Medford City Buildings To Fully Reopen June 1

MEDFORD, MA — All city services and facilities will open at 100 percent capacity starting June 1, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said this week. This follows the statewide plan to lift all COVID-19 restrictions May 29.

At the recommendation of the Medford Board of Health director, the city will continue to implement a series of public health measures while staying in line with state and federal guidance.

"The past year has been tough on everyone but because of the decisions we made and the hard work of our residents, we are now at a point where COVID is on the retreat and the City is on the rise," Lungo-Koehn said. "We are on our way to getting back to somewhat normal and will be able to better assist our residents with these updated public health procedures."

City Hall has remained open to the public since June 2020, with enhanced public health measures in place to protect employees and visitors.

Guidelines for conducting business at city facilities June 1 include:

• Visitors to City Hall will still be required to sign in and give their contact information to the front desk greeter. This will be reevaluated on June 30.
• Visitors may only enter City Hall through the front entrance. Side entrances will be for employees only.
• Masks are required for all unvaccinated people while indoors, including children. This is in line with both the State’s and CDC’s current regulations.
• Masks are strongly encouraged for vaccinated people as well when inside a City facility.

In addition to the guidelines above, several public health measures will also continue to ensure that city operations continue uninterrupted.

• Plexiglass barriers will remain in effect throughout departments in City Hall. They will be removed from the Council Chambers.
• Signage throughout the city will be updated to reflect the new mask and capacity guidance.

Public meetings will be allowed to include public participation in person with no gathering restrictions, but in-person participation will not be required. Availability of meetings on a virtual platform, like Zoom, will remain in place, and participation options may be determined by each body, board, and commission based on their needs and preference.

The Medford Public Library will reopen on June 1 with the following guidelines in place:

• Masks are required for all unvaccinated individuals, including children.
• Masks will be strongly encouraged for all individuals especially when in the children’s section.
• Contactless pick-up and drop-off will remain in place for visitors, but people are also able to browse the library’s selection in person.

Since the Medford Council on Aging previously released June reopening information to its program participants, and to avoid confusion while the Senior Center transitions its protocols to fully reopen on July 1, the facility will abide by the following guidelines for the month of June:

• Masks are required for all visitors.
• People must secure a reservation in advance for indoor programs.
• Check ins at the front desk will still be required.
• Entry into the building is only allowed 10 minutes prior to the class, and you must exit immediately after the program.

"The vaccination rate in the city is on the rise and the virus is considerably less dangerous to those who have completed their vaccine series," said MaryAnn O’Connor, director of the Medford Board of Health. "It’s because of this that we’re able to update our guidance and allow for things to slowly return to normal throughout City facilities. We’re still mindful of the potential risks COVID presents and are adapting our procedures to ensure the safety of the community as things begin to reopen completely. We will continue to monitor and use public health data to inform our decisions going forward."