Category: Town Government

I hope you are staying safe this evening as the state emergency management agency has issued tropical storm warnings for all counties.

As we move into August, many of our colleges and universities will prepare to welcome back some or all students on a limited basis. These returns have been planned to keep students and staff as safe as possible, while recognizing the importance of ensuring access to high-quality public and private higher education.

Tomorrow (Saturday, August 1st), the statewide travel order goes into effect in Massachusetts. This travel order seeks to prevent interstate spread of COVID-19 by requiring common-sense safety measures of those traveling to the Commonwealth from states that are not considered low-risk by DPH-approved data.

As you may have noticed from recent newsletters, Massachusetts has experienced a small but noticeable uptick in our COVID-19 public health metrics in recent weeks. This week, our positive case rate ticked back up to 2% for the first time since June, and hospitalization numbers, while still declining overall, have continued to fluctuate.

As we continue our cautious reopening efforts, more individuals are taking public transit again. Bus, subway, and Commuter Rail service continue to operate on modified service patterns and face coverings are required on all MBTA vehicles, but as ridership slowly returns, it is important to stay up to date on the latest news.

One of the most critical challenges we face as we continue to experience the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the ability to safely and effectively continue to provide non-COVID-19-related health care to those who need it. Our hospitals, doctor’s offices, dentists’ offices, and supplementary care providers have worked incredibly hard to preserve access to high-quality care while protecting patients.

Holliston’s newly created Governance Committee is comprised of five members with various professional backgrounds and different levels of past involvement in Holliston government. Our charge is to assist in the development of town-wide policies that relate to governance and to recommend changes to the Town’s form of government if needed.

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As you may know, identity theft related to pandemic-related unemployment claims has been a serious issue faced by the Department of Unemployment Assistance in recent months.