Waltham City Hall Works On A Plan To Reopen

WALTHAM, MA — City officials are working to develop a plan to reopen Waltham City Hall.

"On Sunday, April 26, 2020, I asked each department head to give me a draft plan for his/her staff and the public, including consultation with his/her staff as well," Mayor Jeannette McCarthy told Patch in an email.

McCarthy said she plans to go over the proposals with each department after she finishes the budget this week. From there, she said she'll have to wait for more details from the governor on his four-phase approach for the entire commonwealth to gradually reopen.

Baker said Monday all entities planning to reopen would have to abide by mandatory workplace safety standards that include everything from displaying signs about the new regulations to putting in place measures to ensure staff are keeping at least a 6-foot distance from one another, wearing masks and washing hands to disinfecting common surfaces at "appropriate intervals."
There is no timeline for the phases, which will be contingent on public health data progress, according to the Baker administration.

In Monday's report, the Department of Public Health said there are 78,462 people who had tested positive for the coronavirus and 5,108 deaths related to COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. But even as the numbers continue to grow, the amount of new hospitalizations and the infection rate among those tested has been steadily declining.

Waltham continues to be among the hardest hit communities when it comes to the number of people who have tested positive for the virus.

It's not clear when City Hall will re-open to public visits, but it will include aspects that Waltham residents may be used to seeing at grocery stores and restaurants these days.

City Clerk Robert Waddick told the city council recently he was looking into limiting the number of people allowed to enter the clerk's office at a given time to do business, and perhaps set up a queue and rearrange furniture in an effort to keep both employees and the public safe.

The mayor told Patch some parts of department plans may end up requiring impact bargaining.

Next door in Newton, officials there said they were looking at the possibility of "health monitoring."

Read more:
MA Details 4-Phase Approach To Reopening

Businesses That Can Reopen May 18 Won't Know Until ... May 18

What Businesses Could Reopen May 18

Coronavirus In Waltham: 955 People Test Positive