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Reaffirmation of State of Emergency to Respond to COVID-19 in the Town of Wayland

Posted on: October 26, 2020 - 12:12pm

On Monday, October 5th, the Wayland Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to reaffirm the March 20th declaration of a state of emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (see text below).  The Board met with the Board of Health on October 2nd and discussed the necessity to maintain vigilance regarding mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing to avoid the spike in COVID-19 cases that other communities are experiencing as the weather turns colder.  The boards also discussed prioritization of efforts as we all continue to face the multi-faceted impacts of COVID-19.

The Board of Selectmen discussed the overly optimistic expectation of some citizens for town services to return to pre-COVID levels this fall.  From playground use to building permits, things are far from normal at Town Building and will not be normal for some time.  What are the reasons driving the continued limited reduction in services?

  • COVID-19 response has added a second full-time workload to many existing jobs.
  • Wayland town government operates with a very lean staff even in normal times.  There are no extra employees available to step in when someone is out.
  • Departments are very limited in what they can do with reduced staff.
  • Onsite staff is reduced to accommodate distancing rules.
  • Some staff members have cut back hours to care for elderly relatives or children at home.
  • With the Town Building closed to the public, except by appointment, people are calling or emailing in large numbers.  Emails and phone messages pile up and unfortunately may go unanswered for too long.
  • Staff in the Town Administrator’s office and Facilities Department are especially busy with school reopening work such as ventilation improvement and custodial scheduling.  This is anticipated to be a continued priority over the next weeks.
  • The Town Administrator and Finance Director are working on grants for federal CARES and FEMA funds that are necessary to support the extra expenses due to the COVID-19 response.
  • State and federal elections under COVID-19 have added another dimension to the work load this fall.  Many staff have been temporarily reassigned to assist with election efforts.
  • And to top it all off, Mother Nature is not cooperating. The storm this past week was an unexpected impactful one and required around the clock public safety and public works attention.

The Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator are prioritizing critical services, such as COVID-19 response including school reopening, the upcoming election, and financial issues around emergency funding and budget setting. This does not mean that nothing else is accomplished, but unfortunately business as usual cannot occur right now.  We greatly appreciate the community’s understanding and patience as we continue to operate in a state of emergency.

From the minutes of the March 20, 2020 Board of Selectmen’s meeting:

“Whereas, on March 10, 2020, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts issued a declaration of a state of emergency to respond to COVID-19;

Whereas, on March 13, 2020 the President of the United States announced a national declaration of emergency;

Whereas, on March 16, 2020 the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Wayland declared a local state of emergency;

Whereas, the state and federal governments have taken various actions to respond to the evolving COVID-19 public health emergency impacting the nation, the commonwealth and Wayland;

Whereas, the Board of Selectmen have determined that COVID-19 is a public health emergency that poses an immediate threat to the public safety and general welfare of the people residing both within and outside of the Town of Wayland;

Whereas, it is critical to take all steps necessary to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 to protect the health and welfare of the people of Wayland, which steps may be additional to steps that are taken by the state and federal governments; and

Whereas, declaring a state of emergency will facilitate and expedite the use of resources to protect persons from the impacts of COVID-19 including but not limited to emergency expenditures pursuant to M.G.L Chapter 44 Section 31;

Now, Therefore, We, the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Wayland, Massachusetts hereby declare that a state of emergency exists in the Town of Wayland. This declaration of emergency shall remain in effect until further notice is given pursuant to our judgment that the conditions leading to this declaration no longer exist.”