Around Town

Face Coverings Will be Required in Public in Watertown, Violators Will Face a Fine

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The Watertown Board of Health voted to require that people wear face coverings when out in public, indoors and out, or face a fine. The order is a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, said Town Health Director Larry Ramdin. The board voted to approve the order, which will take effect Monday, May 4 and requires anyone age 5 or older to wear something that covers their nose and mouth while in public places, but not necessarily a face mask. Other options include bandanas or scarfs that cover the nose and mouth. Exceptions will be made for children under age 5, as well as people who have health conditions or disabilities that prevent them from wearing a face covering.

Around Town

Watertown Savings Awards More Than $20 Million in PPP Loans

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A lot of money was raised and spent on the 2015 Watertown Election. One of the key parts of the Federal CARES Act, passed by Congress in response to the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, was the program to prevent layoffs, called the Payroll Protection Program or PPP. Loans were granted to businesses who applied through their banks. Locally, one of the institutions used by many in town is Watertown Savings Bank, which announced it handed out more than $20 million in PPP loans. The program allows for forgivable loans of up to $10 million, but the average amount of the PPP loans approved by Watertown Savings was close to $35,000.

Around Town

OP-ED: Sen. Brownsberger’s Survey Finds Most Agree with Mass. Social Distancing Measures

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

State Sen. Will Brownsberger surveyed people about the social distancing steps that Massachusetts officials have taken, and found that the vast majority agree with them and expect it to be “a long time” before the situation returns to normal. Brownsberger — who represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston — sent out the following write up about the survey, which was the second he has conducted about the state’s response to COVID-19 (see the first here). COVID-19 Check-in Survey II

Key Takeaways

95% support Massachusetts’ social distancing policies or feel we should go further.96% expect we will take a long time to get back to normal or will have to adapt to a permanent new normal. Summary of Survey

A total of 2,662 of people responded to an email and Facebook survey initiated on Saturday, April 25, 2020, with 85% responding on that day.As to Massachusetts’ COVID-19 response, only 5% of respondents stated “We have gone too far — the economic impact is not worth it.”Public support for social distancing remains strong: 65% felt “The balance is right at this time” and 30% felt “We have not gone far enough — people are still doing unnecessary and unsafe things.”As compared to the March survey which was completed mostly before the Governor’s non-essential business closures of March 23, the group feeling “We have not gone far enough” has declined from 54% to 30%, while the group feeling “We have gone too far” has increased slightly from 3% to 5%.9% reported that they were unemployed as a result of the epidemic while 3% reported they were previously unemployed. The newly unemployed were somewhat more likely to feel our response has gone too far (12%) than the respondents as a whole (5%), but 88% of them felt we have the balance right or have not gone far enough.The share of respondents currently behind on bills dropped slightly from 3% to 2%.

Government

Board of Health Considering Requiring COVID-19 Face Masks in Watertown

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Watertown’s Board of Health will meet Thursday afternoon to discuss whether to require that people wear face masks in public places in town. The meeting will meet on April 30 at 3 p.m. via Zoom meeting, which the public can join. The lone agenda item reads: Consider and affirm order requiring wearing of face masks in public to contain spread ofCOVID 19 Virus. Watertown would join other communities requiring people to wear face coverings while out in public. Somerville and Cambridge passed orders requiring people to wear a face mask in public places.

COVID-19

Gov. Baker Extends Business Closings, Stay-at-Home Advisory to Mid-May

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Gov. Charlie Baker, with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. Massachusetts residents will be in staying in their homes due to COVID-19 for at least a couple more weeks, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday. The governor’s order requiring non-essential businesses to close their physical locations and the stay-at-home advisory will be extended until May 18, two weeks longer than his last announcement. He added that an advisory board will set “rules of the road” for a “phased reopening” of the state, according to a WBUR report. “I know pushing these dates back a couple weeks is probably not what people want to hear,” Baker said.

Around Town

Library Adds Streaming Options for Movies, TV & Music; See What Else is New

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Watertown Free Public Library

The following information was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

While the Watertown Free Public Library is closed, we’ve been expanding our digital collection. Last week, we added two new streaming platforms: Acorn TV (specializing in British TV and movies) and Qello (full-length concert films and music documentaries). Watertown residents can access both services for free. 

We’re also bringing new programs (and old favorites) online. Democracy Talks, Mystery Roundup, and Cook the Books: Pantry Edition all return this week via Zoom. WFPL’s Teen Department is offering online audiobook discussion groups, and the Children’s Department continues to add new stories and fun sing-alongs to our Story Time Video Library. 

Here’s a full list of virtual offerings for the week of April 27 – May 1:

NEW IN THE DIGITAL LIBRARY

Stingray QelloExplore the world’s leading streaming service for full-length concerts and music documentaries. (Watch The Beatles, Lady Gaga, Beyonce…)Acorn TVStream TV and feature films from Britain and beyond. Binge-watch a classic series or discover a new favorite among 60 exclusive shows!PressReaderAccess over 7,000+ domestic and international newspapers and magazines from 160 countries.Ancestry Library EditionTrace your family tree with access to billions of records, including census data, vital records, and directories. Visit watertownlib.org/elibrary to view our full digital collection.

Entertainment

Mosesian Center Offering Online Art & Drama Classes, Activities During COVID-19

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Watertown’s Mosesian Center for the Arts may be closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but there are still plenty of arts classes and activities to enjoy, some are even free! The Mosesian Center put out the following information:

We hope this message finds you well, in both good spirits and health! All of us here at the MCA miss seeing your faces in and around the building and hope to reunite again soon – when we can safely do so. In the meantime, we are doing our best to make lemonade out of lemons, so here’s a quick update of all the exciting ways we can stay connected… Mosesian Arts Live in Your Living Room

The MCA has been fortunate enough to invite many incredibly talented artists and performers into our house for a wide range of engaging events and performances.

Business

Recently Formed Business Group Highlighted on Watertown Cable Show

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The Watertown Business Coalition recently came on the scene to take over some of the roles of the former Chamber of Commerce, and the group has already made a mark. The group was the focus of the most recent episode of the Inside Watertown show on Watertown Cable. The subject was a familiar one for co-hosts Charlie Breitrose and Bob Airasian, who have been involved in the Business Coalition’s leadership group. The group has hosted three in-person events, and recently held a virtual coffee connect. The guests on the episode (recorded remotely) were WBC co-founder Doug Orifice and Watertown Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon, who talked about a project the Business Coalition worked on with Town of Watertown officials on a project to inform people about which restaurants are open during the COVID-19 outbreak.