The Haverhill City Council met last night in an empty chamber as a result of a directive by Mayor James J. Fiorentini to bar the general public from entering City Hall. The meeting, which was carried live by 97.9 WHAV FM, began with the mayor assuring the citizens of Haverhill that every possible precaution is being taken to keep the community safe.
“We want to minimize the number of people who get the disease, minimize the risk to our most vulnerable population. We know we cannot overwhelm our medical facilities and that is what we are working hard not to do,” Fiorentini said.
The mayor continued by stressing the need for social distancing and enumerated steps that have been taken in that regard. “We’ve cancelled in Haverhill all public events and all large gatherings. All games have been cancelled at the stadium and Riverside Park and all permits have been pulled. All city-wide events, all community meals, bingo, school concerts and all other large gatherings have been cancelled.”
The mayor did say that the schools are still providing grab and go meals for children that need them. The meals are located at five different sites throughout the city.
The mayor also noted that should the need for hospitalization become overwhelming, Holy Family Hospital in Haverhill has wings that have not been used in decades, most with beds, which could house up to 200 people if needed.
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