I write as a concerned resident and parent asking our local public health and safety officials if they could help deter kid/teen/adult gatherings that folks are witnessing in our parks, playgrounds and other public gathering spots. Until our elected leaders implement the steps other communities are taking (Cambridge, Somerville, Nantucket) in exercising more strict rules/guidelines about congregating, we could use your help.
As always, thank you so very much for being on the front lines and for all you do to protect our health and safety.
Lot of urban and rural law enforcement agencies do NOT have the staffing to able to help out with that type of operation, they have to 1st prioritize urgent/life threatening/in progress/violent/medical calls over kids in an park. It’s just the reality right now. Fire Department Agencies and EMS Agencies are 1st prioritizing fire, urgent, life threatening, medical, alarm calls over kids in an park. Minor stuff is being handled over the phone by 911 Operators, PD/FD/EMS. It’s called “Call/Task/Need Based/Staff Based Priorities” and its going to continue until the pandemic is over. Right now Law Enforcement, Fire-Rescue, EMS Stations are asking residents to please NOT walk in unless its an emergency/can NOT wait, if its minor their being asked to do it over the phone from home. That’s just how things are right now even with DPW their doing service calls by priority/need level. So until pandemic is over and or slowed down that’s the new norm.
I’ve been out walking every day this past week and haven’t noticed any problems. For the most part people seem very responsive to the social distancing mandate. Everyone seems to be keeping their distance. Some even muster up a “hi” or a smile.
Three times during my daily walk yesterday, and twice during today’s, I’ve had to yell “Six feet, please!” to passersby who were getting uncomfortably close as they headed toward me from the other direction.
It didn’t matter whether they were walking, jogging, or cycling. But in each case, because they were wearing earbuds, they didn’t hear me, leaving me to dart into the street or someone’s front yard to get out of their way. Not one of them had the same impulse when they saw ME approaching. Aren’t we supposed to assume that anyone and everyone could be infected and to take the necessary precautions? I cannot understand why people aren’t taking social distancing seriously. Neither does New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/22/nation/cuomo-chides-new-yorkers-ignoring-social-distancing-statewide-cases-hit-15000/
If we do not get people to stop gathering, there will be many more emergencies and the pandemic will last much longer. We should be hearing from many more people that gathering in any form is NOT OK. If that takes officials blaring it from
I had the same experience of people not moving over on walks, for example, insisting on walking in the middle if Echo Bridge, where there’s no yard or street to spill over on. People don’t seem to understand that if we collectively don’t follow the 6-foot rule, we’ll wind up needing a lockdown phase where no one is allowed to leave their house (https://fortune.com/2020/03/20/italy-lockdown-covid-19-deaths-pass-china/).
Hmm…I tried to post a comment from my phone and I got a message back that my comment was a spam.
OK – let me try again:
@Andrew: I am suggesting that Public Health and Safety Officials who are out and about doing their other very important duties, who happen to also see/witness all of the social gatherings that are not safe, that many of us in the community are seeing – to kindly remind those folks that such practices are NOT safe.
OK – I’m calling it: Please City of Newton and elected leaders: enact a PAUSE/Stay-at-home here in Newton ASAP. It doesn’t look like our Governor is going to do it anytime soon.
Our physical infrastructure doesn’t allow for people to stay 6 feet apart on sidewalks. You either need to go into the street (where there are often cars) or just give each other as wide a berth as possible. In places where you can step onto someone’s lawn you can stay apart, but that’s just not possible in most locations.
I’m not sure of the answer. I know that in New York City there’s an effort to closed down streets to cars so people can walk, distanced, and still get time outside. Perhaps we should think about that for areas of Newton?
If we are going to use public safety officials to minimize risk, I would prefer they target the most serious risks to health. If people are having parties or other get-togethers, that’s a clear and documented risk. Droplets are the overwhelming means of transmission, followed by contact with contaminated surfaces followed by exposure to the respiratory system.
Aerosolization has been shown to be theoretically possible but according to this article, “We’ve seen no evidence that aerosolized virus is the primary transmission risk for everyday people in everyday settings.” If aerosol transmission is possible, the same crowded indoor areas are also where we’d see it first and where it would make sense to try and target it.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/16/coronavirus-can-become-aerosol-doesnt-mean-doomed/
While there may be a theoretical risk of a non-coughing person passing another in an uncrowded outdoor setting, it has not been demonstrated in any country with COVID-19. The infection rate would be far higher if it were prevalent. Such environments thus aren’t the most effective place to put our enforcement or encouragement efforts.
I support the six foot separation rule as an effective guide and as a way to educate people about the potential danger zone. But it is only a guide. There are situations where six feet apart isn’t enough, and times when a brief encroachment in an open air environment has extremely low risk. With limited resources, we simply must target the riskiest behavior first. That’s where the R0 payoff is. Everything else is trimming decimal points, if at all.
While on our walk this afternoon, we noticed a “tailgate” party of 6 or 7 SUVs in the Bigelow Middle School parking lot. This looked at first like a prime example of disregard of social distancing. However, on closer inspection perhaps it was designed appropriately. Each of the SUV’s was 8-10 feet from the next, parked in a wide circle with the back ends facing the center. The tailgates were all up and there was one person (all appeared to be teens) in the back of each facing into the center. They were just talking.
I’m calling on our elected officials to lead. PLEASE – City of Newton – implement a PAUSE like NY, like Cambridge, like Somerville, like Nantucket. PLEASE.
Like departments across the country, the Newton Police are meeting the needs of the community while also keeping themselves safe during the coronavirus crisis.
While 911 emergency services remain the same, Chief David MacDonald described some of the changes residents can expect:
Anyone needing non-emergency assistance is asked to call the department’s business line at 617-796-2100. MacDonald said they will be putting up signs in the Washington Street station’s entryway asking people to call, rather than come in, unless they have an emergency.
Police in some cities and towns (Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Denver, for example) have stopped arresting people for low-level crimes. MacDonald said, “We are encouraging officers to use the summons process” when they can, unless they have to make an arrest – for example, in the case of a violent crime.
When asked about the police’s “Continuity of Operations Plan” if officers become sick with the coronavirus, he said the department has had directives in place for many years and the plan is constantly being reviewed. However, he acknowledged that if officers become sick with coronavirus, “The higher the number goes, the higher the impact becomes.” If mutual aid is needed, the Newton Police could get help from NEMLEC (North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council).
Firearm and solicitor fingerprinting services are suspended until further notice. However, if a firearm card is due to expire soon, call 617-796-2104 for further instructions.
The police substation inside Newton City Hall will be closed until further notice.
Car seat inspections and installations have been suspended
The Newton Police Department is located at 1321 Washington St. To find out more, visit http://www.newtonpolice.com/
As of 5 p.m. on Monday, March 23, the Newton Department of Health and Human Services is monitoring 22 people who have tested positive for COVID-19. This is an increase of eight new positive COVID-19 cases since Friday, March 20.