THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 23, 2020 Page 3 Malden Public Health Director gives COVID-19 update at City Council meeting Says we are “in for a grind” and that Malden is prepared to receive vaccine supplies when ready By Steve Freker C hris Webb did not pull any punches at Tuesday night’s Malden City Council meeting when discussing the present and future of COVID-19 in Malden. “The outlook is not good for any positive changes in the forecast,” Webb said. “As we head into the winter, when everyone is inside, cases are going to go up. Everyone has to stay vigilant – and everyone has to protect themselves.” As for any lights at the ends of any tunnels in the future, Webb told the councillors it appears the pandemic is with us for the long haul. “We’re going to have to live with this for some time,” Webb said. “It’s going to be a grind, a long grind. I can see [the pandemic] being with us well into the middle or end of 2021.” The councillors, one after another, praised Webb and Health Department City Nurse Maria Tamagna for the long hours and diligent attention they have been giving to the worldwide health crisis. Ward 3 Councillor Amanda Linehan thanked them for their work and asked if the federal CARES Act had funded suffi - cient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the city to fi ght the pandemic. “We want to make sure the city departments have all they need to keep our staff and residents safe during this pandemic,” Councilor Linehan said. Webb said Malden is in adequate shape with a “large supply” of the basics, such as gloves, masks and hand sanitizer, as well as other items. The Malden Public Health Director also noted that Malden has enough cold storage space to be able to receive and handle large amounts of COVID-19 vaccine, when it becomes available, “We’ve got it already. We planned for it,” Webb related, as to the cold storage capacity. “A lot of communities are scrambling for [cold storage] space right now…We are fortunate because when the vaccine is ready, and we hope it’s sooner than later, Malden is prepared and that will make a diff erence when the time comes.” Councillor-at-Large Debbie DeMaria asked about testing and the possibility of a mandatory mask order down the road – “We should all really be encouraging everyone to get tested. It’s free and it’s more widely available.” Webb agreed – “Yes, everyone should get tested [for COVID-19] – everyone. Whether you are showing symptoms or not, you could be infected; that’s been proven. I can’t stress that enough.” As for the masks, Webb said that mandates can be made for wearing them in private businesses, such as stores and restaurants, but that it has to be strongly advised for the public. “People have to balance their needs and think about just who they are protecting. It just makes all the sense in the world to wear a mask at any time when you’re interacting in public or inside where there are other people.” Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley asked if any consideration was being made to revert back to an earlier state Phase in Malden, due to the “Red” designation on the Risk Map. Red is “High risk” of transmission. “We will be considering that [Friday, today] at our meetings, and there’s a good chance we may do that,” Webb said, referring to a potential scale back. He said it would involve putting all outside sports activities to just Patron of 621 Tavern tests positive for COVID-19 T he Malden Health Department would like to inform customers of the 621 Tavern & Grille at 621 Broadway that on October 13, at least one person at the restaurant between the hours of 3 p.m. and closing has tested positive for COVID-19. All customers present on October 13 between 3 p.m. and closing are encouraged to get tested as soon as possible in an eff ort to protect themselves and their families. The establishment has been found to be in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. skills and drills and not allowing any organized games in Malden. Such a move would most likely aff ect some youth sports still going on and league and nonleague play by Malden Catholic, which is running several sports (except football) this fall. Gina S Soldano REALTOR® ABR®, AHWD, e-PRO®, GREEN, MRP®, PSA®, SFR®, SRES®, SRS® Broker/Associate Millennium Real Estate 291 Ferry Street, Everett, MA 02149 (857) 272-4270 Gina.Soldano@era.com gsoldanorealtor.com AUTOTECH 1989 SINCE CA$H FOR YOUR CAR! DRIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT! Cold Hard Cash For Your Car, Truck or SUV! 2014 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE LT Excellent Condition, Most Power Options, Key-less Entry, Panoramic Moon Roof, Backup Camera, Remote Start, 126K Miles, Warranty! TRADES WELCOME $10,900 Easy Financing Available! EddiesAutotech.com 2008 CADILLAC DTS Platinum Package, Every Conceivable Option, Clean Title, Only 86K Miles, Warranty! TRADES WELCOME $8,500 781-321-8841 1236 EasternAve • Malden We Pay Cash For Your Vehicle! $1.55 GALLON We accept: MasterCard * Visa * & Discover Price Subject to Change without notice 100 Gal. Min. 24 Hr. Service 781-286-2602
4 Publizr Home