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March 17, 2020
Dear Hingham residents and businesses,
I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on Town of Hingham municipal operations during this evolving public health emergency. As you know, as of the close of business on March 13, 2020, the Town suspended all non-essential municipal services and shifted staff to remote work to the extent possible. Right now, we are planning to operate in this limited state until at least April 7, 2020, in line with Governor Baker’s decision on March 15th to close schools across the Commonwealth until that date.
The Hingham Health Department was notified on March 15th by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) that a Hingham resident had tested positive for COVID-19. As of this morning, this remains our only confirmed case in town.
The situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve and we are learning more about the virus and ways to protect our residents every day. The Health Department is in daily communication with DPH and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Please visit the DPH and CDC websites for the latest COVID-19 information.
Town of Hingham professional staff, elected officials, and Town Counsel have been working diligently to identify critical service needs and personnel in order to formulate an operational and communication structure that keeps our people safe and is responsive to the needs of the Town. In particular, our IT Department has been hard at work developing solutions to address both the needs of staff who will be working remotely as well as the needs associated with the remote conduct of and participation in public meetings in keeping with the Governor’s recent Open Meeting Law Executive Order. We are working with boards and committees to facilitate the conduct of public meetings remotely via conference call starting later this week. Meeting agendas and minutes will continue to be posted in the Agenda Center on the Town website as usual.
I am proud of the contributions and dedication of our staff and volunteers during this uncertain time. We are committed to ensuring that public health and safety are protected and we are relying on Town employees to provide operational consistency throughout this period. We appreciate the way Town employees have stepped up to embrace this service need for the Town and we will continue to pay staff during this suspension of regular operations. Please consult the Town website for further updates and for details on how to contact Town staff while municipal facilities are closed.
Thank you for your patience and your support as we work through these uncharted waters together.
Sincerely,
Tom Mayo
Town Administrator