Peabody City Hall To Reopen Next Week

PEABODY, MA —Peabody City Hall will reopen to public business next week with a specially designated entrance and exit, as well as mask and physical distancing requirements.

The city announced that on April 7 City Hall will open with modified hours on Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Those headed back to City Hall will be required to use the handicapped-accessible entrance on Chestnut Street at the entrance and the main entrance as the exit.

"With health metrics continuing to improve, we can reopen City Hall safely and responsibly," Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said. "Guidelines will be implemented to protect employee and public health, including use of personal protective equipment and limits on access to specific departments.

"I want to thank our hard-working City employees who helped deliver essential services throughout this pandemic. I encourage Peabody residents to remain vigilant and to receive the COVID vaccine as soon as they are eligible."

Peabody was one of the final communities on the North Shore to drop out of the state's "high-risk" category for community spread before it finally cleared the hurdle two weeks ago. Virus rates in the city ticked back higher, according to last week's state report, with 25.0 cases per 100,000 residents and a positive-test 7-day average of 3.64 percent.

Visitors will be asked to provide contact tracing information and hand sanitizer will be provided.

The departments open as of April 7 are: Assessors, Building, Collector, City Clerk, Community Development, Mayor, Treasurer, Water and Billing. The Health Department, Human Resources, Retirement Services and Veterans Services will remain open by appointment-only.

Residents are asked to only arrive in person for essential visits that that cannot easily be conducted online or by phone.

"The safety of the public and our employees continues to be our first priority," said Mayor Bettencourt. "Safety protocols will remain in place as the building reopens, and we are grateful for the public’s patience and cooperation during this difficult time."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)