PROVINCETOWN – The Provincetown Board of Health has called on Governor Charlie Baker to delay future reopening plans until certain members of the community are given better safety protections.
Officials said the safety of low-wage workers and seniors, along with members of the black and latinx community among others, was paramount.
Even as statewide coronavirus numbers continue to trend in the right direction, Board of Health Chair Steve Katsurinis said that the safety vulnerable populations needs to be ensured.
“As a result of that, we want to make sure that we are looking out for these people, and we’re calling on the governor to do that,” Katsurinis said.
Katsurinis mentioned that the board joined multiple organizations across Massachusetts for this initiative, including the NAACP and Massachusetts Public Health Association.
Katsurinis, a business owner, explained that he brought a unique perspective to these discussions. While he is anticipating things resembling normalcy within the community, he said that health comes first.
“I, as the chair of the Board of Health, have an overriding responsibility to keep people safe,” he continued.
A regression in reopening plans, Katsurinis said, would be worse than delaying any reopening plan.
Preconditions laid out by the board as criteria to allow reopening to continue include increased testing levels and access to that testing, along with a two week drop in infection rates for these communities at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
The criteria also calls for enforceable standards and protections for workers and supporters of small businesses, and the creation of a “Recovery Advisory Board,” which would include representation from these groups.
Katsurinis said that the town will continue to enforce Baker’s orders without conflicts, in order to comply during a public health crisis.
About Brendan Fitzpatrick
