Town Of Andover Designated As 'Red' - High Risk Community

Press release from Andover Public Schools:

December 10, 2020

As of December 10, 2020, the Town of Andover will be designated a “red” community, or a high risk community as classified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Andover is one of 158 communities in Massachusetts designated as a “red” community. Andover’s Red Designation is based on the positivity rate for COVID-19 tests taken over the last 14 days. 5.2% of COVID-19 tests for Andover residents were positive. A 5% positivity rate moves a community to “red”.

Daily Case Counts & Communications

The town will continue to release daily case counts at www.andoverma.gov/cornoavirus. In “red” designation, the town will issue email updates twice per week.

Masks, Social Distancing, Hand Washing

The Andover Health Division reminds everyone about COVID-19 best practices including facial coverings, social distancing, and hand-washing.

• Wear a face covering, except when eating or drinking.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
• Practice social distancing and maintain six feet of distance from others.

Restrictions for Businesses, Gatherings, Events

This designation will not result in any specific restrictions, as the entire state will be rolled back to Phase 3, Step 1 of the Re-Opening Plan as of December 13, 2020.

Effective December 13, all cities and towns in Massachusetts must follow the following restrictions:

• Outdoor gatherings at event venues will be limited to no more than 50 people
• Hosts of outdoor gatherings of greater than 25 people will be required to provide advance notice of the gathering their local board of health
• Indoor theaters and performance venues and higher contact indoor recreation businesses will be required to close to the public
• Outdoor theaters and performance venues will be limited to 25% capacity, and no more than 50 people

Capacity will be reduced from 50% to 40% for the following sectors:

• Arcades/Indoor and Outdoor Recreational Businesses
• Driving and Flight Schools
• Gyms/Health Clubs
• Libraries
• Museums
• Retail
• Offices
• Places of Worship
• Lodging (common areas)
• Golf facilities
• Movie Theaters (Maximum 50 people per theater)

This new capacity limit will not apply to sectors that do not currently have a percentage-based capacity limit, including restaurants, laboratories and close contact personal services.

Restaurants and Venues

The Administration also announced new guidelines for restaurants and other venues with seated dining, including:

• Patrons must wear masks at all times except when eating and drinking
• Restaurants must seat no more than six patrons per table
• Restaurants must impose a 90-minute time limit on tables
• Musical performances at restaurants will no longer be permitted
• Food court seating must be closed in malls

Customers are encouraged to dine only with members of the same household.

Offices and Gyms

The Administration announced new guidelines for workplaces and gyms, including:

• In offices, employees must wear masks at their place of work when not in their own workspace and alone
• Employers are encouraged to close or limit the use of break rooms
• Patrons must wear masks at all times in gyms

Read more about the re-opening plans here.

This press release was produced by the Andover Public Schools. The views expressed are the author's own.