COVID-19 Update
- As of today, the MA Department of Public Health is reporting 149,361 confirmed cases in Massachusetts, of which 11,294 are in Plymouth County.
- This past week marked our second week in the state’s “red” COVID-19 category with a reported 395 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hingham. The state shifted its reporting of local COVID-19 numbers from Wednesdays to Thursdays, so we’ll find out this Thursday if we remain in red for a third consecutive week.
- As we’ve stated before, a prolonged period in the red category could negatively impact our local economy and our ability to enjoy many of the sectors and activities that have cautiously reopened over the past few months.
- Our Health Department continues to work with the state’s Community Tracing Collaborative and state epidemiologists to try to contain the spread of COVID-19.
- If you are contacted by local or state public health officials for contact tracing purposes, it is critical that you provide the information they request. If you are subject to a quarantine, a negative test will NOT lift the quarantine – you must remain home for the 14-day period and refrain from engaging in school, sports, work, and other activities.
- We are all struggling with “pandemic fatigue” at this point. Please reach out if you need help.
- The MA Department of Mental Health offers several resources and tips for reducing stress, boosting mental and emotional health, and engaging in healthy coping strategies. We’ll post a link to these resources on the Town’s website.
- You can also call 211, the state’s free 24-hour COVID information and referral hotline, to find out about mental health resources.
Early Voting
Reminder that you still have several options to vote in the state/presidential election if you have not done so already. The Clerk’s office reports that over 9,000 people have voted thus far.
In-person early voting is taking place in the second floor Central Meeting Room at Town Hall this week during normal Town Hall business hours, which are as follows for the rest of the week:
- Wednesday, October 28 – 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
- Thursday, October 29 – 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
- Friday, October 30 – 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Town Hall is open only for early voting this week – Town Hall offices are closed and staff are working remotely.
You can also vote in-person on Tuesday, November 3rd from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Polling places are as follows:
- Precincts 1 through 4: High School, 17 Union Street
- Precincts 5 and 6: Middle School, 1103 Main Street
- Precinct 5A: Linden Ponds, 201 Linden Ponds Way
For both early voting and voting on November 3rd, we are taking COVID-19 precautions with respect to social distancing and keeping polling areas clean and safe, and we are asking everyone to wear a mask when entering the voting areas.
Many residents have chosen to vote by mail instead of voting in person to minimize risk of COVID-19. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is 5:00 PM tomorrow, October 28, and there is a link to that application on the Town Clerk’s website. Anyone wishing to still request a mail-in ballot can fill out that application and drop it in the dropbox at the end of the Town Hall driveway to make sure it gets in before tomorrow’s deadline.
In terms of returning your mail-in ballots themselves, residents can also put them in that same dropbox at the end of the Town Hall driveway. The deadline to return mail-in-ballots for the state/presidential election is November 3, 2020.