Town of Hanson Emergency Management Team Joint Statement
For immediate release – MARCH 16, 2020 AT 4:30pm
Hanson — The Town of Hanson would like to inform all residents of planned steps designed to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on the community. These steps are necessary to limit the potential spread of the virus. At the time of this release, there are no known positive cases of COVID-19 in the Town of Hanson. The Town has declared a local state of emergency and has marshalled an Emergency Management Team to respond to this situation.
The Town’s Emergency Management Team and the Board of Health will work closely and meet regularly to discuss the latest guidance and determine the actions needed to keep our Town prepared as this situation continues to evolve. These measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution so that we all can minimize the spread of the virus. Your cooperation in this endeavor will be much appreciated.
Effective immediately, the following steps will be taken in the Town of Hanson:
Town buildings, including Town Hall, Council on Aging Senior Center, Town Library, and Town schools are closed to the public until further notice.
All public meetings except the Board of Selectmen meeting will be cancelled or postponed to a later date and likely, for the foreseeable future all meetings after the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on March 17, 2020 will be held telephonically with remote public access.
All Town parks and fields will be closed to organized groups until further notice.
All functions at Camp Kiwanee or Thomas Mill will be postponed indefinitely.
The Whitman-Hanson Regional School District has cancelled school and school activities until at least April 6, 2020. During this time, each School building will undergo deep cleaning and disinfecting. Whitman-Hanson students that need food services will be able to go to the High school beginning Monday March 16, 2020 daily from 11AM-1PM. at the snack shack area which is in front of the Performing Arts center where grab and go breakfast and lunch meals will be available. Students will need to provide their student ID number and this program will be handled as it is during a regular day. This is the only time a school building will be open to any member of the public.
The Meals on Wheels program will continue to provide its services as needed.
All Police and Fire services will continue as usual, however, we ask residents to call the department business lines for routine business and avoid coming into the police and fire stations to limit the spread of the virus.
The Board of Health will be enforcing Governor Baker’s Order banning all on-premises consumption of food, drinks, and alcoholic beverages at the Town’s restaurants and bars effective at midnight on March 17, 2020. Only takeout and delivery of food will be permitted until 11:59PM on April 5, 2020 or such later date as the Governor determines. Any establishment that violates the Governor’s order will be subject to applicable license revocations by the Board of Selectmen.
The Police Department and the Board of Health will be enforcing Governor Baker’s Order banning all gatherings of 25 people or more effective at midnight on March 17, 2020. This order is in effect until 11:59PM on April 5, 2020 or such later date as the Governor determines. All food establishments must implement a plan for social distancing during takeout food order operations. These actions will slow the spread of the virus.
The Transfer Station will remain open at this time.
Residents can log on to the Town’s website at www.hanson-ma.gov to get Town department phone numbers or e-mail addresses. The Town’s public servants stand ready to answer any questions that you may have or to give out more information as it becomes available. The Commonwealth has also set up the phone number 211 to answer questions that residents may have concerning this pandemic. Check the Town’s website frequently for updates as this situation is extremely fluid.
The Board of Selectmen is confident that together, working in concert with the community, we will be able to stem the spread of this virus.
Resources:
Town of Hanson website: www.hanson-ma.gov
Town of Hanson Board of Health phone number: 781-293-3138
Town of Hanson Board of Selectmen phone number: 781-293-2131
Commonwealth of MA COVID-19 phone hotline: 211
Commonwealth of MA Department of Public Health COVID-19 dedicated website: http://www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus
Centers for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov