Here’s the latest news about Lincoln’s response to the Covid-19 epidemic.
Zoom meeting open to all
Lincoln resident Andy Payne has set up another online meeting for any interested Lincolnites to learn more about using the popular free meeting app Zoom and chat about whatever is on their minds on Friday, March 20 at 1 p.m. Just go to https://zoom.us/j/494878673 to join the meeting. Anyone needing help in getting Zoom set up before the meeting can email Payne at andy@payne.org.
Board of Selectmen to meet online
The Board of Selectmen will meet online on Monday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Though most of Lincoln’s boards and commissions are no longer meeting due to the epidemic, selectmen and some other officials will meet online since Gov. Baker last week relaxed aspects of the Open Meeting Law to allow this, as long as the public can see and hear the meetings in real time.
Residents who want to watch the meeting can do so by going to https://zoom.us/j/437201565 and entering this meeting ID: 437 201 565. If there are insoluble technical issues that prevent public access during the meeting, selectmen will post an audio or video recording, transcript, or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the Town of Lincoln website.
The meeting will cover updates on the public health emergency response and potential votes to clarify or confer certain emergency authorities. Click here for the agenda.
Playgrounds closed
As part of the ongoing efforts to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, Lincoln’s playgrounds and play structures will be closed until further notice. Athletic fields are closed to group gatherings and sporting activities/events. Town parks will remain open and residents are encouraged to continue using public, open spaces while practicing the CDC guidelines for social distancing and hygiene.
Council on Aging offers volunteer updates
The COA is providing periodic updates to the groups who are organizing volunteers to let everyone know what everyone else is providing, assist in sharing resources, give information about best practices, pass on news about benefits available to residents in need, offer links to potential sources of funding, and more. If you or your organization would like to be on the list to receive these updates, please contact Carolyn Bottum, COA director, at bottumc@lincolntown.org.
For those making deliveries to residents, the COA and Tricia McGean, Lincoln’s public health nurse, have developed a protocol to help ensure the safety of both the volunteer and the person receiving the items. This is based on CDC guidelines as well as other protocols in use by area organizations.
- Have disposable gloves, disinfectant wipes and a plastic trash bag with you.
- Call the person in advance to tell them when you will arrive, and arrange for a place where you can leave the items.
- Wipe down the items you will be delivering (if applicable) and use gloves to handle them. You do not want to contaminate the items with the virus before you give it to the person.
- When you arrive, call the person to let them know you will be leaving the items in the pre-arranged place.
- Leave the items in the pre-arranged place and leave. Do not enter the person’s house, have an in-person conversation, etc. Again, you are risking infecting both yourself and the person you are serving.
- Throw away your gloves in the plastic trash bag after delivery, use hand sanitizer if available, and dispose of the bag.
As a reminder, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Council on Aging is still providing:
- Social work and other social services, including information and referral, case management, crisis intervention, and phone check-ins with residents who are at special risk due to COVID-19.
- Telephone reassurance with volunteers by phone.
- Coordination of delivery of food, medication, and supplies to residents in need.
- Emergency financial assistance to residents who have received eviction or utility shut-off notices.
By next week they hope to have online fitness classes, but this is still a work in progress.
