City intensifies effort to put cap on Coronavirus
By JOSH RESNEK
Face coverings are now required in all indoor and outdoor venues throughout the city in all its public places, following an edict put into motion by city hall over the weekend.
Those failing to pay heed to the edict will face fines up to $300, according to officials at city hall.
The intensified battle to control and or to erase the virus locally began Monday.
This edict is consistent with new fears that an uptick in virus cases in Massachusetts might be signaling a new wave of infected.
The city’s police, health and inspectional services departments will strictly enforce the guidelines and can issue warnings and or violations to those not adhering to the face mask order.
Restaurant patrons must be wearing their face masks when they walk into all local restaurants and food outlets but are allowed to remove their masks in order to eat – so long as the seating is properly social distanced with six feet between tables.
City hall officials said this is an order that will stay in effect until further notice.
The face mask order/edict applies to anyone over the age of 2 out in public in the city.
The general public wearing of face masks in Everett has gone from spotty to a much greater percentage of residents, to a near complete face mask situation with most businesses not allowing those without face masks to enter their stores – and this applies especially to groceries and to pharmacies, and to nearly every business lining Broadway and Main Street and to all corner stores.
Consistent with what the state has required, Everett business owners have been especially strict in having employees wear face masks, creating social distancing situations and constructing and placing plexiglass partitions to shield employees from customers in an order from stopping the spread of the virus.