The Watertown inauguration ceremony has been cancelled due to increasing cases of COVID-19, but the newly-elected officials will still be sworn-in on Jan. 3.
City Council President Mark Sideris announced the cancellation on Tuesday.
“It is with great regret and with an abundance of caution that we will be cancelling the inauguration that was scheduled for Jan. 3rd,” Sideris said in a statement. “As the leaders of this community, we need to be sensitive to the current situation with respect to the pandemic and the continued upward trajectory of cases around us. I am disappointed, as I’m sure you are, but I believe this is the appropriate course of action.”
The ceremony had been scheduled to take place on the evening of Jan. 3 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. During the event, the Council President traditionally gives a speech about the upcoming two-year term. Sideris said he would speak at a later date.
The swearing in of elected officials will take place at different times on Jan. 3 in the Council Chamber in City Hall, Sideris said: the Library Trustees at 5:30 p.m., the School Committee at 6 p.m. and the City Council and Council President at 6:30 p.m.
If you can go to restaurants, bars, and church services, why not allow a crowd to go to a swearing in ceremony?
I thank City Council President Mark Sideris for cancelling the Watertown Inauguration ceremony! Safety comes first to protect everyone. Congratulations to all our newly- elected officials! A big thank you to all our past town officials who worked very hard for our town!
Stay safe everyone.
Sounds more like 2020 than 2021. So, will a few of the inductee’s just take a knee in their living room?
Makes total sense to make adjustments to this in light of our covid numbers. That being said, why are we not getting better information in our town about the current Covid spread?
There are many new cases in town, particularly with high school students. I am learning of several teams that have widespread covid cases and yet they are still practicing, playing and of course spreading the virus.
Our schools need to put a halt to the winter sports to help curb the spread. It’s happening elsewhere and someone should step up and make that call ASAP. Wellesley just halted their high school winter sports due to the high numbers. Come on Watertown officials, let’s try and get a handle on what is happening.
https://www.wcvb.com/article/wellesley-massachusetts-winter-athletics-suspended-covid-19-cases/38638272
Resident,
You seem to be misinformed and are therefore spreading misinformation. Let me clear up a few things for you:
1. My kid’s HS team has had no positive cases of COVID since league play has begun. There are currently ZERO student athletes on his team with COVID.
2. Kids with known COVID cases ARE NOT practicing or playing. They follow existing protocols which include quarantining away from teammates.
3. Wellesley didn’t “halt” their sports seasons. They “paused” them only until 1/10 as many students had come down with cases.
To suggest that a Watertown team with no existing COVID cases stop play, because another town did, is asinine at best. The isolation time for COVID is now only 5 days per Watertown Public Schools, that means kids don’t have to miss extended time from either school or sports even if they get COVID. Please get some data in hand before you demand arbitrarily shutting down team sports for no reason.