Press Release – COVID-19 – April 28, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 28, 2020
TOWN OF GROTON – COVID-19 UPDATE
At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Groton Select Board held on Monday, April 27, 2020, the Select Board made several decisions due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Specifically, the Board voted the following:
- The Memorial Day Parade, originally scheduled to be held on May 25, 2020 has been postponed to a to be determined future date. As part of the vote, a small delegation of veterans led by American Legion Post 55 will lay one or two wreaths on Memorial Day itself within social gathering and social distancing rules and guidelines in effect on that date. Those who wish to be part of the wreath laying detail(s) on May 25th are asked to contact Veteran’s Agent Bob Johnson at groton@bobjgroton.com to assist in the planning for the ceremony.
- The Select Board voted to institute a temporary mandatory leash law as follows: “Pursuant to M.G.L., c.40, §3, M.G.L., c.111, §104 and the Emergency Declaration issued by the Groton Select Board on March 16, 2020, the Select Board orders the requirement that all dogs remain on a leash, whether on private property on which the public is invited or public property, during the Covid-19 Crisis. This is not a permanent change to Chapter 128 “Dogs” of the Code of the Town of Groton. The change is intended to help ensure social distancing during this difficult time. Specifically, effective April 27, 2020 through the end of the Emergency Declaration by the Groton Select Board, all dogs must be leashed. This order shall be enforced by the Groton Police Department pursuant to MGL C. 40, § 21D, Non-Criminal Disposition as outlined in Chapter 128 “Dogs” of the Code of the Town of Groton.”
- The Annual Town Election is currently scheduled to be held on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The Select Board and Town Clerk are strongly encouraging all voters to vote in this election by absentee ballot in the interest of safety. An absentee ballot application can be found here:
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/absentee/English-Absentee-Ballot-Application.pdf
A completed application may be mailed to Town Clerk, 173 Main Street, Groton, MA 01450, faxed to 978-448-2030 or emailed to townclerk@townofgroton.org. In addition, in an abundance of caution to protect the Town’s Election Workers and residents participating in the Election, the Select Board has set the polling hours on June 9th from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The Town of Groton and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are taking unprecedented steps in order to reduce the rate of spread by working proactively to reduce transmission and promote public health recommendations. We urge all citizens to exercise appropriate measures in order to reduce the risk of infection. Additional information regarding risk and containment can be found on the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/. Thank you for your immediate attention and cooperation with this. We will continue to update the community as information becomes available. Please keep checking the Town of Groton website and social media outlets for updates as they become available.
Sincerely,
Mark W. Haddad
Town Manager
