Published December 16, 2020
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD —The town is back in the “red” zone.
In the midst of a second surge of coronavirus cases, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health classified Lynnfield as a “red” community on its COVID-19 Community Level Data Map on Thursday, Dec. 10. The town has been designated as “red” six times in the last three months.
The number of communities in the state given the “red” classification increased from 97 to 158 last week, which includes Melrose and Wakefield. The state joined Lynnfield by vaulting from “yellow” to “red.”
Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Glenn Davis informed the Villager there are currently 228 active cases of the novel coronavirus in town as of Tuesday, Dec. 15. He noted there have been 501 total cases since the start of the pandemic and 257 people have recovered from the virus. Tragically, the town lost another resident to COVID-19 last week, which brought the town’s death toll to 16.
“We need to remain vigilant and enhance our efforts to follow the state’s guidelines at all times,” said Davis.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan agreed.
“Just like the country and the state, Lynnfield is dealing with an incredibly significant surge in positive cases,” said Dolan during the Board of Selectmen’s meeting last week. “The majority of our cases are between the ages of 10 and 19 and 40 and 49. Logic would suggest that it is the children and parents of those age groups who are contracting the virus and infecting entire households.”
Dolan attributed the COVID-19 spike in town to residents holding social gatherings that do not follow the state’s gathering rules.
“The number one thing I would say to the residents of Lynnfield is to continue practicing social distancing, continue to wear a mask and continue to do the right things,” said Dolan. “We know that the large surge is due to social gatherings that are currently highly discouraged. Gatherings of family and friends in small places indoors without masks is how this disease is surging across the country. Although it is difficult at this time, please know and understand that all of us are struggling through this situation. The decisions that you make will not only affect your family, they could affect the education, well-being and health of individuals that you care about deeply. We ask people to refocus their efforts to try and bring this surge down through proper actions and decisions.”
Board of Selectmen Chairman Chris Barrett called the significant rise in COVID-19 cases “alarming.”
“We are still looking for the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Barrett. “We need to roll up our selves and do what we need to do to adhere to the rules in place to keep all age groups safe. There are a lot of simple things that we can do. It’s common sense to wear a mask and to follow the gathering rules. We ask the community to work with us and the Emergency Management Team.”
Selectman Dick Dalton echoed Barrett’s viewpoint in a Facebook post.
“We should all be concerned about the direction we are headed,” Dalton wrote. “We need everyone to do their part.”
As part of Gov. Charlie Baker’s rollback orders that went into effect on Sunday, Dec. 13, hosts of outdoor gatherings of greater than 25 people are required to provide advance notice of the gathering to the local Board of Health.Lynnfield’s Board of Health can be reached at 781-334-9481 during regular business hours.
“The operator of the event shall provide notice to the local Board of Health at least one week prior to the event when possible to provide one week notice,” Health Director Kristin McRae said in an email sent to the Villager. “The event organizer is responsible for providing this notice. Should an outbreak cluster arise, the Board of Health will have a means through the event organizer for contact tracing of those in attendance.”
The recent rise in COVID-19 cases forced middle and high school students to learn remotely last week. Superintendent Kristen Vogel stated in a letter sent to families on Friday, Dec. 11 that all four schools will be in the hybrid model this week.
“Effective Monday, Dec. 14, all schools will be in the hybrid model and we will split Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 between Blue and Gold Cohorts,” Vogel stated. “Dec. 21 will be Blue Cohort day and Dec. 22 will be Gold Cohort day. This is to give both cohorts three days of in-person learning between now and Dec. 23. We will have all schools deep cleaned on the evening of Monday, Dec. 21.”
School Committee Chairman Jamie Hayman noted during a Dec. 8 meeting that the school board met with Lynnfield Teachers Association representatives last Monday.
“They are concerned about the rising numbers in the schools, which is understandable” said Hayman. “We have done a good job as a district trying to keep people safe. That is why we haven’t had cases spreading through the schools. While we don’t think the hybrid model is ideal, it is working to keep people safe. We have had a lot of our success due to the trust that has been formed between families and teachers over the years. That trust is earned. It is becoming clear that a small number of families in this town are beginning to erode that trust. And when it erodes, it erodes for everyone. They are nervous about parents who are holding gatherings and traveling. There are parents who have sent their kids into school and have asked them not to tell their teachers they were away. If this is going to work and this is going to continue, that trust needs to continue to be there. It has been one of our bedrocks and it’s one of our foundational pieces that have led to where we are as a district. I don’t want that to go away.”
School Committee member Phil McQueen noted that the district’s teachers are “working very hard in very difficult situations.”
“We need the teachers to trust they are safe,” said McQueen. “And all of our families need to trust their kids are going to be safe when they are sending them into school. Even though it’s a small minority of people, everybody needs to be onboard with this because we have seen how quickly the virus has spread when people haven’t been onboard.”
The town launched a new video awareness campaign last week called “Mask Up Lynnfield,” where local officials urged residents to follow the state’s guidelines in order keep the community safe.
“We can stop the spread,” said Dolan. “Mask up Lynnfield. For our community, for each other.”
Senior Center Director Linda Naccara noted that the town’s senior citizens represent almost one-third of Lynnfield’s population.
“Sadly, we have lost some of our seniors living in town as a result of this terrible COVID virus that we are all living through,” Naccara stated in one of the videos. “Other seniors living in town have been living in near complete isolation for the last nine months. They spent Thanksgiving Day alone, and they will be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day alone as well. I can’t imagine how miserable that must be. We need to do better. We need to help our seniors get through this terrible time by following all of the safety precautions that have been recommended to us.”
Recreation Director Julie Mallett noted that her oldest son, Bryan, missed a number of celebrations last spring before graduating from Lynnfield High School.
“This current senior class has it worse,” said Mallett. “They are missing out on all of the social events and milestones that go along with being a senior. We are better than this Lynnfield.”
