PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts is ramping up efforts to find positive cases of coronavirus. Asymptomatic screening programs are being expanded around the state, and Provincetown recently announced it will begin a […]
THE NEW NORMAL
Wait Time for Covid Test Results Presents Challenge
Screening efforts are increasing, but cost and speed matter
PROVINCETOWN — The goal is clear and workable: at some point, we’ll be able to systematically screen for coronavirus, identify asymptomatic carriers early, and effectively squelch community spread. What we […]
THE WATERFRONT
Sunken Yacht Nearly Sinks Schooner Hindu
Historic vessel now headed to Maine for comprehensive rebuild
PROVINCETOWN — An evening aboard the schooner Hindu, watching the sun slip behind the monument and clouds light up like giant hydrangeas, has been a Provincetown tradition since 1946. Generations […]
HEALTH
How Much Is a Covid Test? Who Can Get One?
The answer, as usual: it’s complicated
PROVINCETOWN — Health care is rarely simple. The question of who can access it, where, when, and for how much often gets a conditional and specific answer that’s different for […]
BAR ASSOCIATION
Last Call at 11 p.m. in Provincetown
Local boards say alcohol service ends when dinner ends
PROVINCETOWN — Gov. Charlie Baker’s reopening plan puts restaurants on one side of a line and bars on another. Restaurants can be open now for outdoor dining, indoor dining, and […]
REOPENING
Phase Three Businesses Wait for the Green Light
Museums, boats, tours, and gyms all look to July 6
PROVINCETOWN — Many of Provincetown’s most iconic experiences are phase three businesses that could, if statewide indicators stay on the right track, be reopening on Monday, July 6. Phase three […]
CORONAVIRUS
No Cases but Lots of Questions
Is it not here, or are we not finding it?
PROVINCETOWN — For four weeks now, Provincetown has detected zero new cases of coronavirus. Memorial Day weekend came and went. Phase two of the statewide reopening was announced; lodgings, retail […]
ECONOMY
With Plenty of Headaches, Relief Money Is Flowing
Three programs created a Bermuda Triangle of financial confusion
PROVINCETOWN — The $2 trillion CARES Act turns three months old this week, and the relief programs it created have all had rough rollouts. The payroll loans, disaster loans, and […]
AT RISK AT WORK
Six People, 12 Jobs, One Bathroom
Dense seasonal housing presents a new hazard
PROVINCETOWN — Short-term rentals bring in visitors and help pay the town’s bills. Year-round rentals are the endangered species that we keep trying to preserve and expand. Seasonal rentals are […]
ECONOMY
There Will Be International Workers, but Not as Many
Arriving from countries with fewer infections, seasonal workforce takes a risk to serve here
PROVINCETOWN — The Outer Cape is not a highly diverse place. When it comes to sexual orientation, Provincetown has a higher concentration of LGBTQ people than almost anywhere — but […]
THE NEW NORMAL
Contact Tracing Could Be a Challenge for Reopened Businesses
Self-isolation orders will affect employers, employees
PROVINCETOWN — The Outer Cape’s economy is opening back up. The streets are showing signs of life, as lodging, outdoor dining, and retail resume after a three-month hiatus. Workers and […]
SELECT CANDIDATES
Incumbent Wants a Larger Vision for the Town
Louise Venden’s priorities are meeting housing needs and future costs
PROVINCETOWN — After three years on the finance committee and three years on the select board, Louise Venden is running for a second term. Venden owned a nine-room guest house […]
PHASING IN
Provincetown Adopts New Policies, but No New Mask Law
Joint meeting of town boards approves reopening guidelines
PROVINCETOWN — Outdoor dining for restaurants, new picnic areas on town property, an experimental car ban on Commercial Street, and extra oversight of the excursion fleet were all approved at […]
CIVICS
Women of the Hour: Our Health Agents
They are at the center of managing towns’ pandemic response
PROVINCETOWN — The Outer Cape’s health agents’ duties range from enforcing food and water safety to supporting emotional connection. Their jobs touch on sex, rats, and sewers. And that was […]
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
Out-of-State Arrivals Still Told to Lie Low
Gov. Baker’s 14-day quarantine is advisory, not an order
PROVINCETOWN — On March 27, Gov. Charlie Baker issued an advisory that travelers into Massachusetts from other states should self-quarantine for 14 days. At that time, New York State was […]
