Covid-19 Update
As of May 4, 2020, Provincetown had one confirmed active case of coronavirus and one death from complications related to Covid-19; 26 additional cases were considered recovered and had been cleared from quarantine by the public health nurse.
Mask Order: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The same day the Provincetown Select Board’s face mask order for the downtown area of Commercial Street went into effect, Gov. Charlie Baker made a statewide mandate of his own, that starting May 6 everyone wear a face covering if they cannot stay six feet from others, including in interior spaces, until May 18.
So on May 4, the select board rescinded its order and adopted the governor’s with one addition: everyone on Commercial Street between Bangs and Pleasant streets from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. must wear a mask, whether they are pedestrians or on a bike, skateboard, or motorcycle.
Noncriminal penalties will be enforced by the police. There will be a written warning for first-time offenders and then fines of $100 for a second offense, $200 for a third offense, and $300 for a fourth offense. These fines mirror those imposed by the governor’s office.
Survey on Summer
The Provincetown Recovery Coalition is surveying town residents of town, as well as people who work in town or send their children to the Provincetown schools. It’s on the town’s website until May 11, and at surveymonkey.com/r/ptownrecovery.
The coalition was created to plan a phased reopening of the town following two months of a stay-at-home order and the closure of nonessential businesses. Its meetings are not public.
The social services team within the coalition, led by Provincetown Health Director Morgan Clark, HOW Executive Director Gwynne Guzzeau, and AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod CEO Dan Gates, created the survey to understand the thoughts and needs of those who live and/or work in Provincetown, and to get feedback on how people would like see the next few months unfold.
No West End Sailing Club
The West End Racing Children’s Community Sailing 2020 program has been canceled by Covid-19. The board made the decision last week to cancel the program, which began in the 1950s, for the safety of the approximately 150 children who learn to sail there each year, said Susan Avellar, one of two instructors who have run the program for over three decades.
Avellar said she is “distraught and devastated,” but Harwich and Nantucket also canceled sailing lessons for 2020 and it seemed the best course of action.
The West End racing program will reopen in 2021. —K.C. Myers
