall and other municipal facilities. At this time, Town Hall and municipal facilities are open to employees only. We will continue to serve Hingham residents and businesses to the best of our abilities, and we ask that you please continue to contact Town departments via the email addresses and phone numbers listed on our website at this time.