Published March 18, 2020
We would like to take this opportunity to commend the work undertaken by the Emergency Management Team in the wake of the COVID-19 virus outbreak.
The team, which is comprised of Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Glenn Davis, Town Administrator Rob Dolan, Superintendent Jane Tremblay, Police Chief David Breen, Health Director Kristin Esposito-McRae and DPW Director John Tomasz, has spent countless hours in meetings and on conference calls as part of an effort to stay on top of this crisis. It has certainly not been easy for any of them, but they have gone above and beyond in order to keep the town informed and safe.
The Emergency Management Team’s swift response in deciding to close Summer Street School for two days after an employee was potentially exposed to two people who have tested positive for COVID-19 particularly deserves praise. While Davis said during an emergency School Committee meeting that the exposure risk was “extremely low,” the decision to close the school so that it could be cleaned thoroughly was the right move. As everyone reading this newspaper knows, schools are a germ’s best friend and giving Summer Street a thorough scrubbing was an absolute necessity even if the risk is minimal.
It’s important to point out that Summer Street School is made up of a very dedicated and hardworking faculty and staff, which is why it’s one of the best elementary schools in the commonwealth. We wish the employees well as they go through the quarantined process and we hope they are not diagnosed with this highly contagious illness.
We also believe that Tremblay made the right call in deciding to close school for two weeks well before Gov. Charlie Baker ordered schools across the commonwealth be closed for three weeks. While this situation certainly creates headaches for families who are scrambling to find childcare and educational resources for their children, Tremblay and Baker both made the right decision in order to keep people safe.
In our view, the School Committee should be commended for taking the lead on this issue by scheduling an emergency meeting in order to discuss the crisis. The Emergency Management Team was able to raise awareness about the COVID-19 situation and the town’s response during the meeting, which is what these types of meetings are supposed to do.
The DPW has really stepped up by overhauling its existing procedures for cleaning and disinfecting all of the municipal buildings and the schools.
We would also like to thank Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin for writing new releases that have been published on the town website and sent to this newspaper in order to update the community about the town’s response to COVID-19.
“I don’t know how to do that and Bob does that really, really well,” said Dolan.
We encourage families and townspeople to follow the state’s guidelines by staying away from large crowds and gatherings, and practicing social distancing. This situation will certainly cause cabin fever, but that is a whole lot better than getting sick.
Additionally, we encourage residents to follow Davis’ advice by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Lynnfield Emergency Management websites in order to stay informed about COVID-19.
After Summer Street’s closure was announced, we saw a number of residents posting inaccurate information on Facebook, particularly on the Lynnfield Community Group page. While we certainly understand this is an unprecedented situation and people are looking for answers when none are in sight, people need to research accurate information as opposed to simply sharing posts without verifying them first.
“The Lynnfield Emergency Management website is updated daily with all of the current links,” said Davis. “Don’t follow social media. Just because it’s on Facebook doesn’t make it true. Go to the source and get the facts.”
Well said. Be safe and smart.
